IC Test And Quality Requirements Drive New Collaboration


Rapidly increasing chip and package complexity, coupled with an incessant demand for more reliability, has triggered a frenzy of alliances and working relationships that are starting to redefine how chips are tested and monitored. At the core of this shift is a growing recognition that no company can do everything, and that to work together will require much tighter integration of flows, met... » read more

Progress In Wafer And Package Level Defect Inspection


The technology to enable sampling and the need for more metrology and inspection data in a production setting have aligned just in time to address the semiconductor industry’s newest and most complex manufacturing processes. In both wafer and assembly manufacturing, engineering teams have long relied on imaging tools to measure critical features and to inspect for defects after specific pr... » read more

New Strategies For Interpreting Data Variability


Every measurement counts at the nanoscopic scale of modern semiconductor processes, but with each new process node the number of measurements and the need for accuracy escalate dramatically. Petabytes of new data are being generated and used in every aspect of the manufacturing process for informed decision-making, process optimization, and the continuous pursuit of quality and yield. Most f... » read more

DTCO/STCO Create Path For Faster Yield Ramps


Higher density in planar SoCs and advanced packages, coupled with more complex interactions and dependencies between various components, are permitting systematic defects to escape traditional detection methods. These issues increasingly are not detected until the chips reach high-volume manufacturing, slowing the yield ramp and bumping up costs. To combat these problems, IDMs and systems co... » read more

AI/ML Challenges In Test and Metrology


The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) into semiconductor test and metrology is redefining the landscape for chip fabrication, which will be essential at advanced nodes and in increasingly dense advanced packages. Fabs today are inundated by vast amounts of data collected across multiple manufacturing processes, and AI/ML solutions are viewed as essential for... » read more

Strategies For Detecting Sources Of Silent Data Corruption


Engineering teams are wrestling with how to identify the root causes of silent data corruption (SDC) in a timely and cost-effective way, but the solutions are turning out to be broader and more complex than simply fixing a single defect. This is particularly vexing for data center reliability, accessibility and serviceability (RAS) engineering teams, because even the best tools and methodolo... » read more

Adaptive Test Ramps For Data Intelligence Era


Widely available and nearly unlimited compute resources, coupled with the availability of sophisticated algorithms, are opening the door to adaptive testing. But the speed at which this testing approach is adopted will continue to vary due to persistent concerns about data sharing and the potential for IP theft and data leakage. Adaptive testing is all about making timely changes to a test p... » read more

Hidden Costs And Tradeoffs In IC Quality


Balancing reliability against cost is becoming more difficult for semiconductor test, as chip complexity increases and devices become more domain-specific. Tests need to be efficient and effective without breaking the bank, while also ensuring chips are of sufficient quality for their specific application. The problem is that every new IC device adds its own set of challenges, from smaller f... » read more

Inspection, Metrology Issues In Advanced Packages


Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to talk about how to inspect and measure smaller features across large areas in advanced packaging, with Frank Chen, director of applications and product management at Bruker Nano Surfaces & Metrology; John Hoffman, computer vision engineering manager at Nordson Test & Measurement; and Jiangtao Hu, senior technology director at O... » read more

Glass Substrates Gain Foothold In Advanced Packages


Glass substrates are starting to gain traction in advanced packages, fueled by the potential for denser routing and higher signal performance than the organic substrates used today. There are still plenty of problems to solve before this approach becomes mainstream. While glass itself is cheap and shares some important physical similarities to silicon, there are challenges with buildup, stre... » read more

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