tag: focused ion beam

Next Steps For Improving Yield
By Laura Peters - 08 Nov, 2022 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers are ramping new tools and methodologies to achieve sufficient yield faster, despite smaller device dimensions, a growing number of systematic defects, immense data volumes, and massive competitive pressure. Whether a 3nm process is ramping, or a 28nm process is being tuned, the focus is on reducing defectivity. The challenge is to rapidly identify indicators that can improve yield... » read more

Inspecting, Testing, And Measuring SiC
By Patrick Waurzyniak - 12 Oct, 2021 - Comments: 0

Achieving the auto industry's stringent zero defect goals is becoming a big challenge for makers of silicon carbide substrates, which are struggling to achieve sufficient yields and reliability as they migrate from 150mm to 200mm wafers and shift their focus away from pure silicon. SiC is a combination of silicon and harder carbide materials, and it has emerged as a key technology for batter... » read more

What Makes A Chip Tamper-Proof?
By Bryon Moyer - 04 Jun, 2020 - Comments: 5

The cyber world is the next major battlefield, and attackers are busily looking for ways to disrupt critical infrastructure. There is widespread proof this is happening. “Twenty-six percent of the U.S. power grid was found to be hosting Trojans," said Haydn Povey, IAR Systems' general manager of embedded security solutions. "In a cyber-warfare situation, that's the first thing that would b... » read more

Wanted: Mask Equipment for Mature Nodes
By Mark LaPedus - 18 Oct, 2018 - Comments: 0

Rising demand for chips at mature nodes is impacting the photomask supply chain, causing huge demand for trailing-edge masks and a shortfall of older mask equipment. The big issue is the equipment shortfall, which could impact customers on several fronts. Tool shortages could lead to longer mask turnaround times and delivery schedules for chips being developed at 90nm and above, which are bu... » read more

zeroK NanoTech: FIB Circuit Edit
By Mark LaPedus - 30 Sep, 2015 - Comments: 0

Focused ion beam (FIB) circuit editing is an enabling technology that has been around for some time. Using a standard FIB tool, a chipmaker can basically edit portions of a circuit before it goes into production. It allows chipmakers to debug chips, cut traces, add metal connections and perform other functions. One startup, zeroK NanoTech, is putting a new and innovative twist on FIB circui... » read more

Why Every Chip Can Be Hacked With This Tool
By Ernest Worthman - 04 Aug, 2014 - Comments: 0

As explained by Darth Vader in the classic Star Wars saga, the line between good and evil can be very thin. What is sometimes developed for the benefit technology, in the hands of the wrong people, can be devastating. That may seem a bit melodramatic when it comes to discussions around focused ion beam (FIB) applications in semiconductors, but the analogy is quite real. Focused ion beam tec... » read more

Defending Against Reverse Engineering
By Ernest Worthman - 04 Aug, 2014 - Comments: 0

Most of us are familiar with the term “reverse engineering.” We generally know that it is used to extract data or designs from chips, but exactly how is pretty much a mystery. Today, chip security has very broad implications. The landscape of tomorrow will be cluttered with devices that are microprocessor-controlled, including some that are autonomous. Numbers vary, but the current esti... » read more

Mask Repair Enters The Spotlight
By Ed Sperling - 18 Oct, 2012 - Comments: 0

By Mark LaPedus For years, the biggest challenges in photomask manufacturing have revolved around the slow write times for electron-beam tools and soaring mask inspection costs. Now, photomask repair, a sometimes forgotten technology in the mask shop, is in the spotlight and turning into the clash of the titans. Mask repair involves the process of finding defects on a photomask and repairin... » read more

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