Alternative Text

Ann Mutschler

  (all posts)
Ann Mutschler is senior executive editor at Semiconductor Engineering.

Author's Latest Posts

Making Models Interoperable
By Ann Mutschler - 20 Nov, 2014 - Comments: 0

As engineering teams raise the vision of their design to a higher level of abstraction, the use of behavioral modeling is growing. While not ubiquitous, the concepts are gelling, which at least is helping the industry discuss the technology more intelligently and determine where automation makes sense. One of the biggest concerns with behavioral modeling is what engineering teams want to do ... » read more

Measuring Verification Accuracy
By Ann Mutschler - 20 Nov, 2014 - Comments: 0

[getkc id="10" kc_name="Verification"] is the unbounded challenge that continues to confound engineering teams across the globe, who want to know when "enough" is "good enough" to proceed to tapeout. The answer is not straightforward, and it includes more variables than in the past, particularly around power. Harry Foster, chief verification scientist at [getentity id="22017" e_name="Mentor ... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Nov. 18
By Ann Mutschler - 18 Nov, 2014 - Comments: 0

A lighter, cheaper radio wave device Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin reported that they have achieved a milestone in modern wireless and cellular telecommunications through the creation of a radically smaller, more efficient radio wave circulator that could be used in cellphones and other wireless devices. The researchers said the circulator has the potential to double the ... » read more

System Bits: Nov. 18
By Ann Mutschler - 18 Nov, 2014 - Comments: 0

Phase transitions between liquid, gas Researchers from the University of Tokyo and Tokyo Institute of Technology reminded that materials change their form between three states -- solid, liquid, and gas -- depending on factors such as temperature and pressure. However, a phase transition does not necessarily occur between liquid and gas, and they can continuously transform from the one to the o... » read more

Photoresist Problems Ahead
By Ann Mutschler - 14 Nov, 2014 - Comments: 2

As the semiconductor industry begins its ramp to manufacturing at 10nm and below, activity is heating up involving lithography modeling. The goal is to be ready when all the pieces of the puzzle are in place. That includes [gettech id="31045" comment="EUV"], when it finally becomes commercially viable, as well as extending ArF [getkc id="80" comment="lithography"]. When it comes to lithogra... » read more

System Bits: Nov. 11
By Ann Mutschler - 11 Nov, 2014 - Comments: 0

How transistors operate at absolute zero Research led by scientists at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and Caltech in California have demonstrated how noise in a microwave amplifier is limited by self-heating at very low temperatures, which is expected to be of importance for future discoveries in such as quantum computers and radio astronomy. The team also included researchers ... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Nov. 11
By Ann Mutschler - 11 Nov, 2014 - Comments: 0

Storing solar energy Engineers at Stanford have designed a catalyst that could help produce vast quantities of pure hydrogen through electrolysis – the process of passing electricity through water to break hydrogen loose from oxygen in H2O. Pure hydrogen (H2) is a major commodity chemical that is generally derived from natural gas. Tens of millions of tons of hydrogen are produced each ye... » read more

Boosting Battery Life In IoT Devices
By Ann Mutschler - 10 Nov, 2014 - Comments: 0

Honing in on a sweet spot for an IoT application can be very tricky, especially when it comes to a battery-based one. However, the Paper Battery Co. is working to do just that. With technology based on a, you guessed it, a paper battery, the company’s CEO Shreefal Mehta said the company believes the concept of having power that was able to go into spaces that today the batteries and rigid ... » read more

What’s Working For Power Verification
By Ann Mutschler - 07 Nov, 2014 - Comments: 2

Getting power verification right — or at least good enough — is the source of frustration for many design teams. Add to this the fact that there is no one right way to accomplish it just compounds the challenge. Fortunately, there are a number of options that are working to varying degrees, starting with static verification, according to Bernard Murphy, CTO of Atrenta. “Static verifica... » read more

Another Tool In The Bag
By Ann Mutschler - 06 Nov, 2014 - Comments: 0

Clocks can account for 25% to 40% of total dynamic power consumption in a complex chip, so when looking for areas to reduce power, the clock tree network is a good place to start. Structurally, it is certainly possible to have single-bit flip flops with a clock that connects to every one of the flip flops, and the power in general is proportional to the number of buffers in the clock tree on... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →

  • Sponsors

About

Navigation

Connect With Us

Copyright ©2013-2026 SMG   |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy