Technology aware design
Encyclopedia
Technology Aware Design (TAD) is a research program
that started in 2001 at imec
, Leuven
, Belgium
. It anticipates the end of the traditional "happy scaling" paradigm, where CMOS
technology and CMOS design evolved on formally separate tracks, the interface between the two being standard cell
, or SPICE
compact models (see transistor models
for circuit design).
Today, both sides (design
and technology
) are confronted with the need to understand the other in order to overcome new scaling induced issues. The TAD program pursues analysis and solutions for these scaling induced problems.
Research program
A research program is a coordinated set of projects undertaking related research, often at national or even international level, with government funding....
that started in 2001 at imec
Imec
Imec is a micro- and nanoelectronics research center headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, with offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, Taiwan, USA, China and Japan. Its staff of about 1,900 people includes more than 500 industrial residents and guest researchers...
, Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. It anticipates the end of the traditional "happy scaling" paradigm, where CMOS
CMOS
Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor is a technology for constructing integrated circuits. CMOS technology is used in microprocessors, microcontrollers, static RAM, and other digital logic circuits...
technology and CMOS design evolved on formally separate tracks, the interface between the two being standard cell
Standard cell
In semiconductor design, standard cell methodology is a method of designing application-specific integrated circuits with mostly digital-logic features. Standard cell methodology is an example of design abstraction, whereby a low-level very-large-scale integration layout is encapsulated into an...
, or SPICE
SPICE
SPICE is a general-purpose, open source analog electronic circuit simulator.It is a powerful program that is used in integrated circuit and board-level design to check the integrity of circuit designs and to predict circuit behavior.- Introduction :Unlike board-level designs composed of discrete...
compact models (see transistor models
Transistor models
Transistors are simple devices with complicated behavior. In order to ensure the reliable operation of circuits employing transistors, it is necessary to scientifically model the physical phenomena observed in their operation using transistor models. There exists a variety of different models that...
for circuit design).
Today, both sides (design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
) are confronted with the need to understand the other in order to overcome new scaling induced issues. The TAD program pursues analysis and solutions for these scaling induced problems.