Smart Manufacturing, Smart Data-AI, And Future Of Computing


By Melissa Grupen-Shemansky, Pushkar Apte, and Mark da Silva Use of machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML/AI) is on an exponential rise across fields1 including all aspects of the semiconductor industry. In the last decade, the use of ML/AI exploded in the areas of speech recognition, facial recognition, smart phone features, search engines and now large language models like Chat... » read more

Increasing Roles For Robotics In Fabs


Different types of robots with greater precision and mobility are beginning to be deployed in semiconductor manufacturing, where they are proving both reliable and cost-efficient. Static robots have been used for years inside of fabs, but they now are being supplemented by collaborative robots (cobots), autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and autonomous humanoid robots to meet growing and widen... » read more

Building Smarter, Better Fabs


Battling labor shortages, faster ramp rates, and data overload, the process of designing and building greenfield fabs requires a combination of tech tools, failing earlier approaches and superior planning from day one. The complexity and scale of semiconductor fabs is skyrocketing as is the capital cost. Chipmakers are looking to ramp multibillion dollar fabs faster despite the hurdles of la... » read more

Metrology And Inspection For The Chiplet Era


New developments and innovations in metrology and inspection will enable chipmakers to identify and address defects faster and with greater accuracy than ever before, all of which will be required at future process nodes and in densely packed assemblies of chiplets. These advances will affect both front-end and back-end processes, providing increased precision and efficiency, combined with a... » read more

Secure Movement Of Data In Test


Historically, test data flowed out of the tester and was loaded into a file. But with heterogeneous integration, including chiplets and IP from multiple vendors, test data is now being streamed across the manufacturing floor where it can be used to make real-time decisions. Eli Roth, product manager for smart manufacturing at Teradyne, talks with Semiconductor Engineering about challenges in da... » read more

Need To Share Data Widens In IC Manufacturing


Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss issues in smart manufacturing of chips, including data management and grounding, chiplets, and standards, with Mujtaba Hamid, general manager for product management for secure cloud environments at Microsoft; Vijaykishan Narayanan, vice president and general manager of India engineering and operations at proteanTecs; KT Moore,... » read more

Using Data More Effectively In Chip Manufacturing


Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss smart manufacturing and how tools and AI can enable it for semiconductors, with Mujtaba Hamid, general manager for product management for secure cloud environments at Microsoft; Vijaykishan Narayanan, vice president and general manager of India engineering and operations at proteanTecs; KT Moore, vice president of corporate ma... » read more

Goals of Going Green


The chip industry is stepping up efforts to be seen as environmentally friendly, driven by growing pressure from customers and government regulations. Some manufacturers have been addressing sustainability challenges for more than a decade, but they are becoming more aggressive in their efforts, while others are joining them. A review of sustainability reports across the semiconductor indust... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


Applied Materials sued its Chinese-owned rival, Mattson, over an alleged 14-month effort to steal valuable trade secrets, reports Bloomberg. In court filing, Applied Materials claimed that Mattson engaged in a spree of employee-poaching and covertly transferring semiconductor equipment designs. Global semiconductor materials revenue grew 8.9% to $72.7 billion in 2022, surpassing the previous... » read more

Smart Manufacturing Makes Gains In Chip Industry


Lights out manufacturing is gaining steam across the semiconductor industry, accelerating productivity, improving quality, and reducing costs and environment impact. These benefits are the result of years of strategic investments in technologies like machine-to-machine communication, data analytics, and robotics to achieve higher levels of autonomy. Semiconductor factories have long depen... » read more

← Older posts