Milestone-Proposal talk:Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS super integrated technology

Evaluation from Dr. Jay Baliga -- E.tejera (talk) 13:42, 15 July 2020 (UTC)

1) Is the suggested wording of the Plaque Citation accurate? Yes, the wording properly describes the milestone.

2) Is the evidence presented in the proposal of sufficient substance and accuracy to support the Citation? The proposers have provided very detailed and extensive description of the milestone technology. Many companies were exploring smart power etchnology during the 1982-1985 time frame. It was generally understood that this required integration of Power devices with CMOS control circuits and Bipolar analog circuits for other functions. The work at ST Microelectronics on the BCD technology was the one of most successful efforts in the world and led to numerous application specific chips as products. They had a major impact on many domians such as automotive electronics as discussed in the milestone application.

3) Does the proposed milestone represent a significant technical achievement? The proposed milestone is a significant technical achievement worthy of recongnition. The technology has had a major impact on power management and enabled industrial, consumer and transportation sector advances that have benefited milions of consumers.

Evaluation from Dr. Gehan Amaratunga -- E.tejera (talk) 13:21, 17 July 2020 (UTC)

I enthusiastically recommend the proposal for having the development of BCD (Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS) technology being recorded as a milestone development in electrical engineering by the IEEE. It revolutionised IC technology to allow integration of signal processing information/decision electronics with physical system actuation electronics. It is the origin of what has developed into high voltage and power integrated circuits and now ubiquitous in nearly all energy control and management systems.

Dr. Gehan Amaratunga

Evaluation from Dr. Johnny Sin -- E.tejera (talk) 23:10, 19 July 2020 (UTC)

1) Is the suggested wording of the Plaque Citation accurate?

2) Is the evidence presented in the proposal of sufficient substance and accuracy to support the Citation?

3) Does the proposed milestone represent a significant technical achievement?

1) Yes, the wording of the citation is appropriate.

2) Yes, ST Microelectronics was the company doing all the pioneering work on the BCD technology. They have put in the most extensive amount of effort to the development of the technology for decades compared to all other companies. BCD technology is now being used popularly in the industrial, and it is a generic term that also reflects the image of ST Microelectronics.

3) Yes, BCD technologies have had numerous applications in the areas of power management, power control, and energy conversion. It is critically affecting daily lives of millions of people in terms of energy saving and environmentally friendly. Therefore, the technical achievement is significant.

Cheers

Johnny Sin

question on citation wording -- Amy Bix (talk) 19:51, 23 July 2020 (UTC)

Is the last phrase in the citation, "selling more than 30B devices to date" problematic, given that this plaque will be in place for many years? Also, in formal writing, the abbreviation 30B should be spelled out.

Merits a Milestone but citation could be better -- John Vardalas (talk) 18:45, 24 July 2020 (UTC)

The proposal and the external reviewers all support the importance of BCD technology. The achievement merits a Milestone. I will support it, but it seems to me that his citation could be improved. The citation does not make it clear enough, at least to the general public, that BCD is an important technical achievement with significant benefits to humanity.

Unless one is technically conversant in the subject, the opening sentence "In 1985, the super-integrated silicon-gate process combining Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS in a single chip for complex power-demanding applications was introduced by STMicroelectronics", does not on its own suggest a significant achievement. Perhaps the introduction of words like "breakthrough", or "pioneering" could reinforce this message to the reader of the plaque. Furthermore, the last sentence should better explain the new possibilities that BCD technology introduced into the automotive, computer, and consumer sectors.

Reply to Amy Bix and John Vardalas -- Danilopau (talk) 15:17, 1 August 2020 (UTC)

Dear Amy, John

Thanks so much for your comments which are highly appreciated

I took into account your thoughts and proposed following text

Title of the proposed milestone: Silicon-Gate Process Combining Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS (BCD) in a Single Chip, 1985

Plaque citation summarizing the achievement and its significance: In 1985, the super-integrated silicon-gate process combining Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS (BCD) in single chips for complex power-demanding applications was pioneered by STMicroelectronics. The first integrated circuit using this process was capable to control up to 60V-5A at 300 kHz. This process technology has been extensively used in automotive, computer, and consumer applications and enabled chip designers to freely combine power, analog and signal processing.

