Hynix supports Sematech 3D interconnect program

Sematech's 3D Interconnect program at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany, N.Y. recently welcomed Hynix Semiconductor Inc. as its newest member.

South Korea's Hynix will collaborate with engineers at SEMATECH to address industry infrastructure and technology gaps in materials, equipment, integration and product related issues for high-volume adoption of through-silicon-vias (TSV).

For years, chipmakers have been talking about 3D chips based on TSVs. But except for select products—such as CMOS image sensors—the technology has not moved into the mainstream, due to costs, lack of standards and other factors.

Now, chipmakers may have identified a new device vehicle that could propel TSV-based 3D chips into the mainstream: a wide I/O DRAM for cellphones and related products. One group is seeking to accelerate this technology into the marketplace. Recently, SEMATECH, SIA and SRC announced a program to drive industry standardization and the technical specifications for heterogeneous 3D integration.

A number of memory companies are devising the technology, such as Hynix and Samsung. "3D integration offers a path for higher performance, higher density, higher functionality, smaller form factor and potential cost reduction," said Sung Joo Hong, head of the R&D Division of Hynix, in a statement. ''By joining Sematech's 3D Interconnect program and collaborating with industry-leading partners, we expect to play a critical role in accelerating the commercialization of wide I/O DRAM and to realizing 3D's potential as a manufacturable and affordable path to sustaining semiconductor productivity growth."

"The need for cooperation across the industry in order to achieve 2013 HVM (high-volume manufacturing) for the wide I/O DRAM is critical for memory manufacturers," said Raj Jammy, vice president of emerging technologies at Sematech.

Hynix is also working on other technologies, such as spin-transfer torque RAM, phase-change memory and others. Seeking to commercialize its memristor technology, Hewlett-Parkard Co. last year entered into a joint development agreement with Hynix. HP and Hynix will jointly develop new materials and process integration technology to transfer HP's memristor technology from R&D to commercial development in the form of resistive random access memory (ReRAM).

- Mark LaPedus
??EE Times