The New Normal for Semiconductor Manufacturing

The New Normal for Semiconductor Manufacturing
by Daniel Nenni on 05-27-2022 at 6:00 am

200mm 300mm Semiconductor Capacity

One of the recent live events I attended was the 2022 GSA Silicon Leadership Summit on May 12th at the Santa Clara Convention Center (my favorite location). This was the first GSA live event in two years so it was a must attend gathering. This event targets semiconductor ecosystem executives (200+ people attended) so there were many… Read More


Intel to present Intel 4 process at the VLSI Technology Symposium

Intel to present Intel 4 process at the VLSI Technology Symposium
by Scotten Jones on 05-20-2022 at 8:00 am

VLSI Symposium 2022 SemiWiki 1

The VLSI Symposium on Technology & Circuits will be held in Hawaii from June 12th to June 17th. You can register for the conference here.

The tip sheet for the conference has been released and one thing that caught my eye is some data from the Intel 4 paper that Intel will be presenting at the conference.

Intel’s old roadmap had 14nm,… Read More


Semiconductor Crash Update

Semiconductor Crash Update
by Daniel Nenni on 05-12-2022 at 10:00 am

Semiconductors are Capturing Electronics

Earlier this year semiconductor oracle Malcom Penn did his 2022 forecast which I covered here: Are We Headed for a Semiconductor Crash? The big difference with this update is the black economic clouds that are looming which may again highlight Malcolm’s forecasting prowess. I spent an hour with Malcolm and company on his Zoom cast… Read More


Chip Enabler and Bottleneck ASML

Chip Enabler and Bottleneck ASML
by Robert Maire on 04-22-2022 at 6:00 am

ASML Zeiss SemiWiki

-ASML reported an “in line” Q1- Orders remain super strong
-Ongoing supply chain issues will limit growth and upside
-ASML targets 2025 for supply fixes- We are not so sure
-Intel, TSMC, Samsung won’t be able to build all fabs they plan

ASML has “In linesh” Q1, orders still off the charts

ASML reported… Read More


The ASIC Business is Surging!

The ASIC Business is Surging!
by Daniel Nenni on 04-21-2022 at 6:00 am

Alchip Revenue

Application Specific Integrated Circuits were the foundation of the semiconductor industry up until the IDMs came to power in the 1980s and 90s. Computer companies all had their own fabs, I worked in one, until start up companies like SUN Microsystems started using off the shelf chips from Motorola. SUN moved to the fabless model… Read More


Intel and the EUV Shortage

Intel and the EUV Shortage
by Scotten Jones on 04-13-2022 at 10:00 am

Slide1

In my “The EUV Divide and Intel Foundry Services” article available here, I discussed the looming EUV shortage. Two days ago, Intel announced their first EUV tool installed at their new Fab 34 in Ireland is a tool they moved from Oregon. This is another indication of the scarcity of EUV tools.

I have been tracking EUV system production… Read More


Can Intel Catch TSMC in 2025?

Can Intel Catch TSMC in 2025?
by Scotten Jones on 04-11-2022 at 6:00 am

Slide6

At the ISS conference held from April 4th through 6th I presented on who I thought would have the leading logic technology in 2025. The following is a write up of that presentation.

ISS was a virtual conference in 2021 and I presented on who currently had logic leadership and declared TSMC the clear leader. Following that conference,… Read More


TSMC’s Reliability Ecosystem

TSMC’s Reliability Ecosystem
by Tom Dillinger on 04-06-2022 at 10:00 am

AC accelerated stress conditions

TSMC has established a leadership position among silicon foundries, based on three foundational principles:

  • breadth of technology support
  • innovation in technology development
  • collaboration with customers

Frequent SemiWiki readers have seen how these concepts have been applied to the fabrication and packaging technology… Read More


Designing a FinFET Test Chip for Radiation Threats

Designing a FinFET Test Chip for Radiation Threats
by Tom Simon on 04-04-2022 at 10:00 am

Charged Particles

Much of the technology that goes into aerospace applications is some of the most advanced technology that exists. However, these same systems must also offer the highest level of reliability in what is arguably an extremely difficult environment. For semiconductors a major environmental risk in aerospace applications are … Read More


The EUV Divide and Intel Foundry Services

The EUV Divide and Intel Foundry Services
by Scotten Jones on 03-23-2022 at 10:00 am

Intel IDM 2.0 Process Roadmap
The EUV Divide

I was recently updating an analysis I did last year that looked at EUV system supply and demand, while doing this I started thinking about Intel and their Fab portfolio.

If you look at Intel’s history as a microprocessor manufacturer, they are typically ramping up their newest process node (n), in volume production… Read More