Through Silicon Via (TSV) Technology Creates Electro-Optical Interfaces

Silicon is a most versatile material, it is readily etched into a multitude of shapes and it has very highly desirable electrical properties .Through Silicon Via (TSV) technology is emerging as an essential method for allowing circuits on one side of an IC to be accessible from the other. This ability is not only essential for devices requiring covers, such as image sensors and MEMs but for stacking ICs as well. Much has been reported about the interconnecting and stacking of devices, such as, memory-on-memory and memory-on-logic devices. TSV fabrication is a micro-machining process for silicon. The micro-machining properties of silicon can also be utilized to etch and form features other than vias, such as the ability to etch precise channels which can be used to align and secure the fiber cables in an interposer. The interposer is one of the main elements in short length multimode (MMF) electro-optical transceivers capable of data rates exceeding 10 Gb/sec.