DRAM Chips That Employ On-Die Error Correction & Related Reliability Techniques


This new PhD thesis paper titled "Enabling Effective Error Mitigation in Memory Chips That Use On-Die Error-Correcting Codes" from ETH Zurich researcher Minesh Patel won the IEEE  William C. Carter Award in June 2022. Abstract "Improvements in main memory storage density are primarily driven by process technology scaling, which negatively impacts reliability by exacerbating various circu... » read more

IC Reliability Burden Shifts Left


Chip reliability is coming under much tighter scrutiny as IC-driven systems take on increasingly critical and complex roles. So whether it's a stray alpha particle that flips a memory bit, or some long-dormant software bugs or latent hardware defects that suddenly cause problems, it's now up to the chip industry to prevent these problems in the first place, and solve them when they do arise. ... » read more

Cu/SiO₂ Hybrid Bond Interconnects


Technical paper titled "Microstructure Development of Cu/SiO₂ Hybrid Bond Interconnects After Reliability Tests" from researchers at TU Dresden and others. Abstract: "The focus of this study is a detailed characterization of hybrid Cu/SiO 2 wafer-to-wafer bonding interconnects after reliability testing. Hybrid bonding (or direct bond interconnect) is a technology of choice for fine pitch... » read more

DRAM Thermal Issues Reach Crisis Point


Within the DRAM world, thermal issues are at a crisis point. At 14nm and below, and in the most advanced packaging schemes, an entirely new metric may be needed to address the multiplier effect of how thermal density increasingly turns minor issues into major problems. A few overheated transistors may not greatly affect reliability, but the heat generated from a few billion transistors does.... » read more

The Race To Zero Defects In Auto ICs


Assembly houses are fine-tuning their methodologies and processes for automotive ICs, optimizing everything from inspection and metrology to data management in order to prevent escapes and reduce the number of costly returns. Today, assembly defects account for between 12% and 15% of semiconductor customer returns in the automotive chip market. As component counts in vehicles climb from the ... » read more

Automotive Bandwidth Issues Grow As Data Skyrockets


Bandwidth requirements for future vehicles are set to explode as the amount of data moving within vehicles, between vehicles, and between vehicles and infrastructure, continues to grow rapidly. That data will be necessary for a variety of functions, some of which are here today and many of which are still in development. On the safety side, that includes everything from early warning systems... » read more

Who Benefits From Chiplets, And When


Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss new packaging approaches and integration issues with Anirudh Devgan, president and CEO of Cadence; Joseph Sawicki, executive vice president of Siemens EDA; Niels Faché, vice president and general manager at Keysight; Simon Segars, advisor at Arm; and Aki Fujimura, chairman and CEO of D2S. This discussion was held in front of a... » read more

NBTI & PBTI of MOSFETs


Technical paper titled "Bias Temperature Instability of MOSFETs: Physical Processes, Models, and Prediction" from researchers at Liverpool John Moores University. Abstract "CMOS technology dominates the semiconductor industry, and the reliability of MOSFETs is a key issue. To optimize chip design, trade-offs between reliability, speed, power consumption, and cost must be carried out. This r... » read more

Hybrid Method For More Reliable Virtual Sensors Within Vehicle Dynamics Control Systems


New technical paper titled "Ensuring the Reliability of Virtual Sensors Based on Artificial Intelligence within Vehicle Dynamics Control Systems" from University of Duisburg-Essen. Abstract "The use of virtual sensors in vehicles represents a cost-effective alternative to the installation of physical hardware. In addition to physical models resulting from theoretical modeling, artificial in... » read more

The Drive Toward Zero Defects


The automotive semiconductor market has doubled twice in the past 20 years. But the next doubling will be even faster. While short-term results may vary, it is certain that auto semis will be much larger 10-20 years from now. Today, a gas-powered car has ~$400 of semiconductor content whereas the Tesla Model 3 with an electric powertrain and Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) has >4... » read more

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