TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The embodiments herein relate generally to electrical circuitry, and more particularly, to a graphene based power distribution for high performance integrated circuits.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Conventional integrated circuits include aluminum or copper deposition for power distribution. However, current high-performance microprocessors running at high clock rates, such as those greater than 3 GHz, are prone to voltage drops and noise that can cause the integrated circuits to malfunction due to soft (recoverable) errors, particularly when sudden surges of power are needed for certain computations, like floating point operations. The inability of decoupling capacitors to discharge and fully recover within one clock cycle causes failure. The lack of low source reactive impedance in power distribution at high frequencies thus limits the performance of today's microprocessors.

[0003] Moreover, the existing integrated circuits include a plurality of decoupling capacitors on the underside of the microprocessor package. These capacitors are designed to reduce noise on the power distribution within the processor by reducing the reactive source impedance at high frequency. However, these capacitors are too far from the power use itself, since there is reactive loop inductance and its resultant back EMF, which reduces their effectiveness, particularly at high clock rates. Thus, the capacitors limit the processor speed.

[0004] Further, existing integrated circuits internally use decoupling capacitors of various types, such as thin oxide capacitors. These have limited performance due to parasitics (resistance and inductance) known as their effective radius. They also consume expensive silicon real estate and, in some cases, up to 40% of the die area.

[0005] Therefore, what is needed is a power distribution with superior electron mobility, fast discharge and recharge cycles and, thus, lower sheet resistance, allowing power to be distributed locally and evenly with low reactive impedance across an integrated circuit (IC), preventing voltage drops, noise and thermal hot spots allowing increased clock rates and performance. Moreover, what is needed is a structure that allows for the elimination or reduction of the need for decoupling capacitors with high loop inductance on the underside of a microprocessor package or within the design itself. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include an integrated circuit with improved performance includes conventional integrated circuit layers including at least one integrated circuit power layer; an insulator material layer with a compatible lattice structure deposited across the conventional integrated circuit layers; a first graphene layer deposited on the insulator material layer sharing the same crystallographic orientation; a dielectric layer deposited on the first graphene layer; a second graphene layer deposited on the dielectric layer forming a nanosheet monolayer heterostructure; a top passivation layer (typical of all integrated circuits) deposited on the second graphene layer; a first metallization post (or graphene nanotube) extending from the first graphene layer to the at least one integrated circuit power layer; and a second metallization post (or graphene nanotube) extending from the second graphene layer to the at least one integrated circuit power ground layer. The nanosheet heterostructure also adds to the radiation shielding of the passivation layer further reducing soft errors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0007] The detailed description of some embodiments of the invention is made below with reference to the accompanying figure, wherein like numerals represent corresponding parts of the figure.

[0008] Figure is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

BEST MODE OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In the following detailed description of the invention, numerous details, examples, and embodiments of the invention are described. However, it will be clear and apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth and that the invention can be adapted for any of several applications.

[0010] The device of the present disclosure may be used as a power distribution on integrated circuits and may comprise the following elements. This list of possible constituent elements is intended to be exemplary only, and it is not intended that this list be used to limit the device of the present application to just these elements. Persons having ordinary skill in the art relevant to the present disclosure may understand there to be equivalent elements that may be substituted within the present disclosure without changing the essential function or operation of the device.

a. Integrated Circuit

b. Graphene Deposition Layer

[0011] The various elements of the device of the present disclosure may be related in the following exemplary fashion. It is not intended to limit the scope or nature of the relationships between the various elements and the following examples are presented as illustrative examples only.

[0012] By way of example, and referring to Figure, some embodiments of the present disclosure include an integrated circuit (IC), such as that for a microprocessor, with improved performance, wherein the integrated circuit comprises conventional integrated circuit layers 20 and at least one layer of graphene 10 deposited across the integrated circuit layers 20. The integrated circuit may also comprise metallization posts 18 that extend from the integrated circuit power layers 20 and intersect the at least one graphene layer 10 at a cross section to minimize contact resistance. It should be noted that in the Figure, the layer thickness and other dimensions are not drawn to scale.

