BoC

Bits on chips - an introduction

Information

A one-day introduction into the basics of (CMOS) Integrated Circuits, their complexity, operation, possibilities and limitations. For people with little or no IC knowledge, active in the semiconductor industry in disciplines like management, marketing - sales and software development, who want to improve the communication with their technical colleagues. 

 

More and more hi-tech companies integrate (CMOS) Integrated Circuits into their products. For good reasons: with ICs, products can be made smaller, run faster, use less power, be more reliable and have better IP protection. This 1-day course gives an introduction: what are ICs? How can ICs help me? What are their possibilities and restrictions? What does it take to develop an IC?

Intended for

The one-day basic course is developed for those who work in the non-technical disciplines of semiconductors, e.g. management, marketing and sales, or software development. It is ideal for people with little or no technical background in integrated circuits, but who need an understanding of their complexity, their operation, their possibilities and limitations to better communicate with their technical contacts.

Programme

Introduction

The electronics (r)evolution. From electron tubes through transistors to chips.

What is a chip?

Chips are all around us. Basic building blocks on a chip. Similarity between chip floorplan and city plan. basic logic operations, synchronous designs, digital functions on a chip, complexity.

Basic principles

The world is analog, how to convert from digital to analog, how to convert from decimal to binary, wireless communication.

Analog, digital, memory and interface circuits

Inverter, logic gates, logic blocks, different memories, chip terminals and interfaces.

How do we design a chip?

Standard cell design, libraries, chip development cycle lithography, substrates, fabrication process.

Testing and yield of chips

Packaging of chips

Package categories, electrical characteristics of packages, thermal aspects, quality and reliability.

The future

System, silicon, design, fabrication, package and test complexity. Time to market and cost. Combining microelectronics with micro and nanotechnology.
 

Methods: lectures. Course material: book.

Timetable

24-09-2012 09:00