Impact of Mechanical Stress on the Full Chip Timing for Through-Silicon-Via-based 3-D ICs

Abstract-In this paper, we study the impact of throughsilicon-via (TSV) and shallow trench isolation (STI) stress on the timing variations of 3-D IC. We also propose the first systematic TSV-STI-stress-aware timing analysis and show how to optimize layouts for better performance. First, we generate a stress contour map with an analytical radial stress model for TSV. We also develop a stress model for STI from finite element analysis results. Then, depending on geometric relation between TSVs, STI, and transistors, the tensile and compressive stresses are converted to hole and electron mobility variations. Mobility-variation-aware cell library and netlist are generated and incorporated into an industrial engine for timing analysis of 3-D IC. We observe that TSV stress and STI stress interact with each other, and rise and fall time react differently to stress and relative locations with respect to both TSVs and STIs. Overall, TSV-STI-stress-induced timing variations can be as much as ±15% at the cell level. Thus, as an application to layout optimization, we exploit the stress-induced mobility enhancement to improve performance of 3-D ICs. We show that stress-aware layout perturbation could reduce cell delay by up to 23.37% and critical path delay by 6.67% in our test case

Managing Variability in VLSI Circuits.

Over the last two decades, Design for Manufacturing (DFM) has emerged as an essential field within the semiconductor industry. The main objective of DFM is to reduce and, if possible, eliminate variability in integrated circuits (ICs). Numerous techniques for managing variation have emerged throughout IC design: manufacturers design instruments with minute tolerances, process engineers calibrate and characterize a given process throughout its lifetime, and IC designers strive to model and characterize variability within their devices, libraries, and circuits. This dissertation focuses on the last of these three techniques and presents material relevant to managing variability within IC design. Since characterization and modeling are essential to the analysis and reduction of variation in modern-day designs, this dissertation begins by studying various correlation models used within Statistical Static Timing Analysis (SSTA). In the end, the study shows that using complex correlation models does not necessarily result in significant error reduction within SSTA, and that simple models (which only include die-to-die and random variation) can therefore be used to achieve similar accuracy with reduced overhead and run-time. Next, the variation models, themselves, are explored and a new critical dimension (CD) model is proposed which reduces standard deviation error in SSTA by ~3X. Finally, the focus changes from the timing analysis level and moves lower in the design hierarchy to the libraries and devices that comprise the backbone of IC design. The final three chapters study mechanical stress enhancement and discuss how to fully exploit the layout dependencies of mechanically stressed silicon. The first of these three chapters presents an optimization scheme that uses the layout dependencies of stress in conjunction with dual-threshold-voltage (Vth) assignment to decrease leakage power consumption by ~24%. Next, the second of the three chapters proposes a new standard cell library design methodology, called “STEEL.” STEEL provides average delay improvements of 11% over equivalent single-Vth implementations, while consuming 2.5X less leakage than the dual-Vth alternative. Finally, the stress enhanced studies (and this document) are concluded by a new optimization scheme that combines stress enhancement with gate length biasing to achieve 2.9X leakage power savings in IC designs without modifying Vth.Ph.D.Electrical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75947/1/btcline_1.pd

