tag: Applied Materials

Mask Maker Worries Grow
By Mark LaPedus - 22 Sep, 2016 - Comments: 0

Photomasks are becoming more complex and expensive at each node, thereby creating a number of challenges on several fronts. For one thing, the features on the [getkc id="265" kc_name="photomask"] are becoming smaller and more complex at each node. Second, the number of masks per mask-set are increasing as a result of multiple patterning. Third, it costs more to build and equip a new mask fab... » read more

Sorting Out Next-Gen Memory
By Mark LaPedus - 22 Sep, 2016 - Comments: 8

In the data center and related environments, high-end systems are struggling to keep pace with the growing demands in data processing. There are several bottlenecks in these systems, but one segment that continues to receive an inordinate amount of attention, if not part of the blame, is the memory and storage hierarchy. [getkc id="92" kc_name="SRAM"], the first tier of this hierarchy, is... » read more

Blog Review: Sept. 21
By Jesse Allen - 21 Sep, 2016 - Comments: 0

Mentor's Ricardo Anguiano takes a look at a proposal to prevent auto accidents from becoming pile-ups: the relaying of hazard information to the cloud and on to upcoming vehicles. Why get rid of 3.5mm audio jacks? Synopsys' Michael Posner says it's all about the power optimization in the upcoming USB Type-C digital audio specification. NXP's Anand Kannan also thinks Type-C should be the d... » read more

Blog Review: Sept. 14
By Jesse Allen - 14 Sep, 2016 - Comments: 0

Are wide bandgap lll-V power devices feasible? Applied's Ben Lee considers the challenges, and potential rewards, of silicon carbide and gallium nitride. DVCon India chair Gaurav Jalan chats with keynote speaker Alok Jain about the challenges of verifying complex SoCs, the unique verification needs of the IoT, and what might lie beyond UVM. From power intent abstraction to automatic power... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 19 Aug, 2016 - Comments: 0

Fab tool and material vendors Applied Materials reported its results for the third quarter ended July 31. Net sales of $2.82 billion were up 15% sequentially and up 13% year over year. "AMAT reported impressive upside in July quarter and guided October quarter well ahead of expectations as the company is seeing sizable tailwinds across: 1) WFE uptick driven by foundry and NAND orders; 2) stron... » read more

Fins And Wires – How Do We Get To 5nm?
By Mike Chudzik - 18 Aug, 2016 - Comments: 0

As the industry moves beyond 10nm to the 7nm and 5nm nodes, fundamental shifts are needed to address scaling challenges. Among the priority concerns driving industry changes, particularly with respect to materials and architecture, is the impact on transistor performance from rising parasitic resistance and parasitic capacitance or RC. I spoke about this industry dilemma recently at the SEMICON... » read more

What Transistors Will Look Like At 5nm
By Mark LaPedus - 18 Aug, 2016 - Comments: 3

Chipmakers are currently ramping up 16nm/14nm finFET processes, with 10nm and 7nm just around the corner. The industry also is working on 5nm. TSMC hopes to deliver a 5nm process by 2020. GlobalFoundries, Intel and Samsung are doing R&D for that node. But 5nm technology presents a multitude of unknowns and challenges. For one thing, the exact timing and specs of 5nm remain cloudy. The... » read more

Blog Review: Aug. 10
By Jesse Allen - 10 Aug, 2016 - Comments: 0

Is the end near for FinFETs? Applied's Mike Chudzik digs into the impact of rising parasitic resistance and parasitic capacitance and the challenges of scaling to 5nm. Cadence's Paul McLellan checks out the method UC Berkeley is using to build RISC-V processors. Mentor's Colin Walls warns that in C even the simplest things, like the declaration of variables, have pitfalls for the unwary. ... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 29 Jul, 2016 - Comments: 0

Fab tools Lam Research’s proposed move to acquire KLA-Tencor has been pushed out for the second time. The deal was supposed to be completed by mid-2016. Then, it was pushed out to the third quarter amid regulatory issues. Now, the companies hope to close the deal by the fourth quarter of 2016. “The KLA-Tencor acquisition is expected to close in the December quarter. This reflects another p... » read more

Material And Process Challenges In A Changing Memory Landscape
By Er-Xuan Ping - 21 Jul, 2016 - Comments: 0

Moore’s Law has fueled the semiconductor industry’s growth for decades. But as the complexity of scaling increases, extending the economics of Moore’s Law is becoming a challenge. One example illustrating the challenges of maintaining the economic benefits of Moore’s Law is the difficulty of IC chip patterning. Today, this requires an expensive litho scanner, a complicated spacer and... » read more

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