Chip Industry Week In Review


By Susan Rambo, Gregory Haley, and Liz Allan SRC unfurled its Microelectronics and Advanced Packaging (MAPT) industry-wide 3D semiconductor roadmap, addressing such topics as advanced packaging, heterogeneous integration, analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, energy efficiency, security, the related foundational ecosystem, and more. The guidance is the collective effort of 300 individuals ... » read more

Using Smart Data To Boost Semiconductor Reliability


The chip industry is looking to AI and data analytics to improve yield, operational efficiency, and reduce the overall cost of designing and manufacturing complex devices. In fact, SEMI estimates its members could capture more than $60B in revenues associated through smart data use and AI. Getting there, however, requires overcoming a number of persistent obstacles. Smart data utilization is... » read more

SiC Growth For EVs Is Stressing Manufacturing


The electrification of vehicles is fueling demand for silicon carbide power ICs, but it also is creating challenges in finding and identifying defects in those chips. Coinciding with this is a growing awareness about just how immature SiC technology is and how much work still needs to be done — and how quickly that has to happen. Automakers are pushing heavily into electric vehicles, and t... » read more

Five Smart Ways To Improve EV Battery Production


Batteries and battery management systems are the heart of today's electric vehicles. These components define the performance, safety, and driving range of more than 16.5 million1 electric vehicles currently on the road. As electric vehicle and battery manufacturers continue to look for ways to increase the efficiency and speed of their production processes, many turn to Nordson EFD for prec... » read more

3D Structures Challenge Wire Bond Inspection


Adding more layers in packages is making it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to inspect wire bonds that are deep within the different layers. Wire bonds may seem like old technology, but it remains the bonding approach of choice for a broad swath of applications. This is particularly evident in automotive, industrial, and many consumer applications, where the majority of chips are not de... » read more

Case Study – Rohinni Micro LEDs


Rohinni combines vision, execution and micron-scale electronics to make impossible products possible. Using its patented device-placement technologies, Rohinni, together with its joint venture partners, enables bringing innovative products to market in high volumes, and at greatly reduced cost. Click here to read more. » read more

Getting Smarter About Tool Maintenance


Chipmakers have begun to shift to predictive maintenance for process tools, but the hefty investment in analytics and engineering efforts means it will take some time for smart maintenance to become a widespread practice. Semiconductor manufacturers need to maintain a diverse set of equipment to process the flow of wafers, dies, packaged parts, and boards running through factories. OSAT and ... » read more

Metrology Strategies For 2nm Processes


Metrology and wafer inspection processes are changing to keep up with evolving and new device applications. While fab floors still have plenty of OCD tools, ellipsometers, and CD-SEMs, new systems are taking on the increasingly 3D nature of structures and the new materials they incorporate. For instance, processes like hybrid bonding, 3D NAND flash devices, and nanosheet FETs are pushing the bo... » read more

New Wafer-Like And Reticle-Like Sensors Deliver Fast, Easy Measurements Inside The Process Chamber


Setup and maintenance operations for semiconductor manufacturing tools can be tedious, time-consuming, and expensive, incurring both direct costs for personnel and resources and indirect costs for lost tool time during extended commissioning of new tools and requalification of repaired or serviced tools. Wafer-like (and reticle-like) sensors (WaferSense® from CyberOptics) provide fast, easy ac... » read more

Effect Of RF Plasma Process Gas Chemistry And Electrode Configuration On The Removal Of Copper Lead Frame Oxidation


By Daniel Chir and Johnson Toh Lead frame surface oxidation can lead to surface delamination after molding or wire bonding issues. The application of plasma treatment has been proven to be safe and effective solution to address these issues. However, the effectiveness of plasma treatment for removing oxide is dependent on the correct use of recipe parameters, gas chemistry and electrode conf... » read more

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