Chasing After Quantum Dots


In the 1980s, researchers stumbled upon a tiny particle or nanocrystal with unique electrical properties. These mysterious nanocrystals, which are based on semiconductor materials, were later named quantum dots. Quantum dots were curiosity items until 2013, when Sony launched the world’s first LCD TV using these inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals. Basically, when inserted into an LCD TV,... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing


In case you missed it, Apple rolled out its latest iPhones and other products. The latest iPhone 6 is using chips based on finFETs. So, who won Apple’s application processor foundry business for the iPhone 7? “In our foundry checks, it appears Apple is likely splitting the 14/16nm business for the recent product launches between TSMC and Samsung. We suspect Samsung’s 14nm is used for the ... » read more

ALD Market Heats Up


Amid the shift to 3D NAND, finFETs and other device architectures, the atomic layer deposition (ALD) market is heating up on several fronts. Applied Materials, for example, recently moved to shakeup the landscape by rolling out a new, high-throughput ALD tool. Generally, [getkc id="250" kc_name="ALD"] is a process that deposits materials layer-by-layer at the atomic level, enabling thin and ... » read more

Memory Hierarchy Shakeup


It’s no secret that today’s memory chips and storage devices are struggling to keep up with the growing demands in data processing. To solve the problem, chipmakers have been working on several next-generation memory types. But most technologies have been delayed or fallen short of their promises. But after numerous delays, a new wave of next-generation, nonvolatile memories are finally ... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing


KKR, an investment firm, announced that it is leading a $42 million growth equity investment in Optimal+, a provider of manufacturing intelligence software solutions for adaptive IC test applications. In case you missed it, Apple rolled out its latest iPhones and other products. The latest iPhone 6 is using chips based on finFETs, according to AnandTech, a hi-tech site. Samsung is the main... » read more

Blog Review: Sept. 2


When it comes to cars, manufacturers may be adding too many features too fast, says Mentor's John Day. Up to half of the features may never get used either because they aren't useful or they are too complex. Cadence's Christine Young sat down with Neeti Bhatnagar, a software engineering group director to discuss the challenges and rewards of working in a distributed, cross-functional team, t... » read more

Advanced IC Packaging Biz Heats Up


After a number of false starts and lackluster adoption, the advanced IC packaging market is finally heating up. On one front, for example, a new wave of chips based on advanced [getkc id="82" kc_name="2.5D"]/[getkc id="42" kc_name="3D"] stacked-die is entering the market. And on another front, the momentum is building for new and advanced 2D packages, such as embedded package-on-package (PoP... » read more

Interconnect Challenges Grow


It’s becoming apparent that traditional chip scaling is slowing down. The 16nm/14nm logic node took longer than expected to unfold. And the 10nm node and beyond could suffer the same fate. So what’s the main cause? It’s hard to pinpoint the problem, although many blame the issues on lithography. But what could eventually hold up the scaling train, and undo Moore’s Law, is arguably t... » read more

Patterning Interconnects At 10nm And Below


By Connie Duncan Chip manufacturers today build billions of transistors on a chip, delivering incredible computing power to consumers. What often gets overlooked is how hard it’s getting to create the many miles of ultra-thin copper wiring used to connect each of the transistors. Patterning these electrical pathways is becoming increasingly challenging as they grow denser and finer, and any ... » read more

IIoT Comes To Chip Manufacturing


Nicholas Ward, director of marketing for the services group at Applied Materials, sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to talk about how data needs to be shared in semiconductor manufacturing and why it's so slow to happen in this industry. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. SE: Where are we with the [getkc id="76" kc_name="IoT"] and the [getkc id="78" kc_name="IIoT"]? War... » read more

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