Comparing And Spotting The Difference Between Two Simulations


Comparing is a basic skill we all use in our daily lives in order to understand reality and analyze situations. When it comes to chip verification, the fundamental task of checking also involves comparing because checking is always "checking vs. something" — the ASIC specification and/or a model. In practice, when we encounter a failing test, oftentimes we have a comparable passing tes... » read more

MIPI Standards Gaining Traction In New Markets


An explosion of low-cost, high-performance image sensors for a growing number of applications is propelling the MIPI interface into a variety of new markets, where standardized signal protocols and characteristics are becoming essential. For years, MIPI has been almost synonymous with mobile phones. But as higher-resolution image sensors increasingly are deployed in automotive, AI, IoT, and ... » read more

Leveraging Multi-Protocol PHY For PCIe To Cope With SoC Design Complexity


Now in the post-Moore’s Law era, the fast-evolving semiconductor market is continually geared toward higher performance and feature-rich integrated chip (IC) solutions. More functional design blocks integrated with growing interconnections—to not only increase the overall throughput but also expand the I/O connectivity—resulted in a more powerful system on chip (SoC). This increasing comp... » read more

6G: Going Beyond 100 Gbps To 1 Tbps


6G research is in its very early stages. The vision for what the International Telecommunication Union calls Network 2030 continues to take shape. While the industry is years away from starting the standards development process, subterahertz (sub-THz) territory is a focus of active research. Getting to 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) to 1 terabit per second (Tbps) data throughput is a key obj... » read more

Blog Review: Jan. 26


Arm's Mark Inskip shares how the Morello prototype architecture, aimed at improving the security of hardware, was developed, from the creation of the prototype architecture specification, followed by the design and implementation of a new CPU, through to the development of a new SoC, hardware platform, development tools, toolchains, and software. Cadence's Paul McLellan looks at how the RISC... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Jan. 25


Stretchable thermometers The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) has developed a stretchable and self-powered thermometer that can be integrated into various systems, such as stretchable electronics and soft robots. Depending on the materials used, the stretchable thermometer can measure temperatures of more than 200 degrees Celsius to -100 degrees Cel... » read more

Photomask Challenges At 3nm And Beyond


Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss optical and EUV photomasks issues, as well as the challenges facing the mask business, with Naoya Hayashi, research fellow at DNP; Peter Buck, director of MPC & mask defect management at Siemens Digital Industries Software; Bryan Kasprowicz, senior director of technical strategy at Hoya; and Aki Fujimura, CEO of D2S. What f... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Jan. 25


Nanoscale 3D optics Researchers at Rice University and University of Houston are using 3D printing to build nanostructures of silica for micro-scale electronic, mechanical, and photonic devices. “It’s very tough to make complicated, three-dimensional geometries with traditional photolithography techniques,” said Jun Lou, a professor of materials science and nanoengineering at Rice. �... » read more

Health Care Is Gold Mine For Hackers


Today’s digital health care systems are facing relentless cyberattacks, which are targeting health care organizations as well as the medical devices they use. The critical nature and size of the U.S. health care market — an estimated $3.5 trillion in 2020, with substantial growth anticipated — make it a favorite target of hackers. Vanson Bourne conducted a survey for Sophos in early 20... » read more

A Comparative Analysis of Computer-Aided Design Tools for Complex Power Electronics Systems


Abstract: "Companies working on semiconductors must currently assure the customers of not only the performance of the semiconductor device per se, but also its performance when it is implemented in a real board, therefore including the role of parasitic effects. It is therefore very important to evaluate, especially during the design phase, not only the single device, but the complete board ... » read more

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