Not Making Smaller Atoms

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© Ian Phillips 2019
https://ianp24.blogspot.com
They're not making smaller atoms!
... Electronics after 50yrs of Moore’s Law
Invited Talk at ...
The Institute Of Physics
Sarum College, Salisbury.
19nov19
Prof. Ian Phillips CEng, FIET, FIMA, SMIEEE
Independent Technology Consultant & Philosopher (Retired)
Member of Council at the IET
(Formerly: Principal Staff Eng’r. @ ARM Ltd, UK)
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Formerly Visiting Prof @ ...

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1830: Beginning of Electronics – The Relay
§ Several Inventors in the 1830’s
§ The First Electronic Amplifier (Electromagnetic)
§ Electronic: Electricity used for other-than power
§ 1837: The Electrical Telegraph ...
Wheatstone (Scientist) and Cooke (Engineer)

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Magnetic Amplifiers, then Vacuum Tubes
§ 1885: Magnetic Amplifiers (133yr ago)
... Relays, Magnetic Amplifiers and Valves are still in use
today in applications where their characteristics bestow
a functional advantage over ‘modern’ sucessors!
§ Valve Amplifiers (110yr ago) ...
§ 1904: Diode Valve
(John Fleming)
§ 1906: Triode
(Lee De Forest – Audion)

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Engineers Create ...
"Scientists investigate that which already is ... .
... engineers create that which has never been."
- Albert Einstein
Scientists – Discover Science
Strive to understand and manipulate the proprieties of the universe
Engineers – Exploit Science
Create Actual Solutions to meet Societal Need (Business opportunity) ...
... Using Available-Science (Technology)

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§ William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain
§ Demonstrated the Solid-State Science ...
1947: Electronics Became Solid-State (just 72yr ago)
FirstTransfer-Resistor (Point-Contact)
First Junction Transistor
i
i
C
B
E

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§ Different Architectures emerge, but Same concept.
§ More Producible and more Robust.
§ But still £’s per transistor ... So had to be used wisely!
1951: Just 4yrs later; the First Commercial Transistors
1954:The OC71
Transistor Architectural Symbols

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1957/8: The First Integrated Circuit Concept ...
§ 1957: Jean Hoerni (Fairchild)
The Planar Transistor
§ 1958: Jack Kilby (Texas Instr.)
The concept of the Integrated Circuit
(3 components)
...The PlanarTransistor Architecture made Implementation
of the Integrated Circuit possible
The Planar Transistor Architecture

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9yr after the First Transistor; the First Integrated Circuit
§ 1957: Robert Noyce founded
Fairchild to make this IC ...
§ Got the fab ‘up’ on the 2N697
discrete transistor
§ 1960: First Commercial IC produced
§ Binary (Digital), a Natural Architecture
for Boolean Logic
§ State Machines and ultimately CPUs
§ Digital Memory
§ Less efficient use of transistors than
analogue ...
... But a scalable architecture
... 1968: Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore founded Intel to make Memory ICs
Fairchild: “Flip-Flop”
4 transistors, 2 resistors
$120.
4mm

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1965: Moore’s Law
§ “Moore's Law” was coined by Carver Mead in 1970, from Gordon Moore's article in
Electronics Magazine 19 April 1965 "Cramming more components onto integrated circuits“.
“The complexity for minimum component
costs has increased at a rate of roughly a factor
of two per year ... Certainly over the short term this
rate can be expected to continue, if not to increase.
Over the longer term, the rate of increase is a bit more
uncertain, although there is no reason to believe it will
not remain nearly constant for at least 10 years. That
means by 1975, the number of components per
integrated circuit for minimum cost will be 65,000. I
believe that such a large circuit can be built on a single
wafer”
At Fairchild, he was designing ICs with ~80 components ...
...And basing his observations on earlier 30-40 component ICs!

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1965: Integrating 30-40 components – Digital Electronics
§ Transistor Transistor Logic (TTL) - Bipolar
§ Digital design (Boolean Mathematics) ...

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1970: Large-Scale Integrated Circuit (LSI) ... Digital Electronics
§ 300Tr - 75 Digital Gates (Boolean Math)
§ 74181 bit-slice 4-bit ALU...
§ 16 Logic & 16 Arithmetic Fn on 4bit operands.
§ AND, OR, XOR, A OR NOT B, A + B, A - B,
(A OR B) + (A AND NOT B).
§ Can be paralleled on a PCB ‘today’ ...
... Or 4x in a next generation chip (Moore’s Law)
... A Digital Architecture (Logic Gates) is largely Process Technology and Geometry Independent!
... Which means you don’t have to re-design it every New Process Generation

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300 Tr. Capacity IC’s Enabled the Mainframe Computer
§ Early 1970’s
§ Using 74’ Series TTL logic
family (Still available today)
§ Only affordable by bigger
commercial operations
§ Mostly used by Accounts Dpt.
(Naturally numeric application)
§ Universities frequently had
one one or two for Research
§ Electronic Designers didn’t
start to use them till later in
the decade
...The power available was ~1MIP, and it was shared amongst many using ‘Batch’ schemes

