3D technology research gets another shot in the arm

It looks like it's 3D to the rescue again. I love it. Yesterday, a collaboration was announced by Semiconductor Research Corp. and Georgia Tech that involves the creation of the Interconnect Packaging Center (IPC). The center will be located at Georgia Tech in the Marcus Nanotechnology Building, and will involve the combined efforts of programs at Georgia Tech, Harvard, The University of Texas at Austin, Iowa State University and Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

The goal is to develop interconnects that have improved communication between different chips via packaging while achieving an overall reduced chip footprint. And joy of joys, half of the research will focus on new 3D technologies.

This is the second 3D-focused, industry-academia project operating out of Georgia Tech. The 3D All Silicon System Module (3DASSM) Consortium, set to launch early this year, is a combined effort of Georgia Tech’s Microelectronics Packaging Research Center (PRC), the Fraunhofer IZM, KAIST, and (to date) 14 participating companies. Unlike the new IPC, the focus of this work is on packaging, not 3D ICs, and involves work with silicon interposers, wafer-level packaging, and thin-film embedded components to ultimately integrate the IC, package and board seamlessly.

So while not directly related to the collaboration with SRC and Georgia Tech, it certainly poses some interesting synergies. Rao Tummala must be dancing in the streets.