Metrology’s Growing Role In Reducing False Defects


When a good die fails test and gets scrapped, often no one notices, because false failures look identical to real ones. Yet across the industry, these phantom defects are quietly eroding yield, inflating test costs, and masking the true health of manufacturing processes. At advanced nodes and in heterogeneous packaging, where margins are already razor-thin, even minor variations in contact r... » read more

Hybrid Approach Emerges For Edge/Cloud Inspection Of Chips


An explosion in data from inspection images and metrology measurements is creating a confusing set of demands for chipmakers and their equipment vendors. On one hand they need the massive storage and compute resources of the cloud to utilize AI/ML-based models, but they also need the faster response time of the edge to make adjustments at the tool level. Balancing these requirements is a mas... » read more

Enabling In-Line Process Control for Hybrid Bonding Applications


As demand grows for high-performance computing (HPC) and AI-driven applications, manufacturers are turning to hybrid bonding to enable the ultra-dense 3D integration required for next-generation chip architectures. This advanced packaging technology presents significant process challenges. Surface preparation must be precisely controlled to eliminate particles, excess recess, and copper pad ... » read more

Chip Industry Startup Funding: Q3 2025


The third quarter of 2025 was dominated by massive rounds for companies developing AI chips and quantum computers. Over $2.5 billion went to AI, with wafer-scale chip maker Cerebras leading the pack with a $1.1 billion raise. While several edge AI companies received backing, the quarter saw a marked shift towards solutions for the data center as firms seek to reduce the cost and power consumpti... » read more

Glass Substrates Gain Momentum


As a package substrate, the benefits of glass are substantial. It's extremely flat with lower thermal expansion than organic substrates, which simplifies lithography. And that's just for starters. Warpage, a growing problem for multichip packages, is greatly reduced. Chips can be hybrid bonded to redistribution layer pads on glass. And relative to organic-core substrates, glass provides very... » read more

Chip Industry Week in Review


The U.S. is considering annual approvals for Samsung and SK hynix to export chipmaking tools and materials to their factories in China, replacing perpetual waivers granted under the validated end user system, reports Bloomberg. The proposal, presented by the U.S. Commerce Department to South Korean officials, would require the companies to reapply each year for specific quantities of restricted... » read more

Interconnect Innovations In High Bandwidth Memory: Part 1


By Damon Tsai, Woo Young Han, and Tim Kryman The demand for high bandwidth memory (HBM) is accelerating across the semiconductor industry, driven by boundary-pushing artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and advanced graphics. These technologies require access to vast datasets, which in turn increases the need for memory solutions that combine speed, density, and power efficie... » read more

The Hidden Cost Of Contact Resistance


Contact resistance, or CRES, is one of those problems that most engineers prefer not to think about until it's staring them in the face. For years, it could be managed quietly with routine probe card cleaning or a scheduled socket swap. That approach worked well enough when pin counts were lower and devices pulled less current, but the ground has shifted since then. Today’s AI processors m... » read more

Chip Industry Week in Review


Cadence plans to buy Hexagon AB's design and engineering business to accelerate expansion in physical AI and system design and analysis. Cadence will pay ~US$3.1 billion in cash and issue stock, with the deal expected to close in early 2026. PWC issued a 104-page in-depth analysis of semiconductor technology and markets, highlighting a broad swath of changes: $1T in annual revenue by 2030, ... » read more

Challenges In Stacking HBM


AI data centers are pushing for higher density in high-bandwidth memory. Today, the maximum number of layers that can be stacked is 8, but that increases to as many as 24 layers by 2030. The big challenge will be in the interconnects, and making sure the microbumps align. At 16 layers, the bump pitch will be less than 10 microns, and the dies will be thinner. Damon Tsai, head of product marketi... » read more

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