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Electronic miniaturization is not simply a process of making everything smaller. Miniaturization of one phase of a product usually reveals limitations and obstacles in other parts of the overall design and manufacturing process. So progress often comes in uneven spurts, as advances in a specific technology-semiconductor fab, pc board, power, manufacturing, and packaging-leapfrog other technologies. Developments in several areas other than integrated-circuit dies are proving critical to the continued progress of miniaturization.
In the passive-component area, the introduction of the "0201" (20- by 10-mil) form factor for surface-mounted devices (SMDs) is one example. These near-microscopic components occupy 25% of the pc-board area and less than 20% of the volume of previous 40- by 20-mil parts. A related development is the use of adhesives in place of solder to mount SMDs. In addition, phasing out lead-based solder will have far-reaching effects on all of the electronics industry. Even developments in chip technology produce miniaturizing effects elsewhere. The creation of CMOS IC designs that operate...