February 11, 2026

SEMI Reports 2025 Annual Worldwide Silicon Wafer Shipments and Revenue Results Worldwide silicon wafer shipments rose 5.8% in 2025 to 12,973 MSI, driven by AI-fueled demand for advanced logic and HBM wafers, while revenue fell 1.2% to $11.4 B. SEMI reports a two-track market: strong growth in cutting-edge nodes and gradual recovery in mature segments. SEMI

Sponsor DIE Stacking on a Small Area Assembly process where chips are stacked on top of one another on a substrate. This vertical integration allows a compact arrangement of different circuits with different dimensions on a small area. Tresky Automation

VIEWPOINT 2026: Stephen Rothrock, Founder & CEO, ATREG, Inc. The rise of advanced packaging from back-end afterthought to strategic imperative is forcing difficult facility decisions across the global semiconductor industry. The infrastructure gap is stark. OSATs have traditionally operated in Class 10,000 cleanrooms. Hybrid bonding and other advanced techniques ... ATREG, Inc.

How Precision Motion Systems are Shaping the Future of Semiconductor Manufacturing This paper explores how precision motion systems enable key semiconductor manufacturing trends—such as node scaling, advanced packaging, and photonic integration—by delivering the accuracy required for nanoscale production and testing. Technical Paper

Sponsor IR Layer Release Technology for 3D Packaging and Logic Scaling Ultra-thin layer transfer from silicon carriers with nanometer precision using an IR laser and inorganic release layers revolutionizes 3D packaging & logic scaling. EV Group

Catching Critical Defects In TSVs And Stacked Chips High process variation in TSV and hybrid-bonded stacks is straining defect inspection and risking reliability in advanced packages. Engineers are deploying AI-powered optical, IR, e-beam, X-ray & acoustic tools to spot hidden voids, cracks, residues & misalignments in 2.5D & 3D builds. Semiconductor Engineering

Samsung CTO expresses confidence over HBM4 leadership Samsung Electronics CTO Song Jai-hyuk voiced confidence in the company's HBM4 leadership at Semicon Korea 2026, highlighting strong client feedback and AI-driven synergies. Samsung plans its first HBM4 shipments to Nvidia and aims to lead next-gen HBM4E and HBM5 development. Yonhap News Agency

Sponsor Are Your BGA Rework Operators Competent? Can every operator handle your BGA rework equally well? In real life, in all but just a few situations, the answer is no. Why is this so? Circuit Technology Center

Technical Papers Alpha Particle Emissions: An Overlooked Risk for Soft Errors in Advanced Packaging Revolutionizing IC Packaging with High-Density RDL Technology EOTPR Fine pitch probing for die-to-die interconnect failure analysis in chiplet devices Die-on-Tab for Compound Semiconductors: Enabling Advanced RF Power Systems Package Assembly Design Kits: The Future of Advanced Package Design Novel Molded FCBGA Package Platform For Highly Reliable Automotive Applications Eliminating Interfacial Delamination in High-Power Automotive Devices MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor Particle-Free Plasma Oxide Reduction Turnkey plasma systems for semiconductor packaging. Highly reliable. Perfect for high-mix or high-volume manufacturing. Learn more. Surfx Technologies

The Sovereign Quantum Race Starts Before Quantum Advantage Nations race to secure sovereign quantum computing, investing early despite immature tech to lock in talent and ecosystems. Denmark's QuNorth partners with Atom Computing on a neutral-atom system, as industry leaders urge collaboration over techno-nationalism. EE Times

TSMC approves US$44.96 billion budget amid AI boom TSMC's board approved a US$44.96 billion capital budget to expand advanced chip and packaging capacity and build new fabs, while awarding record bonuses. Strong AI-driven 3nm demand lifted revenue to new highs, as the company forecast robust first-quarter sales. Taipei Times

Sponsor Copper vs silver: a turning point for WBG die attach Copper sintering is challenging silver's dominance in power semiconductors. Read how new materials are enabling high performance at lower cost. Henkel AG & Co.

Ground broken on chip R&D base The Ministry of Economic Affairs broke ground on a NT$3.772 billion semiconductor R&D base in Hsinchu to boost Taiwan's chip industry. The facility will offer pilot production, advanced process development and verification services, accelerating innovation, and AI-driven applications. Taipei Times

How and When the Memory Chip Shortage Will End Exploding AI data-center demand for high-bandwidth memory has sent DRAM prices soaring 80–90%, siphoning supply from PCs and consumer devices. After years of underinvestment and pandemic swings, analysts warn tight supply and elevated prices may persist for years. IEEE Spectrum

Sponsor Hermetic Package Seam Seal with HDHS® Technology Brings a new level of precision and automation for hi-rel microelectronic package encapsulation, increasing seal yields to 99.99% and lowering operation costs for Aerospace, Military, Microwave, Photonics and MEMS. MicroCircuit Laboratories, LLC

Cadence Unveils ChipStack AI Agent for Agentic Chip Design and Verification Cadence unveiled its ChipStack AI Super Agent, claiming an AI-driven front-end silicon design and verification workflow. Using a "mental model" to reduce hallucinations, the agent delivers up to 10× productivity gains and is already in production at Nvidia, Altera and Tenstorrent. EE Times

Beyond Optical: A New E-Beam Inspection For Advanced Chips As chipmakers move to 3D GAA architectures, hidden defects threaten yields. PDF Solutions' DirectScan with design-aware PointScan e-beam inspection targets high-risk areas, boosts throughput up to 100x, reduces wafer charging, and sharpens defect analysis at advanced nodes. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor Die Bonding Made Easy The DL Technology X-Form needles are custom manufactured for conductive epoxy dispensing in die bonding applications. Each needle is machined using DL's patented EZ-FLO. DL Technology

Chiplets Add More Inspection And Test Steps The shift to multi-die assemblies is reshaping chip testing, as traditional optical and electrical inspections fall short. Engineers are adding advanced X-ray, acoustic imaging, expanded metrology & embedded on-die monitoring to catch subtle defects early & improve yield control. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor Accurate Corner Fill Inspection SQ3000™ Nordson Test & Inspection advances industry software with AI-driven algorithms and SQ3000's MRS technology, delivering unmatched accuracy by eliminating reflections for precise, high-quality measurement applications. Nordson Test & Inspection