Innovative Solutions To Increase 3D NAND Flash Memory Density


In the last 10 years, 3D NAND flash memory has enabled a new generation of non-volatile solid-state storage useful in nearly every electronic device imaginable. 3D NAND can achieve data densities exceeding those of 2D NAND structures, due to the relative ease of 3D integration, even when fabricated on later generation technology nodes. 3D NAND structures contain vertical channels which orthogo... » read more

In-Memory Vs. Near-Memory Computing


New memory-centric chip technologies are emerging that promise to solve the bandwidth bottleneck issues in today’s systems. The idea behind these technologies is to bring the memory closer to the processing tasks to speed up the system. This concept isn’t new and the previous versions of the technology fell short. Moreover, it’s unclear if the new approaches will live up to their billi... » read more

Creating Higher Density 3D NAND Structures


3D NAND flash memory has enabled a new generation of non-volatile solid-state storage useful in nearly every electronic device imaginable. 3D NAND can achieve data densities exceeding those of 2D NAND structures, even when fabricated on later generation technology nodes. The methods used to increase storage capacity come with potentially significant tradeoffs in memory storage, structural sta... » read more

Using Sensor Data To Improve Yield And Uptime


Semiconductor equipment vendors are starting to add more sensors into their tools in an effort to improve fab uptime and wafer yield, and to reduce cost of ownership and chip failures. Massive amounts of data gleaned from those tools is expected to provide far more detail than in the past about multiple types and sources of variation, including when and where that variation occurred and how,... » read more

Blog Review: Feb. 13


UltraSoc’s Rupert Baines notes that awareness is rapidly increasing for the value of embedded insights and system data. Cadence’s Paul McLellan reviews the highlights of the upcoming SPIE conference in San Jose. Synopsys’ Taylor Armerding discusses the key findings of a report on cybersecurity practices for the automotive industry, including what components of vehicles pose the hi... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Chipmakers Shares of Intel fell amid lackluster results for the company, according to a report from CNBC. But Intel is also boosting its capital spending to $15.5 billion, according to the report. Here’s more on Intel from PC World. Meanwhile, Intel is expanding its research fab in Oregon, dubbed D1X, according to a report from The Oregonian. The company is in the process of building an ... » read more

Variation Issues Grow Wider And Deeper


Variation is becoming more problematic as chips become increasingly heterogeneous and as they are used in new applications and different locations, sparking concerns about how to solve these issues and what the full impact will be. In the past, variation in semiconductors was considered a foundry issue, typically at the most advanced process node, and largely ignored by most companies. New p... » read more

Embedded Phase-Change Memory Emerges


The next-generation memory market for embedded applications is becoming more crowded as another technology emerges in the arena—embedded phase-change memory. Phase-change memory is not new and has been in the works for decades. But the technology has taken longer to commercialize amid a number of technical and cost challenges. Phase-change memory, a nonvolatile memory type that stores data... » read more

Analyzing Worst-Case Silicon Photonic Device Performance Through Process Modeling And Optical Simulation


Silicon photonics is an emerging and rapidly-expanding design platform that promises to enable higher-bandwidth communication and other applications. One of the best qualities of silicon photonics is its ability to leverage existing CMOS fabrication equipment and process flows. However, this means that it is subject to the same process defects and variations. Previous blog posts [References 1,2... » read more

Much Ado About Memory


New semiconductor applications are ever changing and improving our lives, from new smartphones and wearables to healthcare, factory automation, and artificial intelligence. The humble memory chip working in the background plays a critical role in enabling these technologies. For example, that awesome picture you just took would be lost forever without memory. Your computer can’t perform the i... » read more

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