Online information source for semiconductor professionals
Editor's Blog
The blog is written by Semiconductor Fabtech's Editor-in-Chief, Mark Osborne. Mark is also the Senior News Editor for Photovoltaics International and the PV-Tech website. He has launched multiple technology titles in print and online covering manufacturing in the automotive, shipping, semiconductor and solar sectors in a publishing career spanning three decades. Mark started blogging in 2005, the first technology editor to do so and has worked online since 1996. A veteran manufacturing technology journalist and editor, Mark as been responsible for a series of innovative formats for delivering technical content to an engineering-based audience. Intel’s 45nm secrets soon to be revealed
12 November 2007
With the launch of Intel’s 45nm process via Penryn branding, it is
clear to see that Intel marketing people are heavily pumping the chest
with high-k (Intel marketing is hi-k) and the inclusion of metal gates
(Intel marketing didn’t reinvent that one) as the ‘eco-friendly’
microprocessor.
Read more >>
The end of SEMICON West as we know it!
08 November 2007
Walking into the West Hall of the Moscone at next year’s SEMICON West
will provide a look into the future of the semiconductor equipment
industry as never before!
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Seismic shift hits foundries
31 October 2007
The top four pure-play foundries (TSMC, UMC SMIC & Chartered) have
now all provided their latest quarterly results with one very important
underlying trend!
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CapEx conundrum at TSMC
29 October 2007
Last week’s shock news from TSMC that it is planning to significantly
reduce capital spending in 2008 and indications that this would be
potentially become the norm for several years ahead shouldn’t be
underestimated.
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Breakthroughs abound, but when will EUVL be ready?
29 October 2007
Inch by inch, EUVL is moving forward. The big problem is that it has
not moved forward fast enough to be inserted confidently into any given
future technology node. Although news from SEMATECH today touts
‘production-enabling breakthroughs’ being presented at the 2007
International EUVL Symposium, the press release lacks any mention of
the timing for EUVL entering production!
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AMD 45nm ramp revisited
22 October 2007
News from last week’s AMD conference call that told us the company
would start production of 45nm microprocessors in the first half of
2008 shouldn’t be looked at from the point of view of ‘volume
production.’ The message that should be taken from the news is that at
some time in the first six months of next year, AMD may well have a
small amount of devices entering the supply-chain.
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Debt builds at Hynix; capex cut for 2008
18 October 2007
I am in not by any means a financial wizard, but a big red flag just
got hoisted over the headquarters at Hynix with the news that its total
debt burden has increased by 240 billion won to 4.4 trillion won at the
end of the third quarter. Hynix now has a debt-to-equity ratio of 46
percent!
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ASML’s immersion lithography domination by numbers
17 October 2007
The numbers coming out of ASML’s third quarter financial results
regarding immersion lithography tool bookings, shipments and overall
adoption cycles are quite staggering!
Read more >>
AMD’s 45nm volume ramp could be a 2009 affair
17 October 2007
Some interesting though general bites of information came out of
ASML’s quarterly conference call today that noted the adoption cycle by
the various chip manufacturers for immersion lithography.
Read more >>
Musing on Micron’s manufacturing plans
08 October 2007
Last week Micron Technology produced 4Q07 financial results and
provided some interesting snippets on its manufacturing plans in 2008.
Read more >>