August 4, 2014
Fairchild NC7SZ57 - universal 2-input gate : weekend die-shot
Fairchild NC7SZ57 (and 58) - are universal 2-input shmitt gates, which let us implement various 2-input logic functions by wiring pins in different ways.Die size 416x362 µm, which is the smallest among microchips we've seen.
Comparing to 1-gate NAND2 Ti SN74AHC1G00 - die area here is 1/3 smaller because area below pads is not wasted and used for IO transistors and wiring. It is unclear though how they achieved decent yields (as things there might get damaged during wire bonding) - we can only tell that insulation before last metal is much thicker than usual.
Drop us a message if you have experience or knowledge on getting high-yield logic under pads - this is something we would be interested to have in our own product.