Placement for fast and reliable through-silicon-via (TSV) based 3D-IC layouts

The objective of this research is to explore the feasibility of addressing the major performance and reliability problems or issues, such as wirelength, stress-induced carrier mobility variation, temperature, and quality trade-offs, found in three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D ICs) that use through-silicon vias (TSVs) at placement stage. Four main works that support this goal are included. In the first work, wirelength of TSV-based 3D ICs is the main focus. In the second work, stress-induced carrier mobility variation in TSV-based 3D ICs is examined. In the third work, temperature inside TSV-based 3D ICs is investigated. In the final work, the quality trade-offs of TSV-based 3D-IC designs are explored. In the first work, a force-directed, 3D, and gate-level placement algorithm that efficiently handles TSVs is developed. The experiments based on synthesized benchmarks indicate that the developed algorithm helps generate GDSII layouts of 3D-IC designs that are optimized in terms of wirelength. In addition, the impact of TSVs on other physical aspects of 3D-IC designs is also studied by analyzing the GDSII layouts. In the second work, the model for carrier mobility variation caused by TSV and STI stresses is developed as well as the timing analysis flow considering the stresses. The impact of TSV and STI stresses on carrier mobility variation and performance of 3D ICs is studied. Furthermore, a TSV-stress-driven, force-directed, and 3D placement algorithm is developed. It exploits carrier mobility variation, caused by stress around TSVs after fabrication, to improve the timing and area objectives during placement. In addition, the impact of keep-out zone (KOZ) around TSVs on stress, carrier mobility variation, area, wirelength, and performance of 3D ICs is studied. In the third work, two temperature-aware global placement algorithms are developed. They exploit die-to-die thermal coupling in 3D ICs to improve temperature during placement. In addition, a framework used to evaluate the results from temperature-aware global placements is developed. The main component of the framework is a GDSII-level thermal analysis that considers all structures inside a TSV-based 3D IC while computing temperature. The developed placers are compared with several state-of-the-art placers published in recent literature. The experimental results indicate that the developed algorithms help improve the temperature of 3D ICs effectively. In the final work, three block-level design styles for TSV-based die-to-wafer bonded 3D ICs are discussed. Several 3D-IC layouts in the three styles are manually designed. The main difference among these layouts is the position of TSVs. Finally, the area, wirelength, timing, power, temperature, and mechanical stress of all layouts are compared to explore the trade-offs of layout quality.PhDCommittee Chair: Lim, Sung Kyu; Committee Member: Bakir, Muhannad; Committee Member: Kim, Hyesoon; Committee Member: Mukhopadhyay, Saibal; Committee Member: Swaminathan, Madhava

Durcissement par conception d'ASIC analogiques

The purpose of this thesis work is to investigate circuit design techniques to improve the robustness to Total Ionizing Dose (TID) of analog circuits within electronic systems embedded in space probes, satellites and vehicles. Such circuits often contain bipolartransistor components which are quite sensitive to cumulated radiation dose. However highly integrated CMOS technology has been shown to exhibit better natural TDI hardening.The approach proposed here is a hardening by design using a full CMOS semiconductor technology commercially available from ST Microelectronics calledHCMOS9A. The proposed generic hardening design methods will be seen to be compatibleand applicable to other existing or future process technologies. Furthermore this approach addresses the issue of ever-increasing development cost and access to hardened technologies.The first TID hardening technique proposed is applied to a full-CMOS voltage reference. This technique does not involve p-n junctions nor any particular layout precaution but instead is based on the subtraction of two different threshold voltages which allows the cancellation of TDI effects. While the use of advanced commercial CMOS technologies for specific radiation hardened applications is becoming more common, these technologies suffer from larger inputoffs et voltage drift than their bipolar transistor counterparts, which can impact system performance. The second technique studied is that of auto-zeroing, which is an efficient method to reduce the complex offset voltage drift mechanisms of operational amplifiers due to temperature. The purpose here is to prove that this technique can also cancel input offset voltage drift due to TID.Index term : hardening, cumulated dose, CMOS technology, voltage reference,operational amplifier.Les travaux de cette thèse sont axés sur le durcissement à la dose cumulée des circuits analogiques associés aux systèmes électroniques embarqués sur des véhicules spatiaux, satellites ou sondes. Ces types de circuits sont réputés pour être relativement sensibles à la dose cumulée, parfois dès quelques krad, souvent en raison de l’intégration d’éléments bipolaires. Les nouvelles technologies CMOS montrent par leur intégration de plus en plus poussée, un durcissement naturel à cette dose. L’approche de durcissement proposée ici, repose sur un durcissement par la conception d’une technologie commerciale « full CMOS » du fondeur ST Microelectronics, appelée HCMOS9A. Cette approche permet d’assurer la portabilité des méthodes de durcissement proposées d’une technologie à une autre et de rendre ainsi accessible les nouvelles technologies aux systèmes spatiaux. De plus, cette approche de durcissement permet de faire face aux coûts croissants de développement et d’accès aux technologies durcies. Une première technique de durcissement à la dose cumulée est appliquée à une tension de référence « full CMOS ». Elle ne fait intervenir ni jonction p-n parasites ni précautions delay out particulières mais la soustraction de deux tensions de seuil qui annulent leurs effets à la dose cumulée entre elles. Si les technologies commerciales avancées sont de plus en plus utilisées pour des applications spécialement durcies, ces dernières exhibent en contrepartie de plus grands offsets que les technologies bipolaires. Cela peut affecter les performances des systèmes. La seconde technique étudiée : l’auto zéro, est une solution efficace pour réduire les dérives complexes dues entre autres à la température, de l’offset d’entrée des amplificateurs opérationnels. Le but ici est de prouver que cette technique peut tout aussi bien contrebalancer les dérives de l’offset dues à la dose cumulée