category: Manufacturing, Packaging and Materials

category: Auto, Security & Edge AI

Manufacturing Bits: April 30
By Mark LaPedus - 30 Apr, 2019 - Comments: 0

Single-atom catalysts A group of researchers have captured the behavior of a single-atom catalyst, a move that could one day help design more efficient catalysts in systems. A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction. In vehicles, for example, platinum is used as a catalyst, which speeds up chemical reactions and cleans exhaust gases. Besides platinum, the indu... » read more

Focus Shifting From 2.5D To Fan-Outs For Lower Cost
By Ed Sperling - 29 Apr, 2019 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss advanced packaging with Calvin Cheung, vice president of engineering at ASE; Walter Ng, vice president of business management at UMC; Ajay Lalwani, vice president of global manufacturing operations at eSilicon; Vic Kulkarni, vice president and chief strategist in the office of the CTO at ANSYS; and Tien Shiah, senior manager for memory at Samsung. W... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test
By Mark LaPedus - 26 Apr, 2019 - Comments: 0

Fab tools and test Lam Research has developed a new self-maintaining or self-cleaning chamber for its etch tools. With the technology, Lam announced a new industry benchmark has been set for productivity in etch processing using its self-maintaining equipment. Etch process modules are typically cleaned weekly or monthly. Recently, Lam and a chipmaker reached the milestone of going 365 days... » read more

Controlling IC Manufacturing Processes For Yield
By Ed Sperling - 24 Apr, 2019 - Comments: 0

Equipment and tools vendors are starting to focus on data as a means of improving yield, adding more sensors and analysis capabilities into the manufacturing flow to circumvent problems in real time. How much this will impact the cost of developing complex chips at leading-edge nodes, and in 2.5D and 3D-IC packages, remains to be seen. But the race to both generate data during manufacturing ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: April 23
By Mark LaPedus - 23 Apr, 2019 - Comments: 0

Sorting nuclei CERN and GSI Darmstadt have begun testing the first of two giant magnets that will serve as part of one of the largest and most complex accelerator facilities in the world. CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, recently obtained two magnets from GSI. The two magnets weigh a total of 27 tons. About 60 more magnets will follow over the next five years. These ... » read more

Electric Cars Gain Traction, But Challenges Remain
By Mark LaPedus - 22 Apr, 2019 - Comments: 4

Battery-powered electric vehicles are expected to reach a milestone in terms of shipments in 2019, but the technology faces several significant hurdles to gain wider adoption in the market. Limited driving range, high costs, battery issues, and a spotty charging infrastructure are the main challenges for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). In addition, there are issues with various power semic... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test
By Mark LaPedus - 19 Apr, 2019 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers Here comes the battle between 5nm and 6nm processes at two foundry vendors—Samsung and TSMC. Meanwhile, Intel is behind and scrambling to get 10nm out the door. (Intel's 10nm is equivalent to 7nm from the foundries.) Last week, TSMC announced delivery of a complete version of its 5nm design infrastructure. TSMC’s 5nm technology is based on a finFET. This week, Samsung anno... » read more

The Precision Knob
By Ed Sperling - 18 Apr, 2019 - Comments: 0

Precision used to be a goal, but increasingly it is being used as a tool. This is true for processing and algorithms, where less precision can greatly improve both performance and battery life. And it is true in manufacturing, where more precision can help minimize the growing impact of variation. Moreover, being able to dial precision up or down can help engineers see the impact on a system... » read more

More Rare Earth Rumblings
By Mark LaPedus - 18 Apr, 2019 - Comments: 4

It’s time to look at the market for rare earths again. Rare earths are chemical elements found in the Earth’s crust. These elements, which are critical, are used in cars, consumer electronics, computers, communications, clean energy and defense systems. So why worry about them? China produces and controls 80% of the world’s rare earths. Other nations depend on China for these materi... » read more

Connecting Wafer-Level Parasitic Extraction And Netlisting
By Michael Hargrove - 18 Apr, 2019 - Comments: 0

The semiconductor technology simulation world is typically divided into device-level TCAD (technology CAD) and circuit-level compact modeling. Larger EDA companies provide high-level design simulation tools that perform LVS (layout vs. schematic), DRC (design rule checking), and many other software solutions that facilitate the entire design process at the most advanced technology nodes. In thi... » read more

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