Aug 31, 2009

2009 IEEE International SOI Conference

Oct. 5 - 8 October, 2009, Foster City, California

Ever increasing demand and advances in SOI and related technologies make it essential to meet to discuss new gains and accomplishments, as well as to consider new developments introduced in original papers presented at the conference.

AREAS of FOCUS
  • SOI device physics and modeling
  • Manufacturability and process integration of soi devices
  • Low-power SOI technology and circuit design infrastructure
  • SOI circuit applications (high-performance mpu, sram, asic, high-voltage, rf, analog, mixed mode, etc.)
  • SOI double & multiple gate/vertical channel structures; other novel SOI structures
  • New SOI structures, circuits, and applications (3d integration, displays, microactuators, novel memories, optics, etc.)
  • SOI reliability issues (hot-carrier effects, radiation effects, high-temperature effects, etc.)
  • SOI material science/modification, material characterization, manufacture, and substrate engineering.
  • SOI sensors, MEMS and RFIDs technology and applications
Read more...

Aug 25, 2009

ICMNE-2009

The International Conference Micro- and Nano-Electronics – 2009 (ICMNE-2009) including extended Session “Quantum Informatics” (QI-2009) will be held in October 5-9, 2009 at the holiday hotel “Lipki”, Zvenigorod, Moscow region, Russia. It will continue the series of All-Russian Conferences MNE-1999, MNE-2001, QI-2002, and International Conferences ICMNE-2003, QI-2004, ICMNE-2005, QI-2005. ICMNE-2007, QI-2007. Conference ICMNE is biannual event covering majority of area of micro- and nano-electronic technologies, physics and devices. ICMNE-2009 is focused on recent progress in that area. The Conference will include the exhibition on equipment for micro- and nano-electronics. Conference's scope:
  • Micro-, nano-electronic materials and films
  • Micro- and nano-electronic technologies and equipment
  • Metrology
  • Physics and technologies of micro- and nano-devices
  • Simulation and modeling
  • Quantum informatics
Read more...

Aug 19, 2009

IRPS 2010

The 2010 IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium (IRPS) will be held in Anaheim, California, Canada, on May 2-6 2010. The venue will be Hyatt Regency Orange County.
For over 40 years, IRPS has been the premier conference for engineers and scientists to present new and original work in the area of microelectronic device reliability. IRPS is now co-sponsored by the IEEE Reliability Society and the IEEE Electron Devices Society. This co-sponsored event has drawn participants from the United States, Europe, Asia and all other parts of the world. IRPS'10 promotes the reliability and performance of integrated circuits and microelectronic assemblies through an improved understanding of failure mechanisms in the user’s environment, while demonstrating the latest state-of-the-art developments in electronic reliability.
The focus of the symposium is the 3-day plenary/parallel sessions featuring original work that identifies new microelectronic failure or degradation mechanisms, improves understanding of known failure mechanisms, demonstrates new or innovative analytical techniques, or demonstrates ways to build-in reliability. Specific areas to be addressed during the 2010 IRPS are reliability concerns associated with silicon (integrated circuits, discrete devices, MEMS, TFTs), Compound Semiconductor & Optoelectronics (GaAs, GaN, LEDs, displays, photovoltaics), and emerging technologies including organic electronics and nanotechnology.The deadline for abstract submission is October 2 2009.
In the Call for Papers, it is said that IRPS can accept papers which "identify new or improve our understanding of the physics of failure and modeling of mechanisms in electronic and optoelectronic devices, materials, and systems".Therefore, IRPS is a very attractive conference to present results on modeling of failure mechanisms.

Global Plastics Electronics Conference 2009

The 5th Global Plastic Electronics Conference and Exhibition will be held in Dresden, Germany, on October 27-29 2009. The venue will be the Maritim Hotel and Hotel Centre, Dresden.

This year's event will run for three days. The agenda is the following:
Day 1 will see forums run in paralell covering Integrated Smart Systems and Smart Fabrics and Intelligent Textiles. Days 2 and 3 both start with the Plenary session in the morning, followed by 5 paralell symposia in the afternoon.

The Global Plastic Electronics Conference and Exhibition will be a very appropriate place to learn about the recent advances on plastic electronics, and also to do networking. The plenary speakers are leading authorities in the field, as well as some of the presenters.

