There are two major mainstream semiconductor technologies, i.e., logic IC technology based on MOSFET which made the low power IC possible and nonvolatile memories such as Flash, the core of a USB, originating from the invention of floating gate concept to the end-product of solid-state disk. In the past 6 decades, many efforts have then been made to create their wide applications in CPU, PC, cellphone, solid-state storage, mobile electronics, IoT, AI, and hardware security etc. These rely on various innovations and the advancement of semiconductor Technology in various generations.
In this talk, we will introduce from the inception of MOSFET and the concept of floating gate to the current status of modern IC industries. The foundations of these early ideas of semiconductor devices will be discussed. Then, we will share with you several important researches in both transistors and memories, especially why ultra-low power is important to a logic IC and why high density memory needs to be developed, and how to achieve them. Finally, some of the major developments in 3D architecture, the applications to IoT, AI, network security will be demonstrated with examples.