The Three Secrets of 3-D Integration

One of the buzzwords currently in use across the semiconductor industry is “three-dimensional integration,” which sounds as though it is a new, beefed-up form of miniaturization. Indeed, 3-D integration does involve further miniaturization, generally by including the z-axis along with the x- and y-axes. But the term also has a deeper and more important connotation: higher speed through the replacement of long wires with shorter pathways.