Advanced electro-thermal simulation sees deeper inside chips

Advanced electro-thermal simulation sees deeper inside chips
by Don Dingee on 03-29-2023 at 6:00 am

Advanced electro-thermal simulation in Keysight PathWave ADS

Heat and semiconductor reliability exist in an inversely proportional relationship. Before the breaking point at the thermal junction temperature rating, every 10°C rise in steady-state temperature cuts predicted MOSFET life in half. Yet, heat densities rise as devices plunge into harsher environments like smartphones,… Read More


Fabless and IDMs Training up on Integrated Photonics

Fabless and IDMs Training up on Integrated Photonics
by Mitch Heins on 11-28-2016 at 12:00 pm

I had the good fortune to be able to attend a very informative five-day photonic integrated circuit (PIC) training this last week in Santa Clara, CA. The training was organized by Erik Pennings of 7 Pennies consulting and hosted by Tektronix. Several ecosystem partners from the design automation, photonic foundries and photonic… Read More


The Fabless Empire Strikes Back, Global Foundries and Cadence make moves into Integrated Photonics!

The Fabless Empire Strikes Back, Global Foundries and Cadence make moves into Integrated Photonics!
by Mitch Heins on 10-20-2016 at 4:00 pm

In August I wrote an article proclaiming Score 1 for IDMs vs Fabless and discussedIntel’sannouncement of volume production of their 100G PSM4 and 100G CWDM4 transceiver products.

This week the Fabless Empire strikes back.
Daniel Nenni and I attended a two-day Photonic Summit and workshop hosted by Cadence Design, PhoeniX Software
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Fabless Photonics Gets a Boost with Aurrion Acquistion by Juniper Networks

Fabless Photonics Gets a Boost with Aurrion Acquistion by Juniper Networks
by Mitch Heins on 08-07-2016 at 12:00 pm

It was announced this week that Juniper Networks is acquiring integrated photonics fabless supplier Aurrion for an undisclosed amount. Aurrion was founded in 2008 by Dr. Alexander Fang of ex Intel and IBM fame and specializes in Indium Phosphide (InP) based transceivers for long-haul communications.

The twist that made Aurrion’sRead More


Is the Future Finally Here? What a GaAs!

Is the Future Finally Here? What a GaAs!
by Mitch Heins on 05-05-2016 at 4:00 pm

Back in 1983 I was working for Texas Instruments during the beginning of the push to let common electrical engineers develop their own CMOS application specific ICs (ASICs). This would eventually the be the fuel that fed the semiconductor engine to reach over $335 billion in 2015. At that time, I was a young guy and I had a rascally … Read More