Three-dimensional Integrated Circuit Design

Chapter 9. 3-D Circuit Architectures

Technological, physical, and thermal design methodologies have been presented in the previous chapters. The architectural implications of adding the third dimension in the integrated circuit design process are discussed in this chapter. Various wire-limited integrated systems are explored where the third dimension can mitigate many interconnect issues. Primary examples of this circuit category are the microprocessor-memory system, on-chip networks, and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Although networks-on-chip (NoC) and FPGAs are generic communication fabrics as compared to microprocessors, the effects of the third dimension on the performance of a microprocessor are discussed here due to the importance ...