Glass microbump bonding method for high frequency three-dimensional integrated circuits

High signal propagation loss and coupling on semiconductor substrates impose many design limitations on the high-frequency and high-density monolithic integrated circuit design. The design and construction of low-loss and low-dispersion interconnects on semiconductor substrates using three-dimensional integration approaches reduce the design limitation of the development of high-density and high-frequency integrated circuits.;This dissertation describes the work in the development of low-loss and low-dispersion air-gap interconnects using glass microbump bonding method (GMBB). The potentials of using air-gap interconnects for high-frequency integrated circuits are evaluated through semiconductor physics, microwave theory, and experimental study. The high frequency performance of transmission lines in different configurations on various semiconductor substrates are characterized and compared with air-gap transmission lines fabricated using GMBB method. Results confirm that air-gap structures have the advantages of both low-loss and low-dispersion compared with conventional uniplanar interconnects on semiconductor substrates. The transmission characteristics of air-gap interconnects fabricated using GMBB technique show that they are significantly less affected by the semiconductor surface conditions and the bulk substrate properties.;High Q spiral inductors with different layout structures on GaAs and Silicon substrates for monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) using GMBB method are reported and compared. Both the lumped element and the distributed element inductor models are developed and analyzed. The performance of a microwave oscillator using a high Q spiral inductor is also compared with that using a conventional inductor, via SPICE simulation. Finally, a fabricated optoelectronic transmitter, using these bonding techniques for optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs) applications, is also demonstrated. The results of this research present a new integration approach for the high frequency and high-density chip and module construction.