Generating the Generator: A User-Driven And Template-Based Approach Towards Analog Layout Automation


Various analog design automation attempts have addressed the shortcomings of the still largely manual and, thus, inefficient and risky analog design approach. These methods can roughly be divided into synthesis and procedural generation. An important key aspect has, however, rarely been considered: usability. While synthesis requires sophisticated constraints, procedural generators require expe... » read more

Mechanical Challenges Rise With Heterogeneous Integration


Companies integrating multiple chips or chiplets into a package will need to address structural and other mechanical engineering issues, but gaps in the design tools, new materials and interconnect technologies, and a shortage of expertise are making it difficult to address those issues. Throughout most of the history of the semiconductors, few people outside of foundries worried about struc... » read more

Trusted Sensor Technology For The Internet Of Things


“Data is the new oil” — Clive Humby, 2006 While this prediction relates to the value that can be generated from data, the focus here is on the tools at the oil well. Just as oil drilling platforms are expected to reliably produce crude oil around the clock, sensors are expected to reliably and continuously deliver high-quality data. But sensors have long since evolved from simple me... » read more

True 3D Is Much Tougher Than 2.5D


Creating real 3D designs is proving to be much more complex and difficult than 2.5D, requiring significant innovation in both technology and tools. While there has been much discussion about 3D designs, there are multiple interpretations about what 3D entails. This is more than just semantics, however, because each packaging option requires different design approaches and technologies. And a... » read more

Managing EDA’s Rapid Growth Expectations


The EDA industry has been doing very well recently, but how long this run will continue is a matter of debate. EDA is an industry ripe for disruption due to rapid changes in chip architectures, end markets, and a long list of new technologies. In addition, recent geopolitical tensions are bringing a lot more attention to this small sector upon which the whole semiconductor industry rests. De... » read more

Mini-Consortia Forming Around Chiplets


Mini-consortia for chiplets are sprouting up across the industry, driven by demands for increasing customization in tight market windows and fueled by combinations of hardened IP that have been proven in silicon. These loosely aligned partnerships are working to develop LEGO-like integration models for highly specific applications and end markets. But they all are starting small, because it'... » read more

Uneven Circuit Aging Becoming A Bigger Problem


Circuit aging is emerging as a first-order design challenge as engineering teams look for new ways to improve reliability and ensure the functionality of chips throughout their expected lifetimes. The need for reliability is obvious in data centers and automobiles, where a chip failure could result in downtime or injury. It also is increasingly important in mobile and consumer electronics, w... » read more

Chiplets Taking Root As Silicon-Proven Hard IP


Chiplets are all the rage today, and for good reason. With the various ways to design a semiconductor-based system today, IP reuse via chiplets appears to be an effective and feasible solution, and a potentially low-cost alternative to shrinking everything to the latest process node. To enable faster time to market, common IP or technology that already has been silicon-proven can be utilized... » read more

Growing System Complexity Drives More IP Reuse


IP reuse of both third-party and internal IP is growing, but it's also becoming more complex to manage. There is more IP being used, and more systems into which it needs to be integrated, combined with other IP, and tracked throughout an organization. In some cases, this is an economic requirement. In others, designs are so complex that engineering teams need to focus on where they will make... » read more

On The Reverse Breakdown Behavior Of GaAs PIN Diodes For High Power Applications


In the field of power electronics, the compound semiconductors gallium nitride and silicon carbide are dominating the market. Due to its beneficial properties, gallium arsenide is gaining more and more importance. The aim is to manufacture devices based on gallium arsenide for use in power electronics with comparable or better properties, but at lower costs. In this work, a first GaAs PIN diode... » read more

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