Chip/Package Design and Technology Trade-offs in the 65nm Cell Broadband Engine

Technology migration of the Cell Broadband Engine (BE) Microprocessor to 65nm chip technology precipitated a redesign of the original IC packaging [1,2]. While many of the design changes were necessitated by the chip technology migration, other modifications were implemented to enhance the robustness and overall manufacturability of the product. This paper will discuss key aspects of the 65nm chip technology that drove changes to the package design and also describe some of the modifications to enhance the manufacturability of the product. The paper will outline the statistical analysis, modeling, simulation and characterization employed in the electrical and thermal design, specification and tolerancing of the microprocessor package. The paper will be of specific interest to those involved in the cost-effective, high performance IC package design and development and will be of general interest to those developing and refining analysis methods employed in overall design and technology trade-offs in advanced packaging.