Joint ESSDERC/ESSCIRC Tutorial:
Nanoscale Technology – Transistor Modeling – IC Design
Wladek Grabiński (GMC, CH)
Daniel Tomaszewski (ITE, PL)
Venue: Exhibition Room
Our joint ESSDERC/ESSCIRC Tutorial aims to provide in-depth coverage of highly relevant R&D topics by world-class experts. We will discuss and present the frontiers of electron device modeling with emphasis on the complete UT SOI development chain, reviewing the nanoscale level technologies, devices TCAD numerical simulations, thru its simulation-aware compact/SPICE modeling up to selected topics of the transistor level IC design for advanced applications. This joint tutorial is designed for academic researchers, device process engineers who are interested in device modeling; academic/industrial ICs designers (to explore RF/Analog/Mixed-Signal) and those starting in these areas as well as device fabrication, electrical characterization, modeling and parameter extraction engineers. The content will be beneficial for anyone who needs to learn what is really behind the IC fabrication and its simulation in using modern SPICE/Verilog-A device models.
8:00 – 8:30 – Registration
8:30 – 9:15 – Technology: Guillaume Besnard, SOITEC (F) – UT SOI Processing and Device Fabrication
9:15 – 10:00 – Technology: Ahmed Nejim, Silvaco Inc. (USA) – UT SOI TCAD Numerical Process/Device Simulation
10:00 – 10:30 – Coffee break
10:30 – 11:15 – Devices: Thierry Poiroux, CEA–Leti (F)- Compact modeling for FDSOI technologies: Main challenges and possible solutions
11:15 – 12:00 – Devices: Roberto Murphy, INAOE (MX) – RF Electrical Characterization
12:30 – 14:00 – Lunch
14:00 – 14:45 – Design: Christian Enz, EPFL (CH) – Systematic Design of Low-power Analog/RF CMOS Circuits using the Inversion Coefficient
14:45 -15:30 – Design: Humberto Andrade da Fonseca (Cadence, US) – Advanced SOI Design and Reliability/Ageing Simulations
15:30 – 16:00 – Coffee break
16:00 – 17:00 – Panel discussion
Speaker 1: Guillaume Besnard, SOITEC (F)
Title: UT SOI Processing and Device Fabrication
Abstract:
In this course, we will review the FDSOI manufacturing flow starting from SOI substrate fabrication up to the circuit ready for test, alongside available options for device integration in sub-28nm technologies. We will also cover future challengers in processes, manufacturing tools and environment of advanced CMOS technologies. Finally, we’ll give a brief outlook of where the semiconductor industry is going based on current development trends.
Bio:
Guillaume Besnard joined SOITEC in 2012. Today, he belongs to R&D Collaboration Platforms group and is currently assigned at IMEC research center (Belgium), managing R&D programs in Logic, RF/Analog and Photonics. He received the Ph.D degree in Semiconductor Engineering from Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, France in 2016.
Speaker 2: Ahmed Nejim, Silvaco Inc. (USA)
Title: UT SOI TCAD Numerical Process/Device Simulation
Abstract:
Device and circuit design activities sit at the heart of technology development. Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulation is a powerful tool used to explore new process flows and device architectures. The ability to parametrise these simulations, allows users to effectively explore the available design space and optimise technology. Issues such as channel design, contact performance, transient behaviour and parasitic elements can all be captured in this activity. Furthermore, such simulation can be part of the development of SPICE models much needed for circuit and system design. SOI technology with ultra thin buried oxide and fully depleted operation offers significant advantages for low power applications. However issues such as parasitic elements as well as thermal effects are crucial considerations for the design activities. These coupled effects are inherently considered in the modelling of these devices in order to capture their full function. The talk will illustrate the numerical approach used in TCAD to showcase its value.
Bio:
Ahmed Nejim (male) obtained his PhD in 1990 in Ion-Solid interaction. A wide experience in ion implantation and semiconductor processing was obtained in 17 years of research in material science, semiconductor physics and microelectronic design. Experience in lecturing, mentoring and facility management. 10 years of technical project management, European multinational projects, Liaison research fellow of a UK national research facility in contact with national industry and national and international academia. Since 2001 he has been working at Silvaco supporting TCAD software users and developing collaborative projects. He acts as an R&D Project Manager for Silvaco Europe.
Speaker 3: Thierry Poiroux, CEA–Leti (F)
Title: Compact modeling for FDSOI technologies: Main challenges and possible solutions
Abstract:
Fully-Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (FDSOI) technologies featuring Ultra-Thin silicon Body and Buried oxide (UT-SOI) have now entered into industrial production stage. These technologies present several decisive advantages over other options, such as excellent transistor electrostatic control, very low variability, simple planar process close to that of conventional bulk one, and very efficient back-bias effect. This latter feature allows a significant dynamic modulation of delay/power trade-off, which is a powerful know at circuit level. Therefore, to take full advantage of these technologies, circuit designer need compact models able to describe the transistor behavior over wide ranges of applied back biases, which actually requires considering FDSOI transistor as real Independent Double Gate (IDG) MOSFETs. In this tutorial, we will review the challenges that are to be addressed in order to build such compact models, from surface potential calculation to complete DC, AC and noise models.
