NAPERVILLE, Illinois - December 6, 2011
The A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and Tezzaron Semiconductor, a leader in 3D-ICs, have today announced
a research collaboration agreement to develop and exploit advanced Through Silicon Interposer (TSI) technology. The two
organizations will improve and refine the design and manufacture of silicon interposers and work to standardize the
process, flows, and process design kits (PDKs). Initial early production devices are already in development, based on
IME's TSI technology and incorporating 3D-ICs from Tezzaron. Fabrication will be completed in IME's state-of-the-art
300mm R&D Fab.
The resulting TSI technology from the collaboration will form the foundation for the TSI Consortium driven by IME, to
be launched in early 2012. The TSI Consortium aims to optimise TSI technology through functional demonstration of 2.5D
systems for cost effective and performance-driven applications.
IME and Tezzaron have a history of cooperation dating
back to 2001 when IME provided its copper line technologies to Tezzaron
for their wafer stacking endeavors. IME has performed important research
on many aspects of 3D IC technology including Through-Silicon Vias (TSVs),
cooling, interconnects and interposers, while Tezzaron has focused on
designing and building wafer-stacked 3D-ICs in its FaStack® process.
The new research collaboration builds on the strengths of both
organizations.
"This is a strategic partnership aimed at
accelerating the full adoption of 2.5D/3D-IC,"commented Professor
Dim-Lee Kwong, Executive Director of IME. "To build momentum in
customer adoption and technology, IME will launch a TSI Consortium in
early 2012, to facilitate greater cooperation between foundry,
outsourced semiconductor assembly and test providers (OSATs), equipment
vendors and supply chain partners to expedite the integration of the
supply chain. In the near future, we plan to develop TSI technology for
MEMS and silicon photonics to extend the benefits of 3D-IC technology to
a wider range of applications."
"Silicon interposer technology is more than a
bridge technology; it is a vital component for heterogeneous system
integration. Advanced silicon interposers will be an extremely valuable
addition to our 3D-IC offerings," says Robert Patti, CTO of
Tezzaron. "This critical collaboration with a leading research
institute will allow the technology to reach a broader market quickly
and cost effectively."
About 2.5D/3D Integration
In true 3D-IC technology, designers arrange their circuitry across
several layers of silicon that are manufactured separately and then
stacked and tightly integrated into a single chip. The benefits are
enormous, but the design effort is considerable. Interposers, on the
other hand, allow designers to integrate existing chips side-by-side on
an interconnecting surface, analogous to a circuit card but offering a
significant performance advantage. This is generally called
"2.5D" technology as it offers some of the key advantages of
3D technology. Even compared to full 3D, active silicon interposers
offer attractive advantages: they can accommodate very large circuits
that would overwhelm today's 3D capabilities, their larger surface area
dissipates heat more readily, and existing chips can be rapidly
assimilated into the design.
About Institute of Microelectronics (IME)
The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) is a research institute of
the Science and Engineering Research Council of the Agency for Science,
Technology and Research (A*STAR). Positioned to bridge the R&D
between academia and industry, IME's mission is to add value to
Singapore's semiconductor industry by developing strategic competencies,
innovative technologies and intellectual property; enabling enterprises
to be technologically competitive; and cultivating a technology talent
pool to inject new knowledge to the industry. Its key research areas are
in integrated circuits design, advanced packaging, bioelectronics and
medical devices, MEMS, nanoelectronics, and photonics. For more
information, visit IME on the Internet: http://www.ime.a-star.edu.sg.
About Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead
agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a
vibrant knowledge-based and innovation-driven Singapore. A*STAR oversees
14 biomedical sciences, and physical sciences and engineering research
institutes, and seven consortia & centre, which are located in
Biopolis and Fusionopolis, as well as their immediate vicinity. A*STAR
supports Singapore's key economic clusters by providing intellectual,
human and industrial capital to its partners in industry. It also
supports extramural research in the universities, hospitals, research
centres, and with other local and international partners.
About Tezzaron®
Tezzaron® Semiconductor (USA and Singapore) specializes in 3D wafer
stacking and TSV processes, cutting edge memory products, and
wide-ranging collaborations. In 2004 Tezzaron demonstrated the world's
first successful wafer-stacked 3D-ICs with TSV including
microprocessors, sensors, and SRAM devices. Since that time the company
has worked with dozens of customers to create custom 3D-ICs for
prototyping and commercialization. The company has produced extremely
fast memory prototypes and builds memory devices for both standalone and
stacked applications. Information about Tezzaron is available at http://www.tezzaron.com/
# # #
