Nudging 2D semiconductors forward


The buzz about 2D materials replacing silicon appears to be premature. While 2D semiconductors have emerged as potential successors, it's not clear when or even if that will happen. As Iuliana Radu, Imec's director of quantum and exploratory computing observed, the “end” of silicon has been predicted many times before. It is not clear when 2D semiconductors will need to be ready. In fac... » read more

What’s Changing In DRAM


Most of the attention in chip scaling has been focused on logic and on-chip memory, but off-chip memory is starting to encounter problems, as well. David Fried, vice president of computational products at Lam Research, looks at the impact of shrinking features and increasing density, including variation, thermal effects and aging, as well as effects such as micro-loading and DRAM stacking. » read more

Evaluating The Impact Of STI Recess Profile Control On Advanced FinFET Device Performance


In this paper, a 5nm FinFET flow was built using the SEMulator3D virtual fabrication platform. Different STI (shallow trench isolation) recess profiles were investigated using the pattern-dependent etch capabilities of SEMulator3D, including changes in trenching/footing profile, fin height and imbalance fin height. The impact of STI recess profile on device performance was then investigated usi... » read more

Qualifying The ExposedPad TQFP For AEC-Q006 Grade 0


Semiconductor packages used in various vehicle applications require high reliability. As technological innovations in the automotive market increase, the demand for highly reliable packaging is increasing for applications in autonomous driving, human interfaces, electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and more. Package reliability is essential because automotive packages must p... » read more

Challenges With Chiplets And Packaging


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss IC packaging technology trends, chiplets, shortages and other topics with William Chen, a fellow at ASE; Michael Kelly, vice president of advanced packaging development and integration at Amkor; Richard Otte, president and CEO of Promex, the parent company of QP Technologies; Michael Liu, senior director of global technical marketing at JCET; and Th... » read more

Are Surfaces Of Silicon Hardmasks Adaptive?


Silicon hardmask (Si-HM) materials used in lithography processes play a critical role in transferring patterns to desired substrates. In addition, these materials allow for the tuning of optical properties such as reflectivity and optical distribution for better lithography. Si-HM materials also need to possess good compatibility with photoresists before and after optical exposure, during which... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Sept. 14


Probabilistic computers Sandia National Laboratories and others are developing what researchers call a probabilistic computer. Instead of traditional computing, Sandia is developing a system with built-in randomness that computes information differently every time. As part the research program, the Department of Energy awarded the project $6 million over the next three years to develop t... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Chipmakers, OEMs Intel plans to establish foundry capacity at its fab in Ireland. The company has also launched the so-called Intel Foundry Services Accelerator to help automotive chip designers transition from mature to advanced nodes. The company is setting up a new design team and offering both custom and industry-standard intellectual property (IP) to support the needs of automotive custom... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Sept. 8


Calibrating a microphone The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a faster and more accurate way to calibrate a microphone. NIST’s new calibration technique makes use of lasers, a promising technology that could supplant today’s methods. The technology could one day be used to calibrate sensitive microphones in factories, power plants and other settings li... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


OEMs For some time, the automotive industry has suffered due to chip shortages in the market. And the chip shortages are spreading into other markets. In the latest news, GM plans to idle key truck plants amid chip shortages, according to a report from Bloomberg. “GM said eight of its 14 North American assembly plants will experience shutdowns this month because of chip shortages, includi... » read more

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