Imec Launches R&D Tool Hub

By Mark LaPedus - 04 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 1

The semiconductor industry is entering yet another inflection point. Consumers want faster mobile systems with more functions. So, chipmakers are under pressure to deliver new and low-power chips that are smaller and faster. The problem is that IC design and chip manufacturing costs continue to escalate. These costs, in turn, are fueling an ongoing shakeout in the chip and fab tool industrie... » read more

Leveraging Processor Extensibility To Build An Ultra Low-Power Embedded Subsystem

By Various Writers - 07 May, 2014 - Comments: 0

There is increasing demand for electronic devices to execute more functions while consuming less power and silicon area. To achieve this, systems instantiating multiple, heterogeneous processor cores optimized for low power and high performance are gaining popularity among design teams. In these systems, one or more deeply embedded processors execute a limited set of dedicated applications. The... » read more

The Sensor Revolution

By Kenji Tsuda - 05 May, 2014 - Comments: 0

“Sensors will transform manufacturing from now on,” said Eric Janson, senior vice president of sales and marketing at AMS (Austria Micro Systeme), an analog mixed-signal semiconductor manufacturer based in Austria. There have been many such predictions in the past—lithography, processors, memory and various materials all have been predicted to change semiconductor manufacturing. But se... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: April 8

By Ann Mutschler - 08 Apr, 2014 - Comments: 0

Spit power According to researchers at Penn State who’ve created a saliva-powered micro-sized microbial fuel cell, their invention can produce minute amounts of energy sufficient to run on-chip applications. Researcher Justine E. Mink has been credited with the idea as she was thinking about sensors for such things as glucose monitoring for diabetics and wondered if a mini microbial fuel ... » read more

IoT Creates New IP Requirements

By Ann Mutschler - 13 Mar, 2014 - Comments: 2

With the rise of smart cities, cars and houses, an enhanced connectivity infrastructure bolstered by an increasingly connected culture, the Internet of Things (IoT) represents an exciting opportunity for semiconductor industry players. As such, market researchers at IDC expect the installed base of the Internet of Things will be approximately 212 billion "things" globally by the end of 2020 ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Dec. 10

By Mark LaPedus - 10 Dec, 2013 - Comments: 0

Space Telescopes The James Webb Space Telescope, the follow-on mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope. Slated for a launch date of 2018, Webb will find the first galaxies that were formed in the early Universe. Webb is a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Webb’s measurements will ... » read more

Experts At The Table: What’s Missing In The IoT

By Ed Sperling - 07 Nov, 2013 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss the future of the IoT with Oleg Logvinov, director of market development for STMicroelectronics’ Industrial and Power Conversion Division; Martin Lund, senior vice president of the IP Group at Cadence; Naveed Sherwani, president and CEO of Open-Silicon; and Damon Hernandez, a member of the Web3D Consortium. What follows are excerpts of that conver... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Nov. 5

By Mark LaPedus - 05 Nov, 2013 - Comments: 0

Nano Bulletproof Suit Luxury tailoring house Garrison Bespoke has developed a bulletproof suit based on carbon nanotubes. The Garrison Bespoke bulletproof suit is made with carbon nanotubes, which were originally developed to protect the U.S. 19th Special Forces in Iraq. The patented material is thinner and 50% lighter than Kevlar, which is traditionally used for bulletproof gear. Th... » read more

The “Last Simple Node” And the Internet of Things

By Brian Fuller - 17 Oct, 2013 - Comments: 0

Power, performance and size are key targets that will enable the expected explosion of the Internet of Things (IoT). Today, most observers see the path to that running directly through 16/14nm finFET and below for the node’s ability to manage power and size and boost integration. Geoff Lees isn’t your average observer. The vice president and general manager of Freescale’s microcon... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Sept. 3

By Ann Mutschler - 03 Sep, 2013 - Comments: 0

Flexible, organic solar cells Work by a team of chemical engineers at Penn State and Rice University may lead to a new class of inexpensive organic solar cells. If solar cells could be made as easily as posters or newspapers are printed, sheets of organic solar cells could be made, representing a fundamental shift in the way solar cells are made, the researchers said. Today, most solar c... » read more

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Knowledge Centers
Entities, people and technologies explored

Shift Left Is The Tip Of The Iceberg

A transformative change is underway for semiconductor design and EDA. New languages, models, and abstractions will need to be created.

by Brian Bailey

Partitioning In The Chiplet Era

Understanding how chiplets interact under different workloads is critical to ensuring signal integrity and optimal performance in heterogeneous designs.

by Ann Mutschler

3.5D: The Great Compromise

Pros and cons of a middle-ground chiplet assembly that combines 2.5D and 3D-IC.

by Ed Sperling

AI’s Role In Chip Design Widens, Drawing In New Startups

Focus is on letting engineers do much more with the same or fewer resources — and less drudgery.

by Karen Heyman

Key Technologies To Extend EUV To 14 Angstroms

Alongside high-NA EUV will be better-performing photoresists, reduced roughness using passivation and etch, and lateral etching to reduce tip-to-tip dimensions.

by Laura Peters

What Comes After HBM For Chiplets

The standard for high-bandwidth memory limits design freedom at many levels, but that is required for interoperability. What freedoms can be taken from other functions to make chiplets possible?

by Brian Bailey

Memory Fundamentals For Engineers

eBook: Nearly everything you need to know about memory, including detailed explanations of the different types of memory; how and where these are used today; what's changing, which memories are successful and which ones might be in the future; and the limitations of each memory type.

by The SE Staff

Why Small Fab And Assembly Houses Are Thriving

Megafabs churning out the most advanced processors are not the only game in town.

by Bryon Moyer

tag: sensors