Manufacturing Bits: Sept. 9


Fusion energy The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $29 million in funding for several projects to develop fusion energy technology. The projects will focus on the components, materials and technologies to develop a long-awaited but elusive net-energy-gain “fusion core.” For years, companies, governments and universities have been working on fusion power technology. Fu... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Market research What’s in store for the IC market in 2020 and 2021? Here’s the latest IC forecasts from IC Insights, Semico, Semiconductor Intelligence, WSTS and others. “We at Semiconductor Intelligence find it difficult to expect much of an increase in the world semiconductor market in 2020. However, the strength of the PC market and the relatively optimistic 3Q 2020 guidance of severa... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Sept. 1


AI, quantum computing R&D centers The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have announced over $1 billion in awards for the establishment of several new artificial intelligence and quantum information science (QIS) research institutes in the U.S. Under the plan, the U.S. is launching seven new... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Trade As reported, the U.S. recently implemented more restrictions on U.S. chip sales to Huawei. In response, SEMI has released the following statement in response to the new export control rule changes announced by the U.S. Commerce Department: “SEMI recognizes the role of export control measures to address threats to U.S. national security. However, we are very concerned the new export ... » read more

Understanding Advanced Packaging Technologies And Their Impact On The Next Generation Of Electronics


Chip packaging has expanded from its conventional definition of providing protection and I/O for a discrete chip to encompassing a growing number of schemes for interconnecting multiple types of chips. Advanced packaging has become integral to embedding increased functionality into a variety of electronics, such as cellular phones and self-driving vehicles, by supporting high device density in ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 25


DNA storage for TV shows DNA storage was a hot topic about two or so years ago, but it’s been somewhat quiet since that time. DNA storage is back in the news. For the first time, Twist Bioscience has stored an episode of a new Netflix show using its synthetic DNA technology. The new show, BIOHACKERS, is a new six-part biotech thriller. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule that car... » read more

Power Amp Wars Begin For 5G


Demand is increasing for power amplifier chips and other RF devices for 5G base stations, setting the stage for a showdown among different companies and technologies. The power amplifier device is a key component that boosts the RF power signals in base stations. It's based on two competitive technologies, silicon-based LDMOS or RF gallium nitride (GaN). GaN, a III-V technology, outperforms ... » read more

Moore’s Law Enters The 4th Dimension


The basic idea that more transistors are better hasn't changed in more than half a century. In fact, the overriding theme of a number of semiconductor conferences this month is that we will never have enough compute capability or storage capacity. In the past, when the number of transistors in a given area actually did double every 18 to 24 months, increasing density per square millimeter fo... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Packaging Chunghwa Telecom, ASE and Qualcomm Technologies have announced plans to jointly build Taiwan's first 5G mmWave enterprise private network smart factory. As part of the plan, ASE is deploying a series of smart factory technologies within its existing Kaohsiung, Taiwan-based campus. This includes the deployment of 5G mmWave network cells in the Kaohsiung campus. Qualcomm will be ... » read more

What’s Next For Semis?


It’s been a turbulent year in the semiconductor industry. 2020 was supposed to be a strong year. Then, the coronavirus outbreak hit. Suddenly, a large percentage of countries implemented various measures to mitigate the outbreak, such as stay-at-home orders as well as business and store closures. Economic turmoil and job losses soon followed, not to mention the human tragedy involved. M... » read more

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