Research Bits: March 26


Skyrmion switches Researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and National University of Singapore harnessed skyrmions to build a switch that has the potential to process data faster while using significantly less energy. Skyrmions are magnetic whirls that form in very thin metal layers and can be efficiently moved between magnetic regions. Using a magnetic tun... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: June 25


Panel-level consortium Fraunhofer is moving forward with the next phase of its consortium to develop technologies for panel-level packaging. In 2016, Fraunhofer launched the original effort, dubbed the Panel Level Packaging Consortium. The consortium, which had 17 partners, developed various equipment and materials in the arena. Several test layouts were designed for process development on ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: June 10


Predicting warpage in packages At the recent IEEE Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) in Las Vegas, there were several papers on ways to predict variation and warpage in IC packages. Advanced packages are prone to unwanted warpage during the process flow. The warpage challenges escalate as the packages become thinner. Warpage in turn can impact yields in IC packages. ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: July 3


MacEtch and chips Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) has advanced a technology called metal-assisted chemical etching or MacEtch for use in the fabrication of silicon nanowires and related structures. Silicon nanowires are used in several applications, such as electronics, solar, storage, optical, catalysis, drug delivery and sensors. In semiconductors, the ... » read more