Semiconductors

The Fourth Era of Computing Needs More than Advanced Logic and Memory Chips

by Sundar Ramamurthy, Ph.D.
Sep 08, 2021
At the Applied Materials Master Class today, we highlight two fast-growing and highly enabling areas of the semiconductor industry. “ICAPS” silicon powers billions of new devices on the edge—including electric vehicles. No longer an afterthought, packaging now enables the benefits associated with Moore’s Law to continue even as 2D scaling slows. Today’s class demonstrates that the AI Era requires innovation across a wide range of technologies, from the edge to the cloud.
Read more
Semiconductors

Heterogeneous Design and Advanced Packaging Enable Advances in PPACt™ Even as Classic Moore’s Law Scaling Slows

by Nirmalya Maity, Ph.D.
Sep 02, 2021
Applied’s upcoming, Sept. 8 Master Class features the topic of heterogeneous design and advanced packaging. In this blog I preview why the role of packaging has evolved from simply protecting and connecting chips to circuit boards, to now being a competitive imperative for the world’s leading semiconductor and systems companies.
Read more
Semiconductors

Not All Semiconductor Innovation Occurs at the Leading Edge

by Mike Chudzik, Ph.D.
Aug 27, 2021
As everyday products like phones and cars get smarter, they demand more silicon, much of which is not leading-edge logic and memory. Applied Materials’ ICAPS group was formed to solve the unique design and manufacturing challenges of devices built using process nodes that are no longer found at the leading edge. In this blog I outline why devices in this segment are experiencing a renaissance of innovation.
Read more
Emerging Technologies

A Quantum Future will be here Sooner than You Think

by Kenichi Ohno, Ph.D., Robert Visser, Ph.D. Nir Yahav
Oct 09, 2019
Our recent Open Innovation Workshop brought together quantum technology leaders from across the ecosystem to identify key challenges in quantum information systems and explore opportunities for collaboration. The central theme that emerged from the day is that quantum is about so much more than computing; there are many applications in areas like sensing, metrology and communications encryption on the near-term horizon.
Read more
Semiconductors

Designing “Eyes” into Process Equipment to Improve Chip Performance and Yield

by Niranjan Khasgiwale
Oct 04, 2019
Metrology allows process engineers to see the results of process steps. Today, driving improvements in chip performance, power and area/cost (PPAC) requires novel architectures and exotic material stacks. This is introducing new sources of atomic-scale variation that can negatively impact chip performance and yield. It is becoming imperative to “watch” the deposition process as it occurs to control variability and deliver repeatable performance.
Read more