tag: Lam Research

Mask Maker Worries Grow
By Mark LaPedus - 22 Sep, 2016 - Comments: 0

Photomasks are becoming more complex and expensive at each node, thereby creating a number of challenges on several fronts. For one thing, the features on the [getkc id="265" kc_name="photomask"] are becoming smaller and more complex at each node. Second, the number of masks per mask-set are increasing as a result of multiple patterning. Third, it costs more to build and equip a new mask fab... » read more

Sorting Out Next-Gen Memory
By Mark LaPedus - 22 Sep, 2016 - Comments: 8

In the data center and related environments, high-end systems are struggling to keep pace with the growing demands in data processing. There are several bottlenecks in these systems, but one segment that continues to receive an inordinate amount of attention, if not part of the blame, is the memory and storage hierarchy. [getkc id="92" kc_name="SRAM"], the first tier of this hierarchy, is... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 16 Sep, 2016 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers The finFET market is heating up. GlobalFoundries, Intel, Samsung and TSMC are ramping 16nm/14nm finFETs. And 10nm and 7nm finFETs are in the works. The market will shortly have a new competitor—Taiwan’s United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC). Some years ago, UMC licensed finFET technology from IBM. UMC has been a bit quiet about the 14nm finFET technology, but it has made si... » read more

Blog Review: Sept. 14
By Jesse Allen - 14 Sep, 2016 - Comments: 0

Are wide bandgap lll-V power devices feasible? Applied's Ben Lee considers the challenges, and potential rewards, of silicon carbide and gallium nitride. DVCon India chair Gaurav Jalan chats with keynote speaker Alok Jain about the challenges of verifying complex SoCs, the unique verification needs of the IoT, and what might lie beyond UVM. From power intent abstraction to automatic power... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 09 Sep, 2016 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers GlobalFoundries has rolled out its next-generation FD-SOI technology. The new 12nm FD-SOI process is called 12FDX. It is designed for a range of applications, from mobile computing and 5G connectivity to artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles. "Some applications require the unsurpassed performance of finFET transistors, but the vast majority of connected devices need high l... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Ed Sperling - 26 Aug, 2016 - Comments: 0

Numbers IC Insights predicts TowerJazz and SMIC sales will jump this year, with the total pure-play foundry revenue forecast to grow 9%. That compares with 6% growth last year. TSMC is expected to shrink slightly to 58% market share, with GlobalFoundries staying flat at 11%. UMC will remain in third place in the rankings, followed by SMIC and TowerJazz. SEMI’s book-to-bill ratio jumped to... » read more

What Transistors Will Look Like At 5nm
By Mark LaPedus - 18 Aug, 2016 - Comments: 3

Chipmakers are currently ramping up 16nm/14nm finFET processes, with 10nm and 7nm just around the corner. The industry also is working on 5nm. TSMC hopes to deliver a 5nm process by 2020. GlobalFoundries, Intel and Samsung are doing R&D for that node. But 5nm technology presents a multitude of unknowns and challenges. For one thing, the exact timing and specs of 5nm remain cloudy. The... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 12 Aug, 2016 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers At this week’s Flash Memory Summit, Samsung rolled out several new products, including its next-generation 3D NAND device and a solid-state drive (SSD) with capacities up to 32 terabytes. At the same time, Samsung introduced a new and high-performance SSD solution, dubbed the Z-SSD. Samsung’s Z-SSD shares the fundamental structure of V-NAND and has a unique circuit design and... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 29 Jul, 2016 - Comments: 0

Fab tools Lam Research’s proposed move to acquire KLA-Tencor has been pushed out for the second time. The deal was supposed to be completed by mid-2016. Then, it was pushed out to the third quarter amid regulatory issues. Now, the companies hope to close the deal by the fourth quarter of 2016. “The KLA-Tencor acquisition is expected to close in the December quarter. This reflects another p... » read more

200mm Equipment Shortfall
By Mark LaPedus - 21 Jul, 2016 - Comments: 0

A surge in demand for consumer electronics, communications ICs, sensors and other products has created a shortage in 200mm fab capacity that shows no signs of abating. None of these chips need to be manufactured using the most advanced processes, and there have been enough tweaks to processes at established nodes to eke even more out of existing processes. But that has left chipmakers strugg... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →

  • Sponsors

About

Navigation

Connect With Us

Copyright ©2013-2024 SMG   |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy