Performing Multiphysics Analysis During Heterogeneous Integration

3D integration is becoming a valuable alternative to the ongoing, yet challenging, transistor scaling known as Moore’s Law. This is especially true for semiconductor products that are becoming limited by single die designs (e.g., in terms of form factor, size, and technology node). Homogenous 2.5D-IC approaches help bring about the era of chiplets—with its great emphasis on IP reuse. Additionally, heterogenous integration allows different process nodes to be mixed in the same semiconductor product. In terms of 3D-IC design enablement, reliability analysis is becoming of great importance. When it comes to 3D-IC reliability, electrical analysis, thermal analysis and stress analysis can’t be treated as independent variables anymore. That is, thermal issues affect stress behavior since the difference in thermal expansion coefficients (CTEs) between substrates results into warpage. Stress issues affect electrical behavior since electrical devices behave differently under different stress conditions. Finally, thermal issues affect electrical behavior since the heating of interconnects affects wires resistivity. As can be seen, electrical, thermal and stress analysis are now highly correlated which results into a “multi-physics” challenge that needs to be addressed by EDA. Since 3D-IC system level designers are not expected to be domain experts in electrical analysis, thermal analysis and stress analysis, a system level EDA cockpit is needed. In this paper, Siemens presents on a system level cockpit that the designer (typically with an electrical engineering background) can use to create the 3D-IC system level model and automate the required setup for each domain analysis (physical verification, electrical power analysis and thermal analysis). This enables the designers to run “what if” analyses iterations and make design related decisions early enough where system design changes are feasible and not costly.