The Next Generation of Process Engineering: How Human-Machine Collaboration Will Usher In A New Era of Chip Innovation

In this week’s Fish Fry podcast, I’m going deep into the world of atomic-level process engineering with Keren Kanarik from Lam Research. Keren and I discuss how artificial intelligence can help speed up the process and lower the cost of chip innovation. We also investigate the engineering and AI challenges this research was looking to solve and the strategies that Keren and her team at Lam Research … Read More → "The Next Generation of Process Engineering: How Human-Machine Collaboration Will Usher In A New Era of Chip Innovation"

Boosting Semiconductor Fab Productivity by up to 20 Percent!

In the microelectronics industry, the term “semiconductor fabrication plant” (a.k.a. “semiconductor fab”; sometimes called a “foundry”) is a factory for semiconductor device fabrication. In layman’s terms, this is where they build the silicon chips that power our modern world. Even a small fab can easily cost $1 billion. Spending $3 to $5 billion is not uncommon, and you can splash a lot … Read More → "Boosting Semiconductor Fab Productivity by up to 20 Percent!"

Edward Keonjian: The High-IQ, Armenian-American Forrest Gump of Microelectronics, Part 1

The 1986 novel Forrest Gump and the 1994 movie based on the novel depicted a man who was present at many significant events in the 20th century. In that same way, Edward Keonjian managed to be closely associated with many developments in electronics, especially microelectronics. The fictitious character Forrest Gump supposedly had a low IQ, but he loved meeting people. The very real Edward Keonjian also loved meeting people, and he clearly had very high intelligence. … Read More → "Edward Keonjian: The High-IQ, Armenian-American Forrest Gump of Microelectronics, Part 1"

Battlefield Ahead: How Direct RF Will Shape the Future of Electronic Warfare

This week’s Fish Fry podcast is all about direct RF, the critical needs for electronic warfare today, and the world’s first liquid hydrogen flight. My guest Rodger Hosking (Mercury Systems) and I discuss the benefits and tradeoffs of direct RF and why Rodger believes that direct RF can revolutionize Military EW and radar systems. Also this … Read More → "Battlefield Ahead: How Direct RF Will Shape the Future of Electronic Warfare"

Doing the Time Warp with Calibre DesignEnhancer

When I worked on my first ASIC deep in the mists of time that we used to call the 1980s, we employed a traditional “waterfall” model for our design and verification flows. In this case, any activities associated with the project were broken down into linear sequential phases, where each phase depended on the deliverables from the previous one.

The … Read More → "Doing the Time Warp with Calibre DesignEnhancer"

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featured chalk talk

Optimize Performance: RF Solutions from PCB to Antenna
RF is a ubiquitous design element found in a large variety of electronic designs today. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Rahul Rajan from Amphenol RF discuss how you can optimize your RF performance through each step of the signal chain. They examine how you can utilize Amphenol’s RF wide range of connectors including solutions for PCBs, board to board RF connectivity, board to panel and more!
May 25, 2023
15,138 views

featured paper

Accelerating Monte Carlo Simulations for Faster Statistical Variation Analysis, Debugging, and Signoff of Circuit Functionality

Sponsored by Cadence Design Systems

Predicting the probability of failed ICs has become difficult with aggressive process scaling and large-volume manufacturing. Learn how key EDA simulator technologies and methodologies enable fast (minimum number of simulations) and accurate high-sigma analysis.

Click to read more

featured video

TDK PowerHap Piezo Actuators for Ideal Haptic Feedback

Sponsored by TDK

The PowerHap product line features high acceleration and large forces in a very compact design, coupled with a short response time. TDK’s piezo actuators also offers good sensing functionality by using the inverse piezo effect. Typical applications for the include automotive displays, smartphones and tablet.

