The Semiconductor Coal

The research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the National Energy Technology Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has unveiled a novel use of coal in microelectronics. It leads to the question of whether coal (a resource that is widely available in many countries) can drive the semiconductor industry by enabling some breakthrough solutions. The answer might be yes/

Read more....

THREAD

LinkedIn is a great resources for students and if you are a student looking to get free two months premium business plan, then do not hesitate to reach out to me, as long as you meet the requirements stated here.

Take a look at the past, present and future of transistors, that has shaped the semiconductor industry for decades and will continue to do so.

There are several technical knobs that in turn decide different set of features a FET will have. Read more about all such knobs in this thread I wrote.

If you are a student and researcher with area focusing advancement of semiconductor devices, mainly FETs. Then, do read this detailed study on how different types of FETs stand against various types of voltage/current parameters.

Advancement of transistors in the semiconductor industry not only pushes miniaturization, but also drive several other aspect of semiconductor technologies that may or may not be directly related to miniaturization. Read more about on this here.

VLOG

I have picked following to shape the trajectory of semiconductor in 2024:

- Compound Semiconductors
- Quantum Computing
- AI In Chip Design
- Sustainability
- Photonic Chips

Take a look at this video summarizing my views on above solutions and how they will impact semiconductor industry in 2024.

GOVERNMENT

The U.S. Department of Commerce and Microchip Technology Inc. have reached a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) to provide approximately $162 million in federal incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act to support the onshoring of the company’s semiconductor supply chain. This investment would enable Microchip to significantly increase its U.S. production of microcontroller units (MCUs) and other specialty semiconductors built on mature-nodes critical to America’s automotive, commercial, industrial, defense, and aerospace industries and create over 700 direct construction and manufacturing jobs.

INDUSTRY

Samsung Electronics has started the development of its "Smart Sensing System," which is designed to improve yields and transform the way its semiconductor fabs operate. The system is primarily designed to monitor and analyze the production process in real time and currently can automatically handle plasma uniformity. Eventually, Samsung plans to make its fabs fully automated and free of human labor by 2030.
 

TSMC is planning sub-2nm chip production. The world's largest contract chip manufacturer is currently mass-producing processors on the 3-nanometer node. Within two years, it plans to upgrade its transistor design to 2-nanometer in an ever-important shift to GAAFET (Gate all around) transistors from the FinFET transistors on the 3-nanometer process.

ACADEMIA

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the National Energy Technology Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has shown how coal can play a vital role in next-generation electronic devices. A process developed by the NETL first converts coal char into nanoscale carbon disks called “carbon dots” that the U. of I. research group demonstrated can be connected to form atomically thin membranes for applications in both two-dimensional transistors and memristors, technologies that will be critical to constructing more advanced electronics. These results are reported in the journal Communications Engineering.

RESEARCH

Researchers have showcased the first functional graphene semiconductor. The discovery could change computing and electronics forever. Scientists have been racing to develop graphene semiconductors because of their superior speed and energy efficiency compared to silicon. The study, published in Natureon January 3, demonstrates a functional graphene semiconductor which is suitable for use in nanoelectronics.

TOOLS

QElectroTech is a free software to create electric diagrams. QElectroTech, or QET in short, is under GNU/GPL license. It is currently available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux.

There is also a YouTube channel that can help students and professionals capture ins and outs of this tool.

JOBS

NVIDIA's ASIC team is actively hiring. Check this LinkedIn post for more details.

Intel Foundry Services also has several openings for both recent graduates and experienced professionals.

Micron in India is hiring across different verticals. Check this LinkedIn post for details..

CONNECT

Whether you are a student with the goal to enter semiconductor industry (or even academia) or a semiconductor professional or someone looking to learn more about the ins and outs of the semiconductor industry, please do reach out to me.

Let us together explore the world of semiconductor and the endless opportunities:

• Website: https://www.ChetanPatil.in

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/iChetanPatil

• Threads: https://threads.net/ChetanArvindPatil

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChetanArvindPatil

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ChetanArvindPatil

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iChetanArvindPatil

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ChetanArvindPatil