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Six ways to improve chip yield rate- before the project starts

Early on in Chip projects, yield is not taken very seriously. The common thinking goes –  anyhow there isn’t much to do as this early point of time. However, there are actually several things you can do even before the Chip design starts, which will translate to clear savings.

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Introduction to HTOL

HTOL (High Temperature Operating Life) testing is a stress test defined by JEDEC to define the reliability of IC products, and is an essential part of ASIC qualification tests. This post provides a high-level overview of HTOL test. Obviously, you should refer to the standard if you plan to perform

Semiconductor Assembly and Test Services (SATS) Market and Leaders

Semiconductor Assembly and Test Services are converting rapidly into a pure outsourcing mode of operation. While today perhaps only 50% of the market is using Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT, or SATS) this number is set to increase in the future.
 
While many of the low-end suppliers are

QFN Package Overview

QFN package is probably the most successful package type today. Offering low price, excellent performance and small size, it is an ideal package for many applications.

 
QFN (quad-flat no-leads) is a plastic SMT package consisting of: a leadframe, single or multiple dies, wirebonds and a molding compound. The

Packaging and Delivery Methodology for: wafer, die and ICs

There are many ways to deliver, package and transport silicon products. Here’s a short primer that provides the basic facts regarding how silicon can be packed and delivered to ensure safe transportation with minimum damages.
 
There are two main options for receiving wafers from your foundry: tested or untested.
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Top 10 Semiconductor Companies Leaders Growth and Winners

This post describes the growth of top 10 semiconductors companies in the last 10 years. It tracks the growth of the 10 semiconductor leaders from 2002 to 2011 and shares some nontraditional thoughts about the ten semiconductors vendors’ success:
 
Thought #1: Follow the market trends
Since the 80’s companies from USA,

Who is Intel’s biggest Threat?

Paul Otellini has made the best decision for himself and for Intel. He is leaving the company.
There are only a few who don’t admire Intel. Intel has introduced ground breaking technologies decade after decade and has been demonstrating top financial results year after year. Is it beneficial for Intel

Copper (Cu) Wire Bonding Technical Benefits Overview

We love copper (Cu) wire. In fact, we already described in our post “Copper Wire (Cu) Reduces Package Cost” the cost advantages of copper wire bonding compared to Gold (Au) wire. Copper wire introduced some challenges to assembly houses (such as ASE, Amkor, STATS ChipPAC) but also offers a few

Copper Wire (Cu) Bonding Reduces Package Cost

Do you know someone that is not eager to reduce their ASIC production costs? I don’t.  Some say that redesign changes can lead to significant cost reduction, for instance – using a more advanced silicon technology node to shrink the die size. True, but this is a really big, painful

Does size matter? Understanding Wafer Size

Silicon wafers are the most essential element in the realization of ICs. The semiconductor industry had invested heavily to increase the wafer size during the last 30 years, so while foundries used to produce 1 inch wafers, today’s common wafer size is 300mm (11.8 times larger than 1 inch). There