Cost comparison between 3D and 2.5D integration

3D integration has been identified as a viable solution for maintaining the growth potential of integrated circuits both in transistor count and system functionality. At the same time the requirements for embedded system functionalities promote 2.5D integration solutions where interposers are used as large carriers to provide dense interconnections among chips. Using the cost model developed at imec, the cost of different 3D system integration approaches is analyzed. In addition the impact on the system cost of interposer testing strategies prior to stacking is investigated.