Through-Semiconductor Chip Lines for Reliable Temperature Data Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor systems with stacked chips, delivering temperature information through a single through-semiconductor chip line can lead to collisions and imprecise information due to multiple chips transmitting different data, necessitating a reliable method for multiple lines.
Innovation Solution
The semiconductor apparatus employs multiple through-semiconductor chip lines, where the uppermost chip transfers its information and other chips logically combine and sequentially transfer internal signals through assigned lines, with a controller providing external chip selection codes to manage the process in both normal and scan modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If multiple semiconductor chips deliver temperature information through a single through-semiconductor chip line, then the device complexity is reduced, but information collisions occur and delivery reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the information delivery path into multiple separate through-semiconductor chip lines, with each line dedicated to carrying temperature information from specific chips. This segmentation prevents information collisions by ensuring that each chip's temperature data is transmitted through its own dedicated line, thereby improving delivery reliability without requiring complex multiplexing mechanisms.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple semiconductor chips deliver temperature information simultaneously through the same line, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but information accuracy deteriorates due to collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns dedicated through-semiconductor chip lines to specific chips, creating separate transmission paths that eliminate information collisions. This segmentation approach maintains manufacturing simplicity by using straightforward one-to-one mappings between chips and lines, while ensuring accurate temperature information delivery from each chip without interference from other chips' data.
3Device complexity
If a single through-semiconductor chip line is used for temperature information transfer, then the structure is simplified, but data transmission reliability deteriorates due to collisions among multiple chips
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multiple dedicated through-semiconductor chip lines, each assigned to carry temperature information from a specific chip. This segmentation strategy maintains structural simplicity by using direct point-to-point connections, while simultaneously improving data transmission reliability by eliminating collisions that would occur in a shared single-line configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor apparatus may include a plurality of through-semiconductor chip lines which pass through a plurality of stacked semiconductor chips. An uppermost semiconductor chip among the plurality of stacked semiconductor chips is configured to transfer its internal information signal to an assigned corresponding through-semiconductor chip line, and at least one semiconductor chip other than the uppermost semiconductor chip is configured to logically combine respective internal information signals transferred through through-semiconductor chip lines and their internal information signals and sequentially transfer resultant signals to assigned corresponding through-semiconductor chip lines. The at least one semiconductor chip other than the uppermost semiconductor chip logically combines the internal information signals transferred through the through-semiconductor chip lines from adjoining semiconductor chips and its internal information signals.