2003 IEEE Non-Volatile Semiconductor Memory Workshop (NVSMW)

 

Monterey Peninsula Region

The 2003 IEEE Non-Volatile Semiconductor Memory Workshop (NVSMW) will be held February 16 - 20, 2003 in Monterey, California. The workshop is sponsored by the IEEE Electron Devices Society. NVSMW is a unique forum for both specialists in all aspects of nonvolatile memory microelectronics and novices wanting to gain a broader understanding of the field. Attendees represent professional and academic researchers involved with semiconductor non-volatile memory development and production along with end users of memory products. Principal topics for discussion at NVSMW are: device physics; silicon processing; product testing; new technologies, including multi-level-cell approaches; programmable logic; memory cell design; integrated circuits; solid state disks and memory cards; memory reliability; and new applications.

An important goal of NVSMW is to provide an informal environment to encourage discussions among participants and lively interactions. There will be morning and afternoon technical sessions, along with a lively evening panel discussion on a hot topic in the nonvolatile memory field. Technical interaction among presenters and attendees is encouraged through question and answer sessions and allotting ample time after the formal paper presentations for further in-depth discussions. Organized breaks, including snacks and the workshop dinner and lunch are provided as opportunities to meet and exchange ideas with colleagues. Breakfasts are also provided. The morning and afternoon technical sessions are organized in a manner to provide ample time for the informal exchange and to enjoy the beauty of the Monterey peninsula region of California.

This year will be the 19th meeting of NVSMW. The workshop is held every 18 months, alternating between February and August. The February meeting is usually held the week after ISSCC and the August meeting in the early weeks of the month. The 2003 meeting will be held in the third week of February - the week after ISSCC. Early workshops alternated between Monterey, California for the February meeting and Vail, Colorado for the August meeting. The Vail venue was dropped a number of years ago, to facilitate attendance and travel from the nearby Silicon Valley. For many years, the attendance for the workshop was around 100. In recent years, however, the attendance has grown considerably, reflecting the large growth in the nonvolatile memory market, particularly flash memory and embedded memory on logic cores, with the attendance at the last several workshops being well in excess of 200. In order to maintain the workshop atmosphere of the forum, the maximum attendance is limited to 300. Therefore, advance registration is highly recommended. NVSMW is attended by a wide international community from North America, Europe, Japan and other Asian countries. The past several workshops have had featured sessions to address the growth of segments of the memory market.

The last workshop, in 2001, featured the keynote speech presented by Alan Niebel of Web-Feet Research, Inc. on the impact of the Flash and other emerging nonvolatile memory technologies on market for the next five years. There were two invited papers. One of the invited papers by Dr. Stewart Parkin of IBM discussed high performance magnetic random access memory using magnetic tunnel junction storage elements. Another invited paper by Dr. Loren Lancaster of Cypress discussed the re-emergence of SONOS memory for embedded applications. There were two panel discussions. One was on Multi Bit Storage, moderated by Dr. John Caywood of SubMicron Circuits, to discuss the challenges of and solutions to multi-bit storage. The second was on Alternative Non-Volatile Memory Technologies, moderated by Dr. Jan Van Houdt of IMEC, to compare and contrast the various emerging NVM Technologies including FeRAM, MRAM, Nano Crystals, NROM, and SONOS. In addition, there were paper sessions on Circuit and Product Design, Process Technology, Alternative Memory Technologies, Device Technology, and Device Reliability.

For this year's workshop, the deadline for submitting abstracts to the Technical Chairman is October 25, 2002. Electronic submission of the abstract using either Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat is highly encouraged. Proceedings consisting of bound copies of all abstracts will be handed out to attendees at the conference, along with a list of attendees and their phone numbers and e-mail addresses to allow future contact of workshop colleagues. It is anticipated that the format of the 2003 workshop will be similar to that of the past year's, with an expected 30-40 technical paper presentations. The last workshop consisted of six technical sessions over a three day period. The workshop opened with a Sunday evening registration reception, consisting of drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Breakfast opened each day, while a workshop reception dinner and evening panel discussion closed out Tuesday evening. The workshop formally closed on Wednesday afternoon. Breakfast was also provided on Thursday morning, for those remaining in the Monterey area.

The 2003 NVSMW will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Monterey, California. The hotel is conveniently situated in the Monterey peninsula and allows easy access to many sights. Among favorite destinations are: the famous Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, The Monterey Bay Aquarium, 17-Mile Drive, nearby Carmel and the many tranquil sights of natural beauty of the Monterey coastline and the fine dining experiences of the area. The Hyatt Regency is located at: One Old Golf Course Road, Monterey, California. The hotel can be reached by TEL: (831) 372-1234.

For registration information and general inquiries about NVSMW, please contact any of the workshop chairmen. General Chairman: Krishna Parat, M/S RN3-01, Intel, 2200 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA, Phone: (408) 765-9381, Fax: (408) 765-5775, E-mail: Krishna.Parat@intel.com; Technical Chairman: Kelly Baker, Motorola, Inc., Mail Drop OE341, 6501 William Cannon Dr. West, Austin, TX 78735, USA, Phone: (512)-895-8335, Fax: (512)-895-2722, E-mail: Kelly.baker@motorola.com; Finance Chairman: Dr. John Caywood, Consultant, 1410 Wright Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94087, USA, Phone: 408-733-6921, Fax: 408-733-1813, E-mail: john@caywood.com.

You can also visit the NVSMW web site for up-to-date information at: http://ewh.ieee.org/soc/eds/nvsmw.

Krishna Parat
NVSMW Chairman
Intel Corporation
Santa Clara, CA, USA