category: Manufacturing, Packaging and Materials

category: Auto, Security & Edge AI

Scaling At The Angstrom Level
By Ed Sperling - 16 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

It now appears likely that 2nm will happen, and possibly the next node or two beyond that. What isn't clear is what those chips will be used for, by whom, and what they ultimately will look like. The uncertainty isn't about the technical challenges. The semiconductor industry understands the implications of every step of the manufacturing process down to the sub-nanometer level, including ho... » read more

Taking A Pulse On The IC Biz
By Mark LaPedus - 16 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

It’s been a difficult period for the semiconductor industry. The coronavirus outbreak has put a damper on what was supposed to be a strong year in the semiconductor industry in 2020. Many are holding out hopes for a rebound in the second half of the year. That’s still a big unknown. The forecasts are gloomy. For example, VLSI Research has three different scenarios for the semiconduc... » read more

Metrology Challenges For Gate-All-Around
By Mark LaPedus - 16 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 3

Metrology is proving to be a major challenge for those foundries working on processes for gate-all-around FETs at 3nm and beyond. Metrology is the art of measuring and characterizing structures in devices. Measuring and characterizing structures in devices has become more difficult and expensive at each new node, and the introduction of new types of transistors is making this even harder. Ev... » read more

Gradual Rebound Or Slight Dip
By Sungho Yoon - 16 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

Uncertainty has gripped the silicon wafer market as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to upend growth projections for 2020. Declines in both shipments and revenue plagued the silicon wafer market in 2019, a downturn that had given way to optimism for 2020 with rising expectations for normalizing inventory levels, memory market improvements, data center market growth and the 5G market takeoff. ... » read more

Making Chips At 3nm And Beyond
By Mark LaPedus and Ed Sperling - 16 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 4

Select foundries are beginning to ramp up their new 5nm processes with 3nm in R&D. The big question is what comes after that. Work is well underway for the 2nm node and beyond, but there are numerous challenges as well as some uncertainty on the horizon. There already are signs that the foundries have pushed out their 3nm production schedules by a few months due to various technical issu... » read more

Artificial Intelligence Is Everywhere
By Shelly Miyasato - 16 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

It’s pretty hard to talk about technology today without artificial intelligence, or AI, entering into the conversation. It seems to be everywhere… and growing. Businesses are using it to operate more efficiently, it’s resulting in safer and more useful products, and it has the promise of allowing us to personalize our worlds as devices learn our preferences. The age of AI AI refers to t... » read more

Big Changes In Tiny Interconnects
By Ed Sperling - 16 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 1

One of the fundamental components of a semiconductor, the interconnect, is undergoing radical changes as chips scale below 7nm. Some of the most pronounced shifts are occurring at the lowest metal layers. As more and smaller transistors are packed onto a die, and as more data is processed and moved both on and off a chip or across a package, the materials used to make those interconnects, th... » read more

Sponsorship Of Women Drives Innovation And Improves Organizational Performance
By SEMI - 15 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

Attracting, developing and retaining talent are some of the biggest challenges facing the technology industries, and this is especially true in the semiconductor industry, where the talent gap is widely acknowledged to be growing. Women are under-represented in the workforce of these industries, pointing to a significant opportunity to address these talent challenges. Seeking ways to engage and... » read more

How GaN On SiC Lowers 5G Base Station Costs
By Wolfspeed, a Cree Company - 15 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

GaN’s higher efficiency at 5G frequencies compared with LDMOS also means a lower operating cost per bit/second and a lower carbon footprint. Wolfspeed, a Cree company, and dominant player in the GaN on SiC device market, estimates that GaN on SiC can save over 200 W of DC power compared to a system that uses LDMOS power amplifiers (PAs) when operated at maximum average power. Continue read... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: April 14
By Mark LaPedus - 14 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

Complex microparticles A team of researchers have developed the world’s most complex microparticle. In the lab, researchers have assembled hierarchically organized particles with twisted spikes and polydisperse Au-Cys (gold-cysteine) nanoplatelets or nanosheets. The sheets all twist in the same direction. Cysteine is a proteinogenic amino acid. The structure is said to be more complex ... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →

  • Sponsors

  • Standards/Organizations

About

Navigation

Connect With Us

Copyright ©2013-2026 SMG   |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy