tag: TEL

Balancing AI And Engineering Expertise In The Fab
By Laura Peters - 28 Jun, 2023 - Comments: 1

Modeling and simulation are playing increasingly critical roles in chip development due to tighter process specs, shrinking process windows, and fierce competition to bring technologies to market first. Before a new device makes it to high-volume manufacturing, there are countless engineering hours spent on developing the lithography, etching, deposition, CMP, and many other processes, at hi... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test
By Gregory Haley - 16 Jun, 2023 - Comments: 0

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

Will CFETs Help The Industry Go Vertical?
By Katherine Derbyshire - 15 Jun, 2023 - Comments: 0

Device scaling is getting much harder at each new process node. Even defining what it means is becoming a challenge. In the past, gate length and metal pitch went down and device density went up. Today, this is much harder for several reasons: • Short channel effects limit gate-length scaling; • Parasitic effects limit device density, and • Metal resistance limits metal pitch. So r... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test
By Gregory Haley - 09 Jun, 2023 - Comments: 0

The European Union’s Chips Act Commission has approved €8.1 billion ($8.73 billion) in funding for an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI). As part of this IPCEI, 56 companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs') and start-ups, will undertake 68 projects in research, innovation, and deployment of microelectronics and communication technologies across th... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test
By Gregory Haley - 02 Jun, 2023 - Comments: 0

Japanese and American trade officials announced a joint roadmap for cooperation in strengthening global semiconductor supply chains by advancing Japan-U.S. collaboration with emerging and developing countries in the Indo-Pacific. China and South Korea agreed to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on semiconductor industry supply chains with a focus on the supply of key raw materials and ensu... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test
By Gregory Haley - 26 May, 2023 - Comments: 1

The Cyberspace Administration of China recommended a ban of Micron chips for critical information infrastructure (CII), alleging serious network security risks. According to a statement from China's Network Security Review Office, "Micron's products have relatively serious potential network security issues, which pose a major security risk to [China's] critical information infrastructure supply... » read more

Etch Processes Push Toward Higher Selectivity, Cost Control
By Laura Peters - 18 May, 2023 - Comments: 0

Plasma etching is perhaps the most essential process in semiconductor manufacturing, and possibly the most complex of all fab operations next to photolithography. Nearly half of all fab steps rely on a plasma, an energetic ionized gas, to do their work. Despite ever-shrinking transistor and memory cells, engineers continue to deliver reliable etch processes. “To sustainably create chips... » read more

Reflections On Photomask Japan 2023: Embracing The Era Of Curvilinear Masks
By Seiji Nagahara - 18 May, 2023 - Comments: 0

In April, 2023, I had the privilege of participating in Photomask Japan 2023 (PMJ2023), a web conference that brought together experts and enthusiasts in the field. The conference commenced with an enlightening keynote talk by Dr. Kurt Ronse of imec on the status and challenges of the high NA EUV ecosystem, presenting roadmaps for the introduction of high NA EUV. I would like to express my grat... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test
By Gregory Haley - 12 May, 2023 - Comments: 0

Global semiconductor sales reached $574 billion in 2022, and U.S. semiconductor companies accounted for sales totaling $275 billion, or 48% of the global market, according to the 2023 Factbook released by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). DRAM and NAND prices likely will continue to fall further this quarter because production cuts have not kept pace with weakening demand, accord... » read more

Assist Layers: The Unsung Heroes of EUV Lithography
By Katherine Derbyshire - 20 Apr, 2023 - Comments: 0

Most discussions of advanced lithography focus on three elements — the exposure system, photomasks, and photoresists — but that's only part of the challenge. Successfully transferring a pattern from the photomask to a physical structure on the wafer also depends on a variety of films working together, including the underlayers, the developers, and a variety of surface treatments. In fact... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →

  • Sponsors

About

Navigation

Connect With Us

Copyright ©2013-2025 SMG   |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy