Advanced CMOS 'system on a chip' technology platforms-status today and outlook tomorrow

During the last few years, there has been an increasing interest in the product community to integrate more and different features and functions on a single chip with minimum process complexity and yield impact. This 'system on a chip' integration is definitely a challenge for process technology, because all the parts have to be combined in a modular way, allowing the designers to re-use the same IP in various products. A technology platform allows 'system on a chip integration' for a broad spectrum of products, but it is important to take advantage of the potential benefits of SOC with respect to performance, power and cost. This requires system knowledge as well as leading edge technology.