Three Key Takeaways from the 2022 TSMC Technical Symposium!

Three Key Takeaways from the 2022 TSMC Technical Symposium!
by Daniel Nenni on 06-16-2022 at 12:10 pm

TSMC Technology Roadmap 2022

The TSMC Technical Symposium is today so I wanted to give you a brief summary of what was presented. Tom Dillinger will do a more technical review as he has done in the past. I don’t want to steal his thunder but here is what I think are the key takeaways. First a brief history lesson.

The history of TSMC Technology Development with 12 keyRead More


Designing a FinFET Test Chip for Radiation Threats

Designing a FinFET Test Chip for Radiation Threats
by Tom Simon on 04-04-2022 at 10:00 am

Charged Particles

Much of the technology that goes into aerospace applications is some of the most advanced technology that exists. However, these same systems must also offer the highest level of reliability in what is arguably an extremely difficult environment. For semiconductors a major environmental risk in aerospace applications are … Read More


Intel Evolution of Transistor Innovation

Intel Evolution of Transistor Innovation
by Daniel Nenni on 03-03-2022 at 10:00 am

Intel Transistor Innovations 1971

Intel recently released an exceptional video providing an insightful chronology of MOS transistor technology.  Evolution of Transistor Innovation is a five-minute audiovisual adventure, spanning 50 years of Moore’s Law.  Some of the highlights are summarized below, with a few screen shot captures – the full video is definitely… Read More


Intel 2022 Investor Meeting

Intel 2022 Investor Meeting
by Scotten Jones on 02-21-2022 at 6:00 am

Figure 1 Process Innovations

Last Thursday Intel held their investors meeting, in this write up I wanted to focus on my areas of coverage/expertise, process technology and manufacturing.

Technology Development presented by Ann Kelleher

Last year Intel presented their Intel Accelerated plan and, in this meeting, we got a review of where Intel stands on that… Read More


The Rising Tide of Semiconductor Cost

The Rising Tide of Semiconductor Cost
by Doug O'Laughlin on 02-13-2022 at 6:00 am

Moores Law Slowing Down

It Isn’t Transistory

There’s a quiet upheaval happening in the semiconductor industry. The rules that have always governed the industry are fraying, undoing assumptions that we took for granted, that was pounded into us in school. The irreproachable Moore’s Law, that exponential progress will make things cheaper, better,… Read More


High-Speed Data Converters Accelerating Automotive and 5G Products

High-Speed Data Converters Accelerating Automotive and 5G Products
by Kalar Rajendiran on 11-10-2021 at 10:00 am

Enabling Technology Omni Design SWIFT

While the trend towards System-on-Chip (SoC) has been gathering momentum for quite some time, the primary driver has been integration of digital components, spurred by Moore’s law. Integrating more and more digital circuitry into a single chip has been consistently beneficial for performance, power, form factor and economic… Read More


SISPAD – Cost Simulations to Enable PPAC Aware Technology Development

SISPAD – Cost Simulations to Enable PPAC Aware Technology Development
by Scotten Jones on 10-31-2021 at 10:00 am

Slide11

I was invited to give a plenary address at the SISPAD conference in September 2021. For anyone not familiar with SISPAD it is a premiere TCAD conference. This year for the first time SISPAD wanted to address cost and my talk was “Cost Simulations to Enable PPAC Aware Technology Development”.

For many years the standard in technology… Read More


Symmetry Requirements Becoming More Important and Challenging

Symmetry Requirements Becoming More Important and Challenging
by Tom Simon on 08-24-2021 at 10:00 am

Symmetry across the design flow

Humans certainly have always had an aesthetic preference for symmetry. We also see symmetry showing up frequently in nature. The importance of symmetry in electronic designs has been apparent for decades. There are a host of analog structures that require balanced layout. For instance, these include differential pairs and … Read More


TSMC Design Considerations for Gate-All-Around (GAA) Technology

TSMC Design Considerations for Gate-All-Around (GAA) Technology
by Tom Dillinger on 07-12-2021 at 6:00 am

mobility differences 3

The annual VLSI Symposium provides unique insights into R&D innovations in both circuits and technology.  Indeed, the papers presented are divided into two main tracks – Circuits and Technology.  In addition, the symposium offers workshops, forums, and short courses, providing a breadth of additional information.

At… Read More


VLSI Symposium – TSMC and Imec on Advanced Process and Devices Technology Toward 2nm

VLSI Symposium – TSMC and Imec on Advanced Process and Devices Technology Toward 2nm
by Scotten Jones on 07-02-2021 at 6:00 am

Figure 1

At the 2021 Symposium on VLSI Technology and Circuits in June a short course was held on “Advanced Process and Devices Technology Toward 2nm-CMOS and Emerging Memory”. In this article I will review the first two presentations covering leading edge logic devices. The two presentations are complementary and provide and excellent… Read More