On-Chip Antennas for Inter-Chip Wireless Interconnections: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Wireless interconnects have emerged as a solution to the problem of metallic interconnections for both intra and inter-chip communications. Multi GHz bandwidths of millimeter-wave (mm-wave) antennas coupled with appropriate system-level interconnection fabric design enables low power and high-speed communication between multiple many-core chips. In this paper, we discuss the design and transmission characteristics of an mm-wave antenna for multi-chip wireless interconnection systems. We investigate the challenges and opportunities for antenna design in this domain. We present a specific antenna design and its performance in terms of its transmission characteristics for inter-chip communication in a server node. Lastly, we explore the impact of antenna design on system-level design choices pertaining to Medium Access Control (MAC), topology and modulation techniques suitable for multi-chip systems.