Click here for more information about PowerHap Piezo Actuators

discussion
Posted on Sep 22 at 8:42am by M. Simon
So sad to hear. I was there at the beginning. Designed the IO board that went into the World's First BBS. I helped Randy and Ward a little with the software. The Intel 8251 was a dog. The 8253 and 8255 were excellent.
Posted on Sep 21 at 6:27am by Max Maxfield
I only hope my words were not too harsh :-)
Posted on Sep 19 at 9:47am by zeeshan174m
A Printed Circuit Board connector, commonly referred to as a PCB connector, plays a pivotal role in the functionality of electronic devices by establishing the connection between a circuit board and its various components. www.johoty.com offers PCB connectors.
Posted on Sep 15 at 12:07pm by 1.21 Gigawatts
It should be illegal to burn a man that hard.
Posted on Sep 13 at 10:58am by Max Maxfield
Thanks for the kind words Carel -- I think we are going to see this type of technology pop up all over the place -- we certainly do live in exciting times :-)
Posted on Sep 11 at 9:08am by Steven Leibson
Thanks Brian. Glad you liked the article. --Steve
Posted on Sep 11 at 8:48am by bberg
Thanks very much, Steve! This is a great story, which is wonderfully documented per your perpetually trusted style.
Posted on Sep 10 at 11:57pm by Carel Lombaard
Hey Max, great article, as always! At least, "this lad" found it very entertaining! :) I don't do PCB design but hopefully Virtuoso will be just as clever one day.
Posted on Sep 8 at 6:29am by Max Maxfield
You say: "The story here is simple." And yet, somehow you missed the point of the story. You say: "The story here is simple. Peeple design chips. Now co-pilot will help." However, Flux Copilot is nothing to do with designing chips -- it's a tool to help design printed circuit ...
Posted on Sep 7 at 8:27pm by oleg.alexandrov@gmail.com
This is an outrageously verbose article about a very simple topic. Took five pagefuls to even get to the point. I don't need to know author's life story and how it ties to this amazing invention. The story here is simple. Peeple design chips. Now co-pilot will help. Enough waffling ...
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Automotive/Industrial PSoC™ High Voltage (HV) Overview
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Infineon
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Marcelo Williams Silva from Infineon explore the multitude of benefits of Infineon’s PSoC 4 microcontroller family. They examine how the high precision analog blocks, high voltage subsystem, and integrated communication interfaces of these solutions can make a big difference when it comes to the footprint size, bill of materials and functional safety of your next automotive design.
Sep 12, 2023
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Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Gasket Design Considerations
Electromagnetic interference can cause a variety of costly issues and can be avoided with a robust EMI shielding solution. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with Sam Robinson from TE Connectivity about the role that EMC gaskets play in EMI shielding, how compression can affect EMI shielding, and how TE Connectivity can help you solve your EMI shielding needs in your next design.
Aug 30, 2023
3,041 views
Advantech Industrial AI Camera: Small but Mighty
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Advantech
Artificial intelligence equipped camera systems can be a great addition to a variety of industrial designs. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Ryan Chan from Advantech explore the components included in an industrial AI camera system, the benefits of Advantech’s AI ICAM-500 Industrial camera series and how you can get started using these solutions in your next industrial design. 
Aug 23, 2023
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Electrical Connectors for Hermetically Sealed Applications
Many hermetic chambers today require electrical pathways to provide internal equipment with power, data or signals, or to receive data and signals from equipment within the chamber. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Brad Taras from Cinch Connectivity Solutions explore the role that seals and connectors play in the performance of hermetic chambers. They examine the methodologies to determine hermetic seal leaks, the benefits of epoxy hermetic seals, and how Cinch Connectivity’s epoxy-based seals and hermetic connectors can add value to your next design.
Aug 22, 2023
3,985 views
Enabling IoT with DECT NR+, the Non-Cellular 5G Standard
In the ever-expanding IoT market, there is a growing need for private, low cost networks. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Heidi Sollie from Nordic Semiconductor explore the details of DECT NR+, the world’s first non-cellular 5G technology standard. They investigate how this self-healing, decentralized, autonomous mesh network can help solve a variety of IoT connectivity issues and how Nordic is helping designers take advantage of DECT NR+ with their nRF91 System-in-Package family.
Aug 17, 2023
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Battery-free IoT devices: Enabled by Infineon’s NFC Energy-Harvesting
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Infineon
Energy harvesting has become more popular than ever before for a wide range of IoT devices. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with Stathis Zafiriadis from Infineon about the details of Infineon’s NFC energy harvesting technology and how you can get started using this technology in your next IoT design. They discuss the connectivity and sensing capabilities of Infineon’s NAC1080 and NGC1081 NFC actuation controllers and the applications that would be a great fit for these innovative solutions.
Aug 17, 2023
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