Trend Radar 2008: Miniaturization
Check other articles in the series...Our wish list for what features we want on the Convergence Device keeps getting longer, while form factor keeps getting smaller. Familiar movie. Unfamiliar outcome.
For the longest time, much of the miniaturization movement had taken advantage of decreasing Transistors sizes. But that trend requires lengthy design cycles, prohibitive costs, and are decidedly unsuitable for consumer gadgets that are driving todays miniaturization market. The need to combine DSPs, RF modules, Image Sensors and Camera Modules, GPS Receivers/Transceivers, MP3 Players, Memory Blocks, etc. on one single tiny chip is a daunting task.
What if they are separate chips? The sheer number of ICs in a single product makes placing them on printed-circuit boards (PCBs) and routing them to be interconnected without shorts in a tight layout almost impossible.
Chips of different functions need to be integrated at the package level. Sometimes, dies need to be stacked on top of each other in a single package. Often, packages need to be stacked. A whole different set of technological challenges. [Interested readers can read my piece on SiP or this more technical piece from EETimes by Richard Crisp.]
Innovation is coming from companies like Tessera, Amkor, Intel, IBM, but EDA tool vendors are not quite doing their part yet.
One thing is clear. Miniaturization will continue. The semiconductor ecosystem needs to rise up to address the challenges. The volume and innovation drivers for chip demand have both shifted completely to the consumer gadget world.
Steve Jobs and John Rubinstein can only weave their magic if the chip side works in tandem with their visions.
This segment is part 3 in a 13 part series Simplicity in Design →
Jump to part: The Convergence Device Movement, Device Usability, Miniaturization, Simplicity in Design, SaaS in the Enterprise, SaaS in SME, SaaS Impact on IT Infrastructure, Offshoring, Verticalization Everywhere, Emerging Markets, Turnarounds, Edutainment, Financing, Roll-Ups, and Acquisitions