Hope it addresses your feedbacks

Thanks so much and Kind regards Danilo Pau

Re: Reply to Amy Bix and John Vardalas -- Jason.k.hui (talk) 15:04, 2 August 2020 (UTC)

At the time BCD was developed, the company was called SGS Microelectronics, which later merged with Thomson in 1987 to form SGS THOMSON Microelectronics. In 1998, it was renamed STMicroelectronics. Should the original company be added in the citation (i.e., "was pioneered by SGS Microelectronics, now STMicroelectronics")? In the second sentence, add a comma between "complex" and "power-demanding." Since the acronym BCD has been defined in the milestone title, does the first sentence need "Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS" to be repeated?

Re: Re: Reply to Amy Bix and John Vardalas -- Danilopau (talk) 18:44, 3 August 2020 (UTC)

Dear Jason

thanks for your comments which are highly appreciated

Does this revised text, built from my previous reply somehow match your comments ?

In 1985, the super-integrated silicon-gate process combining BCD in single chips for complex, power-demanding applications was pioneered by SGS Microelettronica (now STMicroelectronics). The first integrated circuit using this process, L6202, was capable to control up to 60V-5A at 300 kHz. This process technology has been extensively used in automotive, computer, and consumer applications and enabled chip designers to freely combine power, analog and signal processing.

Thanks and kindest regards Danilo Pau

Re: Re: Re: Reply to Amy Bix and John Vardalas -- John Vardalas (talk) 22:43, 3 August 2020 (UTC)

Yes, this citation addresses to my comments.

Re: Re: Re: Reply to Amy Bix and John Vardalas -- Amy Bix (talk) 18:50, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

Possible recommendations:

sentence 1 - can save a couple words and improve grammatically by avoiding passive voice:

In 1985, SGS Microelettronica (now STMicroelectronics) pioneered the super-integrated silicon-gate process combining BCD in single chips for complex, power-demanding applications.

Also, Jason's note seemed to say that the original name was SGS Microelectronics? if so, shouldn't this read:

In 1985, SGS Microelectronics (now STMicroelectronics) pioneered the super-integrated silicon-gate process combining BCD in single chips for complex, power-demanding applications.

or is SGS Microelettronica the proper original Italian name?

sentence 2 - small rewording:

The first integrated circuit using this process, L6202, was capable of controlling up to 60V-5A at 300 kHz.

sentence 3 - again revise to avoid passive voice? (I can live with the split infinitive...)

Subsequent automotive, computer, and consumer applications extensively adopted this process technology, which enabled chip designers to freely combine power, analog and signal processing.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Reply to Amy Bix and John Vardalas -- Danilopau (talk) 20:52, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

Replace this text with your reply

Dear Amy

thanks for your efforts to improve the citation. In 80's the company was widely known as SGS, formally SGS Microelectronica (italian word of Microelectronics). May be we could just refer it as SGS since name as such also in datasheet in reference ? If so then citation accordingly to your revision would become:

In 1985, SGS (now STMicroelectronics) pioneered the super-integrated silicon-gate process combining BCD in single chips for complex, power-demanding applications. The first integrated circuit using this process, L6202, was capable of controlling up to 60V-5A at 300 kHz. Subsequent automotive, computer, and consumer applications extensively adopted this process technology, which enabled chip designers to freely combine power, analog and signal processing.

