May 21, 2012
Molecular Layer Deposition of Polymers – George, Yoon & Dameron [4]
Many exotic materials or materials with special properties are processed using extreme temperature and pressure often with toxic starting materials. In semiconductors, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to build single crystal structures and sputtering are common methods of physical deposition to deposit thin films. Both are done using a very high vacuum. MBE heats the atomic materials until they sublimate and land on the desired surface. Sputtering uses a gas plasma to knock a few atoms of material off a “target” and onto the desired surface. There are also different chemical deposition processes including electroplating which uses metal salts dissolved in a solution bath, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) which uses high vacuum, and atomic layer deposition (ALD) which is similar to CVD but uses two half-reactions of gas phase precursors.
Limitations imposed by extreme temperature, extreme pressure, and toxic materials combined with a typically slow deposition rate make it is difficult to economically run these processes on an industrial scale for high volume manufacturing. But what if there was a process that Read the rest of this entry »
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Clean Tech (Green), Energy, Environment, Grand Challenges, High Volume Manufacturing (HVM), IEEE, Nanotechnology, Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing, Thin Film, Water | Tagged: Clean Tech (Green), Energy, Environment, Grand Challenges, High Volume Manufacturing (HVM), IEEE, Nanotechnology, Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing, Thin Film, Water | 
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Posted by Ira Feldman
May 10, 2012
Joseph and Della Ready for Ski Lessons
While working with our son Joseph on his homework and skiing earlier this year, I was reminded of the importance of fundamentals. The challenges may have seemed an epic struggle from his perspective as an eight year old. As an adult, I was better able to put them in the proper perspective. Upon reflection on the seemingly unconnected events, I find they are both important reminders about learning and life in general.
Like other children and some adults, Joseph was having difficulties with math. He was struggling with his third grade homework Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Children, Coaching, Consulting, Fundamentals, Learning, Skiing, Teaching | Tagged: Children, Coaching, Consulting, Fundamentals, Learning, Skiing, Teaching | Permalink
Posted by Ira Feldman
April 26, 2012
Some consider the many of billions of dollars invested in the semiconductor supply chain to be huge bets on yet to be proven technology and future business. Even if you take a strict view of this as simply business it is possible to learn something from gambling.
The Atlantic tells the fascinating story of how Don Johnson took Atlantic City casinos for $15 M playing blackjack. Last year he won $5 M from Borgata in February, $4 M from Caesars in March, and $6 M from Tropicana in April. This wasn’t luck and he wasn’t card counting. How did he do this and how does this connect to semiconductors and Apple?
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Ira Feldman
April 17, 2012
Speed and Power
If we were focused on just these two parameters, we could be talking about horses, cars, or airplanes. But throw in density, endurance, and price and it is a horse race of different color. Not only does the winning technology have to balance speed and power, it needs to pack more functionality per area at a lower cost than existing solutions. Along with the endurance to last ten or more years.
With annual revenues once exceeding $60 B and now running $45 B due to dropping demand and prices, the global market for semiconductor memory is an exciting race. It is hard to believe that NAND Flash has grown to Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | DRAM, FLASH Memory, High Performance Computing (HPC), High Technology Business Development, IEEE, Nanotechnology, Semiconductors, Supercomputers | Tagged: DRAM, FLASH Memory, High Performance Computing (HPC), IEEE, Nanotechnology, Semiconductors, Supercomputers | Permalink
Posted by Ira Feldman
March 30, 2012
Greetings!
2012 is off to a busy start and I have discovered that it is difficult to keep up-to-date with everyone. Therefore I decided to put together brief updates every month or so.
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Posted by Ira Feldman
March 15, 2012
Tim Cook introducing Apple's latest iPad
The “Post Personal Computer” (Post PC) era became the hot topic when Tim Cook introduced the latest iPad last week. Yes, calling it a “revolution” is definitely hype that is part of Apple‘s Post PC marketing campaign. Hype aside, it is clear that there has been a marked shift in digital hardware for the consumption of content and communication. The PC – be it a Windows, Mac, or Linux based system – is no longer “the device”. It is now one of many devices including portable music players (dominated by iPods), smart phones (lead by iPhones and Android based systems), and tablets (dominated by iPads). The shift is large and the impact is huge. To understand how big, watch the first three minutes of Mr. Cook’s presentation. Then you will understand why Apple had the largest market capitalization of any US company in February – the numbers are staggering.