The Call for Posters is still open! It is a good oportunity to present a scientific poster and have a chance to meet the leaders in plastic electronics.Besides, more than 30 companies will participate in the Exhibition. As said in the brochure, Science and Industry will meet in this conference.

RFIC'10

The 2010 IEEE RFIC (Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits) Symposium will be held in Anaheim, California, on May23-25-9 in conjunction with the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS), as part of the Microwave Week 2010.The IEEE RFIC Symposium is one of the most important IEEE conferences dedicated to the latest innovations in RF and microwave integrated circuits.The technical areas of RFIC 2010 include RFIC design, RFIC circuits, wide-band system IC's, RFIC device technologies, RF testing... And I wish to hightlight that one of the topics explicitly mentioned in the Call for Papers is "Modeling and CAD: RFIC Modeling, Characterization of Active and Passive Devices".Certainly, RFIC'10, as well as IEEE MTT-S IMS, will allow an easy interaction between high-frequency compact model developers and their potential users.The deadline for paper submission is January 5 2009.

IMS'10

The IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium 2010 (IMS 2010) will be held in Anaheim, California from May 23 to 28 2010. It will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center.

IMS is the largest conference in the field of RF and microwave theory and techniques.IMS'10 will include workshops, short courses, panels and special sessionsIn such a large conference, there are many parallel sessions. The scope of IMS is large, and papers on compact modeling of semiconductor devices in the RF and microwave regime can be presented at IMS. In fact, IMS is a very adequate forum for that, because of the presence of the potential users of the device models (designers of RF and microwave circuits). IMS will be part of the Microwave Week 2009, which will also include a microwave exhibition, the RFIC Symposium and the ARFTG Conference.The deadline for paper submission is November 30 2009.Last but not least, IMS'10 includes a very interesting social programme. And Disneyland is in Anaheim!

WOFE'09

The 2009 Workshop on Frontiers in Electronics (WOFE) will be held in a very beautiful place: Rincon of the Seas Grand Caribbean Hotel, Rincón (Puerto Rico) from December 13 to 16 2009. WOFE is being held every two years.

It is a very special workshop devoted to bring together researchers who work at the frontiers of electronic devices and circuits. Therefore, it facilitates the interaction between researchers from different areas such as microwave power circuits, optoelectronics, emerging nanodevices, bioelectronics, nanotubes, teraherz and infrared electronics and photonics, TFTs and giant area electronics, nanoMEMs, or wide band gap technology, provided their targets are at the frontiers of present electronics.

Papers on modelling have also been usually accepted for WOFE, if they address advanced devices, or brand new modeling techniques.

We have to remark that the programme committee encourages to submit papers presenting discussions of controversial issues, rebuttals of theories, provocative or alternative views, and visionary outlooks.

The Chair of WOFE is Professor Michael S Shur, from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, NY (USA). Very prestigeous researchers will be invited for plenary talks.The deadline for abstract submission is October 01 2009.

No doubt it should be very pleasant to spend several days in Puerto Rico enjoying nice weather in December. Every day the sessions end early in the afternoon, so there is plenty of time to enjoy the beach. As the WOFE schedule say, the afternoon is the time for "break and networking", what means beach, or networking on the beach. Furthermore, there is a wonderful social programme, which includes one very interesting excursion.I recommend researchers to go to WOFE. It is a very adequate event for networking in a very beautiful and relaxing place.

Aug 17, 2009

ISPSD'10

The 22nd IEEE International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices and ICs will take place in Hiroshima (Japan) on June 6-10 2010. The deadline for abstract submission is October 30 2009 .ISPSD is the main international conference on the areas of power semiconductor devices, power integrated circuits, their hybrid technologies, and applications.Topics include: processes, materials, CAD/Simulation, devices, power ICs, packaging and applications.For researchers interested in compact modeling of power semiconductor devices, ISPSD is a top event to present and get to know the last results in this field. "Device & circuit simulation" is explicitly mentioned as one of the subtopic in the "CAD/Simulation" topic. Compact modeling fits very well this subject. And of course, there is a subtopic of "Modeling" in the "Device" topic.

I imagine that the developers of the well known HiSIM models, who work in the Hiroshima University, will be around, so this conference can be a bussiness oportunity for compact model developers and users, including circuit designers.

