International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors
Encyclopedia
The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors is a set of documents produced by a group of semiconductor industry
experts. These experts are representative of the sponsoring organisations which include the Semiconductor Industry Association
s of the US, Europe, Japan
, South Korea
and Taiwan
.
The documents produced carry this disclaimer: "The ITRS is devised and intended for technology assessment only and is without regard to any commercial considerations pertaining to individual products or equipment".
The documents represent best opinion on the directions of research into the following areas of technology, including time-lines up to about 15 years into the future:
(SIA) gave this responsibility of coordination to the USA, which led to the creation of an American style roadmap, the National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (NTRS). In 1998, the SIA became closer to its European, Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese counterparts by creating the first global roadmap: The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). This international group has (as of the 2003 edition) 936 companies which were affiliated with working groups within the ITRS.
Semiconductor industry
The semiconductor industry is the aggregate collection of companies engaged in the design and fabrication of semiconductor devices. It formed around 1960, once the fabrication of semiconductors became a viable business...
experts. These experts are representative of the sponsoring organisations which include the Semiconductor Industry Association
Semiconductor Industry Association
The Semiconductor Industry Association is a trade association founded in 1977 that represents the United States semiconductor industry. It is located in San Jose, California....
s of the US, Europe, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
The documents produced carry this disclaimer: "The ITRS is devised and intended for technology assessment only and is without regard to any commercial considerations pertaining to individual products or equipment".
The documents represent best opinion on the directions of research into the following areas of technology, including time-lines up to about 15 years into the future:
- System Drivers/Design
- Test & Test Equipment
- Front End Processes
- PhotolithographyPhotolithographyPhotolithography is a process used in microfabrication to selectively remove parts of a thin film or the bulk of a substrate. It uses light to transfer a geometric pattern from a photomask to a light-sensitive chemical "photoresist", or simply "resist," on the substrate...
- IC Interconnects
- Factory Integration
- Assembly & Packaging
- Environment, Safety & Health
- Yield EnhancementDesign for manufacturability (IC)Achieving high-yielding designs in the state of the art, VLSI technology has become an extremely challenging task due to the miniaturization as well as the complexity of leading-edge products...
- MetrologyMetrologyMetrology is the science of measurement. Metrology includes all theoretical and practical aspects of measurement. The word comes from Greek μέτρον , "measure" + "λόγος" , amongst others meaning "speech, oration, discourse, quote, study, calculation, reason"...
- Modeling & SimulationSimulationSimulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
- Emerging Research Devices
- Emerging Research Materials
History
With the progressive externalization of production tools to the suppliers of specialized equipment, the need arose for a clear roadmap to anticipate the evolution of the market and to plan and control the technological needs of IC production. For several years, the Semiconductor Industry AssociationSemiconductor Industry Association
The Semiconductor Industry Association is a trade association founded in 1977 that represents the United States semiconductor industry. It is located in San Jose, California....
(SIA) gave this responsibility of coordination to the USA, which led to the creation of an American style roadmap, the National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (NTRS). In 1998, the SIA became closer to its European, Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese counterparts by creating the first global roadmap: The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). This international group has (as of the 2003 edition) 936 companies which were affiliated with working groups within the ITRS.