MAGAZINE

June

What’s in the June Issue?

Each issue of Semiconductor Digest has articles found only in the magazine. Click on the links to read the articles in the June issue.

Ennostar Qualifies Veeco’s New LUMINA+ MOCVD System for Advanced Product Applications

Breakthrough system is the industry’s largest capacity arsenide phosphide tool with the highest throughput.

South Wales Semiconductor Cluster Delivers £436m Impact, New Report Shows

CSconnected has published its Strength in Places Fund (SIPF) impact report 2026, marking the conclusion of a transformative programme that has established South Wales as a globally recognised hub for compound semiconductor innovation.

What’s in the June Issue?

Each issue of Semiconductor Digest has articles found only in the magazine. Click on the links to read the articles in the June issue.

Cooling the AI Era: Why Smart Water Use Matters for Data Centers and Chip Manufacturing

As AI workloads reshape data center thermal demands, a site-to-chip approach to water-based cooling — backed by digital monitoring — is becoming a strategic lever for performance, resilience, and sustainability.

imec Unlocks III-V Chiplet Integration on 300mm Silicon

Imec is evolving its 300mm RF silicon interposer into a system-level platform for the heterogeneous integration of III-V chiplets on Si-CMOS.

Omdia: Semiconductor Market Surpasses $300B Quarterly Revenue in 1Q26 as Memory Market Shifts Historical Patterns

Following a record-setting year for the semiconductor industry, the start of the new year has continued the momentum, as semiconductor revenue grew 27% in 1Q26 from 4Q25 to reach $319bn, according to new research form Omdia. Memory revenue drove the increase, rising over 80% sequentially in 1Q26 from 4Q25. Since Omdia began tracking the semiconductor market at a quarterly level in1Q02, this 27% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) growth is the highest observed.…

CEA‑Leti Advances European FD-SOI Innovation with GlobalFoundries’ Collaboration in the FAMES Pilot Line

Funded by the European Commission and participating Member States under the Chips JU, FAMES continues to accelerate the early‑stage research shaping the next generation of FD‑SOI.

Can Photonics Completely Replace Electronic Circuits?

With silicon semiconductors approaching their physical limits and data demands climbing, photonic integrated circuits offer faster, more energy-efficient data processing — though fully replacing electronic circuits remains a complex transition.

The Unseen World of Semiconductor Insulation

Energy-efficient thermal insulation is emerging as a small but critical process enhancement, cutting heat-transfer loss and helping fabs modernize without complete facility overhauls.

Will Power Semiconductors Become the Next Component Crisis?

With AI-driven demand already straining high-performance memory supply, distributors and OEMs need to anticipate a similar squeeze on power semiconductors and build mitigation strategies now.

Silicone-Based Thermal Interface Materials Improve Data Center Cooling and Performance

Silicone-based thermal interface materials (TIMs), particularly thermally conductive compounds and gels, offer material properties and performance characteristics that are well-suited to today’s data center applications.

Beyond PPA: How Total Cost of Ownership Is Reshaping Chip Design

By Ken Dare, Q&A with Adarsh Mittal. As semiconductor nodes advance to 3nm and below, mask sets cost tens of millions of dollars, yield ramps lengthen, and EUV complexity compounds — making the traditional metric of power, performance, and area (PPA) an insufficient guide for design decisions. Senior ASIC engineer Adarsh Mittal argues that total cost of ownership (TCO) must now be the dominant framework, encompassing cooling infrastructure, software tuning…

Applied Materials Expands Singapore Manufacturing to Support AI Chip Demand

Applied Materials, Inc. has expanded its manufacturing and R&D operations in Singapore to support the global build-out of AI infrastructure.

Imec Unlocks Fourfold UWB Range Extension

Building on this, imec further demonstrates the first full transceiver architecture compliant with IEEE 802.15.4ab, delivering up to a 32x improvement in ranging performance through combined receiver, transmitter, and IEEE 802.15.4ab standard innovations.

GlobalFoundries and Qualinx Demonstrate First European Sovereign Manufacturing Flow for Security‑Critical Semiconductors

First end-to-end European chip manufacturing flow proven for aerospace, defense, IoT, consumer electronics and critical infrastructure.

Inside Intel’s Die Sort and Singulation Operation: An Up-Close Look at an Overlooked Process

Singulation and die sort sit at a critical juncture in the semiconductor value chain: the point where wafer-level investment is converted — or lost — into individual die-level assets.

Precision Sensing for Yield Improvement in Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing

Integrating high-precision piezoelectric sensor systems as early as possible in the R&D phase of semiconductor equipment design has become indispensable for meeting the rising demand for yield, quality, and efficiency throughout the machine’s lifecycle.

Genealogy: The Hidden Thread from Wafer to Yield

As chiplets, advanced packaging, and fabless supply chains proliferate, genealogy — the ability to trace every material, step, and process behind a chip — is becoming essential to yield, reliability, and regulatory compliance.

Unlocking the Future of Engineering through Rapid Prototyping, Fueled by AI

Rapid prototyping fused with AI-assisted workflows is reshaping how engineers move from idea to proof-of-concept, making iteration speed the new competitive differentiator.

NimbleAI: A European Consortium Advances Next-Generation Edge AI Technologies and Strengthens Technological Sovereignty

After three years of intensive research and collaboration, the European project NimbleAI reaches its conclusion, delivering significant advances in edge artificial intelligence technologies and contributing to Europe’s ambition for technological sovereignty.

onsemi Introduces GaNEXUS Gallium Nitride Power Portfolio

onsemi announced today the launch of its GaNEXUS gallium nitride (GaN) power portfolio, with the initial sampling of GaNEXUS FETs across voltage ranges from 40V to 650V as well as its GaNEXUS Smart 650V GaN FETs.

Veeco Receives Follow-On Order for Nanosecond Annealing System

Second system order follows successful evaluation.

Building at High Speeds: How Manufacturing-Driven Construction is Reshaping Semiconductor Fabs

Manufacturing-driven construction — applying industrialized, off-site methods to fab delivery — is emerging as a way to meet the speed, precision, and reliability demands of the U.S. semiconductor reshoring boom.

Optimizing ABF Drilling with Picosecond Lasers

Picosecond lasers with “burst-on-the-fly” pulsing can improve processing speed, via quality, and total cost-per-via for Ajinomoto Build-up Film (ABF) drilling.

Featured Video — Kelly Services SEMICON West Interview

At Kelly Services, they have evolved beyond the traditional Hire-Train-Deploy model to HDDU: Hire-Deploy-Develop-Utilize and Optimize. At SEMICON West, Danny Sanchez, Senior Director of Operations, Kelly Services, sat down with Editor-in-Chief Pete Singer to talk about how this expansion provides workforce management intelligence that allows them to optimize performance, sustainability, and value..