Inverse lithography technology: 30 years from concept to practical, full-chip reality


Published in the Journal of Micro/Nanopatterning, Materials, and Metrology, Aug. 31, 2021. Read the full technical paper here (open access). Abstract In lithography, optical proximity and process bias/effects need to be corrected to achieve the best wafer print. Efforts to correct for these effects started with a simple bias, adding a hammer head in line-ends to prevent line-end shortening. T... » read more

Automated ESD Protection Verification For 2.5D And 3D ICs


While automated flows for ESD protection verification are well-established for 2D ICs, 2.5D and 3D designs present new challenges in both ESD circuit design and verification. Advanced automated ESD verification methodology accurately and effectively evaluates ESD protection in 2.5/3D IC designs. Ensuring correct and consistent ESD protection in 2.5/3D ICs raises the reliability and product life... » read more

Thermal And Stress Analysis Of 3D-ICs With Celsius Thermal Solver


As electronics get smaller and faster, the environment for thermal issues is becoming more and more challenging. These problems are widespread and can appear in the chip, the board, the package, and the entire system. This white paper helps designers understand the cross-fabric thermal and stress challenges introduced by 3D-ICs and how the Cadence Celsius  Thermal Solver helps designers analyz... » read more

RISC-V Processor Verification: Case Study


Abstract: The open RISC-V instruction set architecture is gaining traction with both semiconductor vendors and systems companies. A key question is how to verify the RISC-V processor implementation, especially when developing the RTL and/or adding custom instructions? This paper reports on the techniques used and lessons learned for the verification of a RV64IMACBNSU RISC-V processor by an exp... » read more

Faster Analog Design Closure With Early Parasitic Analysis Flow – Part 1


In part 1 of this series, Denis Goinard, Director of Engineering at Synopsys, discusses how Synopsys provides a unified workflow to accurately estimate, measure, extract and simulate parasitics by bringing signoff tools into the design process, enabling faster design convergence. Click here to play the video. Note: This is a Synopsys 'video white paper.' For more video white papers, click h... » read more

Evaluating The Impact Of STI Recess Profile Control On Advanced FinFET Device Performance


In this paper, a 5nm FinFET flow was built using the SEMulator3D virtual fabrication platform. Different STI (shallow trench isolation) recess profiles were investigated using the pattern-dependent etch capabilities of SEMulator3D, including changes in trenching/footing profile, fin height and imbalance fin height. The impact of STI recess profile on device performance was then investigated usi... » read more

Qualifying The ExposedPad TQFP For AEC-Q006 Grade 0


Semiconductor packages used in various vehicle applications require high reliability. As technological innovations in the automotive market increase, the demand for highly reliable packaging is increasing for applications in autonomous driving, human interfaces, electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and more. Package reliability is essential because automotive packages must p... » read more

Are Surfaces Of Silicon Hardmasks Adaptive?


Silicon hardmask (Si-HM) materials used in lithography processes play a critical role in transferring patterns to desired substrates. In addition, these materials allow for the tuning of optical properties such as reflectivity and optical distribution for better lithography. Si-HM materials also need to possess good compatibility with photoresists before and after optical exposure, during which... » read more

Shortest Resistance Path Deception In ESD Protection Circuit P2P Debug


Verifying and fixing ESD protection circuit violations is an essential step in tapeout sign-off flows for today’s IC chip designs. As one of the most commonly used ESD verification flows, the point to point (P2P) flow checks the resistances of ESD discharge paths in layout designs to ensure they are within design thresholds. However, when debugging P2P violations, information such as the shor... » read more

An 8 Bit To 12 Bit Resolution Programmable 5 MSample/s Current Steering Digital-To-Analog Converter In A 22 nm FD-SOI CMOS Technology


Authors: Jeongwook Koh, Division Engineering of Adaptive Systems EAS, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, Dresden, Germany Shishira S. Venkatesha, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany Sunil S. Rao, Division Engineering of Adaptive Systems EAS, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, Dresden, Germany Marcel Jotschke, Division Engineering of Ad... » read more

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