Please do not hesitate to propose further improvements

Thanks and kind regards Danilo Pau

=Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Reply to Amy Bix and John Vardalas -- Danilopau (talk) 06:45, 5 August 2020 (UTC)=

Replace this text with your reply

Dear History team

I took the initiative to change consumer word into industrial and replace freely word with flexibly and adding also reliably to better precise the new possibilities offered. I also put named before L6202, right after The first integrated circuit. I propose the citation to be

In 1985, SGS (now STMicroelectronics) pioneered the super-integrated silicon-gate process combining BCD in single chips for complex, power-demanding applications. The first integrated circuit, named L6202, using BCD process was capable of controlling up to 60V-5A at 300 kHz. Subsequent automotive, computer, and industrial applications extensively adopted this process technology, which enabled chip designers to flexibly and reliably combine power, analog and signal processing.

Thanks for your consideration Kind regards Danilo Pau

Title of the citation is much too esoteric -- Juan Carlos (talk) 14:43, 5 August 2020 (UTC)

After reading the proposed citation I wondered what had Binary Coded Decimals (BCD) to do with multi-technology chips. This was only clarified after finding the tittle of the Milestone. [sometimes the comments and discussions tend to refer to the text of the citation and forget the tittle, which is a fundamental part]

My son has a Doctorate in Microelectronics and confirmed he is designing in this kind of technologies but did not identify the acronym. I think the content of the tittle belongs in the text of the citation, because is much too esoteric for the general public.

“Silicon-Gate Process Combining Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS (BCD) in a Single Chip, 1985 “

How about something like ”Multiple Silicon Technologies on a chip”

the description of the technology of the achievement belongs in the text of the citation.

Re: Title of the citation is much too esoteric -- Danilopau (talk) 15:26, 5 August 2020 (UTC)

Replace this text with your reply

Dear Juan Carlos

thanks so much for your elaboration. While I remain fully open to history team proposal and recommendation, if I could comment gently, may be ”Multiple Silicon Technologies on a chip” may seems a bit generic with respect to the specific words we put together in the title. Furthermore it would require BCD to be expanded in the citation since acronym is defined in the title. Currently citation is 63 words and if I would add Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS the count would go to 67 passing the 65 limits for example

Title of the proposed milestone: Multiple Silicon Technologies on a chip

Plaque citation summarizing the achievement and its significance (67 words):

In 1985, SGS (now STMicroelectronics) pioneered the super-integrated silicon-gate process combining Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS (BCD) transistors and diodes in single chips for complex, power-demanding applications. The first integrated circuit, named L6202, was capable of controlling up to 60V-5A at 300 kHz. Subsequent automotive, computer, and industrial applications extensively adopted this process technology, which enabled chip designers to flexibly and reliably combine power, analog and signal processing.

If I remove (and diodes) then I get 65 words:

In 1985, SGS (now STMicroelectronics) pioneered the super-integrated silicon-gate process combining Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS (BCD) transistors in single chips for complex, power-demanding applications. The first integrated circuit, named L6202, was capable of controlling up to 60V-5A at 300 kHz. Subsequent automotive, computer, and industrial applications extensively adopted this process technology, which enabled chip designers to flexibly and reliably combine power, analog and signal processing.

With latter formulation and proposed title by Juan Carlos, I updated both title and citation in the main page

Hope it helps Thanks so much and kind regards Danilo

Re: Re: Title of the citation is much too esoteric -- Danilopau (talk) 05:55, 6 August 2020 (UTC)

please note that current version (after Juan Carlos revision) is

Title of the proposed milestone:

Multiple Silicon Technologies on a chip

Plaque citation summarizing the achievement and its significance:

In 1985, SGS (now STMicroelectronics) pioneered the super-integrated silicon-gate process combining Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS (BCD) transistors in single chips for complex, power-demanding applications. The first integrated circuit, named L6202, was capable of controlling up to 60V-5A at 300 kHz. Subsequent automotive, computer, and industrial applications extensively adopted this process technology, which enabled chip designers to flexibly and reliably combine power, analog and signal processing.

thanks and kind regards Danilo