Analog/Mixed-Signal Design Challenges in 7-nm CMOS and Beyond

Co-sponsored by: CH06129 CAS04

ABSTRACT

The economics of CMOS scaling remain lucrative with 7-nm mobile SoCs expected to be commercialized in 2018. Driven by careful design/technology co-optimization, modest reduction in fin, gate, and interconnect pitch as well as process innovations continue to offer compelling node-to-node power, performance, area, and cost benefits to advance logic and SRAM to the next foundry node. However, analog/mixed-signal circuits do not fully realize these improvements. They become more cumbersome to design, having worse parasitic resistance and capacitance, stronger layout-dependent effects, and layout growth in some situations. Furthermore, early adopters of these cutting-edge finFET nodes must cope with the complications of design concurrent with technology development for shorter product time-to-market. We provide an overview of the key process technology elements enabling 7 nm and beyond to address analog/mixed-signal design challenges. From this insight, we offer layout guidelines aimed to reduce design vulnerability to technology and model immaturity. 

Speaker(s): Dr. Alvin Loke,

Agenda:

ABSTRACT

The economics of CMOS scaling remain lucrative with 7-nm mobile SoCs expected to be commercialized in 2018. Driven by careful design/technology co-optimization, modest reduction in fin, gate, and interconnect pitch as well as process innovations continue to offer compelling node-to-node power, performance, area, and cost benefits to advance logic and SRAM to the next foundry node. However, analog/mixed-signal circuits do not fully realize these improvements. They become more cumbersome to design, having worse parasitic resistance and capacitance, stronger layout-dependent effects, and layout growth in some situations. Furthermore, early adopters of these cutting-edge finFET nodes must cope with the complications of design concurrent with technology development for shorter product time-to-market. We provide an overview of the key process technology elements enabling 7 nm and beyond to address analog/mixed-signal design challenges. From this insight, we offer layout guidelines aimed to reduce design vulnerability to technology and model immaturity. 

Location:
Room: 1919
Bldg: 99
14820 Northeast 36th Street
Redmond, Washington
98052