02/09/2011 

FleX Silicon-on-Polymer replaces the mechanical substrate of a traditional silicon wafer with a pliable polymer. Compatible with CMOS wafers from varioius foundries, FleX is a wafer-scale process that can be used to produce single die up to full 200mm flexible wafers.

02/08/2011 

ElectroIQ caught up with Suresh Ramalingam, director of advanced package design and development at Xilinx, at the January MEPTEC luncheon, where he gave a presentation on the company's stacked silicon interconnect technology. In an interview with Debra Vogler, Ramalingam discusses SSIT in relation to die stacking and TSV.

02/07/2011 

Siltronic completed the SIGMADT research project, which aimed to adapt the properties of silicon wafers to the requirements of future three-dimensional transistors. To achieve higher efficiencies and lower energy consumption for future electronics densities, the transition into the third dimension for transistors is an important step, say researchers. The starting material -- the silicon wafer -- was the focus of this work.

02/07/2011 

Researchers at imec -- Danae Delbeke and Francesco Pessolano -- discuss announcements made in conjunction with Photonics West regarding the research consortium's NVISION program (for advanced imaging solutions) and silicon. Imec's silicon photonics platform allows for the miniaturization of complex photonic functions on a single chip.

02/04/2011 

Intel's recall of its new and highly touted Sandy Bridge chipset due to a design issue has created ripples for the DRAM market, PC sellers that now are recalling products, and Intel itself. Though the error was caught less than one month after shipments started, a silicon fix rather than software patch will drive up the cost of the blunder. Updated on February 8, 2011.

02/03/2011 

Barbara De Salvo, Head of the Advanced Memory Technology Laboratory at Leti, discussed two papers presented by the consortium at IEDM. The researchers reported on the impact of N-doping in GeTe as a way to boost data retention in phase-change memories (PCMs). They also studied the role of H-related defects in Al₂O₃ blocking layer on charge-trap memory retention.

02/02/2011 

Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS) has advanced differential signaling for SoC-to-memory interfaces to 20Gbps and developed innovations that can extend single-ended memory signaling to 12.8Gbps. Rambus has also developed technologies to allow a seamless transition for memory architectures from single-ended to differential signaling.

01/31/2011 

McPherson’s high-resolution spectrometer, Model 2061, is now available for scanning and imaging applications via 2D CCD or CMOS detectors. It suits emission, luminescence, Raman (strained Silicon), and high-temperature plasma measurement with better than 0.02nm full width half maximum spectra.

01/27/2011 

By the end of 2011 there may be only three leading-edge high-volume foundries -- TSMC, GlobalFoundries, and Samsung -- able and willing to push the leading edge of CMOS through the 32nm and to 22nm and beyond, says IHS iSuppli.

01/25/2011 

With double-digit growth in consumption in key sectors (PCs, cell phones), strong GDP increase, wafer fab capex increases, and firm ASPs, Bill McClean, president, IC Insights, gave SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) attendees some "reasons for optimism."

01/25/2011 

Imec launched an industrial affiliation program on high-bandwidth optical input/output (I/O). The primary objective of the new program, which is part of imec's research platform on deep-submicron CMOS scaling, is to explore the use of optical solutions for realizing high-bandwidth I/O between CMOS chips. 

01/24/2011 

Common Platform Technology execs have declared that they will switch from a gate-first approach to a gate-last approach starting with the 20nm process technology node, essentially reversing their position for the past few years. Analysts told SST why the CPA had a change of heart, why it's not unexpected, and why other concerns will very soon overshadow this switchover -- and likely resurrect the debate.

01/19/2011 

Dan Armbrust, SEMATECH, spoke about the role of collaboration in his SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium presentation. Significant technology transitions facing the semiconductor industry include lithography (introduction of EUV), interconnects (TSVs and 3D packaging), and productivity (450mm wafer manufacturing). Additionally, disruptive technology in logic and memory devices will challenge the industry.

01/18/2011 

For the first time, the newly updated International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) overtly addresses energy consumption. Laura Peters looks at how the ITRS maps out the influence that devices can have on power consumption in various applications, and long-term goals for developing energy-efficient materials and devices.

01/17/2011 

Mark Durcan, president & COO of Micron, gave the conference keynote address at SEMI’s Industry Strategy Symposium. Afterward, he shared his thoughts on M&A strategy, Micron’s positioning for the future, and enthusiasm for the memory business with Debra Vogler, senior technical editor.

01/14/2011 

With a huge drop in average selling prices (ASP) predicted for 2011, global dynamic random access memory (DRAM) revenue is expected to contract sharply this year, despite strong growth opportunities in smart phones and tablets, according to new IHS iSuppli research.

01/12/2011 

The 2010 Update to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), while not one of the scheduled major revisions, nevertheless includes substantial changes have occurred in 2010, including boosts in the timelines for NAND flash and DRAM device rollouts, backup plans for lithography forced by EUV delay, impending device and interconnect structural changes, and progress in 3D packaging.

01/11/2011 

Industry and macroeconomic forecasts, Micron's strategy, manufacturing and technology challenges, smart phones and tablets, and some really big data transmission numbers to solve, headlined presentations on the first day of the 2011 Industry Strategy Symposium, reports Techcet's Michael A. Fury.

01/11/2011 

Arthur W. Zafiropoulo, Ultratech, sees the 20/22nm node as a competition for gate-first and gate-last proponents to discover which will lead the semiconductor industry. Device makers that master TSV chip stacking will be the winners over the course of this decade, he says. This is an online exclusive essay in SST's Forecast for 2011: Back to Reality series.

01/11/2011 

Weimin Li, ATMI, looks at changes in the materials side of wafer fab that might occur in 2011, especially for advanced DRAM devices. For every evolutionary change or radical new method, cost and performance considerations are high. This is an online exclusive essay in SST's Forecast for 2011: Back to Reality series.