Semiconductor devices and circuits: smaller, faster, denser and what it all means

Summary form only given. The Semiconductor Industry Association has developed a roadmap of technology needs, the National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (NTRS), through the year 2012. In this presentation, these 'needs' are put into the perspective of actual device and circuit fabrication and operation to see how and why the needs arise. Links are also drawn between the device and circuit needs and requirements and the subsequent packaging needs and requirements that they help to drive. The objective of the tutorial is to provide a background perspective of semiconductor circuit fabrication and operation for the thermal and packaging engineer.