Cutting IC Manufacturing Costs By Combining Data


Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss the benefits of incorporating financial data into fab floor decision-making, including what kind of cost data is most useful, with Dieter Rathei, CEO of DR Yield; Jon Holt, senior director of product management at PDF Solutions, Alex Burlak, vice president of advanced analytics and test at proteanTecs; and Dirk de Vries, techni... » read more

Full-Chip Voltage Contrast Inference Using Deep Learning; You Only Look Once: Voltage Contrast (YOLO-VC)


Abstract: The electron beam inspection methodology for voltage contrast (VC) defects has been widely adopted in the early stages of sub-10nm logic and memory technology development, as well as in new product introductions. However, due to throughput limitations, full-chip inspection at the 300mm wafer scale remains impractical for yield ramp and production applications. To address this challeng... » read more

Chip Industry Week In Review


The EU Commission approved €920 million in German State aid to support Infineon in setting up its Smart Power Fab in Dresden. Total funding for the Dresden site amounts to about €1 billion. PDF Solutions will acquire secureWISE for $130 million to expand the reach of its semiconductor manufacturing data platform, providing secure, remote access monitoring and control. Tariffs, trade, and ... » read more

Chip Industry Week In Review


Worldwide silicon wafer shipments declined nearly 2.7% to 12,266 million square inches in 2024, with wafer revenue contracting 6.5% to $11.5 billion, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group. CSIS released a new report, “Critical Minerals and the Future of the U.S. Economy,” with detailed analysis and policy recommendations for building a secure mineral supply chain for semicond... » read more

Transformational Opportunities Coming To Semiconductor Manufacturing


During the GSA US Executive Forum in September 2024, a panel discussion brought together Marco Chisari, EVP from Samsung Semiconductor, Jeff Howell, Global VP for High Tech at SAP, and John Kibarian, CEO of PDF Solutions. The purpose of the discussion was to compare and contrast the perspectives from one of the largest global semiconductor companies with that of the most widely used enterpri... » read more

Silent Data Errors Still Slipping Through The Cracks


Silent data corruption errors in large server farms have become a major concern of cloud users, hyperscalers, processor manufacturers and the test community. Silent data errors (also called silent data corruption errors) are hardware errors that occur when an incorrect computational result from a processor core goes undetected by the system. The data is silently corrupted because neither sof... » read more

IC Equipment Communication Standards Struggle As Data Volumes Grow


The tsunami of data produced during wafer fabrication cannot be effectively leveraged without standards. They determine how data is accessed from equipment, which users need data access and when, and how fast it can be delivered. On top of that, best practices in data governance and data quality are needed to effectively interpret collected data and transfer results. When fab automation and ... » read more

Semiconductor Manufacturing’s Transformational Challenges


Semiconductor manufacturing is going through massive transformational challenges driven by strong demand for advanced computing, fueled by AI, cloud, the electrification of the economy, and the need for compute power in data centers to support these applications. With the slowdown of Moore’s Law, more compute power will not be achieved by just increasing transistor density. Not only is Moo... » read more

Shortcutting Graduates’ Path To Productivity In Manufacturing And Test


Manufacturing, test, assembly, and analytics companies are finding unique ways to engage with universities in an effort to shore up the talent pipeline. The industry is recruiting graduates from universities across the U.S. while partnering with local institutes to serve specific needs. Industry/university co-operation includes: Mapping job descriptions Providing curricula frameworks... » read more

Aftermarket Sensors Boost Yield In Wafer Fabs


Third-party sensors are being added into fab equipment to help boost yield and to extend the life of expensive tools, supplementing the sensors that come with equipment used in fabs. The data gleaned from those sensors has broad uses within the fab. It can measure process module performance, identify defect sources, and alert fabs of impending equipment failure. And when coupled with machine... » read more

← Older posts