09 August 2026

70 new posts across 3 semiconductor sources — 4 worth your time.

One week of Chips & Silicon, 4 stories, as published.

Model Tracks Bond Front Velocity in Lubrication-Mediated Bonding of Flexible Substrates (imec)

An imec researcher has modeled the bond front velocity in lubrication-mediated bonding of flexible substrates. This process is critical for 3D stacking and heterogeneous integration, enabling novel interconnect architectures for integrated circuits.

Why it matters — Quantifying bond front velocity provides a mathematical basis to optimize throughput and yield in lubrication-mediated 3D stacking.

Semiconductor Engineering · 09 August 2026 · Read the original →

Process & Fabs

GlobalFoundries’ Growth Makes the Case for a U.S. Photonics Buildout

GlobalFoundries reported Q2 revenue of $1.786 billion, strengthening the commercial justification for its latest U.S. government-backed investments in silicon photonics.

Why it matters — A $1.786 billion revenue base combined with federal subsidies validates the commercial viability of integrating silicon photonics directly into high-volume foundry runs.

EE Times · 09 August 2026 · Read the original →

AI Accelerators

Samsung Unveils zHBM 3D Memory Architecture

Samsung unveiled zHBM, a new 3D memory architecture that vertically stacks HBM directly above AI accelerators, minimizing data travel distance. This design aims to deliver up to eight times the data-processing performance of HBM5 and improve power efficiency by a factor of three.

Why it matters — This new packaging approach could significantly reduce memory bottlenecks and power consumption in future AI systems, enabling denser, more efficient accelerator designs.

news.samsung.com · 09 August 2026 · Read the original →

Policy & Export

US Imposes Tariffs on Polysilicon, Wafers

The US White House imposed a 15% tariff and price floors on polysilicon and 300mm semiconductor wafers, effective December 4, 2026. This measure, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, aims to protect domestic polysilicon manufacturers from Chinese competition.

Why it matters — Increased costs for imported polysilicon and wafers will impact upstream material sourcing and potentially raise manufacturing costs for US-based fabs.

Reuters · 09 August 2026 · Read the original →

At least the physics of flexible bonding is governed by laws that don't change overnight.

4 stories, every Tuesday

Published here every week. Follow by RSS to get it as it lands.

Subscribe by RSS All issues

Next issue →