Design for Manufacturability (DFM) has always been important, but is vital as we move
to 90nm technologies. The line between defects and process variation has blurred to the
point that in some cases it is no longer meaningful. This means that yield and quality
level are becoming more design dependent than ever, and that test effectiveness cannot
be guaranteed without strict DFM guidelines. Without DFM, no company will be able to
successfully make the jump to 90nm technology.
DFM has historically been most successful in a vertically integrated manufacturing
environment; can it succeed in a disaggregated model? The panelists will explore DFM
from the foundry, EDA, IP, fabless, and vertically integrated manufacturing perspectives.