This book describes the first comprehensive approach to the optimization of interconnect architectures in 3D systems on chips (SoCs), specially addressing the challenges and opportunities arising from heterogeneous integration. Readers learn about the physical implications of using heterogeneous 3D technologies for SoC integration, while also learning to maximize the 3D-technology gains, through a physical-effect-aware architecture design. The book provides a deep theoretical background covering all abstraction-levels needed to research and architect tomorrow’s 3D-integrated circuits, an extensive set of optimization methods (for power, performance, area, and yield), as well as an open-source optimization and simulation framework for fast exploration of novel designs.

Design technology to address the new and vast problem of heterogeneous embedded systems design while remaining compatible with standard “More Moore” flows, i.e. capable of simultaneously handling both silicon complexity and system complexity, represents one of the most important challenges facing the semiconductor industry today and will be for several years to come. While the micro-electronics industry, over the years and with its spectacular and unique evolution, has built its own specific design methods to focus mainly on the management of complexity through the establishment of abstraction levels, the emergence of device heterogeneity requires new approaches enabling the satisfactory design of physically heterogeneous embedded systems for the widespread deployment of such systems. Heterogeneous Embedded Systems, compiled largely from a set of contributions from participants of past editions of the Winter School on Heterogeneous Embedded Systems Design Technology (FETCH), proposes a necessarily broad and holistic overview of design techniques used to tackle the various facets of heterogeneity in terms of technology and opportunities at the physical level, signal representations and different abstraction levels, architectures and components based on hardware and software, in all the main phases of design (modeling, validation with multiple models of computation, synthesis and optimization). It concentrates on the specific issues at the interfaces, and is divided into two main parts. The first part examines mainly theoretical issues and focuses on the modeling, validation and design techniques themselves. The second part illustrates the use of these methods in various design contexts at the forefront of new technology and architectural developments.

Finding new materials for copper/low-k interconnects is critical to the continuing development of computer chips. While copper/low-k interconnects have served well, allowing for the creation of Ultra Large Scale Integration (ULSI) devices which combine over a billion transistors onto a single chip, the increased resistance and RC-delay at the smaller scale has become a significant factor affecting chip performance. Advanced Interconnects for ULSI Technology is dedicated to the materials and methods which might be suitable replacements. It covers a broad range of topics, from physical principles to design, fabrication, characterization, and application of new materials for nano-interconnects, and discusses: Interconnect functions, characterisations, electrical properties and wiring requirements Low-k materials: fundamentals, advances and mechanical properties Conductive layers and barriers Integration and reliability including mechanical reliability, electromigration and electrical breakdown New approaches including 3D, optical, wireless interchip, and carbon-based interconnects Intended for postgraduate students and researchers, in academia and industry, this book provides a critical overview of the enabling technology at the heart of the future development of computer chips.

This book provides a broad overview of current research in optical interconnect technologies and architectures. Introductory chapters on high-performance computing and the associated issues in conventional interconnect architectures, and on the fundamental building blocks for integrated optical interconnect, provide the foundations for the bulk of the book which brings together leading experts in the field of optical interconnect architectures for data communication. Particular emphasis is given to the ways in which the photonic components are assembled into architectures to address the needs of data-intensive on-chip communication, and to the performance evaluation of such architectures for specific applications.

This book focuses on the development of 3D design and implementation methodologies for Tree-based FPGA architecture. It also stresses the needs for new and augmented 3D CAD tools to support designs such as, the design for 3D, to manufacture high performance 3D integrated circuits and reconfigurable FPGA-based systems. This book was written as a text that covers the foundations of 3D integrated system design and FPGA architecture design. It was written for the use in an elective or core course at the graduate level in field of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Doctoral Research programs. No previous background on 3D integration is required, nevertheless fundamental understanding of 2D CMOS VLSI design is required. It is assumed that reader has taken the core curriculum in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering, with courses like CMOS VLSI design, Digital System Design and Microelectronics Circuits being the most important. It is accessible for self-study by both senior students and professionals alike.

The saturation of design complexity and clock frequencies for single-core processors has resulted in the emergence of multicore architectures as an alternative design paradigm. Nowadays, multicore/multithreaded computing systems are not only a de-facto standard for high-end applications, they are also gaining popularity in the field of embedded computing. The start of the multicore era has altered the concepts relating to almost all of the areas of computer architecture design, including core design, memory management, thread scheduling, application support, inter-processor communication, debugging, and power management. This book gives readers a holistic overview of the field and guides them to further avenues of research by covering the state of the art in this area. It includes contributions from industry as well as academia.

