Semiconductor & MEMS Fabrication News

As devices become more complex, designing them so that they work as intended presents a considerable challenge. The availability of design automation tools capable of handling the load has proved spotty, at best. This analyst predicts that the EDA market will grow to a $6.6 billion industry by 2015 — but only if the tools provide effective design solutions at reasonable cost. At issue is not the price of the software itself, referred to as "lunch money" by an attendee at the Design Automation Conference. Instead, he cites examples such as device manufacturers' need to develop systems-on-chip (SoC) for less than $25 million.

STMicroelectronics' complete family of 1-axis (yaw) and 2-axis (pitch-and-roll, pitch-and-yaw) MEMS gyroscopes offers the industry's widest full-scale range: 30 dps to 6000 dps (degrees per second). Sensors provide two separate outputs at the same time: an unamplified output value and a 4x amplification to enhance design flexibility and user experience.

JST's Metal Liftoff batch Tool is a multi-tasking tool utilizing JST's downflow spray under immersion technology to enhance the process. Metals are removed form the wafers and then the bath so they don't redeposit on the wafer. The process is followed by solvent or water rinse and JST's IPA Vapor Dryer.

As feature sizes become even smaller, high purity elastomer seals are essential to reduce particle contamination and wafer defects. The latest generation of Perlast® and Kimura® elastomer materials utilize self reinforcing technology to eliminate fillers, providing the highest levels of purity and performance. Innovative compounds, Higher Yields. Pure Genius.

LEONI's Flexible Sleeve Technology (FST) allows for rapid prototyping, any arrangement of components, and flex life exceeding 10 million cycles.

Assembled prototypes can be delivered within two weeks from time of order

To view our Flexible Sleeve Technology product, follow this link, or visit our online profile for more information.

Moore's Law promises functional semiconductor advances based only on the number of transistors can squeeze into a particular space. But according to this article, justifying the cost of building those devices will demand increasing wafer size from 300 to 450 mm to reduce the cost per die. The author cautions, however, that the migration must proceed more smoothly than did the previous one from 200 to 300 mm.

Shrinking feature sizes — along with ever-smaller packages for the same size silicon — complicate the task of device cooling. This item outlines some techniques that can help keep your devices from getting too hot. They include determining the die's electrical and thermal capacity, understanding the package's thermal characteristics, and using current pulses to reduce device duty cycles.

One of the hottest topics among semiconductor manufacturers today is finding a material successor to silicon for next-generation devices. Industry pundits have touted numerous alternatives that show varying degrees of promise. IBM recently joined the fray, developing transistors from the nanomaterial graphene. Although these are not the first transistors made of graphene, the latest work connects the graphene transistors to conventional components.

Conventional semiconductor fabrication techniques — involving photoresist patterning with a photomask and an expensive vacuum chamber — is both inflexible and difficult to adapt to nano-scale electronics. Now, a researcher at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has developed a high-resolution alternative for direct metal patterning that sinters particles with a femtosecond laser. He contends that his approach will prove far less expensive than electron-beam lithography.

Glas-Col heating jackets, designed to achieve temperatures up to 250 C, help reduce buildup in forelines, exhaust lines, and pump lines. In turn, this reduces the risk of damaged products and equipment. A full line of temperature control packages are also available.

PanJit offers the broadest range of customization solutions to meet your next project specifications. Our NRE fees are the lowest in the industry. Combined with our short design cycles and customization offerings, we can meet project requirements in a timely basis. Review customization items for touchscreens.

Recognizing that finding defects earlier in a manufacturing process reduces test time and cost, Corning has demonstrated a technique for determining waveguide losses in laser-diode wafers even before constructing the varied-length laser cavities required by traditional test methods. The information obtained can help guide materials choices and process modifications to minimize future losses.

Multiple-die chips and other package-saving technologies have introduced through-silicon vias (TSVs) to carry the signals from one layer to another. This inspection system specifically looks for defects in the vias, providing a new capability for device manufacturers. It can also examine device bump metrology and can flip wafers to inspect both sides.

The cost of an IC to the customer no longer depends only on die size. Factors such as the manufacturing process, customers' need for tight compliance to specifications, test time and effectiveness, and vendor reputation factor in as well. Defending his company's premium pricing, one vendor points out that he could sell his products for much less if he didn't have to guarantee their specs.

You are designing a product that requires a high-performance operational amplifier. Knowing the device's specifications is not enough. You also have to determine how it will interact with the other components in your design. This video introduces a input-offset evaluation board for one company's 50 MHz CMOS op-amp that can provide the answers.

TPL offers a range of titanate powders with controlled size and chemistry. NanOxide™ powders are produced via an aqueous, low temperature process that allows for binary and tertiary oxide compositions with controlled stoichiometries. The crystalline ceramic powders have uniform spherical morphology and high dielectric constant with sintering temperatures as low as 1000 C.

Hexoloy® SG Silicon Carbide is a unique electrically conductive analog of sintered silicon carbide that can be readily DC magnetron sputtered. Hexoloy® SG features high-density and uniform electrical resistivity, less than 5 ohm-cm. It can be sputtered at high deposition rates compared to other ceramic target sources, with controllable thin film optical properties.

We specialize in training for Failure Analysis, Semiconductor Reliability and Packaging, and related semiconductor topics. Educating engineers and managers alike. Sign up now!

Are you feeling overwhelmed by job stresses that never seem to go away? You're certainly not alone. This column describes the high-stress environment in today's workplace, examining its sources and how to manage it. The author suggests that a modicum of stress helps you perform at your peak. Higher levels, however, are neither healthy nor productive.

On March 14 every year, people celebrate "Pi Day" to honor pi — 3.14. Now, however, it has competition. June 28 saw a celebration of "Tau Day" — where tau is 2 times pi (6.28). Its proponents contend that although pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, most mathematical expressions rely on radius rather than diameter. The radius of a circle is half the diameter, so the ratio of the circumference to the radius is tau.

How Do You Manage On-the-Job Stress?

What kinds of stresses do you encounter at work? Are you under constant stress, or does it wax and wane? How and why? How often do you feel that stress will overwhelm you?

Newsletter Subscriptions
Your source for technology news and industry information

Questions & Discussion
CR4: Q&A and discussion for the engineering, scientific, and technical community

Product Alerts
Receive e-mail updates on new products and suppliers

Engineering News
Engineering and scientific news from hundreds
of sources

Download the Engineering Toolbar
Put the power of GlobalSpec right at your fingertips

Product Announcements
New and featured products from manufacturers and suppliers

Events
NEW: Online, interactive conferences / trade shows featuring latest news and industry trends
Call for Speakers — submit your proposal

Directory of Companies
Part Number Search
Technical Articles
Engineering & Scientific Links