Mastering 3D-IC Verification Complexity


The semiconductor industry's transition from traditional 2D integrated circuits to 2.5D and 3D-IC configurations represents more than an incremental advancement. This architectural shift, driven by the need to push beyond conventional scaling limitations, introduces a cascade of verification challenges that legacy methodologies struggle to address. As designs incorporate multiple stacked dies, ... » read more

Across The Vast Reaches Of The 3D Stack: Mastering ESD Verification In Advanced Semiconductor Design


Introduction: The epic challenge In the vast reaches of the semiconductor cosmos, a silent menace lurks—one that can obliterate years of design work in a fraction of a nanosecond. Electrostatic discharge (ESD) verification stands as the guardian against this invisible threat, a critical discipline that separates the triumphant chip designs from the smoldering wreckage of failed silicon dream... » read more

Simplifying ESD Protection and Inter-Chiplet Signaling In Future 2.5D/3D Packaging Technologies (Arizona State, Univ. of Minnesota)


A new technical paper titled "Tiny Chiplets Enabled by Packaging Scaling: Opportunities in ESD Protection and Signal Integrity" was published by researchers at Arizona State University and University of Minnesota. Abstract: "The scaling of advanced packaging technologies provides abundant interconnection resources for 2.5D/3D heterogeneous integration (HI), thereby enabling the construction... » read more

Real-time Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Monitoring Detector For Semiconductor Manufacturing


A new technical paper titled "Real-Time ESD Monitoring and Control in Semiconductor Manufacturing Environments With Silicon Chip of ESD Event Detection" was published by researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. Abstract "Integrated circuits are susceptible to electrostatic discharge (ESD) events. Real-time detection and alerting of ESD events in semiconductor manufacturing e... » read more

Electronics Reliability In Space: Simulating Rad Hard Designs


Space is a harsh environment. There’s no breathable air, radiation levels are 15 times higher than on Earth, and the approximate temperature is 2.7 Kelvin (minus 270.45 degrees Celsius or minus 454.81 degrees Fahrenheit). Thankfully, Earth’s atmosphere does a great job protecting us from space’s intense climate. But because there is no atmosphere in space, there’s nothing to protect sat... » read more

ESD Verification For 2.5D And 3D-ICs


Ensuring your integrated circuit (IC) design can withstand electrostatic discharge (ESD) events without incurring damage or failure is an extremely important activity in IC circuit design and verification. While automated flows for ESD verification are well-established for regular 2D ICs, 2.5D and 3D integration presents new challenges in both ESD design and verification. The new automated ESD ... » read more

Efficient ESD Verification For 2.5/3D Automotive ICs


Protection against electrostatic discharge (ESD) events is an extremely important aspect of integrated circuit (IC) design and verification, particularly for 2.5/3D designs targeted for automotive systems. ESD events cause severe damage to ICs due to a sudden and unexpected flow of electrical current between two electrically charged objects. This current may be caused by contact, an electrical ... » read more

Research Bits: Nov. 25


3D-printed ESD protection Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory developed a printable elastomeric silicone foam for electronics packaging that provides both mechanical and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. The team used a 3D printing technique called direct ink writing (DIW), an extrusion process in which a paste with controlled rheological properties such as elast... » read more

Design Optimal ESD Protection With Context-Aware SPICE Simulation


Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a major reliability concern for modern ICs. Ensuring the robustness of ICs in an ESD event by providing adequate ESD protection is proving to be a major challenge for IC designers due to factors such as shrinking of the design features, reduction in gate oxide thickness, increase in the contact and interconnect resistance and an increase in the overall design co... » read more

Powering CFETs From The Backside


The first CMOS circuits to incorporate backside power connections are likely to be based on stacked nanosheet transistors, but further down the road, planners envision complementary transistors (CFETs) that vertically integrate stacked NFET and PFET devices. With at least twice the thickness of a nanosheet transistor, connecting CFETs to each other and to the rest of the circuit is likely to... » read more

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