Improving Reliability


By Dina Medhat Advanced IC designs implement complex strategies to minimize static and dynamic power. Mixed-signal designs typically require different supply voltages for the analog and digital portions of the design, and even all-digital ICs can have many power domains and operating voltages. Typically, some signal lines cross from one domain to another and special interfaces and “voltage p... » read more

Mixed-Signal IP Design Challenges In 28nm Process And Beyond


As process technologies continue to scale aggressively, it is becoming more challenging when developing high-quality, high-speed mixed-signal IP. Specifically, the 28-nm process poses some unique challenges not found in 65-nm and 40-nm technology processes. This paper discusses the low power requirements found in 28-nm processes and addresses issues associated with the aggressive scaling of ... » read more

Analog Hits The Power Wall


By Ed Sperling Analog design teams are starting to encounter the same physical issues that digital design engineers began wrestling with several nodes ago—only the problems are more complicated and even more difficult to solve. At advanced nodes digital circuitry is susceptible to an array of physical effects ranging from heat, electromigration, electromagnetic interference and electrosta... » read more

The Challenges Of 28nm HKMG


28nm Super Low Power (28nm-SLP) is the low power CMOS offering delivered on a bulk silicon substrate for mobile consumer and digital consumer applications. This technology has four Vt's (high, regular, low and super low) for design flexibility with multi-channel length capability and offers the ultimate in small die size and low cost. Multiple SRAM bit cells for high density and high-performanc... » read more

Cyclical Behavior


As we head into yet another DAC, this may seem like a bad case of déjà vu. While there’s plenty of new stuff—and even some new companies—there are some key trends that seem very familiar. Here are four to consider: 1. Cloud computing. For anyone who’s old enough to remember time-sharing on university computers, cloud computing should look very familiar. The scheduling is more so... » read more

Custom IC Design: They Call This Progress?


By Ed Sperling For decades, analog and digital engineers have lived in completely separate worlds. The lines are blurring between those worlds, though, in complex SoCs. So far, the transition has been difficult, and most engineers predict it will get worse at future process nodes. The basic problem is that each world has functioned independently of the other from the start. They use different... » read more

Exclusive Research: What’s Happening With Third-Party IP


Analog and mixed signal IP began closing the gap with digital core IP in design explorations in the first two months of this year, a clear sign that multicore systems on chip have emerged as the dominant semiconductor model and that the architecture requires both types of IP. While it’s too early to tell this year what effect that will have on overall design activity—the economy is the rea... » read more

Achieving Successful LTE Design and Test


By Cheryl Ajluni In spite of all of its hype, WiMAX is not the only standard causing a stir these days or being called a “killer app.” Another technology that has achieved this illustrious title is Long Term Evolution (LTE), the Third Generation Partnership Project’s (3GPP’s) air interface for wireless access. Granted, WiMAX does have the advantage of a head start in development, test... » read more

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