AUSTIN, TX – Applications for 3-D TSV, including image sensors, flash, DRAM, processors, FPGAs and power amplifiers, will be adopted, but the timing for mass production depends on how the cost compares with that of existing technologies, says TechSearch International in a new report.
 
Image sensors for camera modules are already in volume production, but for other applications, the adoption time is longer than originally predicted, as is common with the introduction of many new technologies, the company says. Design, thermal and test issues remain a barrier to TSV adoption in some applications, though progress is being made.
 
The report, “Through Silicon Via Technology: The Ultimate Market for 3D Interconnect,” provides a timeline for the adoption of TSV in these applications. The report forecasts market size in units and number of wafers for each application area.
 
Driven by the need for improved performance and reduced timing delays, methods have been developed to use short vertical interconnects instead of the long interconnects used in 2-D structures. The industry is moving past the feasibility (R&D) phase for TSV technology and into commercialization, where economic realities will determine which technologies are adopted, says the firm. Low-cost fine via hole formation and reliable via filling technologies have been demonstrated; process equipment and materials are available.