Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


The European Union’s Chips Act Commission has approved €8.1 billion ($8.73 billion) in funding for an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI). As part of this IPCEI, 56 companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs') and start-ups, will undertake 68 projects in research, innovation, and deployment of microelectronics and communication technologies across th... » read more

From Lab To Fab: Increasing Pressure To Fuse IC Processes


Test, metrology, and inspection are essential for both the lab and the fab, but fusing them together so that data created in one is easily transferred to the other is a massive challenge. The chip industry has been striving to bridge these separate worlds for years, but the economics, speed, and complexity of change require a new approach. The never-ending push toward smaller, better-defined... » read more

MEMS Device Cleaning


Cleaning is an essential process for MEMS applications in order to prevent device failure due to foreign material. Small particles located on MEMS devices are significant causes of device rejection and yield loss. These issues affect inertial devices, such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, as well as microphones, laser bars and other MEMS devices. Click here to download. » read more

Chip Industry’s Technical Paper Roundup: June 5


New technical papers recently added to Semiconductor Engineering’s library: [table id=105 /] More Reading Technical Paper Library home » read more

3D Memory Structures: Common Hole And Tilt Metrology Techniques and Capabilities


A technical paper titled "Inline metrology of high aspect ratio hole tilt and center line shift using small-angle x-ray scattering" was published by researchers at Bruker Nano and Lam Research. Abstract: "High aspect ratio (HAR) structures found in three-dimensional nand memory structures have unique process control challenges. The etch used to fabricate channel holes several microns deep... » read more

Challenges Grow For Creating Smaller Bumps For Flip Chips


New bump structures are being developed to enable higher interconnect densities in flip-chip packaging, but they are complex, expensive, and increasingly difficult to manufacture. For products with high pin counts, flip-chip [1] packages have long been a popular choice because they utilize the whole die area for interconnect. The technology has been in use since the 1970s, starting with IBM�... » read more

How Metrology Tools Stack Up In 3D NAND Devices


Multiple innovations in semiconductor processing are needed to enable 3D NAND bit density increases of about 30% per year at ever-decreasing cost per bit, all of which will be required to meet the nonvolatile storage needs of the big data era. 3D NAND is the first truly three-dimensional device in production. It is both a technology driver for new metrology methods and a significant part of ... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


Global semiconductor sales reached $574 billion in 2022, and U.S. semiconductor companies accounted for sales totaling $275 billion, or 48% of the global market, according to the 2023 Factbook released by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). DRAM and NAND prices likely will continue to fall further this quarter because production cuts have not kept pace with weakening demand, accord... » read more

3D Structures Challenge Wire Bond Inspection


Adding more layers in packages is making it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to inspect wire bonds that are deep within the different layers. Wire bonds may seem like old technology, but it remains the bonding approach of choice for a broad swath of applications. This is particularly evident in automotive, industrial, and many consumer applications, where the majority of chips are not de... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


GlobalFoundries filed suit in U.S. District Court in New York against IBM, accusing it of unlawfully disclosing IP and trade secrets to IBM partners, including Intel and Rapidus, potentially receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in licensing income and other benefits. The European Union released a €43 billion ($47 billion) plan for jumpstarting its semiconductor manufacturing industry,... » read more

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