The Week In Review: Manufacturing


What was the mood at this week’s SPIE Litho? “EUV sentiment is improving among chipmakers as ASML makes progress toward HVM metrics; however, there is still much hedging around timing and readiness. We view EUV adoption as likely to be slow and gradual through 2020,” said Weston Twigg, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities, in a report. “In order for ASML to hit the higher levels of ... » read more

Will 5nm Happen?


Chipmakers are ramping up their 16/14nm finFET processes, with 10nm finFETs expected to ship sometime in late 2016 or early 2017. So what’s next? The foundries can see a path to extend the finFET transistor to 7nm, but the next node, 5nm, is far from certain and may never happen. Indeed, there are several technical and economic challenges at 5nm. And even if 5nm happens, only a few compani... » read more

Gaps Remain For EUV Masks


Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is once again at a critical juncture. The oft-delayed technology is now being targeted for 7nm. But there are still a number of technologies that must come together before EUV is inserted into mass production at that node. First, the EUV source must generate more power. Second, tool uptime must improve. Third, the industry needs better EUV resists. A... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing


Upgraded components in the new iPhone 6S Plus from Apple cost $16 more than the components in the earlier iPhone 6 Plus, according to IHS, which also provided a breakdown of the phone. Both Samsung and TSMC are making Apple’s A9 applications processor on a foundry basis, according to ExtremeTech, which cites Chipworks as its source. There are reports that the Chinese government is interes... » read more

Mask Metrology Challenges Grow


Photomasks are becoming more complex at each node. In fact, masks are moving from traditional shapes to non-orthogonal patterns and complex shapes, such as curvilinear mask patterns. To measure patterns and shapes on the mask, photomask makers use traditional critical-dimension scanning electron microscopes (CD-SEMs). In general, the CD-SEM, the workhorse metrology tool in the mask shop, use... » read more

Survey: Mask Complexity To Increase


The eBeam Initiative today released its annual members’ perceptions survey, a set of results that reveals some new and surprising data about EUV, multi-beam and photomask technology. As part of the results in the new survey, there is a growing level of optimism for the implementation of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography in high-volume manufacturing, as compared to last year’s results... » read more

Conquering Heat Issues In e-beam Lithography


By Noriaki Nakayamada What's the best way to deal with the menacing heating effects in VSB mask writing? The answer lies in part on leveraging GPU acceleration. Check out this video on what's ahead for multi-beam mask writing. [youtube vid=Ij2l3hk6aFg] —Noriaki Nakayamada is group manager at NuFlare Technology. » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing


For years, chipmakers have attempted to build fabs in India. So far, however, India has failed to set up modern fabs and for good reason. There are issues in terms of obtaining dependable power and water for a fab in India, according to Will Strauss, president of Forward Concepts, who added that India also suffers from government bureaucracy. India is still trying. Last week, Cricket Semicon... » read more

Tech Talk: Inverse Lithography


D2S’ Leo Pang talks with Semiconductor Engineering about lithography, inverse lithography, photomasks, where the problems are, and what needs to be done to move forward. [youtube vid=mn8JWaP8Z68] » read more

Blog Review: Oct. 22


What is UX? The User Experience, of course. Rambus' Aharon Etengoff notes that the IoT UX is now the subject of a Harvard Business Review article. A long list of hurdles are expected at the 10nm process node, including multiple levels of local interconnects, more complex layout rules, timing problems, and a slew of others. Cadence's Richard Goering puts it all in perspective. Mentor's R... » read more

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