ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT

• US 20110156488A1
• Filed: 06/01/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ThruChip Japan Inc.
• Original Assignee: KEIO University
• Inventors: Kuroda, Tadahiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,979,441 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05599 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32145 the bodies being stacked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48095 Kinked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48145 the bodies being stacked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4911 the connectors being bonded to at least one common bonding area, e.g. daisy chain
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/85399 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06527 Special adaptation of electrical connections, e.g. rewiring, engineering changes, pressure contacts, layout
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06555 Geometry of the stack, e.g. form of the devices, geometry to facilitate stacking
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06562 at least one device in the stack being rotated or offset
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/48 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the solid state body in operation, e.g. leads, terminal arrangements ; Selection of materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5227 Inductive arrangements or effects of, or between, wiring layers other inductive arrangements H01L23/645
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/06 of a plurality of bonding areas
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/29 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/32 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/33 of a plurality of layer connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/49 : of a plurality of wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0657 : Stacked arrangements of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00012 : Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 : the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01004 : Beryllium [Be]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 : Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 : Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 : Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01014 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 : Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 : Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01047 : Silver [Ag]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01075 : Rhenium [Re]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01082 : Lead [Pb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19042 : being an inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30105 : Capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 : Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 : Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 : using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/266 : One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 : Transceivers

Abstract

An electronic circuit carries out communication by inductive coupling between chips which are stacked and mounted. The electronic circuit relays an inter-chip communication signal by a repeater which receives a signal from a transmitter to recognize a transmission source and a receiving destination, and relays a received signal when the repeater itself exists between the transmission source and the receiving destination, and does not relay the received signal when the repeater itself does not exist between the transmission source and the receiving destination. Accordingly, data can be transferred at high speed up to a chip farther than the dimensions of a coil through communications by inductive coupling between the stacked and mounted chips.

Claims

1. An electronic circuit comprising in a stacked manner:

a substrate n (n represents one, of the substrates stacked in order from 1 to N (N is an integer that is N≧

3), that is 1≦

n≦

N−

2) including a transmitter which transmits a signal by inductive coupling;

a substrate n+x (x is an integer that is 1≦

x≦

N−

n−

1) including a repeater which receives a signal transmitted from the transmitter or a signal relayed from another repeater and relays said received signal by inductive coupling; and

a substrate n+y (y is an integer that is x<

y≦

N−

n) including a receiver which receives a signal relayed from the repeater.

2. The electronic circuit according to claim 1, wherein the substrate including the repeater has stacking position information of said substrate via a wire or in a manner stored in a memory.

3. The electronic circuit according to claim 2, wherein the stacking position information is a remainder with a divisor of an integer of 2, 3, or 4 representing a stacking order of the substrate.

4. The electronic circuit according to claim 1, comprising at least two substrates n+x1, n+x2 (x1<

x2) including the repeaters for relaying in order from the substrate n, wherein the transmitter transmits a communication signal, followed by the repeater of the substrate n+x1 relaying the communication signal, and the repeater of the substrate n+x2 relaying the communication signal, and then the transmitter transmits a next communication signal.

5. The electronic circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter, receiver, and repeater are all connected to a coil serving as an antenna, and perform inductive coupling communications via said coil.

6. The electronic circuit according to claim 5, wherein the coil connected to the repeater is used for both transmission and reception.

7. The electronic circuit according to claim 5, wherein a transmitting coil and a receiving coil connected to the repeater are arranged coaxially with each other.

8. The electronic circuit according to claim 5, wherein to the repeater, a transmitting coil and a receiving coil are connected at such a distance so as not to interfere with each other.

9. The electronic circuit according to claim 8, comprising three or more substrates including the repeaters, wherein to each repeater, a transmitting coil and two receiving coils or two transmitting coils and a receiving coil are connected shifted in order for each substrate in three positions at such a distance so as not to interfere with each other.

11. The electronic circuit according to claim 5, wherein the transmitter makes a current which is a predetermined current according to transmission data and which changes when the transmission data changes flow in a transmitting coil to which the transmitter is connected, and the receiver has hysteresis characteristics where a threshold value for detecting a signal received by a receiving coil to which the receiver is connected changes to an opposite polarity when a signal has been detected.

12. The electronic circuit according to claim 5, wherein the transmitter makes a pulse current having a polarity according to a change in transmission data flow in a transmitting coil to which the transmitter is connected, and the receiver has hysteresis characteristics where a threshold value for detecting a signal received by a receiving coil to which the receiver is connected changes to an opposite polarity when a second half of a bidirectional pulse has been detected.

13. The electronic circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter asynchronously transmits a timing pulse, and synchronously transmits data, and the receiver asynchronously receives a timing pulse, and synchronously receives data.

14. The electronic circuit according to claim 13, comprising three or more substrates including the repeaters, wherein with regard to a timing pulse, to each repeater, a transmitting coil and a receiving coil are connected shifted in order for each substrate in three positions at such a distance so as not to interfere with each other.

15. The electronic circuit according to claim 13, wherein T2+τ

2−

T1≧

Tsetup

here,

T1;

Time required for data communication

T2;

Time required for timing pulse communication

Tsetup;

Setup time for data transmission

T2;

Receiving timing pulse delay time for securing setup time.

16. The electronic circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter receives a signal relayed by the repeater and compares the signal with a transmission signal to detect an error.

17. The electronic circuit according to claim 1, wherein an enable signal to be sent to all the repeaters is transmitted by wire communication, and a disable signal to each individual repeater is transmitted by inductive coupling communication.

18. The electronic circuit according to claim 17, wherein the stacking position information being a remainder with the divisor of 2, 3, or 4 is transmitted by wire communication to transmit the enable signal.

19. The electronic circuit according to claim 8, wherein as a result of a magnetic material film being formed overlapping with a region where the transmitting coil exists, said transmitting coil is made to have inductive coupling with a receiving coil later in relay order larger than inductive coupling with a receiving coil earlier in relay order.

20. The electronic circuit according to claim 8, wherein as a result of a metal film being formed overlapping with a region where the transmitting coil exists, said transmitting coil is made to have inductive coupling with a receiving coil earlier in relay order smaller than inductive coupling with a receiving coil later in relay order.

10. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. An electronic circuit comprising a substrate including a coil which communicates by inductive coupling with another stacked substrate and a repeater connected to said coil.