Full-blown process excursions that affect every wafer are comparatively easy for fabs to detect and fix. However, “onesie-twosie,” lower-volume excursions can go unresolved for months or even years.

It is no mystery that the semiconductor industry is always advancing, with specifications becoming increasingly stringent as defects become increasingly more difficult to discover. This is especially ...

They’re called FOUPs, for front-opening unified pods, they number in the thousands and they’re zipping around continuously overhead. No, it’s not the climactic invasion scene from Hollywood’s latest ...