A Simple and Efficient RF Technique for TSV Characterization

This paper applies for the first time an RF equivalent of the four-point probe Kelvin DC technique to characterize the TSV inductance. This RF approach is based on two-port S-parameter measurements over a wide frequency range using a vector network analyzer (VNA). The approach is easy to implement to determine the TSV inductance, which can be complementary to the DC Kelvin measurements. In addition, it does not require additional de-embedding structures, which simplifies both the measurement and the data analysis procedures and saves die area. Moreover, the TSV-array to TSV-array coupling in a real case scenario with different substrate-ground contact types and surrounding configurations has been characterized and noise coupling mitigation techniques are addressed.