Bio:
Thierry Poiroux received the M.S. degree from Ecole Centrale Paris, France, in 1995 and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Nantes, France, in 2000. His Ph.D. work was carried out at the Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique/Laboratoire d’Electronique et de Technologie de l’Information (CEA–Leti), Grenoble, France, and Matra MHS on plasma process-induced damage. In 2000, he joined CEA–Leti as a Research Staff Member. Until 2002, he was involved in partially and fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process integration and compact modeling. From 2002 to 2007, he worked on advanced device architectures and was in charge of multiple-gate device modeling and planar double gate process integration. In 2007, he started an activity on device integration on graphene, a promising material for the beyond complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor era. In 2011 and 2012, he has been the Head of the Innovative Device Laboratory of CEA–Leti. From 2012 to 2018, he worked on the development of the second version of Leti–UTSOI compact model, dedicated to fully-depleted SOI technology. Since 2018, he is the Head of the Simulation and Compact Model Laboratory of CEA–Leti. He has authored or coauthored five book chapters and more than 170 papers and communications, and he is author or co-author of about 20 patents.
Speaker 4: Roberto Murphy, INAOE (MX)
Title: RF Electrical Characterization
Abstract:
This talk will focus on the challenges involved in the characterization of MOS transistors in the high frequency regime, especially those related to calibration and de-embedding techniques. These aspects are of fundamental importance to define correct compact models for very high frequencies and smaller devices, as calibration standards deviate from ideal behavior, de-embedding techniques have to be based on more realistic structures, and user errors have to be minimized. Some guidelines to partially overcome these limitations are presented and discussed.
Bio:
Roberto S. Murphy-Arteaga received his B.Sc. degree in Physics from St. John’s University, Minnesota, and got his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the National Institute for Research on Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE), in Tonantzintla, Puebla, México. He has been a researcher at INAOE since 1988. Since then, he has presented over 110 talks at scientific conferences, directed ten Ph.D., 18 M.Sc. and 2 B.Sc. theses, published more than 140 articles in scientific journals, conference proceedings and newspapers, and is the author of a text book on Electromagnetic Theory. He is currently a senior researcher with the Microelectronics Laboratory. Dr. Murphy’s research interests are the physics, modeling and characterization of the MOS Transistor and passive components for high frequency applications, especially for CMOS wireless circuits, and antenna design. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, a Distinguished Lecturer of the Electron Devices Society, a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, and a member of the Mexican National System of Researchers (SNI).
Speaker 5: Christian Enz, EPFL (CH)
Title: Systematic Design of Low-power Analog/RF CMOS Circuits using the Inversion Coefficient
Abstract:
The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) poses stringent requirements on the energy consumption and has hence become the primary driver for low-power analog and RF circuit design. Implementation of increasingly complex functions under highly constrained power and area budgets, while circumventing the challenges posed by modern device technologies, makes analog and RF circuit design ever more challenging. Some guidance would therefore be invaluable for the designer to navigate the multi-variable design space. This tutorial presents low-power analog and RF design techniques that can be applied from device to circuit level. It starts with the presentation of the concept of inversion coefficient as an essential design parameter that spans the entire range of operating points from weak via moderate to strong inversion. Several figures-of-merit (FoM) including the and their product, capturing the various trade-offs encountered in analog and RF circuit design are presented. The simplicity of the base model is emphasized and compared against measurements of 40- and 28-nm bulk CMOS processes and BSIM6 simulations.
Bio:
Christian Enz, PhD, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1989. He is currently Professor at EPFL, Director of the Institute of Microengineering and head of the IC Lab. Until April 2013 he was VP at the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) in Neuchâtel, Switzerland where he was heading the Integrated and Wireless Systems Division. Prior to joining CSEM, he was Principal Senior Engineer at Conexant (formerly Rockwell Semiconductor Systems), Newport Beach, CA, where he was responsible for the modeling and characterization of MOS transistors for RF applications. His technical interests and expertise are in the field of ultralow-power analog and RF IC design, wireless sensor networks and semiconductor device modeling. Together with E. Vittoz and F. Krummenacher he is the developer of the EKV MOS transistor model. He is the author and co-author of more than 250 scientific papers and has contributed to numerous conference presentations and advanced engineering courses. He is an IEEE Fellow and an individual member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW). He has been an elected member of the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society (SSCS) AdCom from 2012 to 2014 and was Chair of the IEEE SSCS Chapter of Switzerland until 2017.
Speaker 6: Humberto Andrade da Fonseca (Cadence, US)
Title: Advanced SOI Design and Reliability/Ageing Simulations
Abstract:
In our talk we will present 28nm FDSOI and compare this process against conventional bulk technologies. We will then outline the design of a high performance JESD receiver operating at 2.4Gbps with fast tracking capability able to recover incoming data streams at over 5000ppm offsets. We will present a novel digital phase stepping method, taking advantage of a multi-phase ring oscillator, and the techniques to achieve ultra low jitter in the PLL the key enablers for this performance. Besides the advantages of FDSOI other design aspects will be discussed with focus on mismatch, reliability analysis and aging considerations to address the durability requirements of the harsh automotive environment this design targeted. We will discuss the modular implementation used to easily scale the number of receiver lanes and how reliable and cheap at speed testing is enabled in production together with measurement results,
Bio:
Humberto Fonseca graduated with distinction in 2002 from the University of Porto. After a period at INESC researching FFT Algorithms, Fast Convolution, Spread Spectrum and DSP Architectures joined Chipdea Microelectronics’ PLL team, arising within it to the role of platform manager and taking the responsibility to develop and consolidate architectures for PLL and DLL based frequency and phase synthesisers for RF and High Speed Wired Links. In 2007 after joining Texas Instruments took the responsibility for the development of low jitter high speed clocking components to support long reach SerDes at up to 25Gbps and later at Broadcom as Senior Principal lead the development of the Drivers and Reader front ends for the NFC family of controllers. In 2015 joined Cadence Design Systems to drive IP architecture in EMEA. Humberto has written a number of articles and holds several patents in NFC and clocking design.