Even though many were surprised to learn that we are now “Post PC”, some of us who have been developing strategies for the electronic supply chain have Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | 2.5D/3D Stacked Integrated Circuits (ICs), Apple, Consumer Electronics Society, Load Boards, Market Analysis, MEMS, More than Moore, Packaging (Semiconductor), Post PC Era, Printed Circuit Boards (PCB), Probe Cards, Semiconductors | Tagged: 2.5D/3D Stacked Integrated Circuits (ICs), Apple, Consumer Electronics Society, Load Boards, Market Analysis, MEMS, More than Moore, Packaging (Semicondcutor), Post PC Era, Printed Circuit Boards (PCVB), Probe Cards, Semiconductors | Permalink
Posted by Ira Feldman
February 10, 2012
“Le client n’a jamais tort“ - César Ritz (1850-1918)
Fastest Way to Lose Customers - click for full infographic
Regardless of language or adage used, customers are the lifeblood of any business. Without customers, there is no business. How is it that businesses lose sight of this? Sometimes customers are taken for granted and are not part of a company’s core values. Other times, as organizations and processes grow in complexity they loose sight of the customer. And quite often teams don’t take sufficient time to look at themselves from the customer’s perspective.
As shown in the infographic above, it is really about the customer experience if 68% of lost customers leave due to poor treatment. It doesn’t matter whether your product or service is consumer focused (groceries, clothing, electronics, medical, legal advice, etc.) or industrial (semiconductor capital equipment, wafer test probe cards, nuclear power plants, etc.). The only difference may be Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Apple, Management, Marketing | Tagged: Apple, Management, Marketing | Permalink
Posted by Ira Feldman
February 2, 2012
Michael Splinter (Applied Materials) - Relative industry cost improvements and volumes.
I hope that my summaries of the first day of SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) 2012 in
provided useful insights to the economic roller coaster that is the semiconductor market and its equipment and material supply chain. There have also been several good reports Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | 2.5D/3D Stacked Integrated Circuits (ICs), 450 mm wafers, Economics, Moore's Law, SEMI, Semiconductor Capital Equipment (CAPEX), Semiconductors | Tagged: 2.5D/3D Stacked Integrated Circuits (ICs), 450 mm wafers, Economics, Moore's Law, SEMI, Semiconductor Capital Equipment (CAPEX), Semiconductors | Permalink
Posted by Ira Feldman
January 25, 2012
After a gloomy first session focused on world economics at SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) 2012, Session 2 – Semiconductor Markets was significantly more upbeat.
Stephen G. Newberry (Vice Chairman of the Board, Lam Research Corporation) started off with a way forward in Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Ira Feldman
January 23, 2012
Like the roller coaster ride that is the semiconductor industry, the SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) 2012 had its share of ups, downs, twists, and turns. Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International – better known as SEMI – as the industry association of suppliers to semiconductor manufacturers has held this annual conference in early January for thirty five years to provide updates on business conditions and technology roadmaps to enable SEMI members to plan for the coming year. The conference was packed with senior management paying close attention to the industry leaders, analysts, and customer presenters. All of the presentations, even the most poorly disguised sales pitch or infomercial, contained several valuable insights.
In his keynote presentation “Technology Law Still Delivers“, William Holt (Senior Vice President; General Manager, Technology & Manufacturing Group, Intel Corporation) opened the conference with much optimism based upon Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Economics, SEMI, Semiconductor Capital Equipment (CAPEX), Semiconductors | Tagged: Economics, SEMI, Semiconductor Capital Equipment (CAPEX), Semiconductors | Permalink
Posted by Ira Feldman
January 13, 2012
…To make sense of the big picture, one needs to follow the money and then head to China.
Ed Pausa the primary author of PricewaterhouseCooper’s (PwC) recently published report “Continued Growth: China’s Impact on the Semiconductor Industry – 2011 Update” provided an overview at this month’s MEPTEC luncheon. His presentation was a helpful tour to start digesting this impressive report, now it its seventh annual update. The report runs 112 pages in length and is packed with figures, data and most importantly analysis. Building a cohesive picture from many disparate data sources is a major undertaking and PwC should be applauded for making available this excellent work.
