Editing MOSIS

{{Short description|Semiconductor manufacturer}}
{{distinguish|Moses}}

'''MOSIS''' (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Implementation Service) is [[multi-project wafer service]] that provides [[metal–oxide–semiconductor]] (MOS) [[Integrated circuit|chip]] design tools and related services that enable universities, government agencies, research institutes and businesses to prototype chips efficiently and cost-effectively.

Operated by the [[Information Sciences Institute|University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute (ISI)]], MOSIS combines customers' orders onto shared multi-project [[Wafer (electronics)|wafers]] that speed production and reduce costs compared with underutilized single-project wafers. Customers are able to debug and adjust designs, or to commission small-volume runs, without making major production investments. Fabrication costs are also shared by combining multiple designs from a single customer onto one "[[Photomask|mask]] set," or wafer template. According to MOSIS, the service has delivered more than 60,000 [[integrated circuit]] designs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mosis.com/what-is-mosis|title = MOSIS}}</ref>

Funded by DARPA,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The MOSIS Service of ISI and SkyWater Collaborate on Silicon IC Design Enablement and Manufacturing Service |url=https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2022/11/the-mosis-service-of-the-usc-information-sciences-institute-and-skywater-collaborate-on-silicon-ic-design-enablement-and-manufacturing-service/ |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=USC Viterbi {{!}} School of Engineering |language=en-US}}</ref> MOSIS was created in 1981 by ISI's [[Danny Cohen (engineer)|Danny Cohen]], an Internet pioneer who also developed [[Network Voice Protocol|Voice over Internet Protocol]] and Video over Internet Protocol.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/11/he-engineered-the-internet-to-take-flight/|title=Danny Cohen Engineered the Internet to Take Flight|magazine=Wired}}</ref> It was based on the [[Mead-Conway VLSI chip design revolution|revolutionary VLSI design methodology]] of [[Carver Mead]] and [[Lynn Conway]], who pioneered and/or popularized the use of technology-independent design rules and modular cell-based, hierarchical system design, testing this new approach to rapid prototyping and short-run fabrication at [[PARC (company)|Xerox PARC]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lynn's Story|url=http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/LynnsStory.html|accessdate=2018-03-10}}</ref> One of the first e-commerce providers, MOSIS also launched the "fabless foundry" industry, in which vendors outsource [[integrated circuit|chip]] [[semiconductor device fabrication|fabrication]] rather than manufacturing them in-house.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.isi.edu/about/history/timeline/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126032923/http://www.isi.edu/about/history/timeline/ |archive-date=2013-11-26 |title=Information Sciences Institute - Timeline}}</ref> Thousands of students also have learned chip design in MOSIS-associate programs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://viterbi.usc.edu/news/publications/uscengineer/2005_fall/mosis_turns_25.htm/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901114938/http://viterbi.usc.edu/news/publications/uscengineer/2005_fall/mosis_turns_25.htm |archive-date=2006-09-01 |title=USC Viterbi School of Engineering : MOSIS Turns 25}}</ref>

Many early MOSIS users were students trying IC layout techniques from the seminal book  ''Introduction to VLSI Design'' ({{ISBN|0-201-04358-0}}) published in 1980 by [[Caltech]] professor [[Carver Mead]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Winners' Circle: Carver Mead |date= |accessdate=2005-04-28 |url=http://web.mit.edu/invent/a-winners/a-mead.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305150838/http://web.mit.edu/invent/a-winners/a-mead.html |archive-date=2014-03-05}}<!--dated 1996?--></ref> and [[MIT]] professor [[Lynn Conway]].<ref>{{cite web|title=M.I.T. VLSI Systems Design Class|accessdate=2018-03-10|url=http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/VLSI/MIT78/MIT78.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=IEEE History Center - Lynn Conway |date=2003-01-02 |accessdate=2004-05-18 |url=http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/conway.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618183746/http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/conway.html |archive-date=2006-06-18}}</ref> Some early [[reduced instruction set computing]] (RISC) processors such as [[MIPS Technologies|MIPS]] (1984) and [[SPARC]] (1987) were run through MOSIS during their early design and testing phases.

== See also ==
* [[Mead and Conway revolution]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://themosisservice.com/ MOSIS web site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050216045436/http://www.foveon.com/about_executive.html foveon.com - Foveon - Executive Profiles] (archived from 2005)

[[Category:Integrated circuits]]
[[Category:Semiconductor device fabrication]]