Microwave characterization of dielectric materials and integrated circuit interconnection networks

Keywords:
Microwaves, modeling, interconnections, dielectrics, integrated passive components, in-situ analyses.

Abstract :
The research work is positioned at the convergence of the issues of microwaves, electromagnetism and advanced microelectronics. They consist more particularly in evaluating and optimizing new technological bricks (combining material aspects, integration processes and design rules, architecture) implemented in integrated circuit chips. The objective is to improve the performance of applications operating at very high bandwidth or high frequencies while reducing their consumption. A first line of research is dedicated to the development and implementation of wide frequency band (500 MHz – 110 GHz) characterization techniques for dielectric materials. The latter, deposited in a thin layer (thickness: tens nm to hundreds of μm) within integrated chips, are characterized “in-situ” : their final configuration of use. The second axis of research is devoted to the modeling and then evaluation of the
performances (bandwidth, bit rate, delay, crosstalk) of interconnections networks of 3D integrated circuits. The objective is to provide design recommendations to integrated circuit designers. The last line of research focuses on developing de-embedding techniques for microwave measurements adapted to the context of microelectronics: components buried within complex stacks constituting the electronic chip. These techniques make it possible to extract the parameters (characteristic impedance of a transmission line, ...) associated with integrated components. The “advanced microelectronics” dimension implies that this research work is very “industry” oriented leading to strong collaborations with partners such as
STMicroelectronics but also large national laboratories with significant technological resources: CEA-LETI, LTM, ..

Jury members :

• Dominique CROS, University Professor, University of Limoges : President
• Tuami LASRI, University Professor, University of  Lille : Rapporteur
• Thierry LE GOUGUEC, Professor, Assistant professor HDR, University of  Brest : Rapporteur
•  Jean-Pierre RASKIN,  Professor at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium : Rapporteur
• Geneviève MAZE-MERCEUR, Directrice de Recherche, CEA Cesta : Examiner
•  Bernard FLECHET, Professeur d’Université, Université Savoie Mont Blanc : Examiner