Through-silicon via

In electronic engineering, a through-silicon via (TSV) is a vertical electrical connection (via) passing completely through a silicon wafer or die. TSVs are a high performance technique used to create 3D packages and 3D integrated circuits, compared to alternatives such as package-on-package, because the density of the vias is substantially higher, and because the length of the connections is shorter.

TSV technology in 3D packages

A 3D package (System in Package, Chip Stack MCM, etc.) contains two or more chips (integrated circuits) stacked vertically so that they occupy less space and/or have greater connectivity. An alternate type of 3D package can be found in IBM's Silicon Carrier Packaging Technology, where ICs are not stacked but a carrier substrate containing TSVs is used to connect multiple ICs together in a package. In most 3D packages, the stacked chips are wired together along their edges; this edge wiring slightly increases the length and width of the package and usually requires an extra “interposer” layer between the chips. In some new 3D packages, through-silicon vias replace edge wiring by creating vertical connections through the body of the chips. The resulting package has no added length or width. Because no interposer is required, a TSV 3D package can also be flatter than an edge-wired 3D package. This TSV technique is sometimes also referred to as TSS (Through-Silicon Stacking or Thru-Silicon Stacking).

TSV technology in 3D ICs

A 3D integrated circuit (3D IC) is a single integrated circuit built by stacking silicon wafers and/or dies and interconnecting them vertically so that they behave as a single device. By using TSV technology, 3D ICs can pack a great deal of functionality into a small “footprint.” The different dice in the stack may be heterogeneous, e.g. combining CMOS logic, DRAM and III-V materials into a single IC. In addition, critical electrical paths through the device can be drastically shortened, leading to faster operation.

List of Relevant Patents

1. U.S. Patent No. 7,683,459
2. U.S. Patent No. 7,633,165

References

• http://realworldtech.com/page.cfm?ArticleID=RWT050207213241
• http://www.appliedmaterials.com/technologies/library/producer-avila-pecvd
• http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/appliedmaterials/permalink/?dmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100712005576&newsLang=en
• http://www.google.com/patents/US7683459
• http://www.google.com/patents/US7633165