Aug 15, 2009

ISCAS'10

The 2010 IEEE International Symposium of Circuits and Systems (ISCAS 2010) will be held in Paris (France), on May 30-June 3 2010. It will take place at the Convention Center at Disney’s Hotel New York, in Paris. It will be supported by the Institut Supérieur d’Electronique de Paris.

ISCAS is the largest conference in the area of Circuits and Systems. It is sponsored by the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society. Prestigeous speakers in this field are always invited. ISCAS 2010 will focus on on circuits and systems employing nanodevices (both extremely scaled CMOS and non-CMOS devices) and circuit fabrics (mixture of standard CMOS and evolving nano-structure elements) and their implementation cost, switching speed, energy efficiency, and reliability.

The scope of ISCAS 2010 includes all topics related to integrated circuits and systems. Papers on compact modeling for circuit design are considered to address some of the topic of the call. In fact, every year a number of interesting papers on compact modeling are presented at ISCAS.

The deadline for paper submission is October 9 2010.

It is important to mention that in ISCAS posters are very well considered, as important as oral presentations. Many authors choose poster as their presentation format. Besides, a student paper contest will be held at ISCAS 2010 and sponsored by the Circuits and Systems Society.

On the other hand, a "a very entertaining social program is planned. Special tours to tourist attractions will be available to the Symposium attendees and their guests." It Sounds promising, anyway.

ICMTS 2010

The IEEE 2010 ICMTS (International Conference Microelectronic Test Structures) has launched the final call for papers (deadline: Sept. 18, 2009). Authors are asked to submit a two or three page extended abstract in PDF file format (font-embedded) including a 500- to 1500-word summary, major figures, and data for review. ICMTS'10 will be held between March 22 – 25, 2010, in Hiroshima (Japan), and there is a suggested topic including "Device and Circuit Modeling, Parameter Extraction RF device modeling".

I imagine that the developers of the well known HiSIM models, who work in the Hiroshima University, will be around, so this conference can be a bussiness oportunity for compact model developers and users, including circuit designers.

The conference will be preceded by a one-day Tutorial Short Course on Microelectronic Test Structures on March 22, 2010. There will be an equipment exhibition relating to test structure measurements. A Best Paper award will be presented by the Technical Program Committee.

ICMTS has always an excellent social programme. There is always a very interesting excursion tour, and a wonderful gala dinner. And the Hiroshima cuisine is delicious...

Aug 14, 2009

Compact Modeling Job Vacancy at TU Ilmenau, Germany

The RF & Nano Device group at TU Ilmenau is seeking a candidate for a position in the frame of a European Marie Curie Project.
The candidate will work on compact modeling of high-frequency transistors, in particular HEMTs (High Electron Mobility Transistor). During several months he or she will also work at a semiconductor foundry in the UK in the frame of a secondment agreement between the foundry and TU Ilmenau.
Contract details: Temporary contract to carry out a Ph D, starting date January 2010.
Application deadline: 31 October 2009.
Contact: PD Dr. Frank Schwierz, email: frank.schwierz@tu-ilmenau.de
Requirements: Candidates should be a Ph.D. student having already earned a Master or Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering, preferably in semiconductor electronics. Good skills in written and spoken English are mandatory.
Desirable is experience in the areas of semiconductor device physics and device modeling and simulation.

Second International Workshop on Compact Thin-Film Transistor (TFT) Modeling for Circuit Simulation: Deadline extended

The Second International Workshop on Compact Thin-Film Transistor (TFT) Modeling for Circuit Simulation will be held at the University College London (UCL) in London (UK) on September 25 2009.

This workshop is intended to provide a forum for discussions and current practices on compact TFT modeling. The workshop is sponsored by IEEE EDS Compact Modeling Technical Committee in collaboration with IEEE UCL-Cambridge University EDS/LEOS Chapter joint chapter that is in the process of formation. Topics include include:

• Physics of TFTs and operating principles
• Compact TFT device models for circuit simulation
• Model implementation and circuit analysis techniques
• Model parameter extraction techniques
• Applications of compact TFT models in emerging products
• Compact models for interconnects in active matrix flat panels

Prospective authors should submit a 500-word abstract to: m.bauza@ucl.ac.uk

THE ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS AUGUST 18 2009.

HOWEVER, ABSTRACTS WILL BE CONSIDER EVEN AFTER THE OFFICIAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE.



If their abstract is accepted, the authors will be invited to submit of a 4-page paper to be included in proceedings. The deadline is September 14, 2009.