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1971: The Intel 4004 4-bit Integrated Processor Chip
§ Ist non-memory chip made by Intel
§ 2,300 Tr. Dynamic PMOS Logic, 740KHz, 16DIL
§ Designed for the Busicom Calculator

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10nm
100nm
1um
10um
100um
ApproximateProcessGeometry
ITRS’99
Transistors/Chip(M)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore’s_law
Moore’s Law: The Personal Computer Years ...
Transistor/PM(K)
1975
~1,000 Tr/Chip
10Ktr
... 10 Ktr/chip brought the Computer to The Person
200Ktr
ARM
Chip

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1987: ARM 32bit RISC Processor Chip – 35kGate (140kTr)
4-bit ALU
§ ARM1 32bit RISC Processor Chip
§ 32bit data-path, 24bit address, 8MHz
§ Designed for the Archimedes Desk-Top Computer
§ A Computer in every school ...

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1991: ARM RISC-Processor IP Core
§ System Processor Chip Implementation ...
§ 1um CMOS Die has ~1MTr capacity
§ Whole ARM 7 Macro-Cell is a small-part of chip
§ Customer-Added Peripheral Circuits to
differentiate their product
ARM7 Core
DMA
Par.
Port
PCMCIA UART (2)
Int’t.
Contr.
Memory
Interface
Timers
W’Dog
Arb’tr.
Misc.ARM 7, 32-bit RISC Processor Macro-Cell (50kgate, 200ktr)
... In 20yrs the 74181 4-bit ALU had become a tiny part
of a 32-bit RISC Processor; which in turn is a small part
of a typical chip today ... Moore’s Law in action!

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10nm
100nm
1um
10um
100um
ITRS’99
Transistors/Chip(M)
Moore’s Law: The Smart System Years ...
Transistor/PM(K)
X
20B Transistors for €5
1Mtr
... 200,000x Functionality in 25yr (20,000x Tr. & 10x Freq.)

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2012: Moore’s Law puts 1BTransistors into Production ...
NB: The Tegra 3 is similar to the Apple A4
NVIDIA’sTegra 3 CPU Chip (~1Btr, 28nm)
... A further ~10x Functional Density due to Multi-Layer Metals!

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Designer Productivity Became the Issue
§ The Product Possibilities offered by utilising the Billions of Affordable and Aesthetically
Encapsulate-able Transistors is Commercially Beguiling!
SanDisk: 19nm 128Gb flash memory chip
~160,000,000,000 (160B) nv transistors
(NV Memory is analogue and much denser than logic)
§ BUT if you can’t design your chip it in a reasonable
time with a reasonable team and within at a
reasonable budget ... Then it is not available!
§ Chip Design requires huge amounts of Reuse of Design,
Technology and Methods
§ Even Professional & Military Applications can’t afford clean-
sheet design any more!
... So Companies like ARM Ltd make Designer-
Productivity Products for use in the Design-Phase of
Electronic-System Products Life-Cycle ...

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10nm
100nm
1um
10um
100um
ITRS’99
Transistors/Chip(M)
Transistor/PM(K)
1Mt
1,800py
8,500py
100py
“Productivity Gap”
... Without >90% Reuse, today’s Electronic Systems would be Un-Producible !
Moore’s Law: The Designer Productivity Years ...
Global TeamsLocal TeamsSmall TeamSingle Designer
Expertise ReuseHW&SW ReuseSome ReuseClean Sheet
“Verification Gap”

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ARM CPU/GPUs are Software-Engines ...
... A range with different performance sweet-spots for different application domains
About 50MTr
About
50KTr

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... ARM supplies around 24 Processors in 6 Families ...
... Processors optimised to be used Alone or in Combination to best-fit the Application

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... With CoreLink for Heterogeneous Multi-Processing ...
... Platform Models and Development Systems to help the customer develop their Product

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Software Tools
- The character
of the system
Physical IP
– The process-specific
logic-blocks of the chip
Processor and Graphics IP
– The engine of the chip
ARM is a System-Design Productivity Product ...
... It enables End-Products Companies (Apple, Tesla, Samsung, etc) to create
products with ‘Intelligence’ in them, in reasonable time and effort.
Early software
development on
Virtual Platforms
Power MgmtBluetooth
Cellular Modem
WiFi
SIM
GPS
Flash Controller
Touchscreen
& Sensor Hub
Sensor Hub
Camera
Apps Processor

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But it was Delivered by Global Teams working in their expert areas ...
§ Transistor and Process Architectures
§ Photolithography Lenses, Masks and Photo-Chemistry
§ Manufacturing Machinery and Metrology Tools
§ Precision Handling (Alignment and Control) and Robotics
§ Process and Environment Control
§ Understanding of Physics
§ Use of more Elements
§ Better Process Modelling
§ EDA
... All working to Shrink Transistors to Half Their Area every 18-24mth
Moor’s Vision Maintained Exponential Growth for 60yrs
Apple: A7 Chip, 10 Layer MetalASML: EUV 13.6nm Stepper ($100m)
A.Assenov: Atomic-Level Process Modelling
Simple Planar (2D) Transistor

