Place: TUM, room 2999

Presenter: Dr. Sani Nassif, IBM Austin Research Laboratory

Wednesday, April 11, 14:00 – 16:00 The Corners of My Chip
Abstract: "Process Corners"... those mythical parameter settings that are supposed to define some unknown measure of variability in a semiconductor manufacturing process. What are those corners? What does "Fast/Fast" really mean? How can one interpret the results of simulation using those corner parameters? These questions, under the context of ever-increased transistor variability at nanometer regime, will be covered in this talk.

Thursday, April 12, 14:00 – 16:00 Model Inaccuracy, Fidelity and Variability
Abstract: Given our heavy reliance on device models (such as BSIM and PSP), it is important for us to understand how imperfections in these models can impact the accuracy of circuit performance predictions made using these models. To do so in the context of a real technology means we must also accommodate the fact that these models are not of an abstract "constant" device, but are an attempt at modeling a variety of randomly varying behaviors that depend on many systematic and random phenomena. It is important to understand the difference between error for an "average" device, vs. error for an "extreme" device, or error in the amount of variance predictable from a device model. These complex issues cannot be separated from the manner with which the parameters, whether statistical, nominal, or corner-based, are derived; hence there is also a strong connection to parameter extraction -which itself bring a host of new potential sources of imperfection. This talk reviews these issues, attempts to create a unified framework where they can all be studied simultaneously, and suggests some directions for future research in this area.