nanochip fab solutions
July 2015
Cover Story: Demand for 200MM Tools Outstrips Supply
David Lammers
No doubt about it, 200mm wafer manufacturing is enjoying a strong rebound. Dan Tracy, senior director of industry research at SEMI, recalls an equipment refurbisher who last year “was bemoaning the state of his business. A year later, he is very busy, and business is looking very good.”
A Letter from Charlie Pappis—Back to the Future: Building the Latest Technology with Legacy Tools
Charlie Pappis
When it comes to the fast-paced world of technology, we tend to assume that whatever’s "the latest" is also "the greatest."
Growing Scope of 200mm Applications Drives Advances in MEMS Process Technologies
Mike Rosa PhD
As we all know, the 200mm wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) market is steadily shrinking and will be relegated to history in the not-too-distant future—right?
Silicon Labs Tackles IoT Challenges
David Lammers
Providing silicon to the IoT market requires a maniacal focus on power consumption at 180nm and 90nm design rules. Silicon Labs is succeeding in combining low-power wireless, MCUs, and flash in its SoC products.
Advanced Service Collaboration—The Fab’s New Normal
Nanochip Staff
Faced with daunting semiconductor manufacturing challenges, chipmakers increasingly collaborate with Applied Materials service experts to pinpoint and resolve high-value problems in their fabs.
Trends in Subfab Energy Consumption and Emissions Control
Andreas Neuber, Maxime Cayer, Shaun Crawford and Andrew Herbert
Energy-saving technologies and products may have a significant positive impact on chip manufacturing, and are widely recognized as useful ways to promote sustainable growth.
Deploying Multivariate Analysis to Improve Fab Productivity
Gary Dagastine
Multivariate data analysis is a powerful statistical methodology made possible in recent years by the availability of increased computing power.
Wafer Scrap Reduction in a 300mm Logic Foundry
Dong Chae, Paul Turnbull and Marine Zhang
Device manufacturers face ongoing challenges to control variables, maintain productivity and improve their operations. This case study reveals how Applied Materials helped a customer dramatically reduce wafer scrap from one toolset.
China: Investment Fever Kicks IC Industry into High Gear
Adele Hars
While China currently consumes about half the world’s roughly US $350 billion in chips, fabs in China only account for 2.5% of worldwide IC revenue.
Celebrating a Decade of Nanochip
Nanochip Staff
This year Nanochip Fab Solutions celebrates its 10th anniversary. As part of our celebration, we decided to list 10 favorite articles. Here, in random order, are 10 favorite stories from Nanochip's first decade.
The Last Word
David Lammers
When Sematech was folded into SUNY Polytechnic in mid-May, it brought to mind how challenging Sematech’s existence has been, and how a single person—in Sematech’s case, industry-legend Bob Noyce, co-inventor of the integrated circuit—can make such an outsized difference in pulling people together behind a common goal.