This is the only workshop especifically devoted to the compact modeling of TFT!

Aug 4, 2009

Q2 semiconductor sales up 17%, industry is 'returning to normal seasonal growth patterns,' SIA reports

I copy here an article originally published in EDN:(I mean, finally good news!)

Focused supply chain management by both producers and customers helped to moderate the impact of the global economic recession on the industry, SIA reports.

By Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News -- Electronic News, 8/3/2009

Although sales numbers were a mixed bag of results, the SIA (Semiconductor Industry Association) this morning reported on Q2, June, and first half revenue with palatable optimism for a semiconductor industry recovery.

Q2 recorded a sequential worldwide sales increase of 17% and a 20% year-over-year decline for the quarter. Q2 sales of $51.7 billion were capped off by month of June sales at $17.2 billion, an increase of 3.7% from May when sales were $16.6 billion, but 20% lower than the $21.6 billion reported for June 2008.

While June continued a month-over-month sales growth trend that began in March when sales inched up 3.3% on February's numbers, total 2009 first half sales of $95.9 billion were still 25% below the first six months of 2008, when sales were $127.5 billion, SIA data showed.

Also see:

Top 20 semiconductor companies saw 21% sales surge in Q2

Q2 revenue grew 16% or more, researchers say

“The fourth-consecutive monthly increase in sales is one indicator the industry is returning to normal seasonal growth patterns,” said SIA President George Scalise in a statement.

Scalise said focused supply chain management by both producers and customers helped to moderate the impact of the global economic recession on the industry. “Inventories have been closely managed, encouraging us to believe that the sequential increase in quarterly sales represents a gradual recovery of demand,” he said.

Scalise and the SIA aren't the only optimistic parties in the semiconductor industry. Several industry analysts and market research companies including Gartner and iSuppli have recently become more positive in their forecasts for key demand drivers.

“Consensus estimates for unit sales of PCs are now in the range of minus 5% to flat compared to 2008, whereas earlier forecasts were projecting year-on-year unit declines of 9 to 12%," Scalise noted. "In cell phone handsets, analysts now believe the unit decline will be in the range of 7 to 9% compared to earlier forecasts of a decline of around 15%. PCs and cell phones account for nearly 60% of worldwide semiconductor consumption."

SIA credited economic stimulus programs in China, including incentives for purchasing consumer products and investment in 3G/TDSCDMA communications infrastructure, as having helped drive semiconductor sales in the world’s largest chip market.

“The global macroeconomic environment remains the key factor in determining the timing and rate of recovery for the semiconductor industry,” Scalise concluded.

According to SIA data, sales in the Asia Pacific were up 23.2% in Q2 on a sequential basis. Q2 sales in the Americas were up 11.8% sequentially, while sales in Japan were up 17.9% and sales in Europe were up 0.5%.

Aug 1, 2009

ISDRS'09

The biennial International Semiconductor Device Research Symposium will take place on December 9-11, at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland USA.

This Symposium focuses on exploratory research in electronic and photonic materials and devices. Areas such as novel device concepts, processing technologies, advanced modeling, nanotechnology, nanoelectronics, wide band-gap semiconductors, MEMS materials and devices, oxides and dielectrics, magnetic materials and devices, organic and polymer opto-electronic materials and devices, ultra high frequency devices & RF effects, and high power-high temperature devices are included. The Symposium brings together diverse participants in multidisciplinary areas, and provides a forum for extended personal scientific interaction for engineers, scientists, and students working in the field of advanced electronic materials and device technologies.
Moreover, it has a topic dedicated to Compact Modeling, so it can be interesting to go there and have a look.

Extended abstracts from the conference are published online through IEEE Xplore.
Furthermore, presenters may optionally submit a full-length manuscript to be considered for publication in a special issue of Solid State Electronics.

Another interesting advantage of presenting a paper at ISDRS 2009 is that it is held just after IEDM, and very close to the IEDM venue (Baltimore, Maryland), so researchers who present papers at ISDRS can attend before IEDM and then go to ISDRS.

In fact, ISDRS an alternative to IEDM, especially for university teams, in the sense that IEDM is more industrial oriented, while ISDRS focuses more on device properties research and device modeling.

The University of Maryland in College Park is located just 4 miles outside of Washington DC. It is inside of the Capital beltway, accessible by the Washington DC Metro System (green line), and can be reached from all three of the Washington and Baltimore airports.