Honeywell Microelectronics and Tezzaron Semiconductor are working together to produce a new range of radiation-hardened (rad hard) integrated circuits. Honeywell’s sturdy, well-qualified S150 processwill use Tezzaron’s 3D stacking to greatly increase circuit density without migrating to a smaller node. The resulting three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D-ICs)are also expected to use much less power than their 2D counterparts.
Brian Link, Honeywell Business Director for Microelectronics and Precision
Sensors, says: “Honeywell is pleased to be working with Tezzaron Semiconductor in the manufacture of stacked semiconductor devices utilizing Tezzaron’s capabilities for wafer-to-wafer and die-to-wafer interconnection technology. Tezzaron has developed these techniques to enable another class of interconnection-density capability which Honeywell is utilizing in product development for the Aerospace Market.”
3D technology has already proven its value in electronic memory, sensors,
and microprocessors. Using multiple layers of circuitry also allows greater redundancy for repair schemes and could even incorporate MEMS devices with radiation-hardened logic.
“The third dimension opens up broader design horizons for rad hard CMOS,”
says Robert Patti, CTO of Tezzaron. “For example, memory can be integrated vertically rather than embedded in the logic die.
The current practical limit is around 32 Megabits, but 3D could put as much as 4 Gigabits of high-quality DRAM onto a single rad hard chip.”
