Novel Assembly Approaches For 3D Device Stacks


The next big leap in semiconductor packaging will require a slew of new technologies, processes, and materials, but collectively they will enable orders of magnitude improvement in performance that will be essential for the AI age. Not all of these issues are fully solved but the recent Electronic Components Technology Conference (ECTC) provided a glimpse into the huge leaps in progress that... » read more

Rethinking Chip Debug


The semiconductor industry has spent decades mastering the art of integrated circuit physical verification. But as system-on-chip (SoC) designs push the boundaries of complexity—with more transistors, greater integration and larger silicon areas—the established debug strategies are breaking under the weight of scale. Today’s advanced chips can generate an overwhelming number of design rul... » read more

Patterned MW-NSFETs For Sustainable Scaling (POSTECH)


A new technical paper titled "Patterned Multi-Wall Nanosheet FETs for Sustainable Scaling: Zero Gate Extension With Minimal Gate Cut Width" was published by researchers at POSTECH. Abstract "In nanosheet field-effect transistors (NSFETs), the scaling of the cell height (CH) is constrained by strict design rules related to gate extension (GE), gate cut (GC), and device-to-device distance. ... » read more

Viability of aZnMIm As A Resist For EUV Lithography (Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Intel et al.)


A new technical paper (preprint) titled "Extreme Ultraviolet and Beyond Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography using Amorphous Zeolitic Imidazolate Resists Deposited by Atomic/Molecular Layer Deposition" was published by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, Intel Corporation, Bruker Nano, EUV Tech and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. The paper states "This study demonstr... » read more

Chip Industry Week in Review


AI featured big at this week's Design Automation Conference (DAC) in San Francisco. Dozens of companies featured AI-related tools (see product section below), as well as significant improvements to existing tools and some entirely new approaches for designing chips. Among the highlights: Siemens unveiled an AI-enhanced toolset for the EDA design flow that enables customers to integrate the... » read more

GNN-Based Framework for Hardware Trojan Detection, Including RISC-V Cores


A new technical paper titled "TROJAN-GUARD: Hardware Trojans Detection Using GNN in RTL Designs" was published by researchers at University of Connecticut and University of Minnesota. Abstract "hip manufacturing is a complex process, and to achieve a faster time to market, an increasing number of untrusted third-party tools and designs from around the world are being utilized. The use of th... » read more

Iteration And Hallucination


Iteration loops have been a vital aspect of EDA flows for decades. Ever since gate delays and wire delays became comparable, it became necessary to find out if the result of a given logic synthesis run would yield acceptable timing. Over the years this problem became worse because one decision can affect many others. The ramifications of a decision may not have been obvious to an individual too... » read more

Mixed Messages Complicate Mixed-Signal


Several years ago, analog and mixed signal (AMS) content hit a wall. Its contribution to first-time chip failure doubled, and there is no evidence that anything has improved dramatically since then. Some see that the problem is likely to get worse due to issues associated with advanced nodes, while others see hope for improvement coming from AI or chiplets. Fig. 1: Cause of ASIC respins. S... » read more

Redefining SoC Design: The Shift To Secure Chiplet-Based Architectures


The semiconductor industry is undergoing a paradigm shift from monolithic system-on-chip (SoC) architectures to modular, chiplet-based designs. This transformation is driven by escalating design complexity, soaring fabrication costs, and the relentless pursuit of efficiency. However, as chiplet adoption accelerates, security becomes a critical concern, requiring robust measures to protect data,... » read more

Distributing Intelligence Inside Multi-Die Assemblies


The shift from SoCs to multi-die assemblies requires more and smarter controllers to be distributed throughout a package in order to ensure optimal performance, signal integrity, and no downtime. In planar SoCs, many of these kinds of functions are often managed by a single CPU or MCU. But as logic increasingly is decomposed into chiplets, connected to each other and memories by TSVs, hybrid... » read more

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