Overall Device Technology Trends

Paraszczak et al., High performance dielectrics and processes for ULSI interconnection technol ogies, Tech Dig. IEEE Int. Electron Devices Meet., p. 261 (1993). 

Masuoka, Flash memory technology, inProc. Int. Electron Devices Mater. Symp., 83, Hsinchu, Taiwan (1996). 

A natural question to ask is this Why build chips with multiple processors Why not just keep increasing the speed of the single CPU If the latter option were feasible, the chipmakers would have adopted it. Instead, they are turning to multicore systems only because the path to higher clock speeds seems to be very difficult, at least for now.  

The causes of this impasse derive from the peculiar physical and economic laws that govern the design of ICs. The most celebrated of these laws stipulates that as transistors or other components are made smaller and are packed more densely on the surface of a silicon chip, the cost of producing the chip remains nearly constant, so much so that the number of transistors on a state-of-the-art chip doubles every year or two, as already alluded to. In effect, the cost per transistor steadily declines over time. This extraordinary fact is the basis of Moore s law, formulated in 1965 by Gordon E. Moore, one of the founders of the Intel Corporation. The law reflects the fantastic progression of circuit fabrication that has unleashed previously unimagined computational power.  

Taken together, these observations suggest that the laws of nature seem to work in our favor in microelectronics. Moore s law and Dennard s scaling rules promise circuits that gain in both speed and capability, while cost and power consumption remain constant. From this favorable circumstance arises the whole bonanza of modern microelectronics. But as with every bonanza, there are limits and trade-offs. 

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The droplet detection methods described in this entry include fluorescence, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), electrochemistry, capacitive, and mass spectrometry. The integration of different detection approaches into the microfluidic droplet device typically involves MEMS and optics technologies. Several methods have been employed to address the integration of detection components with the droplet operation unit however, the task of maintaining overall system functionality remains a challenge. As a result, most of these methods are significantly sophisticated. Trends and issues associated with each detection method are presented. 

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