RF-TSV design, modeling and application for 3D multi-core computer systems

Abstract

The state-of-the-art multi-core computer systems are based on Very Large Scale three Dimensional (3D) Integrated circuits (VLSI). In order to provide high-speed vertical data transmission in such 3D systems, efficient Through-Silicon Via (TSV) technology is critically important. In this paper, various Radio Frequency (RF) TSV designs and models are proposed. Specifically, the Cu-plug TSV with surrounding ground TSVs is used as the baseline structure. For further improvement, the dielectric coaxial and novel air-gap coaxial TSVs are introduced. Using the empirical parameters of these coaxial TSVs, the simulation results are obtained demonstrating that these coaxial RF-TSVs can provide two-order higher of cut-off frequencies than the Cu-plug TSVs. Based on these new RF-TSV technologies, we propose a novel 3D multi-core computer system as well as new architectures for manipulating the interfaces between RF and baseband circuit. Taking into consideration the scaling down of IC manufacture technologies, predictions for the performance of future generations of circuits are made. With simulation results indicating energy per bit and area per bit being reduced by 7% and 11% respectively, we can conclude that the proposed method is a worthwhile guideline for the design of future multi-core computer ICs.