US-Taiwan Planning VIsits: Novel Sensor Designs for Three-Dimensional Integrated Circuits

这项CNIC提案的目标是促进密苏里科技大学(美国)和工业技术研究院(台湾)之间的国际合作。研究工作的重点是设计测试芯片和硅测量，以初步展示用于三维集成电路(3D IC)的两种新型传感器设计的有效性：温度-应力共传感器和裂纹传感器。前者基于温度和应力之间的相互作用，通过自校准避免了传统的耗时的传感器校准过程，是同类产品中的第一种。后者是第一个基于单一直流电压测量来检测裂纹的同类设备，它不需要传统的X射线或其他光学成像设备。这两个传感器都很小，可以进行大规模的芯片部署。3D IC已经可以在低功耗嵌入式领域使用。此外，预计低功耗手持设备将在2013-2014年将这项技术商业化。这项技术也引起了高性能计算领域的极大兴趣。此外，3D IC行业正在积极参与研究和开发活动，以确定和克服制造挑战。然而，对于哪些设计和硅后技术可以用来提高3D IC的热机械可靠性以及需要哪些技术，人们知之甚少。这项合作研究工作将开启一个新的研究方向，以填补一个关键的空白，这一空白正在推迟3D IC技术的主流接受。此外，拟议中的活动将使相关研究生接触到国际研究经验；它们将使与工研院的长期稳定合作成为可能；它们将通过网络研讨会为美国学生提供丰富的台湾-S半导体行业的IC设计知识。该CNIC奖由国际和综合活动办公室国际科学与工程(ISE)部门资助，通信、电路和传感系统(ENG/CCSS)联合资助。

The goal of this CNIC proposal is to catalyze an international collaboration between Missouri University of Science and Technology (USA) and Industrial Technology Research Institute (Taiwan). The focus of the research effort is to design test chips along with silicon measurements to preliminarily demonstrate the efficacy of two novel sensor designs for three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D ICs): a temperature-stress co-sensor and a crack sensor. The former is the first-of-its-kind that avoids the conventional time-consuming sensor calibration process by self-calibrating based on the reciprocity between temperature and stress. The latter is the first-of-its-kind that detects cracks based on a single DC voltage measurement, which eliminates the need of conventional X-ray or other optical imaging equipment. Both sensors are small in size, which allows for massive on-chip deployment. 3D ICs are already available in the low-power embedded domain. In addition, low-power hand-held devices are expected to commercialize this technology in 2013-2014. There is also a significant interest from the high-performance computing domain on this technology. Moreover, the 3D IC industry is actively engaged in research and development activities to identify and overcome manufacturing challenges. However, little is known on what design and post-silicon technologies are available and required to improve thermo-mechanical reliability of 3D ICs. This collaborative research effort will initiate a new research direction to fill a critical gap that is delaying the mainstream acceptance of 3D IC technology. In addition, the proposed activities will expose the associated graduate student to international research experience; they will enable a solid long-term collaboration with ITRI; and they will provide US students with rich IC design knowledge from Taiwan?s semiconductor industry through webinars. This CNIC award is funded by the International Science and Engineering (ISE) section of the Office of International and Integrative Activities, with co-funding from the Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems (ENG/CCSS).