Integrated Circuits and Microprocessors Quiz
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Questions and Answers

Which of the following factors does NOT obscure the progression of technology in integrated circuits?

  • Risk
  • Programming languages (correct)
  • Marketing and competition
  • Technology migration

    • The technological progression of memory is primarily focused on increasing speed rather than storage density.

    False

    What is one method developers use to cope with slow memory speeds?

    Cache memory

    The development of __________ can be traced similarly to microprocessors over the last 30 years.

    <p>memories</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following components with their primary focus:

    <p>Microprocessors = Performance Memory = Storage density Cache memory = Speed enhancement Dynamic RAM = Technology progression over 30 years</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what year was the first commercial silicon transistor developed?

    <p>1954</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The Intel 4004 microprocessor had 2300 transistors.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What technology was used in the Intel 4004?

    <p>10µm, NMOS</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The first microprocessor, the Intel 4004, was released in _____.

    <p>1971</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How often did the number of transistors double according to the trends observed from 1971 to 2002?

    <p>Every two years</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to the development timeline, the first linear integrated circuit (IC) was created in 1963.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following developments with their respective years:

    <p>Bipolar Transistor Effect = 1947 First IC at Texas Instruments = 1958 Commercial Microprocessor (Intel 4004) = 1971 First MOS memory chip = 1968</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The scaling of speed for clock frequency is expected to increase at a rate of _____.

    <p>1.25</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What wavelength of light do current lithographic exposure tools use to define features?

    <p>193nm</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Attempts to reduce the wavelength to 153nm using Fluorine-based lasers were successful.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the critical dimension formula used in lithography?

    <p>CD = k * (λ / NA)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The numerical aperture (NA) is calculated as n sin______, where n is the refractive index.

    <p>θ</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following terms with their definitions:

    <p>CD = Critical Dimension of the feature imaged NA = Numerical Aperture EUV = Extreme Ultraviolet ArF excimer lasers = Lasers producing light at 193nm wavelength</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a major challenge when using EUV sources at 13.5nm?

    <p>Optics must be reflective and operate in a vacuum</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the charge on the gate of the FET in coulombs?

    <p>1.4 x 10^-18</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The limit for the SiO2 gate insulator is considered to be 5nm.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The power density of lasers in current exposure tools is around 200W/cm2.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the estimated cost of EUV steppers delivered for research purposes?

    <p>Over $100 million</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What has been identified as a trade-off when increasing the relative permittivity of materials?

    <p>The barrier to electron tunneling decreases.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The formation of an SiO2 insulator is accomplished through __________ of the Si.

    <p>thermal oxidation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following key concepts with their relevant descriptions:

    <p>SiO2 = Insulator commonly used due to low surface states nMOSFET = Transistor with n-doped channel pMOSFET = Transistor with p-doped channel Polysilicon = Heavily doped material used for gate electrodes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    At what node size did the change to different gate materials begin?

    <p>45nm</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Using alternative insulators simplifies the fabrication process for gate electrodes.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a significant issue with materials being considered as alternatives to SiO2?

    <p>They react considerably with Si and affect performance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the clock frequency that the industry found too difficult to scale beyond?

    <p>4GHz</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The cost of IC Fabrication facilities has decreased over the years.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the Intel Core7 processor mentioned in the content?

    <p>The Intel Core7 processor from 2012 has 1.4 billion transistors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Silicon-on-________ technologies are becoming more mainstream due to their superior characteristics.

    <p>Insulator</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following technologies with their applications:

    <p>Fin FETs = 22nm technology to offset shrinking problems Cu = Replacement for Al to reduce interconnect resistance High εr materials = Maintain manageable gate thickness 300mm wafers = Current standard size for IC production</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the predicted transistor count for a high-end processor in 2013?

    <p>1.5B</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The industry has successfully scaled processor frequencies beyond 20GHz.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of Rock's Law as mentioned in the content?

