Successful FlexTech Integration Providing New Opportunities for SEMI Members


By Michael Ciesinski, President, FlexTech In 2014, SEMI developed a new model – SEMI Strategic Association Partnership – for engaging other associations and organizations in a strategic, long-term relationship that supports and advances the interests of SEMI members in emerging and adjacent segments of the electronics supply chain. The strategic partner brings a community, brand, and pro... » read more

Waiting For 5G Technology


For some time, carriers, equipment OEMs and chipmakers have been gearing up for the next-generation wireless standard called 5th generation mobile networks, or 5G. 5G is the follow-on to the current wireless standard known as 4G, or long-term evolution (LTE). It will enable data transmission rates of more than 10Gbps, or 100 times the throughput of LTE. But the big question is whether 5G wil... » read more

Executive Insight: Aki Fujimura


Aki Fujimura, chief executive of D2S, sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to look at the key issues in lithography and photomasks, as well as the changes taking place in the IC industry. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: The semiconductor market is changing on several fronts. On one front, there is a wave of consolidation in the industry. And then there is a slowdown in... » read more

A New Approach For IC Test


Since its inception, a founding principle of the semiconductor industry has been to continually improve performance while driving down cost. In other words, offer more for the money. However, amid greater device complexity, shorter product cycles, and relentless cost pressure, the test portion represents an increasing percentage of the total IC cost and a significant part of the product develop... » read more

Back-End-of-Line (BEOL) Metallization


Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) for Back-End-of-Line (BEOL) metallization is being pushed to the limits at the 16-nanometer (nm) technology node and beyond. Extending PVD for metal liner and barrier seed deposition is forcing the process into a narrow window that must be characterized prior to manufacturing introduction. Furthermore, understanding the liner dependency on the trench and via etch... » read more

A Pattern Of Success: Calibre Pattern Matching


Calibre Pattern Matching allows you to define specific geometric configurations as visual patterns, directly from a design layout. With this visual representation, Calibre Pattern Matching opens up a whole new way to define design rules for both established and advanced nodes, and enables a wide range of innovative applications across design, verification, and test. This white paper introduces ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: June 21


Atomic sculpting Oak Ridge National Laboratory has combined a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) with new electronic controls. This tool enables the construction, or the atomic sculpting, of 3D-like feature sizes down to 1nm and 2nm. To achieve these dimensions, the STEM is controlled with a special set of programmable electronics. This, in turn, enables the STEM to tunnel in... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing


Chipmakers It’s been a difficult time for Intel. The chip giant recently announced a major layoff. It also ceased development on several cell-phone chip products. Intel hasn’t given up on Moore’s Law, but the nodes appear to be extending from 18 to 24 months or perhaps longer, at least at Intel. Here’s the latest: For 10nm production, Intel received the production fab tools in Ap... » read more

ASML To Buy Hermes


Looking to expand into new markets, ASML Holding has entered into an agreement to acquire e-beam wafer inspection specialist Hermes Microvision (HMI) in a cash transaction valued at 2.75 billion euros (US$3.08 billion). With the proposed acquisition of Taiwan’s HMI, ASML will enter two new markets—-wafer inspection as well as mask inspection for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. In ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: June 14


3D printed neural networks The European Commission has launched a program that will replicate the brain’s neural network using 3D nano-printing. The program, dubbed the MESO-BRAIN consortium, has received an award of €3.3 million in funding from the European Commission. This research, led by Aston University, also involves Axol Bioscience, Laser Zentrum, the University of Barcelona, th... » read more

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