Solid state [Trends/developments]

As linewidths and other lithographic features of ICs shrink, and the number of transistors on a chip mushrooms, functions galore are being combined on a single die. The ultimate result of this trend will be the system-on-a-chip, in which all circuitry-for a computer, a cellular phone, a microelectromechanical actuator, or a solid-state camera-will be housed within a couple of square centimeters of silicon. The Semiconductor Industry Association, San Jose, California, predicts that the trend toward greater complexity will endure throughout this decade and the next. Nonetheless, to keep the technology moving onward, the association's National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, finalized late in 1994, identified many key advances as prerequisites to progress. These are: power management, optical techniques for IC production, interconnect technology, and environmental factors. Some of the development highlights discussed are powerful multimedia engines, graphics united with main memory, and DRAM with on-board microprocessors.