In recent years, all developers of central and graphic processors have been looking for new layout solutions. AMD the so-called "chiplets" from which processors with the Zen 2 architecture are formed: several 7-nm crystals and one 14-nm crystal with I / O logic and memory controllers are adjacent on the same substrate. Intel about integration She has been talking on the same substrate for a long time and even went to work with AMD on the creation of Kaby Lake-G processors in order to demonstrate to other customers the viability of this idea. Finally, even NVIDIA, whose CEO is proud of the ability of engineers to create monolithic crystals of incredible area, is at the level and scientific concepts, the possibility of using a multi-chip layout is also being considered.
Even in a pre-prepared part of the report at the quarterly reporting conference, TSMC CEO CC Wei (CC Wei) emphasized that the company is developing three-dimensional layout solutions in close cooperation with "several industry leaders", and mass production of such products will be deployed in 2021. Demand for new packaging approaches is demonstrated not only by customers in the field of high-performance solutions, but also by developers of components for smartphones, as well as representatives of the automotive industry. The head of TSMC is convinced that over the years, XNUMXD packaging services for products will bring more and more revenue to the company.
Many of TSMC's customers, according to Xi Xi Wei, will head towards the integration of dissimilar components in the future. However, before such a design becomes viable, an efficient interface for data exchange between dissimilar crystals must be developed. It should have high bandwidth, low power consumption and low loss. In the near future, the expansion of XNUMXD layout methods on the TSMC conveyor will proceed at a moderate pace, the company's CEO concluded.
Intel representatives recently stated in an interview that one of the main problems with the XNUMXD layout is heat dissipation. Innovative approaches to cooling future processors are also being considered, and here Intel partners are ready to help. Over ten years ago IBM to use a system of microchannels for liquid cooling of central processors, since then the company has advanced far in the use of liquid cooling systems in the server segment. Heat pipes in smartphone cooling systems also began to be used six years ago, so even the most conservative customers are ready to try new things when stagnation begins to bother them.
Returning to TSMC, it would be appropriate to add that next week the company will hold an event in California where they will talk about the situation with the development of 5nm and 7nm processes, as well as advanced methods for packaging semiconductor products in a package. The XNUMXD version is also on the agenda of the event.
Source: 3dnews.ru