[2]. The Cell Processor from Sony, Toshiba and IBM (STI) [3], and the Sun UltraSPARC T1 (formerly codenamed Niagara) [4] signal the growing popularity of such systems. Furthermore, Intel’s very recently announced 80-core TeraFLOP chip [5] exemplifies the irreversible march toward many-core systems with tens or even hundreds of processing elements. 1.2 The Dawn of the Communication-Centric Revolution The multi-core thrust has ushered the gradual displacement of the computati- centric design model by a more communication-centric approach [6]. The large, sophisticated monolithic modules are giving way to several smaller, simpler p- cessing elements working in tandem. This trend has led to a surge in the popularity of multi-core systems, which typically manifest themselves in two distinct incarnations: heterogeneous Multi-Processor Systems-on-Chip (MPSoC) and homogeneous Chip Multi-Processors (CMP). The SoC philosophy revolves around the technique of Platform-Based Design (PBD) [7], which advocates the reuse of Intellectual Property (IP) cores in flexible design templates that can be customized accordingly to satisfy the demands of particular implementations. The appeal of such a modular approach lies in the substantially reduced Time-To- Market (TTM) incubation period, which is a direct outcome of lower circuit complexity and reduced design effort. The whole system can now be viewed as a diverse collection of pre-existing IP components integrated on a single die.

The implementation of networks-on-chip (NoC) technology in VLSI integration presents a variety of unique challenges. To deal with specific design solutions and research hurdles related to intra-chip data exchange, engineers are challenged to invoke a wide range of disciplines and specializations while maintaining a focused approach. Leading Researchers Present Cutting-Edge Designs Tools Networks-on-Chips: Theory and Practice facilitates this process, detailing the NoC paradigm and its benefits in separating IP design and functionality from chip communication requirements and interfacing. It starts with an analysis of 3-D NoC architectures and progresses to a discussion of NoC resource allocation, processor traffic modeling, and formal verification, with an examination of protocols at different layers of abstraction. An exploration of design methodologies, CAD tool development, and system testing, as well as communication protocol, the text highlights important emerging research issues, such as Resource Allocation for Quality of Service (QoS) on-chip communication Testing, verification, and network design methodologies Architectures for interconnection, real-time monitoring, and security requirements Networks-on-Chip Protocols Presents a flexible MPSoC platform to easily implement multimedia applications and evaluate future video encoding standards This useful guide tackles power and energy issues in NoC-based designs, addressing the power constraints that currently limit the embedding of more processing elements on a single chip. It covers traffic modeling and discusses the details of traffic generators. Using unique case studies and examples, it covers theoretical and practical issues, guiding readers through every phase of system design.

This book highlights the application of active array antennas in high-resolution microwave imaging radar systems. It introduces the basic principles, analytical methods, and performance parameters of active array antennas to achieve low profile, high efficiency, and lightweight. The book systematically elaborates the architecture, analysis, and engineering practice to achieve wideband, multi-band, multi-polarization, and common aperture in active array antennas. It explores hotspot technologies of digital array antennas, microwave photonic array antennas, and active packaging antennas. By presenting over 300 illustrations and diagrams, including schematic diagrams, block diagrams, relation diagrams, and breakdown drawings, the book enables a thorough understanding of the antenna array microsystem as the advanced phase of active array antennas and the direction of future R&D. The book is a good reference source for researchers and engineers interested in the engineering and implementation of microwave imaging radar systems and antenna technology.

The emerging three-dimensional (3D) chip architectures, with their intrinsic capability of reducing the wire length, promise attractive solutions to reduce the delay of interconnects in future microprocessors. 3D memory stacking enables much higher memory bandwidth for future chip-multiprocessor design, mitigating the "memory wall" problem. In addition, heterogenous integration enabled by 3D technology can also result in innovative designs for future microprocessors. This book first provides a brief introduction to this emerging technology, and then presents a variety of approaches to designing future 3D microprocessor systems, by leveraging the benefits of low latency, high bandwidth, and heterogeneous integration capability which are offered by 3D technology.