Advanced Research in VLSI focuses on basic research, primarily involving interdisciplinary work in semiconductor physics, computer science, and electrical engineering that is giving rise to exciting new systems that have greatly increased functionality.Examples are systems that integrate sensors and logic circuitry to perform a function that might be called "perception"; systems that compute in novel and interesting ways to solve otherwise unsolveable problems; systems that interact and communicate with humans in more natural and efficient ways through the integration of logic circuitry and sensory stimulators; and systems that are adaptive to their environment in either physical or functional ways. "New Technologies for New Architectures" is the theme that binds these forays into interdisciplinary design, aptly expressed in chapters covering innovative approaches to design, manufacture, and testing.
