Vertical On-Chip Coaxial Cable for Uniform Impedance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional on-chip coaxial cables have geometrical limitations, such as non-uniform distance between the outer shielding conductor and the signal line, and are restricted to rectangular prism or cube shapes, which limit their performance and flexibility in semiconductor chip designs.
Innovation Solution
A high-performance on-chip vertical coaxial cable structure with an inner conductor and an outer conductor, both composed of multiple metal layers formed on different wiring levels and interconnected by conductors, oriented perpendicular to the semiconductor substrate, allowing for varied shapes and improved RF performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional on-chip coaxial cable is arranged horizontally within metal layers, then the structure is simple to manufacture, but the distance between outer conductor and signal line is non-uniform and limited by metal technology
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional horizontal planar arrangement to a vertical three-dimensional structure. The inner and outer conductors are stacked vertically across multiple metal layers and interconnected by conductive vias, creating a vertical coaxial cable that achieves uniform distance between conductors while utilizing the third dimension (vertical stacking) to overcome planar layout limitations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional on-chip coaxial cable uses horizontal planar arrangement, then the manufacturing process is straightforward, but the cable shape is limited to rectangular prism or cube
Solution Approach 1:
By moving to vertical stacking across multiple metal layers, the patent enables greater shape flexibility and adaptability. The vertical configuration allows the coaxial cable to be integrated into three-dimensional chip architectures and accommodate various routing requirements that cannot be achieved with horizontal planar arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical coaxial cable is segmented into multiple metal layers with conductive vias connecting them. This segmentation allows the cable to be constructed using standard semiconductor manufacturing processes while achieving complex three-dimensional geometries and improved adaptability to different chip layouts.
3Reliability
If vertical coaxial cable uses multiple metal layers interconnected by conductors, then RF performance and characteristic impedance uniformity are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical stacking approach concentrates the multi-layer complexity in the vertical dimension while maintaining cleaner horizontal routing. This dimensional reorganization improves RF performance by achieving uniform characteristic impedance through precise vertical spacing, while the horizontal plane remains simpler for signal routing and integration.
Data Source
AI summary
A high performance on-chip vertical coaxial cable structure, method of manufacturing and design structure thereof is provided. The coaxial cable structure includes an inner conductor and an insulating material that coaxially surrounds the inner conductor. The structure further includes an outer conductor which surrounds the insulating material. Both the inner and outer conductors comprise a plurality of metal layers formed on different wiring levels and interconnected between the different wiring levels by conductors. The coaxial cable structure is formed upon a surface of a semiconductor substrate and is oriented in substantially perpendicular alignment with the surface.