Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1526407
12 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2024 that Moore's Law has been running out of eco- nomic steam for quite some time. Silicon to systems was really a way for us to go beyond the discussion of just the semi- conductor and the packaging of that chip. It's very important because everything follows silicon. We are at the beginning of a 10-plus- year period of significant disruption because of this technology change and adoption. Sil- icon-to-systems is basically a way of saying, "You don't hold a chip in your hand." You don't even hold a component in your hand; you hold a cellphone in your hand, and for that system to work, while these components and changes are absolutely important, it's really just one part among many more that makes up the sys- tem you are using. It's basically about having a very circumspect view, not just looking at your own silo. From a design perspective, all these new systems can be across any application while they're being dreamt up by the OEMs, with increased func- tionality and density, and all these great things that we're trying to do all in single devices. is is really being powered by these chip technolo- gies. I know Devan has a lot to say in this area as well. Devan Iyer: anks, Matt. I think that's a good start. Speaking of silicon to systems, this also includes the non-silicon devices like gallium nitride. If you really look at high-speed devices or high-power devices like silicon carbide or EV automotive applications, they're outside the domain of silicon, but you can call that chip to systems or silicon to systems. Semiconduc- tor-to-systems might be a more accurate term. Broadly, we can classify advanced packaging into component-level packaging and system- level packaging. Component-level packaging includes semiconductor devices that are pack- aged individually as discrete single-chip pack- ages or multiple devices in packaged in the form of multi-chip modules or SiP, system-in- package. Once these devices are packaged at the component level, then comes the system- level packaging where these single-chip pack- age, multi-chip modules, or SiPs are placed on high-density multilayer PCBs. Along with heat sinks, cables, connectors, etc., this cre- ates a subsystem, with multiple racks of these subsystem boards heading into final system assembly (FSA). is is all about multi-func- tional system integration. e smartphone is a very good example of silicon to system multi- functional integration done at the chip, pack- age and board level—different technology ele- ments coming together into one system. Matt, you spoke about silicon to systems at the Designer Town Hall at IPC APEX EXPO. What was the reception like? Kelly: Yes. We've been writing about this con- cept in multiple forums, and we presented it at the Designers Town Hall meeting and at our advanced packaging special session. I'm an engineer, not a marketing guy, and we certainly didn't make this as a buzz phrase, although it has become that. It was meant to be a simple descrip- tor for non-technical people. is allows us to talk in layman's terms. People seem to under- stand semiconductors and chips. ey under- stand compute and memory, but when you talk about the system, it gets a lot more complicated. Matt Kelly