Finding the right semiconductor failure analysis lab often depends less on the laboratory's name and more on whether it has the equipment and technical expertise required for your specific failure. A package delamination problem may require Scanning Acoustic Microscopy. A suspected interconnect defect may require FIB cross-sectioning and SEM inspection. Leakage ...
The factors affecting silicon wafer cost are numerous. From the resistivity required for different applications to the physical size of the wafers, and not least the quality grades that separate the pristine from the less perfect; each aspect intricately influences the cost.
As we embark on this explanation, we'll unwrap the ...
With the creeping rise in the price of gold, many microelectronics manufacturing companies have been looking for alternatives to reduce the cost of ball bonding. Recently, the trend has been to look into the use copper wire. However, there are many drawbacks to using copper wire, including the short shelf ...
Once an electrical failure has been localized inside an integrated circuit, the next challenge is determining what physically went wrong. Was a metal interconnect broken? Did a via fail? Is there contamination between two structures? Has a dielectric layer broken down? Is a transistor structure abnormal? Or did the failure originate in the ...
Introduction to Semiconductor
Semiconductors have a small energy gap between the conduction and valance bands, and their conductivity is between insulators and conductors. At absolute zero temperature, semiconductor materials are pure insulators and gradually increase with temperature. Temperature and doping are the two mechanisms to manage the conductivity of semiconductors. Doping ...
Palo Alto, CA - 25 March 2025. Sarcina Technology, a global semiconductor packaging specialist, is excited to announce the launch of its innovative AI platform to enable advanced AI packaging solutions that can be tailored to meet specific customer requirements. Leveraging ASE’s FOCoS-CL (Fan-Out Chip-on-Substrate-Chip Last) assembly technology, this platform ...
Emission Microscopy (EMMI) is an optical fault-localization technique used in semiconductor failure analysis to identify electrically active defects inside integrated circuits. Instead of physically opening individual circuit structures and searching for damage, emission microscopy detects extremely weak light generated while a semiconductor device is electrically operating or biased.
Abnormal photon emission ...
Faraday Technology Corporation (TWSE: 3035), a leading ASIC design service and IP provider, today announced that it has won and delivered several factory automation (FA) related ASIC projects, supporting real-time Ethernet, EtherCAT, Profibus, and PLC controllers. In each case, Faraday employs its value-added ASIC and IP customization service for power-performance ...
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce today announced immediate export restrictions on gallium, germanium, antimony, and super-hard materials to the United States. This action cites national security concerns and represents a significant escalation of trade tensions between the two countries. The restrictions follow recent U.S. actions to curb exports of semiconductor-related ...
When an integrated circuit fails, one of the first questions is: How is the device failing electrically?
A chip may exhibit excessive leakage current, a short circuit, an open connection, abnormal supply current, a parametric shift or a complete functional failure. Before engineers physically cut into the device, they usually want to ...
