Through-Substrate Interconnects for 3-D ICs, RF Systems, and MEMS

Through-wafer interconnects can be used to alleviate interconnect scaling issues, ground inductance in Si RFICs, MEMS packaging, and SiP applications. The authors developed a through-substrate interconnect technology with resistance les10, record-low inductance, and sidewall capacitance that approaches theoretical values. Constructing a Faraday cage using through-substrate vias substantially reduced substrate noise for mixed-signal and system-on-chip applications. Equivalent circuit simulations of the Faraday cage provided insight into the substrate noise reduction mechanism