[0013] The graphene layer(s) 10 of the present disclosure may themselves be either monolayer of multi-bilateral depending on the conductivity desired. When bilateral layers of graphene 10 are used, interstitial doping may also be needed to improve conductivity vertically between graphene layers 10.

[0014] In a particular embodiment and as shown, for example, in Figure, a lattice structure compatible layer of insulator-like material, such as a hexagonal boron nitride (h- BN) graphene sublayer 16, may be deposited across the conventional IC layers 20, wherein the h-BN graphene sublayer 16 may promote lattice alignment making it easier to deposit high quality, defect free, large sheet graphene as needed for high volume semiconductor manufacturing. In embodiments, the h-BN graphene sublayer 16 may comprise either single or multi-layer h-BN. Because a layer of h-BN may only be about 0.3 nm thick, a single layer of h-BN may allow electron quantum tunneling (leakage). As such, it may be beneficial for the h-BN graphene sublayer 16 to be multiple layers, such as more than 3 layers, thick.

[0015] A first graphene layer 10 may be deposited on the h-BN graphene sublayer 16. A dielectric layer, such as an h-BN dielectric layer 14 comprising either a single or multilayer h-BN, may be deposited on the first graphene layer 10 as a capacitive dielectric, and a second graphene layer 10 may be deposited on the h-BN dielectric layer 14, completing a capacitive structure. Thus, the graphene layer(s) 10 may form decoupling capacitor plates. Lastly, a top passivation layer 12, such as a S1O2 layer or h-BN layer, may be deposited on the second graphene layer 10, as in typical integrated circuit manufacturing for chip protection. As shown in Figure, the IC may include a metallization post 18 that extends from each graphene layer 10 to the IC power and ground layers.

[0016] In some embodiments, the graphene may be deposited across the surface of the IC layers 20 in epitaxial deposited multi-layers by, for example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The graphene layer(s) 10 may eliminate the need for aluminum, copper, or other conventional power distribution networks. Thus, these conventional layers may be removed from the IC, allowing for denser designs.

[0017] In a particular embodiment, the device of the present disclosure may be made using the following steps. A planar layer of h-BN insulator 16 may be deposited onto a completed microprocessor semiconductor wafer prior to final passivation. A graphene layer 10 may be deposited via CVD (directly or transferred) onto the planar layer of h-BN insulator 16, wherein the graphene layer 10 may provide a first highly conductive plate of a super capacitor. The graphene h-BN layers may be patterned and etched to provide access to metal pads of the Vss ground layer 22. The material below the area of the VDD posts may also be removed.

[0018] Aluminum or copper may be deposited to create conductive metallization posts 18 to the ground-layer. These posts 18 may intersect the cross section of graphene 10, which minimizes contact resistance. Any unnecessary metallization may be removed.

[0019] Alternatively, the graphene layer 10 may comprise a patterned graphene layer extending over the h-BN layer that is etched with, for example, plasma so that the edges are created in graphene in contact with the metal contact. Because the edges of the layer form bonds with the underlying metal, it would simulate cross-sectional metallization as far as contact resistance is concerned. Thus, in embodiments where the graphene layer 10 is etched, the metallization posts 18 may not be necessary. As such, the number of steps in the manufacturing process may be reduced.

[0020] Next, a layer of h-BN 14 is deposited on the graphene layer 10 to form the dielectric of the capacitor. The second plate of the capacitor may be formed with another layer of graphene 10, which may be deposited via CVD either directly or transferred, wherein transferring includes synthesizing the materials offsite and transferring them individually or as a stack onto the device. The second layer of graphene 10 may be patterned and etched down to form access to the VDD voltage network 24 as shown in Figure. Metallization (aluminum or copper) may be deposited to form the connection posts to VDD power network 24, which again connects to the top graphene layer 10 at the cross-section to minimize contact resistance, and excess metallization is removed. A final passivation layer, such as a S1O2 layer 12 or an h-BN layer, may be added, thus forming the final graphene on-chip high frequency decoupling supercapacitor.

