93393 - Electronic Frontiers M

Learning outcomes

The course will address challenges in emerging technologies and architectures for intelligent systems, big data and internet of things, possibly changing year to year.

Course contents

Prerequisites

The course prerequisites include knowledge of:

• Fundamentals of quantum mechanics
• Semiconductor theory and device physics
• Fundamentals of semiconductor manufacturing process
• MOS transistor operation (square law and velocity saturated model)
• Fundamentals of digital and analog design

Successful completion of courses listed below, or strong familiarity with the material taught in these courses, is required:

• 93390 - Digital Systems and Introduction to Computer Architectures
• 93391 - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AND QUANTUM-COMPUTING

Additional material to refresh on some of these concepts is laso provided.

Course Context

For almost 6 decades the Moore’s Law, which in its latest incarnation predicts that the number of components in an integrated circuit doubles every 2years, has been the fundamental driving force of the semiconductor industry. For a great extent of time, i.e., until the MOS transistor gate reached the 0.1 micrometer (submicron) range, the secret sauce that made this empirical law so successful is known as Dennard Scaling, which lay down the rules to decrease the size of the components of a given function while increasing its operating clock frequency and reducing its power consumption.

Once the submicron dimension was reached, the insurgence of secondary effects due to the short size of the device channel and quantum effects of layers reach the atom scale, has impaired the channel control, i.e., the ability to provide a good driving current while minimizing the leakage current in OFF conditions, putting a stop to the Dennard Scaling. But the Moore’s Law has been alive thanks to technology improvements, like leakage reduction and mobility improvements techniques, the introduction of new devices, like FinFET, and other technological advancements known as More than Moore.

Course Objective

The objective of this course is to provide a fundamental understanding of the various physical, technological, and economical aspects that have been keeping the Moore’s Law alive for almost 60 years. Starting from a circuit designer’s perspective, the various device parameters that influence the circuits performance will be analyzed, with a particular attention on power consumption. A physical understanding of these phenomena will be provided, including elements of quantum mechanics, while trying to keep it as practical as possible. Economic and financial aspects will also be taken into consideration as they are integral part of the technology evolution. In this context, techniques on how, to estimate and manage design and production cost of integrated circuits will be provided.

Course Outline

• The semiconductor industry engine: Moore’s Law, Dennard’s Scaling, and beyond
• The semiconductor ecosystem: market, manufacturing and R&D,
• Digital performance metrics: timing power and area
• Short-channel effects, leakage current reduction and mobility enhancement
• Ultra-Thin Body devices: FinFET, FD-SOI, and more advanced devices
• Physical architecture design: chip performance, cost and reliability estimation
• Learning from others: chip cost analysis and estimation from information and resources available in the web

Readings/Bibliography

• The course will be based on lecture notes, required readings that will be made available on the virtuale platform, as the course progresses.
• A list of required online videos will also be provided.
• Much of the presented material is inspired or adapted from various sources, including textbooks, conference tutorials, tutorial papers and other excellent resources available on the web, which are listed in the references section in the slides set for each lecture.

Teaching methods

• In-person lectures, taught in English, complemented by a PDF version of the lecture slides and other required readings and videos.
• Additional clarifications and/or technical discussions can be requested via email.
• Online meeting vis MS Teams or Google Meet can be arranged upon request.

Assessment methods

Project Assignment

• The assessment exam includes the completion of a project assignment (in English language), which will not be graded but it will be the basis for the discussion during the oral exam.
• Completing and submitting the project assignment before sustaining the oral exam is mandatory for the student who enrolled in the course this academic year (AA 2023-2024).
  
• For students of previous academic years, see note on section below.
• The project must be submitted before sustaining the exam.
  
• More information and detail on the project assignment can be found on course page on the Virtuale platform.

Oral exam

• Like the project assignment, the examination will be held in English and usage of appropriate terminology by the student will be assessed.
• Emphasis will be place on the student ability to contextualize and argue on the topics presented during the course.
• A fundamental understanding of the material of the prerequisites is also a requirement.

Note for students of previous academic years

• Students who enrolled on AA 2022-2023 or earlier are not required to submit a project, but they will be examined on the program presented during that academic year. Alternatively, they can submit the project and bring the program of AA 2023-2024.
• Students who enrolled on AA 2021-2022 or earlier who attended the course of Prof. Fischetti, can still bring that program and sustain the exam with him. In that case contact Prof. Fischetti on the details of the exam and please keep me on CC. Alternatively, they can either: 1. bring the program of AA 2022-2023, in which case presenting the project is not required, or; 2. submit the project and bring the program of AA 2023-2024.
  

Teaching tools

• In-person lectures in English language
• PDF slides of the presented material (made available on the virtuale platform)
• Required additional readings (made available on the virtuale platform)
• Required tutorial videos (available online)
• Optional readings and videos
• Clarifications and discussions via email (upon request)
• Live online meeting vis MS Teams or Google Meet (upon request)
  
  

Office hours

See the website of Alessandro Piovaccari