Key Takeaway: From 1947’s magnetic core memory to the forthcoming HBM4 and compute-in-memory architectures, advances in semiconductor memory have continuously reshaped computing performance, capacity, and architecture. Understanding detailed memory types—from on-chip SRAM variants to emerging non-volatile memories—is essential for engineering high-performance, cost-effective systems. 1. Fundamental Principles of
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In the world of digital design, you often hear the terms synchronous clock and asynchronous clock. While simple designs with a single module might use just one clock, modern Systems-on-a-Chip (SoCs) are typically designed with a variety of asynchronous clocks. For example, let's look at the Qualcomm Snapdragon
Physical Design Rule Checking (DRC) is the cornerstone of semiconductor physical verification, ensuring that an integrated circuit’s layout adheres to the foundry’s manufacturing constraints. By automating the validation of geometric and spacing requirements in chip layouts, DRC prevents catastrophic defects—shorts, opens, misalignments—and secures high yields, manufacturability,
The continuous scaling of semiconductor process nodes improves transistor density, but it disproportionately amplifies interconnect parasitics, necessitating a "shift-left" approach where the interconnect effect, particularly resistance, must be considered much earlier and more stringently throughout the design flow. The transition to advanced process nodes signifies a shift from
Overview of SPICE and STA In modern high-density VLSI design, it's crucial to ensure that an integrated circuit (IC) operates correctly and reliably at its specified clock period. This is achieved through rigorous timing analysis, which identifies potential performance bottlenecks and ensures compliance with timing constraints. Static Timing
In the field of Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) design, a finished semiconductor chip's performance is not only determined by its logical functionality but is also significantly affected by physical phenomena that occur on the tiny wires, or interconnects, inside the chip. These physical phenomena are known as
Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) is a service that allows various semiconductor designs to be fabricated on a single wafer. Think of it like a "variety pizza"—instead of ordering a full pizza with just one topping, an MPW wafer combines multiple different designs from various teams onto a single
Chip design, particularly for modern, complex System on Chip (SoC) designs, is growing on an unimaginable scale. In the past, it was possible to fit an entire design into a single Verilog netlist and process it with an EDA tool. Now, that approach leads to several problems. Massive Designs, New
Introduction Engineering, unlike pure science, incorporates an additional crucial variable: profitability. The decision to mass-produce semiconductors hinges entirely on whether it can be done profitably. As of 2024/2025, how far have semiconductor manufacturing processes advanced? Are we at 3nm, 2nm, or 1.8nm? We have reached 0.7nm. IMEC
All electronic devices that underpin modern society—smartphones, computers, automobiles, AI servers, and more—cannot exist without semiconductor chips. These tiny chips integrate billions of microscopic transistors onto a single piece of silicon, a highly integrated technology known as Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI). VLSI is not merely a continuation
Smartphones, cars, and home appliances. The pulsating heart of these advanced devices, nestled in your hand or woven into your daily life, is often a tiny semiconductor chip. This small marvel enables an unimaginable array of complex functionalities. But did you know that the birth of such a "magical&
Do you have a semiconductor design engineer in your family? Before planning your Vacance? ask them for their 'Tape out' schedule. The term “tape-out” harks back to the 1970s when engineers recorded design data on magnetic tapes and physically shipped them to foundries (Tapeout Origin). These tapes held
