TechBlog

Three-dimensional (3D) packaging is expected to emerge as a dominant performing solution in the electronic/chip packaging industry, says a new study from Frost & Sullivan. The analysis, “Global Trends in Electronic/Chip Packaging,” finds that 3D packaging technology will be key in catering to the ever-increasing miniaturization demands from application sectors that include consumer electronics and a wide range of high-speed memory devices.

Looking beyond successful solutions such as system on chip (SoC), the electronic/chip packaging industry has steadily started exploring various forms of system in package (SiP)-based solutions.

Continue reading ‘3D packaging technologies evolve in response to miniaturization’ »

As a step toward advanced nanotechnology, general methods for producing complex nanoscale structures in three dimensions are useful stepping stones from current nanotech to atomically precise functional nanosystems. Although the nanomaterials and nanostructures produced are far from atomically precise, a recently developed method of using a micropipette and rapidly drying ink to draw long fibers and complex 3D structures is an important advance.

Excerpts from a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign news release “New process makes nanofibers in complex shapes and unlimited lengths“

The continuous fabrication of complex, three-dimensional nanoscale structures and the ability to grow individual nanowires of unlimited length are now possible with a process developed by researchers at the University of Illinois.

Continue reading ‘A nanotechnology based upon writing in 3D produces long fibers and complex structures’ »

Woodbury, NY — Veeco Instruments Inc., announced the introduction of its new InSight 3D Automated Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) Platform, the only metrology system available with the accuracy and precision required for non-destructive, high resolution three-dimensional (3D) measurements of critical 45nm and 32nm semiconductor features, with the speed to qualify as a true fab tool. Veeco’s InSight 3DAFM was designed specifically to address Critical Dimension (CD), depth and chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) metrology in a production environment.John R. Peeler, Chief Executive Officer of Veeco, commented, “With three times the throughput (30 wafers per hour) and two times the measurement accuracy and precision of our previous AFMs, Veeco’s InSight represents an entirely new approach for semiconductor 3D metrology. It is the only tool on the market today providing in-line, accurate, non-destructive 3D information, to drive shorter process development and manufacturing ramp times, improve our customers’ cost of ownership and decrease their manufacturing risk.”

“At 45nm and below, current in-line metrology techniques are limited in their ability to measure CD,” added Paul Clayton, Vice President, Veeco’s Auto AFM Business Unit. “Technologies such as CD-SEM and scatterometry are precise, but not accurate enough, causing significant measurement issues. Veeco’s InSight provides the lowest measurement uncertainty for CD metrology, which leads to improved process control.”

About InSight 3DAFM
The InSight 3DAFM features a completely new metrology platform designed to meet the stringent requirements of 45 and 32nm semiconductor metrology applications such as CD, sidewall angle and line width roughness on critical layers such as Gate and FinFet structures. The system contains a new high-precision X-Y stage with improved accuracy and a new pattern recognition system with high-precision laser auto-focus capability. In addition, new AFM control techniques and new probe designs enable improved precision, lower cost per measurement site and smaller feature measurement. Finally, system reliability is significantly enhanced to meet the demands of 45nm production-based metrology.

VMD is designed for the visualization and analysis of biological systems such as proteins, nucleic acids, lipid bilayer assemblies, etc. It may be used to view more general molecules, as VMD can read standard Protein Data Bank (PDB) files and display the contained structure. VMD provides a wide variety of methods for rendering and coloring a molecule: simple points and lines, CPK spheres and cylinders, licorice bonds, backbone tubes and ribbons, cartoon drawings, and others. VMD can be used to animate and analyze the trajectory of a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. In particular, VMD can act as a graphical front end for an external MD program by displaying and animating a molecule undergoing simulation on a remote computer.

MultiSeq 2.0 Plugin

Continue reading ‘Download VMD Software’ »