VLSI technology trends

The trends in VLSI and ULSI technologies are outlined, with emphasis on ASICs (application-specification ICs) and gate arrays. The impact of the present evolving BICMOS technology on VLSI is discussed, especially in light of CMOS at low temperatures. Packaging technology plays major role in VLSI chip technology and design and is one of the key factors affecting product competitiveness. It is predicted that thin-film packages (preferably on silicon) for economic reasons very probably will break the trend of ever-increasing chip size. Brickwall-packaged VLSI chips connected via extremely wide buses to memory chips on the same carrier result in high processor performance at a low cost. Cooled down to liquid-nitrogen temperatures by means of a cold plate, such (multi-) processors on a single substrate can approach the performance range of bipolar systems at a fraction of their cost