Chip Industry’s Technical Paper Roundup: Mar. 14


New technical papers recently added to Semiconductor Engineering’s library: [table id=86 /] If you have research papers you are trying to promote, we will review them to see if they are a good fit for our global audience. At a minimum, papers need to be well researched and documented, relevant to the semiconductor ecosystem, and free of marketing bias. There is no cost involved for us ... » read more

More Accurate And Detailed Analysis of Semiconductor Defects In SEM Images Using SEMI-PointRend


A technical paper titled "SEMI-PointRend: Improved Semiconductor Wafer Defect Classification and Segmentation as Rendering" was published (preprint) by researchers at imec, University of Ulsan, and KU Leuven. Abstract: "In this study, we applied the PointRend (Point-based Rendering) method to semiconductor defect segmentation. PointRend is an iterative segmentation algorithm inspired by ima... » read more

Technical Paper Round-Up: March 29


Improving batteries, ultra low-power photonic edge computing, SLAM, Tellurium for 2D semiconductors, and reservoir computing top the past week's technical papers. The focus on energy is critical as the edge buildout continues and more devices are connected to a battery, while research into new architectures and materials that will continue scaling and improve performance per watt continue at th... » read more

Flat-surface-assisted and self-regulated oxidation resistance of Cu(111)


Abstract "Oxidation can deteriorate the properties of copper that are critical for its use, particularly in the semiconductor industry and electro-optics applications. This has prompted numerous studies exploring copper oxidation and possible passivation strategies. In situ observations have, for example, shown that oxidation involves stepped surfaces: Cu2O growth occurs on flat surfaces as a ... » read more

Spin–orbit torque engineering in β-W/CoFeB heterostructures with W–Ta or W–V alloy layers between β-W and CoFeB


Abstract "The spin–orbit torque (SOT) resulting from a spin current generated in a nonmagnetic transition metal layer offers a promising magnetization switching mechanism for spintronic devices. To fully exploit this mechanism, in practice, materials with high SOT efficiencies are indispensable. Moreover, new materials need to be compatible with semiconductor processing. This study introduce... » read more