nanochip fab solutions
Winter 2017
A Letter from Ali Salehpour: Serving—And Sustaining—The New Normal in Semiconductor Manufacturing
For decades, "normal" in our industry meant predictable upturns and downturns based on cyclical launches of PC platforms. Not anymore. Today the new normal is marked by growing demand for chips driven by diverse automotive, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and Internet of things applications.
Planning More Effective New Fab Startups
By Haim Albalak
The cost of a new fab today can approach $10 billion, and such a high level of capital expenditure increases the importance of delivering a fast return on that investment. Now, a new early-stage fab-planning offering from the Applied Materials FabVantage™ Consulting group can help customers achieve faster, more efficient startups.
Moving Toward "Smart Manufacturing" In Microelectronics Manufacturing
By Michael Armacost, Mingwei Li and James Moyne
The era of smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 promises significant opportunities to reduce cost, boost productivity and improve quality in microelectronics manufacturing. But it also presents the industry with new, unique challenges.
Tool Relocations—On Time, To Spec and Within Budget
By Elena Navato
Semiconductor fabs are on an ever-tightening schedule to deliver the latest components for consumer-electronics buying cycles. Product lifecycles are shorter and the business risk of being late is greater for each new cycle, so it is more important than ever for all of a fab’s resources to be in place and ready to go when needed.
Minimizing Energy and Resource Usage in Semiconductor Manufacturing
By Dustin Ho and Andreas Neuber
The semiconductor industry’s use of energy and other resources is increasing as wafer-processing grows more complex and as the industry expands production worldwide. In the face of rising costs and stringent government regulations, it is imperative to operate more efficiently.
Celebrating 50 Years of Materials Innovation
By Nanochip Editor
On November 10, Applied Materials celebrated it’s 50th anniversary. Marking 50 years in business is an exciting milestone for us. We look back over the past five decades and clearly we see a world transformed.
Forecasting & Technology Drive Spares Supply Chain
By David Lammers
The spares business at Applied Global Services is evolving, as fab managers seek greater assurance of supply and advanced technical sophistication from their parts suppliers.
SIDEBAR: Moving Away from the Killer App
By Nanochip Editor
Participants at a recent SEMI Austin forum discussed the need for better forecasting in a time of capacity constraints.
Achieve Higher Productivity Faster
By Madhav Kidambi
Today’s fast-moving semiconductor industry does not give manufacturers the luxury of time. So while it’s certainly critical to increase factory productivity, it’s equally important to do so quickly.
Scratching the Surface of 5G
By Mike Rosa, PhD
Substrate Pretreatment Improves Film Performance for Flexible Electronics
By Kerry Cunningham
The Last Word
By David Lammers
No one ever said life is easy, and that includes managing semiconductor fabs. But going through life with a good partner can make the journey better.