MCM Chip-to-Chip Interface on Organic Substrate With Real-Time Link Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multi-chip non-monolithic integration techniques are inadequate for low-cost products due to high power consumption and complexity, particularly when interconnecting chips in close proximity, as they require costly interposers or silicon bridges and complex physical layers.
Innovation Solution
A direct chip-to-chip interconnect on an organic package substrate using standard bumps with parallel traces and a half-rate clock, along with bidirectional buffers and out-of-band signaling, allowing for flexible chip orientations and reduced bump count by utilizing time-division duplex/frequency division duplex modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If interposer or silicon bridge technologies are used to interconnect chips, then bump density is significantly increased, but manufacturing cost becomes significant and uncompetitive for lower-cost products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the interposer or silicon bridge component from the chip interconnection system. By directly connecting chips through bumps on an organic substrate without requiring an interposer, the solution removes the source of high manufacturing cost while preserving the bump density benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive interposer/silicon bridge technologies with a cost-effective organic substrate solution. The organic substrate serves as a lower-cost alternative that achieves the same interconnection function without the high manufacturing costs associated with interposer technologies
2Reliability
If interposer or silicon bridge technologies are used to interconnect chips, then chip interconnection is achieved, but additional power consumption is incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the interposer or silicon bridge component that consumes additional power. By enabling direct chip-to-chip connection through the organic substrate, the solution eliminates the intermediate component that would otherwise consume power for signal transmission and buffering
3Length of stationary object
If technologies for interconnection of chips on organic substrates are used for longer distance (e.g., 7 mm), then chip interconnection is achieved, but complexity and power consumption are unnecessary for close proximity applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring the interconnection solution to the specific distance requirements of close-proximity applications. Instead of using complex long-distance interconnection technologies, the solution optimizes for short-distance direct connection, eliminating unnecessary complexity while maintaining effective chip interconnection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by not using complex long-distance interconnection technologies for short-distance applications. Instead of downscaling complex solutions, it employs a simplified direct-connection approach that is inherently suited for close-proximity chip interconnection
Data Source
AI summary
A chip-to-chip interface of a multi-chip module (MCM), including: bidirectional data links for transmitting data signals and a direction indicator bit, wherein the direction indicator bit switches a direction of the bidirectional data links in real-time; a clock link for transmitting a clock signal common to the bidirectional data links, wherein the data and clock links are comprised of conductive traces between the chips and laid out to be of substantially equal length; and a clock driver means having a digitally programmable clock signal delay.