Chip Industry Week In Review


CSIS issued a new report that says Intel is "not too big to fail, but too good to lose." The report noted that Intel is needed for national security, and that it must be viewed in a geopolitical context rather than from a purely business standpoint when it comes to funding the company. Japan's government is creating a 10 trillion yen (~$65 billion) fund for next-gen technologies, including A... » read more

How Die Dimensions Challenge Assembly Processes


Multi-die assemblies are becoming more common and more complex due to technology advancements and market demands, but differing die dimensions are making this process increasingly challenging. To fully enable a multi-chiplet ecosystem, standardized component handling and interfaces are needed. The underlying concept is similar to LEGO blocks that simply snap together, yet it's nowhere near t... » read more

What Works Best For Chiplets


The semiconductor industry is preparing for the migration from proprietary chiplet-based systems to a more open chiplet ecosystem, in which chiplets fabricated by different companies of various technologies and device nodes can be integrated in a single package with acceptable yield. To make this work as expected, the chip industry will have to solve a variety of well-documented technical an... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a cybersecurity warning about Chinese state-sponsored activity impacting networks across U.S. critical infrastructure. “One of the actor’s primary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) is living off the land, which uses built-in network administration tools to perform their objectives," the agency said. Hacking eff... » read more

MicroLEDs Move Toward Commercialization


The market for MicroLED displays is heating up, fueled by a raft of innovations in design and manufacturing that can increase yield and reduce prices, making them competitive with LCD and OLED devices. MicroLED displays are brighter and higher contrast than their predecessors, and they are more efficient. Functional prototypes have been developed for watches, AR glasses, TVs, signage, and au... » read more

Equipment Suppliers Brace For GaN Market Explosion


A huge GaN market is opening up, driven by consumer devices and the need for greater energy efficiency across many applications. Suppliers are ready, but to fully compete with SiC in high-voltage automotive applications will require further technological developments in power GaN (gallium nitride). Still, the 2020s mark a very high-growth phase for GaN markets. Revenues in the power GaN mark... » read more

Inspecting, Testing, And Measuring SiC


Achieving the auto industry's stringent zero defect goals is becoming a big challenge for makers of silicon carbide substrates, which are struggling to achieve sufficient yields and reliability as they migrate from 150mm to 200mm wafers and shift their focus away from pure silicon. SiC is a combination of silicon and harder carbide materials, and it has emerged as a key technology for batter... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Government policy The Malaysian government has extended its lockdown due to the pandemic until June 14, a move that may impact the global electronics supply chain, according to TrendForce. Malaysia recently implemented MCO 3.0 (Movement Control Order), the nation’s pandemic control measure. Malaysia is home to many fab equipment, packaging and testing facilities, as well as passive compon... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Chipmakers and OEMs Several foundry vendors are building new fabs. The memory vendors, such as Samsung and SK Hynix, are also building new capacity. In another example, Taiwan DRAM supplier Nanya Technology plans to construct a new 300mm fab in the Taishan Nanlin Technology Park in New Taipei City. The plant will produce DRAMs with Nanya’s in-house developed 10nm-class process technologies a... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Chipmakers and OEMs Apple has introduced a new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini powered by the M1, the first in a family of chips designed by Apple specifically for the Mac. Based on a 5nm process from TSMC, the M1 is packed with 16 billion transistors, the most Apple has ever put into a chip. It features a CPU core, graphics, AI and other functions all in the same chip. In total... » read more

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