Exploring compromises among timing, power and temperature in three-dimensional integrated circuits

Three-dimensional integrated circuits (3DICs) have the potential to reduce interconnect lengths and improve digital system performance. However, heat removal is more difficult in 3DICs, and the higher temperatures increase delay and leakage power, potentially negating the performance improvement. Thermal vias can help to remove heat, but they create routing congestion, which also leads to longer interconnects. It is therefore very difficult to tell whether or not a particular system may benefit from 3D integration. In order to help understand this trade-off, physical design experiments were performed on a low-power and a high-performance design in an existing 3DIC technology. Each design was partitioned and routed with varying numbers of tiers and thermal-via densities. A thermal-analysis methodology is developed to predict the final performance. Results show that the lowest energy per operation and delay are achieved with 4 or 5 tiers. These results show a reduction in energy and del...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: DAC
• Authors: Hao Hua, Christopher Mineo, Kory Schoenfliess, Ambarish M. Sule, Samson Melamed, Ravi Jenkal, W. Rhett Davis
• Keywords: DAC 2006, Design Automation, General Terms Performance, Performance Benefit, Temperatures Increase Delay