Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1293772
14 SMT007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2020 Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Editorial Team This expert conversation focuses on the IEEE Heterogeneous Integration Roadmap (HIR)—a document that provides guidance for IC, PCB, and package designers, broken down by indus- try segment and performance requirements. Rita Horner of Synopsys shares her perspec- tive from the IC side, as well as how the HIR might affect what happens on the PCB design and manufacturing side in the next few years. In Part 1, Rita provides a general overview of the HIR and its impact. Nolan Johnson: Rita, can you kick us off by summarizing your background? Then, we'll shift into what the HIR means for PCB tech- nologists. Rita Horner: I have a master's degree in elec- trical engineering, and I spent about 10 years in circuit design, mainly transistor-level and mixed-signal design. I started with Hewlett- Packard, which spun off into Agilent. I left Agi- lent and then came back, which became Avago shortly thereafter. I also worked at two start- ups. I have done mixed-signal designs. I was part of the Integrated Circuits Business Divi- sion of HP, where we designed the ASICs and IPs that were used by the different divisions within HP. Then, I moved into marketing. I joined Syn- opsys about eight years ago. My focus was mainly on the high-speed interfaces until six months ago when I moved to the design group of Synopsys, focusing on the 3DIC Compiler product that we are developing. Johnson: You have the right mix of background to have a good perspective on what's hap- pening with heterogeneous integration. What trends do you see? Horner: 3D IC is a hot technology. It's becom- ing hot because it has two angles: technology and economy. The semiconductor market has reached a point that the smaller technology nodes are not able to meet the required levels of integration with a single die in a single pack- aged part. The dies are getting so large that they're not becoming manufacturable. IEEE's Heterogeneous Integration Roadmap, Part 1