Fan-Out Packaging Gets Competitive


Fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) is a key enabler in the industry shift from transistor scaling to system scaling and integration. The design fans out the chip interconnects through a redistribution layer instead of a substrate. Compared to flip-chip ball grid array (FCBGA) or wire bonds, it creates lower thermal resistance, a slimmer package, and potentially lower costs. Yet, if the h... » read more

Collaborating To Decarbonize The Semiconductor Manufacturing Value Chain


By Mousumi Bhat and Peter Spiller SEMICON West 2022 Hybrid gathered experts from across the semiconductor industry for the debut Sustainability Summit to talk about the sustainability of the industry’s growth. Semiconductor chips have become ubiquitous in recent years. All aspects of society have become extremely dependent on semiconductors. The post-pandemic revenue growth of semicondu... » read more

Blog Review: Aug. 17


Synopsys' Steve Pateras explains the basics of silicon lifecycle management and how it can help monitor, analyze, and optimize both semiconductor and end-user systems throughout the product value chain, from design and manufacturing to testing and maintenance. Siemens' Heather George considers the current state of 3D chiplet-based designs and efforts to standardize chiplet models and deliver... » read more

Blog Review: Aug. 10


Siemens' Heather George provides a primer on 3D IC, including the problems it is trying to solve, what differentiates it from other multi-chip technologies, and some of the unique challenges in 3D integration. Cadence's Paul McLellan shares highlights from the Automobil Elektronik Kongress, including how the increasing amount of software in a car is driving disruption in the automotive suppl... » read more

A Sputnik Moment For Chips


Chip shortages are the new Sputnik moment, and they have created a sense of national and regional panic not seen since the days of the Cold War. For both the United States and Europe, those shortages have sparked some of the largest technology investments by government in the past half-century that are not strictly for the military — and by far the biggest involving semiconductors. Whi... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


The U.S. Congress approved the CHIPS Act, a mammoth bipartisan achievement the New York Times called “the most significant government intervention in industrial policy in decades.” As passed, the full package — now called the Chips and Science Act — contains $52 billion in direct assistance for the semiconductor industry, along with $24 billion in tax incentives. In addition, the bill c... » read more

Fab Investments Head Toward Record High


Corporations and governments around the globe are making record-breaking investments in chip manufacturing plants amid a major push to make the semiconductor supply chain more robust and less prone to shortages caused by everything from market variations to geopolitical interruptions. These investments — which range from updating existing fabrication facilities to building entirely new fab... » read more

Blog Review: July 27


Siemens' Keith Felton expects a greater emphasis on several areas of semiconductor package design next year, including accelerated growth of heterogeneous integration, multiple die, and chiplet SiPs, emergence and adoption of organic-based interposers, and early detection of thermal and electromechanical issues. Cadence's Paul McLellan visits Imec to find out about getting the heat out of 3D... » read more

Insights From Industry Strategy Symposium Europe 2022


The timely return to an in-person Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) Europe was welcomed by participants from around the globe on May 30th at the Brussels Sheraton. ISS Europe 2022 featured a new program and event format – with industry insights and strategic topics condensed into one day of programming on three critical challenges facing the microelectronics industry: the energy crisis and su... » read more

Blog Review: July 20


Synopsys' Ron Lowman examines the various neural networks used in camera applications, the balancing act between camera lens choice and neural networks implemented, and how IP and embedded vision processors help optimize the designs. Siemens' Katie Tormala considers the importance of acoustic performance in consumer electronics and why it's important to understand the relationships between t... » read more

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