Heterogeneous Integrated Microsystems With Nontraditional Through-Silicon Via Technologies

In this paper, the design, fabrication, and high-frequency characterization of three types of nontraditional through-silicon via (TSV) technologies are discussed. First, the integration of TSVs within a silicon microfluidic heat sink is presented; TSVs are fabricated within a pin-fin heat sink, and the frequency response of TSVs within a deionized-water-filled silicon pin-fin heat sink is experimentally analyzed. Second, to electrically shield the signal transmission of such TSVs, coaxially shielded TSVs consisting of multiple ground TSVs surrounding a single signal TSV are demonstrated. It is experimentally shown that as the number of ground TSVs increases, shielding is improved. Finally, a partial air-isolation technique is proposed to reduce TSV loss and capacitance at high frequencies.