Analysis of materials and structure tradeoffs in thin and thick film multi-chip packages

System simulation, a new design methodology for electronic packages, has been used to study multichip module tradeoffs. Modules are described by a set of structural, electrical, and materials-related model parameters. Parameters cover wide ranges that include multilayer ceramic, thin-film, and polyimide-on-ceramic technologies. For the present study 1.5-μm CMOS chip technology and 1.4-mil-line-width, 100-mil-grid-space printed wiring board technology are used. Modules have been optimized for three cases using the simulated annealing technique: maximum module clock frequency, maximum board-level clock frequency, and optimum system performance. Many similar mathematical solutions are typically found, an indication of the complexity of the response surface. The examples demonstrate the power of package system simulation for identifying, quantifying, and predicting design, development, and tradeoff issues and solutions for multichip modules