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 ...
Many important semiconductor package defects are completely hidden from optical inspection. A solder ball can contain a void. A bond wire can be broken inside an encapsulated package. A die-attach layer may contain large areas of voiding. A package substrate can contain an open trace, and an advanced package may have ...
IC short circuit failure analysis is the process of determining where an unintended electrical connection exists inside a semiconductor device, package or interconnect structure and identifying the physical defect that created the short.
A short circuit may initially appear only as excessive supply current, unexpectedly low resistance between two nodes, abnormal ...
October 15, 2024 – Xscape Photonics, a pioneer in next-generation data center connectivity, today announced the closing of a $44 million Series A funding round, bringing its total funding to $57 million. The round was led by IAG Capital Partners and included participation from Cisco Systems Inc., Nvidia Corp., Altair ...
OBIRCH (Optical Beam Induced Resistance Change) is a laser-based fault-localization technique used in semiconductor failure analysis to identify electrically abnormal regions such as resistive shorts, leakage paths, defective vias and interconnect problems.
The technique works by scanning a focused laser across an electrically biased semiconductor device. Local laser heating changes the ...
Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (SAM) is a non-destructive imaging technique widely used in semiconductor failure analysis to inspect structures and interfaces hidden inside IC packages. Unlike optical microscopy, which relies on visible light, or X-ray inspection, which relies primarily on differences in material density and X-ray absorption, SAM uses high-frequency acoustic waves. This ...
Getting funding for a semiconductor startup is not getting easier. According to CBIngishts, there have been fewer than 20 Angel/Seed and Series A deals in the USA in each year since 2009.
So where is all the funding channeled to? In 2013, close to a quarter of all VC funding was ...
Imagine a world where data moves at the speed of light—literally. Silicon photonics makes this possible, merging optics with the familiar silicon used in traditional electronics.
This advanced technology, originating from the 1980s, stands today as a pivotal innovation in microelectronics. It offers faster data transfer rates and lower power consumption ...
What is a Circuit Edit?
A circuit edit is when you need to modify an existing ASIC or integrated circuit for whatever reason. This is usually done with the help of an ion beam that is focused onto the chip to modify it as per the request of the designer. Engineers ...
Integrated circuits can fail for many different reasons. Some failures originate inside the semiconductor die, while others result from packaging, manufacturing, assembly, electrical overstress or the environment in which the device operates. Common IC failure mechanisms include electrostatic discharge (ESD), electrical overstress (EOS), electromigration, dielectric breakdown, interconnect defects, corrosion, contamination, thermal ...
