Process variations and probabilistic integrated circuit design. Introduction

During the last years, the field of microelectronics has been moving to nanoelectronics. This development provides opportunities for new products and applications. However, development is no longer possible by simply downscaling technical parameters as used in the past. Approaching the physical and technological limits of electronic devices, new effects appear and have to be considered in the design process. Due to the extreme miniaturization in microelectronics, even small variations in the manufacturing process may lead to parameter variations which can make a circuit unusable. A new aspect for digital designers is the occurrence of essential variations not only from die to die but also within a die. Therefore, inter-die and intra-die variations have to be taken into account not only in the design of analog circuits as already done, but also in the digital design process.