Technologies for very high bandwidth electrical interconnects between next generation VLSI circuits

The evolution of VLSI technology asks for an increasing bandwidth of the interconnects between IC's and other system elements. For short interconnects, electrical signal lines still maintain the highest capacity and speed. In order to keep up with the increasing speed and density requirements, thin film multi-chip modules will have to be increasingly used. The capabilities and limitations of such interconnects are discussed. In order to push back some of these limitations, the third dimension will have to be used as well, resulting in 3D stacks, such as the Ultra-Thin Chip Stacking (UTCS) technology proposed.