IC Implementation

Moving to a finFET process means considering process readiness, cost and yield, as well as the traditional power, performance and area advantages

FinFET and 3DIC technologies bring with them not just higher performance but an increased need for accurate parasitic analysis.

Altera uses standardized design flows to help integrate Intel foundry rules, cut time to tape-out - and speed the evolution of its design flows.

The 20nm node can offer power, performance and area advantages, but making these gains takes a deep understanding of the interactions between process and design.

Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling is effective for low-power VLSI design. Body or back bias can provide additional control over leakage and performance.

A change in the way the core compact models are developed has accelerated their development and, for the first time, allowed the models to be used not just for circuit simulation but to help guide process evolution as chipmakers play not only with materials but the shape of finFETs.

How to use PCIe in low-power SoCs by swapping the standard PCIe PHY for M-PCIe, defined by MIPI for mobile use

Monolithic 3DIC integration may provide a viable alternative to conventional 2D scaling for SoCs if manufacturing problems can be overcome.

A panel session at DAC 2014 focused on the problems of high-speed, board-level interconnect and the roles of codesign and power integrity in solving them.

'Design for yield' is a familiar term, but the challenges in today's increasingly large projects make a refresher on what it offers particularly timely.