    <p>It states that semiconductor manufacturing equipment costs will double every 4 years.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the expected trend for the number of transistors in high-end microprocessors from 2000 to 2020?

    <p>Increasing dramatically</p> Signup and view all the answers

    On-chip clock frequency is expected to decrease from 2000 to 2020.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What unit is used to measure DRAM memory density in the provided information?

    <p>Gbits/cm^2</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The projected transistor densities for DRAM are shown on a ______ axis.

    <p>logarithmic</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following years with their associated transistor counts projected in high-end microprocessors:

    <p>2000 = 10 million 2005 = 100 million 2010 = 1 billion 2015 = 10 billion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the projected clock frequency (in GHz) for microprocessors in 2020?

    <p>10 GHz</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Transistor density in high-end microprocessors is expected to show a steady increase from 2000 to 2020.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to the projections, how many transistors are expected to be present in high-end microprocessors by 2020?

    <p>Around 10 billion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Introduction

    • VLSI technology trends are based on Moore's Law
    • Moore's Law states that device functionality doubles every 18 months, or the cost of the same functionality halves every 18 months.
    • This exponential improvement will eventually slow down to modest gains.
    • Technology is currently below 20nm, and the end of Moore's Law is approaching.
    • Technology shrinking is the primary driver of exponential improvements in VLSI.

    Technology Shrinking

    • Field-Effect Transistors (FETs) are shrinking in size.
    • The size is usually measured by the minimum achievable dimension (λ), often the length of the FET's channel.
    • Scaling down λ has desirable effects, including increasing the number of devices on a chip and increasing operating frequency.

    Gate Oxide

    • The gate oxide (silicon dioxide layer) is critical for isolating the gate from the channel.
    • The gate oxide needs to be at least 1nm thick to maintain capacitance, but materials with higher permittivity are being researched to allow thicker insulation.
    • Issues like field strength and electron tunneling need addressing as sizes continue to shrink.

    Lithography

    • Defining features on a chip accurately is crucial.
    • Lithography needs electromagnetic radiation, a mask with resolution, appropriate resist, and a tolerant manufacturing process.
    • Current steppers use 193nm light and a de-magnification of approximately 4.
    • Higher resolution requires shorter wavelengths, with 13.5nm EUV steppers as a potential future solution.
    • Masking issues need to be addressed for features to be copied faithfully onto the wafer.

    Doping

    • Silicon needs to be doped with group III (p-type) or group V (n-type) elements for semiconductor behavior to occur accurately.
    • Doping concentrations, distribution, and gradients must be precise.
    • Impurities (dopants) are introduced by implantation, but this can damage the crystal structure.

    Historical Perspective

    • VLSI began with the discovery of the bipolar transistor in 1947.
    • The initial development of transistors was slow, requiring manufacturing process development.
    • Table 1 provides a timeline of early transistor and IC developments.
    • Intel 4004 (1971), the first microprocessor, featured 2300 transistors and operated at 740KHz.

    Microprocessors

    • Processor development has been rapid since 1971.
    • Figure 5 shows increasing transistor count over time, doubling about every two years.
    • Clock frequencies have also increased.

    Memory

    • Memory development parallels processor development, though with a focus on density rather than performance.
    • Dynamic RAM (DRAM) capacity has doubled about every 18 months.
    • Newer memory types have been created to maintain speed.
    • Access times have improved, but it has been more of a struggle in the past.

    The Future

    • Maintaining exponential technology improvements requires addressing issues like material changes and cost.

    • Materials are being researched (like copper interconnects and FinFETs) to try and combat the issues inherent within scaling.

    • Cost of manufacturing equipment is a tremendous aspect to consider in the long term.

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    IE Trends in VLSI PDF

    Description

    Test your knowledge on the development and technology of integrated circuits and microprocessors. This quiz covers key milestones, such as the invention of the silicon transistor and the Intel 4004 microprocessor. Dive into the history, technical specifications, and trends in memory speeds.

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