Wireless intrachip/interchip interconnections utilising tapered slot antennas for ultra-large-scale integration technology

This study describes wireless intra and interchip interconnections to overcome fundamental limits of the hard-wired interconnections that create the bottleneck for any further developments in the ultra-large-scale integration (ULSI) technology. Tapered slot antennas of compact size are proposed for efficient transmission of signals within the frequency range 20-30 GHz between different pins of an ULSI chip in system-on-chip technology or between different microelectronic modules in system-in-package technology. The simulated results using full-wave electromagnetic simulations indicate the superiority of the proposed antenna compared with other designs available in the literature. The presented antennas have a differential input to cancel any noise and/or interference that may affect negatively on performance of the wireless interconnections. Moreover, they have an ultra wideband performance, which is essential for the ever-increasing demand on extremely high data rates. The simulated results show that the main method of propagation for the electromagnetic fields between the antennas of a wireless interconnection is via the silicon substrate, whereas the free-space propagation is limited in value. © 2010 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

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