Outlook Supplement - Flipbook - Page 14
Forecast
More Layers, More Power,
New Problems: The Metrology
Revolution Behind 3D Chips
JOSÉ MANUEL RAMOS, C E O ,
Wooptix
We’ve seen important
developments over
the past year in new
architectures for chip
design that improve
performance by taking
advantage of 3D
techniques to pack more
layers into each wafer.
JOSÉ MANUEL
One of the trends that
RAMOS
could change the way
chips are manufactured
is the rapid evolution of backside power
delivery networks (BSPDN) for logic
and 3D DRAM.
Optimizing the space within the
wafer to implement better distribution
of its components is a key approach to
increasing chip performance. While 3D
DRAM memories provide faster access
to data, BSPDN enhances efficiency
by placing the power delivery network
on the backside of the wafer, achieving
lower power consumption and boosting
chip performance.
In 2026, we’ll likely see major
advancements in increasing the number
of layers that can be placed on the
wafer. However, this comes with a very
important concern: Adding more layers
places greater pressure on the wafer,
which can lead to distortions in the dies,
making them unusable. In addition, the
new processes required to deposit so
much inside such a small space are very
costly—each chip lost due to warpage
comes with a steep price.
For semiconductor metrology, this
presents both a challenge and an
opportunity. Demand is rising for new
metrology systems capable of measuring complex advanced packaging
architectures, especially when it comes
to warpage, which greatly affects the
device properties and downstream
processes. 2026 will be a year of
12
innovation in metrology, with a focus
on developing new approaches that can
deliver highly detailed insights into the
new generation of chip architectures.
In particular, we expect to see developments coming from Europe. The European Union has put significant effort
into developing policies and investing
in creating a strong semiconductor
ecosystem within its member states,
promoting cooperation between public
institutions and private companies.
Precision Motion Plus Light:
MEMS Photonics and
Optoelectronics in 2026
A LISSA M. FITZGERALD, P h . D . ,
CEO of A.M. Fitzgerald &
Associates
Reducing the
massive amounts
of electrical power
consumed by AI
data centers and
improving data
bandwidth has
motivated a sea
change in data
networking: Fiber
ALISSA M.
FITZGERALD
optic bundles are
replacing copper
wiring, and optical circuit switches
(OCS) are replacing electronic network
switches. In 2026, we’ll see increasing
focus on photonics as the fundamental
infrastructure technology for modern
data centers.
Photonics makes sense for efficient
networking on so many levels. By
flowing data between computer racks
as photons instead of as electrons, the
power loss in electrical current flow
(Joule heating) is eliminated. This
reduces data center power needs by a
remarkable 30-40%. And optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM)
superposes multiple data streams to
allow the massive data throughput
needed by AI applications.
Photonics needs nanometer- or micron-scale motion to modulate light,
| Supplement to January 2026 Semiconductor Digest
and MEMS offers precision motion
in the form of electrostatic or piezoelectric actuators. While hybridized
MEMS and photonics technologies
have been developed in academic
groups around the world for years, the
massive market pull of AI data centers
is now motivating their commercialization. Other complex systems
needing high data bandwidth, such as
autonomous vehicles or medical image
analysis at enterprise scale, will soon
enjoy collateral benefits from the data
center-driven confluence of photonics
and MEMS.
Two emerging applications are:
• To Couple, Switch or Tune Photonic Integrated Circuits — As
optical systems in telecommunications and data networking continue
to scale in complexity, the ability
to efficiently and rapidly couple,
switch, and tune with precision in
a photonic integrated circuit (PIC)
becomes critical. Expect to see
thin-film piezoelectric materials,
including PZT and emerging leadfree films such as KNN, pack high
actuation force into a small volume
and perform acousto-optic modulation at gigahertz frequencies.
• Optical Beam-Steering and
Multiplexing — Free-space optical
systems need components capable
of fast and power-efficient surface
redirection to steer laser beams.
These types of systems are in
highest demand for data center
optical switching and automotive
LiDAR. Expect to see more MEMS
beam-steering mirrors, which have
been developed and commercialized over the past two decades
— primarily for visual display
applications — offer microsecond response times, large optical
apertures and scalable high-volume
manufacturing.
Years of academic research, mature
MEMS technologies available and
compatible for integration, scalable
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