Liz Allan

Illinois

Associate Editor at Semiconductor Engineering

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Articles

Stakes Are High For Aerospace, Defense IC Designs

3 weeks ago | semiengineering.com | Liz Allan

Chips destined for the skies or armed forces need extra everything. They require higher layers of abstraction to simulate all the moving parts in the field, high-reliability testing for harsh environments, in addition to system-level test. They also need radiation-hardening and ceramic materials for space, extra safety layers, and advanced security techniques. As in the automotive sector, the safety-critical designation means lives are at risk.
Wearable Connectivity, AI Enable New Use Cases

1 month ago | semiengineering.com | Liz Allan

The sensing and processing technology used in smart phones, watches, and rings is starting to be being deployed in a wide variety of wearable devices, ranging from those that fill the gap between sports and med tech, to haptic devices to assist the visually impaired and AR/VR glasses. Emerging applications include payment, building, and factory wearables. Most of these devices process signals, then plug into AI and ML tools to analyze the data at the edge, on a phone, or in the cloud.
Chip Industry Technical Paper Roundup: Feb. 25

1 month ago | semiengineering.com | Liz Allan

Chip Industry Technical Paper Roundup: Feb. 25 NVM-CIM accelerators; AI HW energy; TSV faults; Si/SiGe multi-layer stacks; BPR to suppress substrate leakage in CFETs; small-pitch interconnects; DRAM read disturbance; HW-aligned sparse attention architecture.
Med Tech Morphs Into Consumer Wearables

2 months ago | semiengineering.com | Liz Allan

Doctors have been using advanced technology for years, but the growing trend is for consumers to use devices at home and have direct access to their data. Watches and rings that were once primarily used for counting steps or registering sleep patterns can now read blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen, body temperature, and other early signs of illness.
Universities Augment Curricula To Boost Engineering Graduates Employability

2 months ago | semiengineering.com | Liz Allan

Increasing numbers of universities are offering semiconductor courses in their engineering programs, and also in math, physics, and business degrees. Most universities now offer a broad foundation so students can pivot to other industries during cyclical downturns, or when technology and science create entirely new and potentially lucrative opportunities, such as generative AI, advanced packaging, and at some point in the future, the rollout of quantum computing.
Chip Industry Investments Kept Flowing In 2024 Even As Some Projects Stalled

Jan 21, 2025 | semiengineering.com | Liz Allan

The chip industry made significant capital investments this year to build new fabs and facilities or expand existing premises. A number of sites were dedicated to SiC, GaN, DRAM, HBM, along with packaging and assembly by OSATs, and essential gases, chemicals, and other components. More than a dozen R&D centers were also established for 8-inch wafers, EUV, and advanced packaging. Investments came from both companies and government sources, and many CHIPS Act awards have now been finalized.
Top Tech Videos Of 2024

Dec 30, 2024 | semiengineering.com | Liz Allan

In 2024, hot topics included challenges involving chiplets and heterogeneous integration, AI, data management, MCUs, power semis, software-defined vehicles, sensors, adaptive test, yield tracking, safety monitoring, security, and much more.
Shortcutting Graduates' Path To Productivity In Manufacturing And Test

Dec 15, 2024 | semiengineering.com | Liz Allan

Manufacturing, test, assembly, and analytics companies are finding unique ways to engage with universities in an effort to shore up the talent pipeline. The industry is recruiting graduates from universities across the U.S. while partnering with local institutes to serve specific needs.
How Companies Onboard Graduates And Shape University Curricula

Dec 1, 2024 | semiengineering.com | Liz Allan

A shortage of senior engineers with the necessary skills and experience is forcing companies to hire and train fresh graduates, a more time-consuming process but one that allows them to rise through the ranks using the companies’ preferred technology and systems. Universities and companies share the goal of helping a graduate become productive in the workplace as quickly as possible, and there are ways they can shape curricula to reach that goal more quickly.
Asia Government Funding Surges

Nov 17, 2024 | semiengineering.com | Liz Allan

Billions of dollars have been pouring into Asian countries for the past few years in an effort to boost their production capacity, explore leading-edge technology, compete on the global stage, and shore up supply chains in the face of geopolitical turmoil. Each country has its own plan to maintain a foothold in the global market, from China’s Big Fund to Korea’s Yongin Cluster and Japan’s Rapidus consortium.