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Semiconductor Insights Recognizes Sony for SoC InnovationsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SAN FRANCISCO, California February 18, 2004 — Semiconductor Insights (SI), the leader in technology and patent analyses of integrated circuits and structures, today announced the latest results of its continuing investigation of the Sony PlayStation PSX, including the Emotion Engine + Graphics Synthesizer (EE+GS) chip. "Our initial announcement regarding Sony's EE+GS chip generated a lot of interest in this device", said Dr. Doug Smeaton, President and CEO of Semiconductor Insights. "However, much of the early attention was focused on gate length. Overlooked in the discussion was the significant achievement of integrating the sophisticated logic of their Emotion Engine and the embedded memory and graphics processing functions of their Graphic Synthesizer onto a single chip." SI's preliminary analysis included a minimum physical gate length measurement of 65nm, which has since been confirmed as correct by sources at Sony. SI's subsequent analyses reveal a very judicious trade-off between performance and manufacturability. The design required only five levels of copper metallization, although the process is reportedly capable of eleven. Low-k, carbon doped dielectric is used, but only as needed, with fluorinated glass and undoped oxide used elsewhere to ensure reliability. The 32M of embedded DRAM are augmented by an additional 2M for redundancy, ensuring a high yield design. Considerable effort appears to have been expended in shrinking the Graphics Synthesizer portion of the design, resulting in an approximately 50% area reduction over the previous generation. "This is a solid design, striking a good balance between cost and performance", said Dr. Smeaton. "We are pleased that SI's ongoing high level of investment in proprietary tools and sophisticated laboratory resources enables us to accurately analyze even the most advanced chips", said Dr. Smeaton. "With positive confirmation of our initial results by Sony, we are continuing our investigation." For additional details on the Sony PlayStation PSX, Intel Prescott, other 90nm devices, strained silicon, low-k, and/or related analysis available from Semiconductor Insights, please visit www.semiconductor.com. About Semiconductor Insights — A Division of UBM Related Links
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