Defect Challenges Grow For IC Packaging


Several vendors are ramping up new inspection equipment based on infrared, optical, and X-ray technologies in an effort to reduce defects in current and future IC packages. While all of these technologies are necessary, they also are complementary. No one tool can meet all defect inspection requirements. As a result, packaging vendors may need to buy more and different tools. For years, p... » read more

Power Packaging Trends And The 48V Ecosystem


With each passing year, emerging growth application areas such as automotive, cloud computing, industrial automation, and telecom (5G) infrastructure are garnering more attention. Although the application segments are different, there is a commonality in how voltage conversion and power distribution are achieved at the system level. System demands are becoming more important to reduce an effe... » read more

Packaging Demands For RF And Microwave


RF and microwave integrated circuits (ICs), monolithic microwave ICs (MMICs) and systems in package (SiPs) are vital for a wide range of applications. These include mobile phones, wireless local-area networks (WLANs), ultra-wideband (UWB), internet-of-things (IoT), GPS and Bluetooth devices. Moreover, RF-optimized packaging products and processes are essential to enabling the 5G ramp-up. RFI... » read more

The Quest To Make 5G Systems Reliable


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss 5G reliability with Anthony Lord, director of RF product marketing at FormFactor; Noam Brousard, system vice president at proteanTecs; Andre van de Geijn, business development manager at yieldHUB; and David Hall, head of semiconductor marketing at National Instruments. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: How do we measure the reli... » read more

New Test Methods For 5G Wafer High-Volume Production


In order to provide the chips required for this change in the landscape, there will be a large number of changing requirements in wafer test that come out of these architectural requirements. Form Factor partnered with Intel to investigate these changes, and tested one such example of a new test methodology. In a joint collaboration with Intel to develop a test methodology for their 5G RF-So... » read more

Security At The Edge


Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss security at the edge with Steven Woo, vice president of enterprise solutions technology and distinguished inventor at Rambus, Kris Ardis, executive director at Maxim Integrated; and Steve Roddy, vice president of Arm's Products Learning Group. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. To view part one of this discussion, click here. Part two i... » read more

Deals That Change The Chip Industry


Nvidia's pending $40 billion acquisition of Arm is expected to have a big impact on the chip world, but it will take years before the effects of this deal are fully understood. More such deals are expected over the next couple of years due to several factors — there is a fresh supply of startups with innovative technology, interest rates are low, and market caps and stock prices of buyers ... » read more

Hyperscale And Edge Computing: The What, Where And How


We hear a lot about “edge computing” these days. We are approaching an era in which unfathomable amounts of data are created, which need to be transmitted, stored, processed and made sense of. As we are witnessing never-before-seen scaling in all those domains, the term “hyperscale” computing has been invented. But what about the edge? As it turns out, the definition seems to have chang... » read more

Have Processor Counts Stalled?


Survey data suggests that additional microprocessor cores are not being added into SoCs, but you have to dig into the numbers to find out what is really going on. The reasons are complicated. They include everything from software programming models to market shifts and new use cases. So while the survey numbers appear to be flat, market and technology dynamics could have a big impact in resh... » read more

5G NR Primer For Amplifier And Filter Design


This primer examines some of the challenges engineers face when designing filters and power amplifiers for 5G New Radio (NR) communication systems. See how the Cadence AWR Design Environment platform can be used to simulate amplifier and filter performance under 5G operating conditions. Click here to continue reading.     » read more

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