December 6, 2011 – JCN Newswire — Singapore’s A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and 3D IC developer Tezzaron Semiconductor signed a research collaboration agreement to develop and exploit advanced through silicon interposer (TSI) technology.
This includes improving and optimizing silicon interposers and creating standardized process, slows, and process design kits (PDKs). In the near term, the partners will look to develop TSI for MEMS and silicon photonics, based on the 3D IC experience.
Early production devices use IME’s TSI technology with 3D ICs from Tezzaron. The team will fabricate devices in IME’s state-of-the-art 300mm R&D fab.
Once a technology is established, IME will drive the TSI Consortium for further optimization and functional demonstrations, to be launched in early 2012. "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," commented Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, executive director of IME.
Silicon interposers — often considered a bridge technology to true 3D IC — are a "vital component for heterogeneous system integration," asserts Robert Patti, CTO of Tezzaron.
Also read: 3D IC needed? Making a case for 2.5D with Xilinx FPGA launch
IME and Tezzaron have cooperated on research since 2001. Tezzaron used IME’s copper line technologies wafer stacking development. IME researches TSVs, 3D IC cooling, vertical interconnects and interposers; Tezzaron focuses on designing and building wafer-stacked 3D-ICs in its FaStack process.
Tezzaron Semiconductor specializes in 3D wafer stacking and TSV processes, cutting-edge memory products, and wide-ranging collaborations. Information about Tezzaron is available at http://www.tezzaron.com/.
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). For more information, visit IME on the Internet: http://www.ime.a-star.edu.sg or go to A*STAR’s website: www.a-star.edu.sg.
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