Advances in semiconductor and related devices are driving significant progress in our increasingly digital world, and the place to learn about cutting-edge research in the field is the annual IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), to be held December 2-6, 2017 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel. Highlights for 2017 include:

• A talk on transformative electronics by Dr. Hiroshi Amano, who received the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Isamu Akasaki and Shuji Nakamura for the invention of efficient blue LEDs, which sparked a revolution in innovative, energy-saving lighting.
• The above talk is part of an exceptional slate of plenary talks to be given by some of the industry’s leading figures. IEDM plenary presenters include the CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.; the research chief of TSMC, which is the industry’s largest foundry driving technology forward; a leading academic authority on energy-efficient computing, which is a key societal goal; as well as Dr. Amano’s fourth, additional plenary talk. It will be given on Wednesday, Dec. 6.
• Focus Sessions will be held on the following topics: 3D Integration and Packaging; Modeling Challenges for Neuromorphic Computing; Nanosensors for Disease Diagnostics; and Silicon Photonics: Current status and perspectives.
• A vendor exhibition will be held again, based on the success of last year’s first-ever such event at the IEDM.
• The IEEE Magnetics Society will host a poster session on MRAM (magnetic RAM memories).

The IEDM paper submission deadline this year is August 2 and the deadline for late-news papers is September 11. Only a limited number of late-news papers will be accepted.

Each year at the IEDM, the world’s best technologists in micro/nano/bioelectronics converge to participate in a technical program consisting of more than 220 presentations along with special luncheon talks and a variety of panels, special sessions, tutorials, Short Courses, IEEE/EDS award presentations and other events that highlight leading work in more diverse areas of the field than any other conference.

“This year’s IEDM will feature talks, courses and panels by world experts on what is perhaps the broadest array of topics in recent memory,” said Dr. Barbara De Salvo, Scientific Director at Leti. “The unique technical program can lead one to view the IEDM as a crystal ball of sorts, because many of the developments reported at the conference invariably make their way into commercial products a few years down the road. As an example, this year’s IEDM conference marks 10 years since the industry transition from aluminum to copper interconnect began in earnest.”

Here are details of some of the events that will take place at this year’s IEDM:

Focus Sessions

• 3D Integration and Packaging – Packaging technology is taking on an increasingly important role in semiconductor manufacturing, and this session will provide an industry perspective on forthcoming approaches ranging from “Simpler is better” to “Advanced packaging saves the day for continued scaling.” The session will address the latest in 3D, from alternative packaging to 3D stacking, and applications and technologies for Integrated Power Microelectronics.
• Modeling Challenges for Neuromorphic Computing – This session will address the opportunities and challenges of efficient synaptic processes, from learning models to device-circuit implementations of neuromorphic architectures.  Half of the session will discuss learning models in stochastic processes, with the other half devoted to RRAM (resistive RAM) memory for deep neural networks and neuromorphic computing.
• Nanosensors for Disease Diagnostics — From microfluidics to nanosensing, this session will review the latest advances for the detection of diseases such as cancer, sepsis and diabetes, using biomarkers ranging from (bio)molecules and individual cells to in-vitro tissue models.
• Silicon Photonics: Current Status and Perspectives – This session addresses the state-of-the-art in silicon photonics technology, ranging from topics on high-volume manufacturing, optical transceivers and interconnects, to femto-joule per bit integrated nanophotonics for upcoming market applications in optical computing.

90-Minute Tutorials – Saturday, Dec. 2
A program of 90-minute tutorial sessions on emerging technologies will be presented by experts in the fields, bridging the gap between textbook-level knowledge and leading-edge current research. Advance registration is recommended.

• The Evolution of Logic Transistors Toward Low Power and High Performance IoT Applications, Dr. Dae Won Ha, Samsung Electronics
• Negative Capacitance Transistors, Prof. Sayeef Salahuddin, UC Berkeley
• Fundamental, Thermal, and Energy Limits of PCM and ReRAM, Prof. Eric Pop, Stanford University
• Hardware Opportunities in Cognitive Computing: Near- and Far-Term, Dr. Geoffrey Burr, Principal Research Staff Member, IBM Research-Almaden
• 2.5D Interposers and High-Density Fanout Packaging as Enablers for Future Systems Integration, Dr. Sundaram Venkatesh, Associate Director, Georgia Tech 3D Systems Packaging Research Center
• Silicon Photonics for Next-Generation Optical Interconnects, Dr. Joris Van Campenhout, Program Director Optical I/O, IMEC

Short Courses – Sunday, Dec. 3
Short Courses provide the opportunity to learn about important areas and developments, and provide the opportunity to network with experts from around the world. Advance registration is recommended.

• Performance Boosters and Variation Management in Sub-5nm CMOS, organized by Sandy Liao, Intel
• Merged Memory-Logic Technologies and Their Applications, organized by Kevin Zhang, TSMC

Plenary Presentations – Monday, Dec. 4

• System Scaling Innovation for Intelligent Ubiquitous Computing, Jack Sun, VP of R&D, TSMC
• Driving the Future of High-Performance Computing, Lisa Su, President & CEO, AMD
• Energy-Efficient Computing and Sensing: From Silicon to the Cloud, Adrian Ionescu, Professor, EPFL

Plenary Presentation – Wednesday, Dec. 6

• Development of a Sustainable Smart Society by Transformative Electronics, Hiroshi Amano, Professor, Nagoya University

Evening Panel Session – Tuesday evening, Dec. 5
The IEDM offers attendees an evening session where panels of experts give their views on important industry topics. Audience participation is encouraged to foster an open and vigorous exchange of ideas.

• Who Will Lead the Industry in the Future? Moderator: Prof. Philip Wong, Stanford University

Entrepreneurs Lunch
The topic and speaker are yet to be determined, but this popular luncheon jointly sponsored by IEDM and the IEEE Electron Devices Society will be held once again.

Further information about IEDM
For registration and other information, visit www.ieee-iedm.org.