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A Goldmine of Tester Data

A Goldmine of Tester Data
by Beth Martin on 07-10-2013 at 2:06 pm

Yesterday at SEMICON West I attended an interesting talk about how to use the masses of die test data to improve silicon yield. The speaker was Dr. Martin Keim, from Mentor Graphics.


First of all, he pointed out that with advanced process nodes (45nm, 32nm, and 28nm), and new technologies like FinFETs, we get design-sensitive defects.… Read More


Best Practices for Using DRC, LVS and Parasitic Extraction – on YouTube

Best Practices for Using DRC, LVS and Parasitic Extraction – on YouTube
by Daniel Payne on 07-10-2013 at 1:21 pm

EDA companies produce a wealth of content to help IC engineers get the best out of their tools through several means:

  • Reference Manuals
  • User Guides
  • Tutorials
  • Workshops
  • Seminars
  • Training Classes
  • Phone Support
  • AE visits
Read More

Towards the 0 DPM Test Goal

Towards the 0 DPM Test Goal
by Paul McLellan on 07-10-2013 at 10:43 am

At Semicon yesterday I attended Mentor’s presentation on improving test standards. Joe Sawicki was meant to present but he was unable to get a flight due to the ongoing disruption at SFO after last weekend’s crash. I just flew in myself and it is odd to see the carcase of that 777 just beside the runway we landed on.

The … Read More


Apple iOS7 Will Drive The Next Semiconductor Cycle

Apple iOS7 Will Drive The Next Semiconductor Cycle
by Ed McKernan on 07-08-2013 at 12:00 am

We have entered the Summer lull, the quiet period before what is likely to be Apple’s largest volume launch of smartphones ever. While the launches are coming in like clockwork, it is the magnitude of the ramp that is likely to surprise many and it will be due not just to the features of iOS7, but also to the adoption of a well-worn Microsoft… Read More


Intel Versus the Fabless Semiconductor Ecosystem!

Intel Versus the Fabless Semiconductor Ecosystem!
by Daniel Nenni on 07-07-2013 at 7:30 pm

In case you missed it, there is an interesting conversation on my blog, The Future of Mobile Devices and the Semiconductor Landscape!, between Ashraf Eassa and myself. Ashraf and I also converse privately, he’s a very respectful and intelligent young man. For the last year Ashraf has been writing financial articles for Seeking… Read More


4th Fundamental Circuit Element – Can it be a boon to Semiconductor Industry?

4th Fundamental Circuit Element – Can it be a boon to Semiconductor Industry?
by Pawan Fangaria on 07-07-2013 at 1:11 pm

It was a nice break after my vacation, indulging into some of the pure science stuff, when an old colleague of mine, Dr. Gaurav Gandhi, founder of mLabs in Delhi came across introducing me to his new research and possible developments in this field. Gaurav was actually in my product validation team while I was at Cadence, very passionate… Read More


Should an IP vendor become a PHY IP Dealer?

Should an IP vendor become a PHY IP Dealer?
by Eric Esteve on 07-07-2013 at 3:20 am

This is not a theoretical question. Imagine that you are developing and selling digital IP, like Interface Controller, PCI Express or USB 2.0 or 3.0, or MIPI Camera Serial Interface (CSI) or Display Serial Interface (DSI). If you look at companies like Synopsys, they have built their success on the “Integrated Interface IP” concept.… Read More


Calypto 2013 Report

Calypto 2013 Report
by Paul McLellan on 07-05-2013 at 5:48 am

Each year Calypto runs a survey of end-users. This year’s survey and report has two parts, power reduction and high level synthesis (HLS).

The topics covered are:

  • survey methodology and demographics
  • top methods used to reduce power
  • engineering time spent on specfiic RTL tasks to reduce power
  • plans to deploy RTL power reduction
Read More

GSA Awards Deadline Looming + GSA Entrepreneurship Conference

GSA Awards Deadline Looming + GSA Entrepreneurship Conference
by Paul McLellan on 07-05-2013 at 5:09 am

GSA has award for various categories that are presented at their annual awards dinner. This year’s dinner will be on Thursday December 12th at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

Some of the awards have now passed their cutoff date. But a few remain open until July 12th (hurry, just one more week):

  • Startup to Watch Award
  • Most
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Should the Design Automation Conference Colocate with SEMICON West?

Should the Design Automation Conference Colocate with SEMICON West?
by Daniel Nenni on 07-03-2013 at 8:10 pm

My friend and fellow blogger Kurt Shuler wrote recently, “DAC Is Dead? Long Live DAC!”, which is worth a click over. In addition to providing a nice attendance graph and the top three reasons why it is NOT all rosy, Kurt suggests colocating DAC with other conferences (DESIGN West) but fails to mention SEMICON West.

SEMICON West is Read More