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| Semiconductors and LCDs are evolving with astonishing speed, and progress in nanotechnology is on the verge of transforming our lives. | |
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| Since entering full-scale production about 30 years ago, the integration level of integrated circuits (ICs) has risen according to Moore's Law, which says that the number of transistors integrated per chip doubles about every two years. This steady increase in integration level has made possible smaller ICs, faster processing, better reliability, lower dissipation and other performance improvements. At the same time, the larger number of chips which can be manufactured at once has resulted in slashed IC prices, accelerating the adoption of chips in many fields. ICs have achieved a phenomenal evolutionary boost through higher integration, and today support the birth and development of many electronics products such as personal computers (PCs), the Internet, digital cameras, DVD players and other digital appliances. Smaller, with higher performance: microfabrication technology boosts IC integration levels Microfabrication technology, which creates extremely fine IC patterns on silicon wafers, has been crucial in achieving higher IC integration levels. According to the December 2002 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), which delineates technical trends in the semiconductor field, the industry will shift from the current 130-nm process to 90 nm in 2004, dropping further to a 65-nm process in 2007. From about 2003, semiconductor manufacturing technology will enter the realm of nanotechnology, below 100 nm. A look at the evolution of microprocessors, which function as the brains of PCs, shows that the very first chips about 30 years ago were made with a 10-µm process (1 µm is 1/1,000th of a mm), integrating about 2,300 transistors. The very latest microprocessors, in contrast, are manufactured with 0.13 µm=130-nm process (1 nm is 1/1,000th of a µm) technology, and integrate over 50 million transistors. And the next generation of microprocessors, using 0.09-µm (=90 nm) design rules, will enter production shortly. Continuing advancement in semiconductor microfabrication technology is bringing about dramatic improvements in microprocessor performance, and fueling the rapid spread and evolution of computers and the Internet. Next-generation memory, essential in tomorrow's ubiquitous-computing society Along with the microprocessor, semiconductor memory is also evolving as a device essential in computers and other electronic products. DRAMs, used in the PC's main memory and other applications, have been the most common type of memory for years, achieving larger capacity, lower price and faster performance while contributing to major advances in computer performance. Flash EEPROMs are another important type of memory, ranking with DRAMs. Information stored to flash EEPROM memory is non-volatile (it isn't erased when the power is turned off), and so it has achieved widespread use in digital appliances such as mobile phones, digital camera memory cards, DVD players and digital TV sets.  Other types of new-generation non-volatile memories are being developed as well, such as MRAMs, FeRAMs and OUMs. These new memories are expected to eventually replace today's memory devices due to their characteristics including non-volatility, an almost infinite number of rewrites, high speed and low supply voltage. As a result many semiconductor manufacturers are pushing ahead with R&D to establish the required technologies for microfabrication and volume production. In the future these new-generation memory devices will empower PCs, mobile gear and networking equipment, making possible the ever-growing computing society that will let everyone access networks anytime, anyplace.IC microfabrication technology supports continuing semiconductor evolution, which in turn supports electronics. For this reason it is recognized as a key technology in achieving the information-oriented, computing society through the networked fusion of computers and digital equipment. Research to establish the microfabrication technology to manufacture future generations of ICs is now under way as a national project, with participation by the semiconductor industry, government and academia. |
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| The range of sectors utilizing liquid crystal displays
(LCDs) is spreading rapidly. The major growth fields in the past
have been notebook personal computers (PCs) and PC monitors, but
recently there has been rapid progress and growth in both the large-size
LCDs used in TVs and the miniature LCDs used in mobile telephones
and similar equipment. Technological evolution in the LCD sector
is moving fast and accelerating. Large-size LCDs growing even larger, with better definition  As
we approach the era of full-fledged digital video, DVDs and digital
broadcasting, flat panel
displays (FPDs) are gradually replacing existing cathode ray
tube (CRT) televisions, offering thin, large-screen designs. LCD
televisions using LCD panels offer benefits including thin profiles,
light weight and low power consumption. They have achieved considerable
market growth in the past 20 years especially in equipment with
small- or medium-size screens. The recent availability of large-size
LCD panels led to the release of LCD TVs of 30 inches and larger
in 2002, and sales remain strong. LCD TVs are thinner, lighter and
less power-hungry, as well as offering better screen brightness
and definition. Major strides have been made in rectifying their
weak points: moving picture display performance, color reproducibility,
and view angle. The panels for these large-screen LCD TVs are made
using glass sheets, and with costs dropping, massive growth is expected
in the future as FPD televisions replace older CRT models.Miniature LCDs shift from color to improved definition Performance of miniature LCD panels used in mobile equipment like cell phones is increasing rapidly. Most of the LCD panels used in mobile phones sold in Japan are color. New displays offering more pixels and better definition are now appearing on the market. These create more attractive photographs and videos (taken with camera mobile phones), and Web content. Demand for better mobile phone display image quality is driven by the desire to show video and even television imagery. Development targets include color reproducibility and response speed on a par with TV, and smooth, beautiful video play. In the future, the glass substrates used with LCDs will be transformed by system display technology to incorporate functional devices for even more compact, multifunction displays. Mobile equipment like cell phones and PDAs will combine these high-performance LCDs with ICs to evolve into terminals for a new age of totally integrated computing. |
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