Research Bits: June 23


Redesigning high-NA EUV A researcher from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) proposes redesigning the illumination systems and projectors used in high-NA EUV lithography to reduce optical effects and enhance resolution. In the proposed projector design, the collector mirrors in the illumination system have a simpler design to bring short wavelengths of light from the EUV... » read more

Chip Industry Week In Review


Dealmaking Amkor inked a 10-year agreement with TSMC to provide advanced packaging and test services in Arizona, tying TSMC’s U.S. fab expansion to domestic OSAT capacity. Trump said in a post that Apple will partner with Intel on chip design and production in the U.S., marking a second reported win for the chipmaker this month. Intel Foundry will also reportedly manufacture 3 million... » read more

Accelerating Zero-Knowledge Proof Generation With Reconfigurable Hardware (KAIST)


Researchers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have published “ZK-Flex: A Flexible and Scalable Framework for Accelerating Zero-Knowledge Proofs”. Abstract “Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) allows a prover to convince a verifier of computational correctness without revealing private data, ensuring both privacy and verifiability. However, proof generation i... » read more

Research Bits: May 11


Non-destructive terahertz inspection Researchers from Adelaide University, Virginia Diodes, the Hasso Plattner Institute, and the University of Potsdam used terahertz waves to observe electrical activity inside fully packaged semiconductor devices as they are operating. The technique relies on an ultra-sensitive detection system using a specialized homodyne quadrature receiver, which can pi... » read more

Research Bits: Mar. 9


Low noise clock generator Researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) designed a low power semiconductor circuit capable of generating high-quality clock signals with significantly reduced noise levels. The injection-locked clock multiplier (ILCM) circuit uses a simplified design based on a ring voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). It integrates a frequency t... » read more

Research Bits: Feb. 17


Analog layout foundation model Researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) built a foundation model for automated analog circuit layout. The team used a self-supervised learning approach, in which the model learns without human-provided labels. To counter a lack of available training data, the team divided analog layouts into small patches, masked part of each lay... » read more

Research Bits: Jan. 20


ALD for Ru wiring Researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Hongik University, and Tanaka Precious Metal Technologies developed an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process for creating chip interconnects using a ruthenium (Ru) precursor with a thermal stability up to 400 °C. The high-temperature ALD process can produce dense, high-quality Ru films without deg... » read more

Research Bits: Jan. 12


Wafer-scale two-photon lithography Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Stanford University demonstrated a two-photon lithography (TPL) platform for wafer-scale manufacturing. The TPL platform uses large arrays of metalenses to split a femtosecond laser into more than 120,000 coordinated focal spots that write simultaneously across centimeter-scale areas. The a... » read more

Research Bits: Oct. 13


Mimicking neural plasticity Researchers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) developed a frequency switching neuristor device that mimics the intrinsic plasticity of neurons. The device can autonomously adjust the frequency of its signals, similar to the way the brain becomes less startled by repeated stimuli or becomes increasingly sensitive through training. The... » read more

Research Bits: July 29


Sort-in-memory Researchers from Peking University and the Chinese Institute for Brain Research developed a sort-in-memory hardware system based on memristors that is tailored for complex, nonlinear sorting tasks. The comparator-free processing-in-memory architecture is built on a one-transistor–one-resistor (1T1R) memristor array, using a Digit Read mechanism that replaces traditional com... » read more

← Older posts