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...Transistors Getting Ever Smaller, But Not Atoms !
... So is this the end for Moore’s Law? Or just the start of the end ?!
90nm
28nm
14nm
7nm
130nm
§ Difficulty making nm
scale Structures on chip …
§ Major changes to Transistor
Architecture and Photolithography
§ Sharp Increase in Process Complexity and Cost
§ Significantly Reduced Yield and Reliability
§ Statistical nature of Atoms showing through ...
§ Makes Transistor electrical characteristics randomly
variable; Significantly Increasing Design Complexity
§ Theoretically impossible to make a chip where all
transistors work!
§ Power, Speed and Cost
benefit of scaling stopped in
2005 at 100nm (Dennard Scaling)
§ Silicon Crystal Lattice ~ 0.54nm
§ Today’s (2017) Transistor Process ~20nm ...
§ Already Seriously Difficult
§ Opinion is 10 or 7nm to be the smallest Ever!
§ End of ‘Planar’ Scaling in next few years !?

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2019: Scaling Not Dead Yet ...
...TSMC and Samsung announced they have climbed one more rung of
Moore’s Law Ladder ...Their 5nm process is now in “Risk Production”
...The 5nm node is the first to be built using EUV lithography (13.5nm)
... Global Foundries gave up at 14nm (Still make larger processes)
... Intel is years behind with its 7nm equivalent process
IEEE Spectrum Jun 2019
ASML: EUV 13.6nm Stepper - $100m each!

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If You Can’t Make Them Smaller; You Can Stack Them Higher!
Planar Transistor - 2D
FIN Transistor - 2.5D
GAA Transistor - 3D
Stacked Transistor – True 3D
(NAND FLASH Memory)
... But uses ever-More Exotic materials and Processes; and ever-Greater Costs
... Which means ever-Bigger Markets required to justify the Investment ($B’s)

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3D Integration Today – Apple A7 circ. 2013 …
A7 Chip 10 Layer Metal, 28nm, ~1Billion Tr
Processor SOC Die
2 Memory Dies
Glue
Memory
‘Package’
4-Layer Platform
Package’
... Apples latest CPU is the A13 about 4BTr using a TSMC 7nm process

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3D Integration Tomorrow - Stacking

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§ General Purpose, Stored Program, Computing Mechanism
§ Technology: Electronics (valves), Digital (base 2)
§ Computers available today ... Enhanced by Solid-State Electronic Technology
Data Processing, the Driver of Electronics in 1947 …
Uo.Manchester, BABY Computer (Reconstruction 2000)

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Consumer Drives Technology Dev’t Today
... Products Purchased and Used by Consumers, are chosen for Function not Technology

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... ‘Old’ Markets remain today; but they inherit their Technologies from the Lead Markets!
Business Has Always Driven Technology Evolution
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030
Main Frame
Mini Computer
Personal Computer
Desktop Internet
Mobile Internet
Millionsof
Units
ProfessionalçèConsumer
1st Era
Select work-tasks
2nd Era
Broad-based computing
for specific tasks
3rd Era
Computing as part
of our lives
But End-Customer has evolved from Professional to Consumer

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A Product is a Commercial Opportunity ...
§ Design Engineer: Creates a Viable (Technology) Solution to fulfill a Product Opportunity ...
§ Functional - It has GOT to work
§ Economical - Its cost has got to be less than its value
§ Reproducible - It has to Yield, be Distributable and Reliable (enough)
§ Innovative - It has to be Competitive against Alternative implementations
§ Design Engineer: Is making a Prediction for the future ...
§ Certainty: Deliver as promised
§ Timescales: Deliver when promised
§ Costs: Development & Manufacturing
§ Quality: Dependability and Reliability
§ Design Engineer: Has to use Appropriate Available Technology ...
§ Not the fanciest, newest or optimistically promised (Have to judge between claim and reality)
§ It is about working with others (teams) internally and externally to deliver
§ It is about thinking around and about the problem, and being Ingenious in the solution (Ingineer!)
... The Design Engineer’s role involves endless Scientific Learning and its Application

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Conclusions
§ Over the last 70yrs, the use of the Planar Integrated Circuit has transformed our Lives ...
§ Society now expects all aspects of Societal and Individual need to have regular ‘Performance
Improvements’ through use of ‘New Technology’ ... But have little knowledge about it.
§ Moore’s Law delivered this for 70yr; but as Transistors approach the size of atoms further
shrinking must end soon; does that also mean the end of further ‘Societal Improvement’?!
§ No ... Moore’s Law will continue at the System Level. The Solid-State (Si) Electronic Transistor
is still fundamental to this, but is no-longer the epicenter for development ...
§ 3D/Packaging/Assembly Technology developments, will maintain Moor’s System-Law and
deliver continued Doubling Functional Density every 12-18mth for the foreseeable future!
... The size of the Si Atom is forcing a re-think of the future for planar technology.
... Full exploitation of the 3rd Dimension could multiply Si-IC capacity a billion-fold ! J

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https://ianp24.blogspot.com
Thankyou for Listening ...
“The reports of my death
are greatly exaggerated”
Moore’s Law

Not Making Smaller Atoms

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