tag: Applied Materials

Atomic Layer Etch Heats Up
By Mark LaPedus - 29 Jun, 2016 - Comments: 0

The atomic layer etch (ALE) market is starting to heat up as chipmakers push to 10nm and beyond. ALE is a promising next-generation etch technology that has been in R&D for the last several years, but until now there has been little or no need to use it. Unlike conventional etch tools, which remove materials on a continuous basis, ALE promises to selectively and precisely remove targete... » read more

Blog Review: June 29
By Jesse Allen - 29 Jun, 2016 - Comments: 0

Ansys' Justin Nescott checks out the world's first electric highway for trucking in this week's top five tech picks. Plus, some cool houses, Boston Dynamics' giraffe-bot, and a drum kit in a backpack. Applied's Matt Cogorno takes a look at the challenges facing etch methods as devices keep getting smaller. Synopsys' Apoorva Mathur digs into the energy efficient aspects of the MIPI M-PHY a... » read more

Data Analytics To Drive IC Shift
By Paula Doe - 28 Jun, 2016 - Comments: 0

The adoption of predictive analytics has the potential to drive the next round of IC industry innovation and growth. Much of the necessary data handling technology is now available from other sectors. However, to fully capitalize on the possibilities, the IC manufacturing world faces particular challenges in figuring out how to get a high yield of actionable information from its streams of vari... » read more

Interconnect Challenges Rising
By Mark LaPedus - 27 Jun, 2016 - Comments: 1

Chipmakers are ramping up their 14nm finFET processes, with 10nm and 7nm slated to ship possibly later this year or next. At 10nm and beyond, IC vendors are determined to scale the two main parts of the [getkc id="185" kc_name="finFET"] structure—the transistor and interconnects. Generally, transistor scaling will remain challenging at advanced nodes. And on top of that, the interconnects ... » read more

TSVs: Copper, Silicon, And CTE Mismatch
By Katherine Derbyshire - 23 Jun, 2016 - Comments: 3

As previous articles in this series have discussed, advanced packages introduce new materials and new reliability concerns. Diffusion into solder bumps can create brittle, high resistance, intermetallic compounds. Heat transfer through an interposer can degrade the lifetime of even cool, low power chips. Still, through-silicon vias are unique in that they cut directly through the integrated cir... » read more

Next Challenge: Contact Resistance
By Mark LaPedus - 23 Jun, 2016 - Comments: 0

In chip scaling, there is no shortage of challenges. Scaling the finFET transistor and the interconnects are the biggest challenges for current and future devices. But now, there is another part of the device that’s becoming an issue—the contact. Typically, the contact doesn’t get that much attention, but the industry is beginning to worry about the resistance in the contacts, or conta... » read more

ASML To Buy Hermes
By Mark LaPedus - 16 Jun, 2016 - Comments: 0

Looking to expand into new markets, ASML Holding has entered into an agreement to acquire e-beam wafer inspection specialist Hermes Microvision (HMI) in a cash transaction valued at 2.75 billion euros (US$3.08 billion). With the proposed acquisition of Taiwan’s HMI, ASML will enter two new markets—-wafer inspection as well as mask inspection for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. In ... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 10 Jun, 2016 - Comments: 0

MEMS manufacturing A*STAR’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME) in Singapore has launched its third consortium to develop MEMS technologies. This would allow MEMS sensor devices to achieve better performance, higher power efficiency and a smaller form factor. The MEMS Consortium III consists of the following companies: Applied Materials, Coventor, Delta Electronics, GlobalFoundries, InvenS... » read more

Lawyers, Insurance And Self-Driving Cars
By Ann Mutschler - 02 Jun, 2016 - Comments: 1

Self-driving cars are drawing semiconductor companies into legal and regulatory issues for the first time, adding a new level of scrutiny on cutting-edge chip technology. It also opens up a whole new field for legal interpretation, case law, and regulation. While most liability cases in the past never crossed below the system vendor/supplier level, that could change with autonomous vehic... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 27 May, 2016 - Comments: 0

Fab tools Thermo Fisher Scientific and FEI have announced that their boards of directors have unanimously approved Thermo Fisher’s acquisition of FEI for $107.50 per share in cash. The transaction represents a purchase price of approximately $4.2 billion. In a video, Aki Fujimura, chief executive of D2S, recaps the emerging mask and lithography trends presented at the recent Photomask Ja... » read more

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