This 16-Mb DRAM chip has its pads rerouted to the edge of the chip. Nine of these chips are stacked to form a cube with the pad array on one side. Low dielectric-constant materials Interlayer dielectrics with a low dielectric constant are required to reduce signal propagation time on chips and increase propagation velocity on circuit boards. LLNL, a world leader in aerogel technology, has deposited and metalized thin films of silica aerogels with dielectric constants of 1.2.
Research continues to make such materials practical for microelectronics applications.
LLNL has perfected a number of microchannel heatsink materials and coolants, along with associated microfabrication techniques and bonding technologies. Applications include laser-diode arrays. These processes can fill large aspect-ratio trenches and other features without void formation. Using this plating technology, the deposited copper or gold has the same resistivity as the bulk metal. The electronic packaging facility is available now for commercialization of these technologies, and for the development and application of new concepts in electronic packaging.