tag: Sematech

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 13 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 0

In a much-anticipated deal, IBM is close to selling its chip unit to GlobalFoundries, according to Bloomberg. GlobalFoundries wants IBM’s engineers and the IP, and not the fabs. Intel lost its challenge against a record 1.06 billion euro ($1.44 billion) European Union fine handed down five years ago, according to Reuters. The EU said Intel tried to thwart AMD by giving rebates to PC makers... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: June 10
By Ed Sperling - 10 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 2

Self-Assembling Nano Films Applying thin films with uniformity has always been an engineering challenge, but as feature sizes shrink the problem become even more pronounced. But a new approach developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Labs’ Materials Science Division could end up simplifying this process. The new approach used chloroform as an annealing solvent to create self-assembling arr... » read more

Atomic Layer Etch Finally Emerges
By Mark LaPedus - 15 May, 2014 - Comments: 1

The migration towards finFETs and other devices at the 20nm node and beyond will require a new array of chip-manufacturing technologies. Multiple patterning, hybrid metrology and newfangled interconnect schemes are just a few of the technologies required for future scaling. In addition, the industry also will require new techniques that can process structures at the atomic level. For example... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 09 May, 2014 - Comments: 0

Samsung Electronics announced that its memory fabrication line in Xi’an China has begun full-scale manufacturing operations. The new facility will manufacture Samsung’s advanced NAND flash memory chips, dubbed 3D V-NAND. A recent chemical leak at Intel’s fab in Arizona was contained and two workers were taken to a hospital for observation, according to reports. Apparently, Intel was i... » read more

What If EUV Fails?
By Mark LaPedus - 17 Apr, 2014 - Comments: 2

It’s the worst kept secret in the industry, but extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography will likely miss the 10nm node. So, chipmakers will likely extend and use today’s 193nm immersion lithography down to 10nm. This, of course, will require a complex and expensive multiple patterning scheme. Now, chipmakers are formulating their lithography strategies for 7nm and beyond. As it stands now,... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 11 Apr, 2014 - Comments: 0

Don't look now, but the fab tool market is slowing. "After recent meetings in the supply chain plus examining comments from the largest spenders, we conclude that wafer fab equipment (WFE) could disappoint this year. We calculate approximately $30 billion to $31 billion in WFE spending in 2014, flattish from 2013, compared to expectations of $32 billion to $33 billion, which would be up 10%+. T... » read more

Under The Radar At SPIE
By Mark LaPedus - 20 Mar, 2014 - Comments: 2

At the SPIE Advanced Lithography symposium, the best and brightest minds in the lithography, metrology, resist and design-for-manufacturing (DFM) fields assemble for a week. The annual event is a good way to get a pulse on the current state of lithography. At this year’s SPIE, it was simple to get a reading. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography remains delayed. The other next-generation l... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: March 4
By Mark LaPedus - 04 Mar, 2014 - Comments: 0

Shrimp cocktail manufacturing Harvard's Wyss Institute has devised a new degradable bioplastic material, which was isolated from shrimp shells. The shrimp shell-based material could be used in the large-scale manufacturing of cell phones, food containers, toys and many other products. The material is also superior to most bioplastics on the market today. It could be used in place of existing... » read more

Why Would IBM Sell Its Semi Group?
By Ed Sperling - 20 Feb, 2014 - Comments: 1

Rumors are always just rumors until proven otherwise in business, but in the case of IBM’s semiconductor business, hints about the sale of its semiconductor business are particularly noteworthy. Much has changed since the days when IBM—as International Business Machines—went head-to-head with AT&T’s quasi-public Bell Labs and Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). The breakup of... » read more

Challenges Mount In Inspection And Metrology
By Mark LaPedus - 12 Dec, 2013 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers are moving full speed ahead toward smaller process nodes, thereby driving up the costs and complexities in chip manufacturing. The migrations also are putting enormous stress on nearly all points of the fab flow, including a critical but unsung part of the business—process control. Process control involves 20 or so different segments in the inspection and metrology arena. Genera... » read more

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