[0021] As described above, S1O2 and h-BN are examples of suitable materials for the passivation layer. Moreover, because h-BN is almost as heat conductive as graphene, it may serve as a great passivation layer as well as a heat-dissipating layer.

[0022] The combination of the graphene layers, the dielectric layer, and the insulating sublayer may comprise a decoupling capacitor that may be located above the microprocessor or logic chip itself as is or above the passivation layers. This decoupling capacitors may be constructed with graphene or other high-mobility 2D materials (e.g., cobalt capped copper). The decoupling capacitors may be multilayer, such as multiple 2D layers, to expand capacitance and performance as scaling lithography advances. The nanolayers may also form dialectics in decoupling capacitors. Moreover, these nanolayers or nanosheets may be applied onto high performance logic devices (>1 GHz). The graphene based decoupling capacitors may be capable of responding to transient current loads in a few picoseconds and recover as quickly due to the high mobility of graphene (orders of magnitude higher than copper), and they do not exhibit electromigration issues of normal metallization.

[0023] While the above method is described as occurring before final passivation of the chip, the process could also be used after the final passivation with minor adjustments. Additionally, all depositions of chemical vapors (CVD) may be done at temperatures below that which would not affect the underlying semiconductor process. Moreover, a similar process without graphene using standard metallization technologies and commonly used dielectrics could also create an on-chip decoupling capacitance with lower quality and performance.

[0024] As a result of including graphene layers 10 on an IC, clock rates and, thus, performance may be increased. Graphene supercapacitors store and deliver energy electrochemically with high discharge and recovery rates (typically in picoseconds) Their energy densities are vastly superior to conventional dielectric capacitors, by several orders of magnitude, which makes them ideal for decoupling capacitors, especially when located directly on the microprocessor chip with the minimum possible loop inductance through a wide distribution of contacts to the power layers. Contacts are typically positioned over areas of high transient current load to minimize decoupling loop inductance. The capacitance may be increased by folding and additional graphene layers without degrading quality of electrical ESL performance, but at the cost of additional process complexity. Accordingly, the products may operate at lower voltages and, thus, lower power since accurate and precise power delivery enable low voltage operation. The significant noise reduction in the power network provided by the on-chip decoupling technology may also allow microprocessors to run reliably at lower voltages, thus reducing power consumption and/or enabling higher over- clocking rates for additional performance. As microprocessor semiconductor technologies advance to higher density lithography (e.g., less than 10 nm node), this high quality on-chip decoupling technology may, in fact, become an enabling technology as these advanced processes with their low threshold, high leakage, transistors require low voltage operation. Advanced semiconductor processes are projected to have much higher transient current loads. They also typically lead to higher MOS transistor source-drain leakage creating voltage and ground offsets that further reduce logic noise margins. Thus, better decoupling technology is critical for the future.

[0025] Further, to provide complete context, existing integrated circuits use decoupling capacitors of various types, such as thin oxide capacitors, metal-oxide-metal (MIM), deep trench capacitors, voltage regulators among others integrated in their designs. These have limited performance due to parasitics (resistance and inductance) known as their "effective radius". They also consume expensive silicon real estate and, in some cases, up to 40% of the die area. They typically require special processing steps themselves increasing manufacturing costs. All these do not obviate the need for the even higher performance decoupling, as described herein, since designers push for even faster microprocessors than current designs, which are limited to below approximately 2-5Ghz clock rates in 2017. In fact, state of the art designs typically uses a multi-tiered decoupling system architecture on and off chip to provide low source impedance across the full range of noise frequencies. This method herein enables yet another tier for even higher frequency decoupling and that will certainly be mandatory as future process scaling advances with even faster transistors. Moreover, the method described in the present disclosure may be added to an existing design just by revising the final passivation approach saving expensive redesigns, thus allowing higher clock rate operating versions.

[0026] Persons of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that numerous design configurations may be possible to enjoy the functional benefits of the inventive systems. Thus, given the wide variety of configurations and arrangements of embodiments of the present invention the scope of the invention is reflected by the breadth of the claims below rather than narrowed by the embodiments described above.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0027] Embodiments of the present invention are useful for making an using an integrated circuit with improved performance.