Hello Dear Readers, Today in this post, I will provide some deep insight into the VLSI packaging evolution and innovations. Semiconductor packaging has evolved from a simple protective housing into a critical performance enabler. In the modern VLSI landscape, packaging is no longer an afterthought; it is a fundamental determinant of PPA (Power, Performance, and Area) metrics, often dictating the thermal limits and signal integrity of the final SoC. 1. Traditional Packaging Technologies: These methods are the workhorses of the industry, widely used for low-to-medium complexity devices where cost-efficiency is paramount. Wire Bonding (QFN, QFP, DIP): Wire bonding is the most mature interconnection technology. It uses thin gold, copper, or aluminum wires to connect the die's bond pads to the package's internal leadframe. Implementation: The die is attached face-up to a leadframe or substrate. A wire bonder uses thermocompression or ultrasonic energy to attach wires betwee...
Hello Dear Readers, Today in this post I will discuss how FPGA is a programmable ASIC and what are the basic building blocks of the FPGA. Modern FPGAs are named programmable ASICs and used in various applications which include the ASIC SOC designs and prototyping. FPGA programming includes the following types and is discussed below section. The main programming types for any FPGA are, 1). SRAM Based FPGAs: Most of the FPGAs in the market are based on SRAM technology. They store the configuration bit-file in the SRAM cells designed using latches. As the SRAM is volatile, they need to be configured at the start. There are two modes for programming and they are Master and Slave. The SRAM memory cell is shown in Fig.1. In the Master mode, FPGA reads configuration data from the external source and that can be flash. In the Slave mode, FPGA is configured by using the external master device such as processor. The external configuration interface can be JTAG that is also call...