VLSI process integration

It has been predicted that microprocessors will use over 13 million transistors by year 2001 and that by year 2010, over 90 million transistors will he deployed to fabricate semiconductor chips with ever increasing efficiency. It has also been generally accepted that the costs of a wafer fab essentially double for each new generation of microprocessor. In the coming 21st Century, VLSI process integration, in product/research/development and in manufacturing, will need to meet the demands of not only the technology innovations, the reliability and scaling challenges, but also the cost effectiveness of yield, factory workflow and capacity management. Issues addressing these factors, sometimes leading in diametric directions, and the novel solutions, are presented and discussed.