Advanced Auto-Routing For TSMC InFO Technologies


At the recent TSMC OIP Symposium, John Park presented 'Advanced Auto-Routing for TSMC InFO Technologies.' InFO stands for "integrated fanout" and is the lower performance, lower complexity technology for advanced packaging. For details of TSMC's whole packaging portfolio, see my post TSMC OIP: 3DFabric Alliance and 3Dblox. Here's the slide TSMC presented from that presentation on InFO. As you... » read more

2D-Materials-Based Electronic Circuits (KAUST and TSMC)


A special edition article titled "Electronic Circuits made of 2D Materials" was just published by Dr. Mario Lanza, KAUST Associate Professor of Material Science and Engineering, and Iuliana Radu, corporate researcher at TSMC. This special issue covers 21 articles from leading subject matter experts, ranging from materials synthesis and their integration in micro/nano-electronic devices and c... » read more

Systematic Yield Issues Now Top Priority At Advanced Nodes


Systematic yield issues are supplanting random defects as the dominant concern in semiconductor manufacturing at the most advanced process nodes, requiring more time, effort, and cost to achieve sufficient yield. Yield is the ultimate hush hush topic in semiconductor manufacturing, but it's also the most critical because it determines how many chips can be profitably sold. "At older nodes, b... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Tools and IP Renesas released a family of configurable clock generators with an internal crystal oscillator for PCIe and networking applications in high-end computing, wired infrastructure and data center equipment. “Timing needs can vary greatly between different applications and equipment, and often change during a product design cycle,” said Zaher Baidas, Vice President of the Timing Pr... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


Chinese memory chip maker YMTC and dozens of other Chinese entities are "at risk" of being added to a trade blacklist as soon as Dec. 6, a U.S. Commerce Department official said in prepared remarks seen by Reuters. SMIC co-CEO Zhao Haijun said on an earnings call that recent export controls from the United States will have an "adverse impact" on the company's production. The U.K. has rule... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Tools and IP Cadence announced that its IP for GDDR6 is now silicon-proven for TSMC’s N5 process technology. The IP consists of Cadence PHY,  controller design IP, and verification IP (VIP), and is targeted for very high-bandwidth memory applications. “The improved PHY and controller design IP for GDDR6 with DRAM data rates at 22Gbps in the TSMC N5 process is the fastest of the GDDR6 fami... » read more

Where All The Semiconductor Investments Are Going


Companies and countries are funneling huge sums of money into semiconductor manufacturing, materials, and research — at least a half-trillion dollars over the next decade, and maybe much more — to guarantee a steady supply of chips and know-how to support growth across a wide swath of increasingly data-centric industries. The build-out of a duplicate supply chain that can guarantee capac... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


U.S. President Joe Biden appears ready to increase pressure on Japan and the Netherlands to help block the flow of advanced chip technology to China, where it can be used to develop cutting-edge weapons. "You will see Japan and Netherlands follow our lead," U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told CNBC. Japan plans to budget ¥350 billion ($2.38 billion) in a research collaboration with th... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Automotive And Mobility Two major auto OEMs revealed new electric vehicle models this week. The Audi Q8 e-tron has 40 driver assistance systems including five radar sensors, five cameras, and 12 ultrasonic sensors, and comes with either an 89 net kilowatt-hour battery or a 106 net kilowatt-hour battery. It arrives in the U.S. in April 2023. The Volvo EX90 contains both lidar and 5G connectivit... » read more

Next Steps For Improving Yield


Chipmakers are ramping new tools and methodologies to achieve sufficient yield faster, despite smaller device dimensions, a growing number of systematic defects, immense data volumes, and massive competitive pressure. Whether a 3nm process is ramping, or a 28nm process is being tuned, the focus is on reducing defectivity. The challenge is to rapidly identify indicators that can improve yield... » read more

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