May 2018 - Semiconductor Engineering

Ensuring Chip Reliability From The Inside
By Ann Mutschler - 31 May, 2018 - Comments: 0

Monitoring activity and traffic is emerging as an essential ingredient in complex, heterogeneous chips used in automotive, industrial, and data center applications. This is particularly true in safety-critical applications such as automotive, where much depends on the system operating exactly right at all times. To make autonomous and assisted driving possible, a mechanism to ensure systems ... » read more

What’s In A Node?
By Sundeep Bajikar - 30 May, 2018 - Comments: 0

In an environment where process nodes are no longer consistently delivering the level of improvements predicted by Moore’s Law, the industry will continue to develop “inter-nodes” as a way to deliver incremental improvements in lieu of “full-nodes.” A shift in market requirements, in part due to the rise of AI and IoT, is increasing emphasis on trailing-nodes. When it comes to leading... » read more

IIoT And Predictive Maintenance
By Jeff Dorsch - 30 May, 2018 - Comments: 1

It’s every production line manager’s nightmare—some machinery breaks down, stopping production on the factory floor. In a fab, if just one piece of semiconductor manufacturing equipment goes down and is out of service for hours, wafer fabrication can grind to a halt. Such shutdowns are expensive, especially if the plant is operating on a 24-hour schedule to meet demand. One selling poi... » read more

Transistor-Level Performance Evaluation Based On Wafer-Level Process Modeling
By Michael Hargrove - 30 May, 2018 - Comments: 0

Three years ago, I wrote a blog entitled “Linking Virtual Wafer Fabrication Modeling with Device-level TCAD Simulation,” in which I described the seamless connection between the SEMulator3D virtual wafer fabrication software platform and external third-party TCAD software. I’m now happy to report that device-level I-V performance analysis is now a built-in module within the SEMulator3D so... » read more

Understanding The Effect Of Variability In Bulk FinFET Device Performance
By Coventor - 30 May, 2018 - Comments: 0

2-D MOSFETs have proven difficult to scale down to 20nm and beyond. In their place, 3D FinFET transistors have emerged as novel devices that can scale down to lower node sizes. 10nm process finFETs are for SoC product mass production, and research is progressing towards a 7nm process finFET. FinFET transistors provide lower dynamic power consumption (due to flatter I-V curves), improved control... » read more

Blog Review: May 30
By Jesse Allen - 30 May, 2018 - Comments: 0

Cadence's Paul McLellan listens in as Krste Asanović explains the history of AI and the birth of neural networks, the role of GPUs, and challenges for the future. Synopsys' Amit Tyagi examines high speed memory interfaces with a look at the basic operations of Toggle3NAND/Toggle2NAND and how they delivers higher performance at lower power consumption. Mentor's Mike Santarini chats with A... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: May 29
By Ed Sperling - 29 May, 2018 - Comments: 0

Utilizing Heat For Energy One of the big problems in electronics in general, and semiconductors particular, is heat. And it's not just about leakage current anymore. Heat is a problem at every level, from circuit design to the materials being used inside the chips, as well as warpage between die caused by heat after they are packaged together. Heat can prematurely age chips as well as destroy ... » read more

System Bits: May 29
By Ann Mutschler - 29 May, 2018 - Comments: 0

Ultra-low-power sensors carrying genetically engineered bacteria to detect gastric bleeding In order to diagnose bleeding in the stomach or other gastrointestinal problems, MIT researchers have built an ingestible sensor equipped with genetically engineered bacteria. [caption id="attachment_24134598" align="alignleft" width="300"] MIT engineers have designed an ingestible sensor equipped with... » read more

Why IIoT Security Is So Difficult
By Kevin Fogarty - 29 May, 2018 - Comments: 0

Despite the high risk of a market filled with billions of at least partially unprotected devices, it is likely to take five years or more to reach a "meaningful" level of security in the Industrial IoT. The market, which potentially includes every connected device with an integrated circuit, is fragmented into vertical industries, specialty chips, and filled with competing OEMs, carriers, in... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: May 29
By Jesse Allen - 29 May, 2018 - Comments: 0

Using bandwidth like a fish Researchers from the University of Georgia developed a method to make fuller use of wireless bandwidth, inspired by a cave-dwelling fish's jamming avoidance response. Eigenmannia fish live in complete darkness, sensing their environment and communicating through emitting an electric field. When two fish emit signals at similar frequencies they can interfere with ... » read more

← Older posts

  • Sponsors

About

Navigation

Connect With Us

Copyright ©2013-2024 SMG   |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy