Hello Dear Readers, Today in this post, I will provide some deep insight into the Signal Electromigration (Signal EM): Violations, Examples, and Practical Fixes. 1. Introduction: As technology nodes shrink into the deep‑submicron and nanometer regime (7nm, 5nm, 3nm and beyond), electromigration (EM) has become a first‑order reliability concern—not only for power/ground (PG) networks but also for signal nets. Signal EM failures are often underestimated because signal currents are transient and bidirectional. However, with higher switching activity, tighter metal pitches, thinner wires, and aggressive timing closure, signal EM can cause latent or early‑life failures if not addressed properly. This article explains: What Signal EM is and how it differs from PG EM Typical Signal EM violation scenarios Detailed, practical examples Root causes behind each violation Proven solutions and best practices to fix and prevent Signal EM issues 2. What is Signal Electromigration: El...
Hello Dear Readers, Today in this post, learn about PowerVia Test which is Intel's first to implement backside power in a product like chip, resulting in over 90% cell utilization and other gains. Intel is the first in the industry to implement backside power delivery on a product-like test chip, achieving the performance needed to propel the world into the next era of computing. PowerVia, which will be introduced on the Intel 20A process node in the first half of 2024, is Intel’s industry-leading backside power delivery solution. It solves the growing issue of interconnect bottlenecks in area scaling by moving power routing to the backside of a wafer. PowerVia is a major milestone in our aggressive ‘five nodes in four years’ strategy and on our path to achieving a trillion transistors in a package in 2030. Using a trial process node and subsequent test chip-enabled us to de-risk backside power for our leading process nodes, placing Intel a node ahead of competi...