ROHM Semiconductor Americas’ Post

Did you know we design, manufacture, and inspect all our MEMS devices in-house? From inception to inspection, we control every step of the process, ensuring precision and quality from start to finish. This holds several benefits for our customers: quicker delivery, higher reliability, lower prices, larger selections, and shorter development cycles, than those that outsource the process. Protochips employs all the experts in design and fabrication so we never have to outsource the most critical aspects of MEMS development. Here, our semiconductor process engineer Jake Barnes is in the clean room inspecting our new Flow Management E-chips for electrochemistry experiments in #Poseidon AX! Leave Jake any questions you have about our MEMS production in the comments! #Protochips #Electrochemistry

This article explores the potential shift towards #CVD diamond wafers, examining their superior qualities compared to traditional sapphire substrates and delineating their role in pushing the boundaries of semiconductor technology. https://lnkd.in/gKgUvEAk

X-FAB Introduces New Generation of Enhanced Performance SPAD Devices focused on Near-Infrared Applications X-FAB Silicon Foundries SE, the leading analog/mixed-signal and specialty foundry, has introduced a specific near-infrared version to its single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) device portfolio. Like the previous SPAD generation, which launched in 2021, this version is based on the company’s 180nm XH018 process. The inclusion of an additional step to the fabrication workflow has resulted in significant increases in signal while still retaining the same low noise floor, without negatively affecting parameters such as dark count rate, afterpulsing and breakdown voltage. https://lnkd.in/eT5HPn4w

In the semiconductor industry, achieving angstrom-level accuracy in non-destructive 3D measurements is becoming increasingly critical for optimizing production processes, especially in high-aspect-ratio structures, EUV resist, and hybrid bonding. These complex demands require new metrology solutions that can handle the pace and precision required for advanced semiconductor devices. Nearfield Instruments has responded to this challenge with their #QUADRA system. Recently enhanced with the Lightning Mode, this system offers a 160-fold increase in image acquisition speed compared to existing AFM systems. This breakthrough allows manufacturers to analyze wafer and lot variations with remarkable speed and accuracy, directly in the production line. Fully qualified for high-volume manufacturing (HVM) at top fabs, QUADRA is setting a new benchmark in semiconductor metrology by accelerating yield optimization and control, making it a vital tool for the next generation of semiconductor manufacturing. Article and picture source: Metrology News #Semiconductors #Metrology #semicon

Precision at Light Speed: SmarAct's Advanced Fiber Alignment for PICs💫 Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) have great potential to drive the steady performance increase in information processing. PICs have advantages when it comes to higher density, higher speed, and improved power efficiency. Especially silicon photonics allows for a high level of integration by fabricating PICs with conventional semiconductor manufacturing techniques. The combination of different SmarAct Motion technologies is the key for a versatile system that enables fast and accurate alignment of fibers to PICs at wafer and die level. For example, SMARSHIFT® electromagnetic direct drives combine speed, force and nm accuracy and can move wafers in up to six degrees of freedom. SMARPODs bring fibers in position via coarse alignment to couple light into and out of the wafer. Additional XY motion in a square of 60mm x 60mm is provided by SMARSLIDE® stages.  The actual fine-alignment is performed by a SMARFLEX® XYZ piezo scanner stack, ideally combining the requirements of nm resolution and high speed. To minimize the coupling speed, the MCS2 controller includes algorithms that perform different scan movements and optimization routines which are based on the measured light power. 🔍Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dCsGkWy4

Decoding MEMS Assembly Challenges Unlock the intricacies of MEMS assembly challenges! As MEMS devices diversify, specific sensor needs intensify. Hardware, now a solution enabler, places demand on price, footprint, and power. Precision in assembly and packaging becomes crucial when integrating MEMS into products. Challenges emerge in process flow—defining the MEMS assembly sequence—and project flow—an enduring focus on every MEMS project aspect. Stay tuned as we share Promex’s perspective on overcoming these challenges. Explore the nuances of process flow intricacies and uncover key considerations shaping your MEMS project. Follow for insights into navigating the dynamic landscape of MEMS assembly. #microelectronics #microelectronicsassembly #assembly #MEMS

#Laserannealing (LA) is one of the key technologies in the fabrication of 28nm and below logic chips. The process uses a near-infrared band semiconductor laser source, a number of different functions of laser optical shaping system and optical homogenization system to achieve an extremely narrow (12 mm * 70 µm) line laser spot with > 95% uniformity in length direction. In less than one millisecond, the surface atoms of the wafer are heated to > 1000°C and then rapidly cooled down to form ultra-shallow junctions and highly activated junctions on the wafer surface – the yield of the wafer production is then improved. 🔷 With our core technologies combined, Focuslight's DLight® S series semiconductor wafer annealing system is suitable for various semiconductor wafer annealing processes. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gfzMK5yM 🌐 www.focuslight.com ✉ [email protected]

Piezo MEMS devices are transforming the performance of sensors and transducers. In fact, Yole Intelligence forecasts that the global piezoelectric wafer volume will account for over 30% of all MEMS wafers by 2029.    The two most common piezoelectric thin films in MEMS devices are Scandium-doped aluminium nitride (AIScN) and lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Choosing which piezoelectric MEMS material to use comes down to performance and manufacturability.    Devices that rely on large mechanical deformations resulting from an applied voltage—such as micromirrors and PMUTs—benefit from high piezoelectric coefficients; PZT is often preferred.    On the other hand, RF MEMS devices that prioritize sharp mechanical resonance at GHz frequencies and compatibility with CMOS manufacturing find the best trade-off in AIN and AlScN.    Manufacturers continue to fine tune their piezoelectric thin films to suit actuators, transducers, and sensors.    In practice, the choice of optimal material depends on the application’s specific requirements across many of factors, including the relevant piezoelectric coefficients, operating temperatures, environmental conditions, mechanical properties, and manufacturing availability.     Whatever your needs, talk to AM Fitzgerald to get expert guidance on moving your MEMS device from concept to production.    #MEMS #piezoMEMS #PZT #sensors 

Today, one of the grand challenges of the photonic industry is to push the costs of Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) down. Chip testing often drives a relatively large chunk of the PIC production cost. However, to test PICs, time-consuming alignment procedures need to be performed several times, negatively affecting the time and the costs. Similar alignment procedures are required not only for the testing but also for the assembly and packing processes. A lot can still be gained by improving testing procedures and enabling and using automated alignment. https://lnkd.in/dBWkShx7 #photonicsengineering #photonicsresearch #photonicsinnovation #photonicsindustry #Chiptesting #optoelectronics #photonicsworld