Interlayer communications for 3D integrated circuit stack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9263422-B2
Application number	US-201514599245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2015
Priority date	Sep 30, 2011
Publication date	Feb 16, 2016
Grant date	Feb 16, 2016

Abstract

Some embodiments provide capacitive AC coupling inter-layer communications for 3D stacked modules.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
at least two integrated circuit (IC) layers including a core logic layer and one or more memory layers of different technologies; and
a bus to communicatively link the at least two IC layers to each other, the bus including one or more interconnects connected through the at least two IC layers, wherein each layer includes at least one bus interface coupled to the one or more interconnects through coupling capacitors.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bus interfaces for the at least two IC layers are biased at different Direct Current (DC) levels.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the bus interfaces comprise transmitters and receivers coupled through the coupling capacitors to the one or more interconnects.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the coupling capacitors have capacitances less than capacitances of the one or more interconnects, wherein each layer has a receiver and a transmitter, and wherein Alternating Current (AC) signal swings seen by the receiver are divided down from swing levels transmitted by the transmitter.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the coupling capacitors are implemented with on-die metal capacitances.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the coupling capacitors are implemented with Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) capacitors.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the coupling capacitors are implemented with capacitors implemented using two adjacent Through-Silicon-Vias (TSVs).

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the coupling capacitors are implemented with capacitors implemented in redistribution layers.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the coupling capacitors are implemented with electrodes coaxially disposed with Through-Silicon-Vias (TSVs).

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the coupling capacitors are implemented as inter-die capacitors.

11. A system comprising:
a multi-die integrated circuit (IC) stack including:
a first die having a processor core;
a second die having a memory; and
a bus to communicatively link the first and second dies, wherein the first die includes at least one bus interface coupled to one or more interconnects of the bus through a coupling capacitor; and

a wireless interface coupled to the multi-die IC stack to allow the multi-die IC stack to communicate with another device.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor core and the memory are of different technologies.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the memory is one of:
a Phase Change Memory (PCM);
a Flash Memory;
a Embedded Dynamic Random Access Memory (eDRAM);
a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM); or
a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM).

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the bus interface of the first die is biased at a different Direct Current (DC) level than at least one bus interface of the second die.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the bus interface comprises a transmitter and a receiver coupled through the coupling capacitor to the one or more interconnects.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein Alternating Current (AC) signal swing seen by the receiver is divided down from swing level transmitted by an associated transmitter.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the coupling capacitor has capacitance less than capacitance of the one or more interconnects.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the coupling capacitor is an AC coupling capacitor.

19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the coupling capacitor is implemented with at least one of:
a on-die metal capacitance;
a Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) capacitor;
a inter-die capacitor; or
an electrode coaxially disposed with a Through-Silicon-Via (TSV).

20. The system of claim 11 , wherein the coupling capacitor is implemented with a capacitor implemented in a redistribution layer.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Droege Guido
• Linkewitsch Niklas
• Schaefer Andre

Classifications

• H10W90/722

  between stacked chips · CPC title

• H10W90/297

  characterised by the through-semiconductor vias [TSVs] in the stacked chips · CPC title

• H10W44/212

  Coaxial feed-throughs in substrates · CPC title

• H10W44/601

  Capacitive arrangements (H10W44/20 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H10W20/496

  Capacitor integral with wiring layers · CPC title