After listening to this presentation and reading the report, I find two items that really stand out as primary market forces. Unraveling the convoluted web of the semiconductor supply chain to examine these items will lead to greater understanding of the industry. They are, Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Marketing, MEPTEC, Semiconductor Capital Equipment (CAPEX), Semiconductors | Tagged: Marketing, MEPTEC, Semiconductor Capital Equipment (CAPEX), Semiconductors | Permalink
Posted by Ira Feldman
January 6, 2012
At this time of year, when my children see a box arrive they immediately question if it is another present for them. They are very disappointed when the Amazon.com box contains breakfast cereal or dish detergent. They are definitely thinking inside the box. If the box is large enough, they will eventually start playing in it and imagine it is not a box.
Childrens’ imagination has no bounds. Adults need to make conscious efforts to think outside the box as this can Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Ira Feldman
November 28, 2011
Click image to download presentation
Back for the second year (with a minor name change), the Silicon Valley Test Workshop is an unpolished gem. Looking past the rough edges (minor logistical issues), what really shines through is the interaction of the participants. This conference really has Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | 2.5D/3D Stacked Integrated Circuits (ICs), Automatic Test Equipment (ATE), Load Boards, Moore's Law, More than Moore, My Presentations, Packaging (Semiconductor), Printed Circuit Boards (PCB), Probe Cards, Semiconductor Test, Test Engineers, Through-Silicon Vias (TSV), ToThePoint | Tagged: 2.5D/3D Stacked Integrated Circuits (ICs), Automatic Test Equipment (ATE), Load Boards, Moore's Law, More than Moore, My Presentations, Packaging (Semicondcutor), Printed Circuit Boards (PCVB), Probe Cards, Semiconductor Test, Test Engineers, Through-Silicon Vias (TSV), ToThePoint | Permalink
Posted by Ira Feldman
November 10, 2011
The MEPTEC “2.5D, 3D and Beyond – Bringing 3D Integration to Packaging Mainstream” conference was a mixed-bag. Yes, it is always exciting to hear about new suppliers and progress. But it is disconcerting to realize that the price of progress is an ongoing burden on our industry’s supply chain.
Subramanian Iyer (IBM) and Theresa Sze (Oracle) started with Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | 2.5D/3D Stacked Integrated Circuits (ICs), Manufacturing, MEPTEC, Packaging (Semiconductor), Probe Cards, Semiconductor Test, Semiconductors, Through-Silicon Vias (TSV) | Tagged: 2.5D/3D Stacked Integrated Circuits (ICs), Manufacturing, MEPTEC, Packaging (Semicondcutor), Probe Cards, Semiconductor Test, Semiconductors, Through-Silicon Vias (TSV) | Permalink
Posted by Ira Feldman
October 31, 2011
Click image to download presentation
The MEMS Testing and Reliability 3rd Annual Conference gets high marks: excellent speakers focused on an emerging topic and it was large enough to have “critical mass” while allowing everyone to interact. It was well produced by MEMS Investor Journal and MEPTEC.
My presentation, “Semiconductor Wafer Test Technology and Trends: Lessons for MEMS Test Engineers“, covered the differences between testing semiconductors and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). I reviewed the progress in test technology over the last fifty plus years, from simple cantilever probe cards to large full wafer contact probe cards, developed to reduce the cost of test.
I discussed lower cost solutions that appear counter-intuitive since they require increased technical and operational complexity. Challenges of testing MEMS devices while still on wafer (prior to packaging and singulation) were discussed along with a review of MEMS solutions at this year’s IEEE Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop.
With the proper skills, experience, and perspective it is possible to avoid “re-inventing the wheel” and to develop the best strategy to profitably introduce new technologies to high volume manufacturing.
Leave a Comment » | MEMS, MEMS Investor Journal, MEPTEC, My Presentations, Operations, Product Management, Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop, Test Engineers | Tagged: MEMS, MEMS Investor Journal, MEPTEC, My Presentations, Operations, Product Management, Semiconductor Wafer Test Workshop, Test Engineers | Permalink
Posted by Ira Feldman
