Wireless communicating among vertically arranged integrated circuits (ICs) in a semiconductor package
First Claim
1. An integrated circuit, comprising:
- a first group of functional modules formed onto a first arrangement of useable fabrication layers in a horizontal direction;
a second group of functional modules formed onto a second arrangement of useable fabrication layers in the horizontal direction, wherein the first arrangement of useable fabrication layers and the second arrangement of useable fabrication layers are stacked in a vertical direction to form a vertical arrangement, the vertical direction being normal to the horizontal direction; and
a first conductive element formed within the first arrangement of useable fabrication layers and extending in the vertical direction, the first conductive element extending through the first arrangement of useable fabrication layers, anda second conductive element formed within the second arrangement of useable fabrication layers and extending in the vertical direction, the second conductive element contacting the first conductive element and extending through the second arrangement of useable fabrication layers,wherein the integrated circuit is configured and arranged to be displaced from a second integrated circuit having a third conductive element such that the first conductive element, the second conductive element, and the third conductive element are configured and arranged to form an integrated waveguide.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for wirelessly communicating among integrated circuits and/or functional modules within the integrated circuits. A semiconductor device fabrication operation uses a predetermined sequence of photographic and/or chemical processing steps to form one or more functional modules onto a semiconductor substrate. The functional modules are coupled to an integrated waveguide that is formed onto the semiconductor substrate and/or attached thereto to form an integrated circuit. The functional modules communicate with each other as well as to other integrated circuits using a multiple access transmission scheme via the integrated waveguide. One or more integrated circuits may be coupled to an integrated circuit carrier to form Multichip Module. The Multichip Module may be coupled to a semiconductor package to form a packaged integrated circuit.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An integrated circuit, comprising:
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a first group of functional modules formed onto a first arrangement of useable fabrication layers in a horizontal direction; a second group of functional modules formed onto a second arrangement of useable fabrication layers in the horizontal direction, wherein the first arrangement of useable fabrication layers and the second arrangement of useable fabrication layers are stacked in a vertical direction to form a vertical arrangement, the vertical direction being normal to the horizontal direction; and a first conductive element formed within the first arrangement of useable fabrication layers and extending in the vertical direction, the first conductive element extending through the first arrangement of useable fabrication layers, and a second conductive element formed within the second arrangement of useable fabrication layers and extending in the vertical direction, the second conductive element contacting the first conductive element and extending through the second arrangement of useable fabrication layers, wherein the integrated circuit is configured and arranged to be displaced from a second integrated circuit having a third conductive element such that the first conductive element, the second conductive element, and the third conductive element are configured and arranged to form an integrated waveguide. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An integrated circuit, comprising:
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a first group of functional modules formed onto a first arrangement of useable fabrication layers of a first semiconductor substrate; a second group of functional modules formed onto a second arrangement of useable fabrication layers of a second semiconductor substrate, the first arrangement of useable fabrication layers being coupled to the second arrangement of useable fabrication layers to form a vertical arrangement; and an integrated waveguide, formed laterally adjacent to the first and the second groups of functional modules and extending through the vertical arrangement in a vertical direction parallel to the first arrangement of useable fabrication layers and the second arrangement of useable fabrication layers of the vertical arrangement, configured to communicatively couple the first and the second groups of functional modules. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A Multichip Module (MCM), comprising:
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a first integrated circuit including a first group of functional modules formed in a horizontal direction onto a first arrangement of useable fabrication layers of the first integrated circuit and a first conductive element, the first conductive element being formed in a vertical direction, normal to the horizontal direction, within the first arrangement of useable fabrication layers of the first integrated circuit; and a second integrated circuit including a second conductive element, the second conductive element being vertically formed in the vertical direction within a second arrangement of useable fabrication layers of the second integrated circuit, wherein the first integrated circuit is configured and arranged to be displaced from the second integrated circuit such that the first conductive element is communicatively coupled to the second conductive element to form an integrated waveguide. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification