Semiconductor Devices Transforming the World

Semiconductor Devices Transforming the World
by Daniel Nenni on 01-03-2018 at 7:00 am

As we begin another new year we begin another semiconductor conference cycle starting with SEMI ISS on January 15–18 at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay California. This conference really sets the tone for the year and gives us a place to start thinking, acting, and reacting. This year it is all about the electronic devices we have… Read More


Tools for Advanced Packaging Design Follow Moore’s Law, Too!

Tools for Advanced Packaging Design Follow Moore’s Law, Too!
by Tom Dillinger on 06-05-2017 at 9:00 am

There is an emerging set of advanced packaging technologies that enables unique product designs, with the capability to integrate multiple die, from potentially heterogeneous technologies. These “system-in-package” (SiP) offerings provide architects with the opportunity to optimize product performance, power, cost,… Read More


Intel Manufacturing Day: Nodes must die, but Moore’s Law lives!

Intel Manufacturing Day: Nodes must die, but Moore’s Law lives!
by Scotten Jones on 03-29-2017 at 4:00 pm

Yesterday I attended Intel’s manufacturing day. This was the first manufacturing day Intel has held in three years and according to Intel their most in depth ever.

Nodes must die
I have written several articles comparing process technologies across the leading-edge logic producers – GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Intel, Samsung… Read More


AMD vs Intel Update!

AMD vs Intel Update!
by Daniel Nenni on 02-04-2017 at 10:00 am

Is it just me or has AMD just pulled off one of the most amazing semiconductor comebacks of the century? Let’s take a closer look.

Who doesn’t long for the days when Intel and AMD went head to head in the battle for microprocessor supremacy? Back then Intel, was still operating under the Andrew Grove mantra of “Only the Paranoid Survive”… Read More


ISS Gary Patton Keynote: FD-SOI, FinFETS, and Beyond!

ISS Gary Patton Keynote: FD-SOI, FinFETS, and Beyond!
by Scotten Jones on 01-28-2017 at 12:00 pm

Two weeks ago the SEMI ISS Conference was held at Half Moon Bay in California. On the opening day of the conference Gary Patton CTO of GLOBALFOUNDRIES gave the keynote address and I also had the chance to sit down with Gary for an interview the next day.

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At What Point Does Transistor Gate Length Stop Getting Smaller?

At What Point Does Transistor Gate Length Stop Getting Smaller?
by Daniel Payne on 08-03-2016 at 12:00 pm

When I started doing IC design back in 1978 we had 6,000 nm channel gate lengths, and today you can buy a smart phone with 16 nm or 14 nm technology, although the gate lengths in those phones are more like 34 nm. The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) makes predictions about emerging trends in our industry and… Read More


“Thinking Outside the Chip”

“Thinking Outside the Chip”
by Students@olemiss.edu on 04-13-2016 at 7:00 am

While pushing Moore’s Law’s boundaries in the world of 2D packaging, companies are starting to explore nontraditional approaches towards designing integrated circuit chips. 2D packaging is currently the most used method in designing chips in the industry, and while it leads in efficiency of power and performance, it lacks … Read More


The Death of Moore’s Law

The Death of Moore’s Law
by Michael Barger on 01-22-2016 at 12:00 pm

For the last several years, people have predicted the end of Moore’s Law. The reasoning is that there is a limit at which one can’t shrink transistors any further. A reoccurring comment has been “You can’t divide an atom.” I had assumed that its demise would be at the hands of a new paradigm like quantum computing. Now, with Intel’s … Read More