IC industry trends toward specializing system design and manufacturing outsourcing, such as fabless design house, wafer foundry, design automation tool/software house, and semiconductor processing tool supplier, created the needs for individuals with multi-discipline technical skills for collaborations. Furthermore, advanced IC technology no longer can offer the same level of control over many parameters that have direct adverse impact on circuit behavior. New IC designs also push the limit of technology, and in some cases require specific fine-tuning of certain process modules in manufacturing. Thus the traditionally separated communities of design and technology, design/device/process, are increasingly intertwined.

Issues that require close interaction and collaboration for trade-off and optimization by all design/device/process fields are addressed in this conference. They are:

• Design/device/process optimizations and trade-off for leakage current, power consumption, and noise issues in mixed-signals, large scale IC devices, or design re-use.

• Incorporation of new materials (i.e. dual gate, multi-material active layers, etc.) in IC cell library and design of advanced transistor structures (i.e. Double Gate FDSOI, FinFET, etc.).

• Implementation of IC design and manufacturing process of new device structures (i.e. PDSOI, FDSOI, MRAM, etc.).

• Reduction of process and plasma induced damage or reduction of device/process parameter fluctuation through the optimization of circuit design and layout, device structure, manufacturing process, and semiconductor processing tool.

As IC design and process technology continue to advance for increased performance, lower power, and accelerated time-to-market, the engineering activities, traditionally separated along the boundary of design and process technology, will have difficulties in meeting the shrinking window of product optimization tasks. 

ICICDT provides a forum for engineers, researchers, scientists, professors and students to cross this boundary through interactions of design and process technology on product development and manufacturing. The unique workshop style of the conference provides an opportunity to technologists and product designers to exchange breakthrough ideas and collaborate effectively. Two days of technical presentations and workshops will be preceded by a one-day tutorial program of value to both the expert and the beginner.