System-In-Package Thrives In The Shadows


IC packaging continues to play a big role in the development of new electronic products, particularly with system-in-package (SiP), a successful approach that continues to gain momentum — but mostly under the radar because it adds a competitive edge. With a SiP, several chips and other components are integrated into a package, enabling it to function as an electronic system or sub-system. ... » read more

A New Vision For Memory Chip Design And Verification


Discrete memory chips are arguably the most visible reminder of the opportunities and challenges for advanced semiconductor design. They are manufactured in huge quantities, becoming key drivers for new technology nodes and new fabrication processes. Price fluctuations have a major impact on the financial health of the electronics industry, and any shortages can shut down the manufacturing line... » read more

New Approaches For Processor Architectures


Processor vendors are starting to emphasize microarchitectural improvements and data movement over process node scaling, setting the stage for much bigger performance gains in devices that narrowly target what end users are trying to accomplish. The changes are a recognition that domain specificity, and the ability to adjust or adapt designs to unique workloads, are now the best way to impro... » read more

Inside Intel’s Ambitious Roadmap


Ann Kelleher, senior vice president and general manager of Technology Development at Intel, sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to talk about the company’s new logic roadmap, as well as lithography, packaging, and process technology. What follows are excerpts of that discussion. SE: Intel recently disclosed its new logic roadmap. Beyond Intel 3, the company is working on Intel 20A. Wit... » read more

Angstrom-Level Measurements With AFMs


Competition is heating up in the atomic force microscopy (AFM) market, where several vendors are shipping new AFM systems that address various metrology challenges in packaging, semiconductors and other fields. AFM, a small but growing field that has been under the radar, involves a standalone system that provides surface measurements on structures down to the angstrom level. (1 angstrom = 0... » read more

Now You Can Automate Latch-Up Verification For 2.5/3D Technologies


Latch-up is modeled as a short circuit (low-impedance path) that can occur in an integrated circuit (IC). It may lead to destruction due to over-current resulting from interactions between parasitic devices (PNP and NPN). To protect against latch-up conditions, there are two key types of latch-up design rules—fundamental and advanced [1,2]. Fundamental rules are the local latch-up design r... » read more

2.5D And 3D-IC Latch-Up Prevention


2.5D/3D ICs have evolved into an innovative solution for many design and integration situations, but they present unique verification obstacles that challenge electronic design automation (EDA) tools originally designed for 2D ICs. Automated solutions are needed not only to reduce verification cycles but also to improve the quality and reliability of package designs. Automated verification o... » read more

Piecing Together Chiplets


Several companies are implementing the chiplet model as a means to develop next-generation 3D-like chip designs, but this methodology still has a long way to go before it becomes mainstream for the rest of the industry. It takes several pieces to bring up a 3D chip design using the chiplet model. A few large players have the pieces, though most are proprietary. Others are missing some key co... » read more

Bumps Vs. Hybrid Bonding For Advanced Packaging


Advanced packaging continues to gain steam, but now customers must decide whether to design their next high-end packages using existing interconnect schemes or move to a next-generation, higher-density technology called copper hybrid bonding. The decision is far from simple, and in some cases both technologies may be used. Each technology adds new capabilities in next-generation advanced pac... » read more

Fan-Out Packaging Options Grow


Chipmakers, OSATs and R&D organizations are developing the next wave of fan-out packages for a range of applications, but sorting out the new options and finding the right solution is proving to be a challenge. Fan-out is a way to assemble one or more dies in an advanced package, enabling chips with better performance and more I/Os for applications like computing, IoT, networking and sma... » read more

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