AdvancedTopic 104 of 104Electronics & Embedded
Chiplets and advanced packaging
Splitting a design into dies connected in one package improves yield and flexibility.
In depth
Chiplets split a large design into smaller dies produced in the best process for each function, integrated by 2.5D (interposer) or 3D stacking with micro-bumps and standard die-to-die links (UCIe). Improves yield and cost and enables mixing memory and compute.
Key points
- High-bandwidth memory stacks
- Thermal challenges
- Known-good-die testing
ExampleModern server CPUs combine several compute chiplets with an I/O die.
What is Chiplets and advanced packaging?
Splitting a design into dies connected in one package improves yield and flexibility.
Why is it important to understand chiplets and advanced packaging?
Chiplets split a large design into smaller dies in one package, which improves yield and allows mixing of technologies.
What is the advantage of chiplets for yield?
Smaller dies have a higher chance of being defect-free, so a die of the same total area can be made more cheaply when split.
What is the main challenge of chiplets?
Die-to-die communication must be fast and low-power, and the packaging must align and connect the dies reliably.
How is Chiplets and advanced packaging used in practice?
Typical applications include combining a processor die and a memory die in an advanced package, using a cheaper process for an I/O die and a fast process for compute cores and building a large accelerator from several smaller dies to improve yield.
What should I learn before Chiplets and advanced packaging?
Study "RISC-V open architecture" first (topic 103 of 104 in Electronics & Embedded). It covers the groundwork this topic builds on.
What are the key points of Chiplets and advanced packaging?
High-bandwidth memory stacks. Thermal challenges. Known-good-die testing.
Can you give an example of Chiplets and advanced packaging?
Modern server CPUs combine several compute chiplets with an I/O die.
What comes after Chiplets and advanced packaging?
This is the final topic in Electronics & Embedded.
How difficult is Chiplets and advanced packaging?
It is classed as Advanced in Electronics & Embedded (topic 104 of 104). It is an advanced topic. It assumes you are comfortable with the intermediate topics in Electronics & Embedded.