Rohm, Quanmatic putting quantum tech in chipmaking

Japanese chip maker Rohm is collaborating with venture company Quanmatic to improve electrical die sorting (EDS) in what appears to be the first use of quantum computing to optimize a commercial-scale manufacturing process on semiconductor production lines.

After a year of effort, the two companies have announced that full-scale implementation of the probe test technology can begin in April in Rohm’s factories in Japan and overseas. Testing and validation of the prototype indicate that EDS performance can be improved by several percentage points, improving significantly productivity and profitability.

Headquartered in Kyoto, Rohm produces integrated circuits (ICs), discrete semiconductors and other electronic components. It is one of the world’s leading suppliers of silicon carbide wafers and power management devices used in electric vehicles (EVs) and various industrial applications.

Quanmatic is a Japanese venture company that develops software incorporating algorithms for quantum computing efficiency and precision. Its computational optimization engines leverage quantum technologies for business and industry problem-solving.

EDS is conducted after wafer processing to identify defective chips, which are repaired or removed before cutting the wafer into individual chips and packaging. The process is key to improving and maintaining yields.

EDS is done by putting the wafer in contact with a probe card, an electrical-mechanical interface that can have more than 50,000 tiny needles that send electrical signals through the wafer to determine if the chips work properly and sort out those that do not. Doing this after chips have been packaged would be inefficient and expensive.

With the advance of semiconductor fabrication