Progress has been made on double-patterning lithography and EUV, but in the end, chipmakers must decide which technology to use based on availability, cost, and product roadmap requirements, notes Stefan Wurm from SEMATECH.
Authorities in South Korea have arrested executives from Hynix Semiconductor and Applied Materials' local office, accusing them of illegally transferring key semiconductor process technology from Samsung.
The move to the 2Xnm NAND flash node gives Intel and Micron a big step ahead of competitors in terms of cost and pricing, an advantage they will likely ride out as profit instead of squeezing prices further, according to an analyst.
Continuing with our running theme of industry outlooks for 2010 and beyond, here are three viewpoints recently expressed: Bill McClean from IC Insights with strong optimism macroeconomically all the way down to semiconductors; Terry Brewer from Brewer Science outlining the opportunities for materials suppliers; and Craig Ramsey from CyberOptics Semiconductor, relating how his company withstood a tough 2009 and what it's doing to ensure 2010 growth.
Breaking down the quarterly numbers and forecasts from top chip spenders TSMC and Samsung, analysts determine the main thrust is that the anticipated spending cycle isn't peaking in 1H10 after all, and could instead become heavier in 2H10 and spill into 2011.
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ElectroIQ, the portal for electronics manufacturing, is the new home for Solid State Technology (semiconductors), Photovoltaics World (photovoltaics), Advanced Packaging (packaging), Small Times (nanotech/MEMS) and SMT (surface mount technology). To learn more about ElectroIQ, read the press release.
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Dual Channel Pulse Testing Simplifies RF Transistor Characterization
Device engineers and test managers are under tremendous pressure to make sure products get to market quickly and perform reliably. This is especially true of RF ... Sponsored By:
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High Precision Ion Beam Milling with Time of Flight Compensation
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Backside Circuit Edit on Full-Thickness Silicon Devices
Backside Circuit Edit (CE) techniques, in which a Focused Ion Beam (FIB) operator accesses critical circuitry through the substrate of an IC, are popular with processor ... Sponsored By:
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Recent Developments in TEM Applications for the IC Industry
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FEI Company
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A New Method of Wafer-Level Plan-View TEM Sample Preparation by DualBeam
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FEI Company
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