The Impact of Moore’s Law Ending


Over the past couple of process nodes the chip industry has come to grips with the fact that Moore's Law is slowing down or ending for many market segments. What isn't clear is what comes next, because even if chipmakers stay at older nodes they will face a series of new challenges that will drive up costs and increase design complexity. Chip design has faced a number of hurdles just to get ... » read more

Fostering Thermal Design Innovation Using Chip-Package-System Analysis Techniques


As devices continue to become smaller and more portable Moore’s Law continues to increase the number of transistors that fit within a chip albeit many predict an end to this in the near future. However new interconnect technologies that use Through-Silicon-Vias (TSVs) can place ICs next to each other using 2.5D Interposers or stack chips in 3D resulting in even greater system scaling. This co... » read more

Reworking Established Nodes


New technology markets and a flattening in smartphone growth has sparked a resurgence in older technology processes. For many of these up-and-coming applications, there is no compelling reason to migrate to the latest process node, and equipment companies and fabs are rushing to fill the void. As with all electronic devices, the focus is on cost-cutting. But because these markets are likely ... » read more

Will Higher Production Costs Hamper IoT Growth?


No question, 2017 is expected to be a good year for the semiconductor industry. Semiconductor revenues for 2017 are expected to increase more than 9% this year. A 6% increase in unit sales, as well as higher average selling prices for memory products, will help drive the revenue growth rate to its highest level since 2010. Wafer demand is forecast to grow by almost 8%. The higher revenue growth... » read more

Will There Be Enough Silicon Wafers?


The silicon wafer industry, a critical part of the IC supply chain, is undergoing a new and perhaps alarming wave of merger and acquisition activity. While consolidation in this sector is not new, the pace of M&A activity is picking up and there are fewer companies left. Silicon wafer makers produce and sell raw silicon wafers to chipmakers, which process them into chips. But despite con... » read more

How To Achieve Faster Design Convergence And A Better Design


We find ourselves at an interesting point in the evolution of semiconductor technologies electronic systems as a whole. As Moore’s Law continues to charge forward, tools and workflows continue to adapt to major trends, including: Increasing system design complexity; The increasing digital footprint of both design databases and simulation output data, and New architectures/More-than-Mo... » read more

Rise Of The Old Fab


Growth in the [getkc id="260" comment="Internet of Everything"], along with the beginning of a shift toward systems in package, are creating buzz in a rather unlikely place—established and well-worn process nodes where equipment is scarce, semi-functional, and difficult to maintain. In the past, moving to the next node was a sign of progress, leaving behind the trailing edge of designs to ... » read more

SEMICON Taiwan’s Packaging Punch


SEMICON Taiwan packed a punch, setting several new records and new heights in 2015. This year marked the 20th anniversary of SEMICON in Taiwan and was the largest SEMICON in Taiwan ever, with a Nobel Prize winner (Professor Shuji Nakamura, 2014’s winner) keynoting the Executive Summit, Taiwan’s President Ma speaking at the hugely attended Gala Dinner, and 2015 on track for TSMC to be the wo... » read more

SITRI: Startup Funding And Support


Describing exactly what the Shanghai Industrial μTechnology Research Institute is like trying to read the fine print on a moving object. The organization is constantly in motion, shifting from one set of services to another, depending upon the recipient's needs, and redefining itself as it goes. The central theme is to promote and further the interest of startups working on "More Than Moore" a... » read more

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