Monolithic 3D Integrated Circuits: Recent Trends and Future Prospects
Krithika Dhananjay, Prachi Shukla, Vasilis F. Pavlidis, Ayse K. Coskun, Emre Salman
Abstract
Monolithic 3D integration technology has emerged as an alternative candidate to conventional transistor scaling. Unlike conventional processes where multiple metal layers are fabricated above a single transistor layer, monolithic 3D technology enables multiple transistor layers above a single substrate. By providing vertical interconnects with physical dimensions similar to conventional metal vias, monolithic 3D technology enables unprecedented integration density and high bandwidth communication, which plays a critical role for various data-centric applications. Despite growing number of research efforts on various aspects of monolithic 3D integration, commercial monolithic 3D ICs do not yet exist. This tutorial brief provides a concise overview of monolithic 3D technology, highlighting important results and future prospects. Several applications that can potentially benefit from this technology are also discussed.