A rigorous method to evaluate the electrical performance of MCM interconnections in frequency and time domains

In this paper, a full-wave modeling method is first described and then applied to calculate the electrical performance of transmission lines used as interconnection in multichip modules (MCMs). Interest has been focused on the influence of geometrical and material parameters on the line transfer function. Propagation of fast signals (risetime less than one nanosecond) is also studied in time domain. An additional source of delay, provided by the finite metallization layer and resistivity, is then evaluated. As expected, degradation of fast signals is attributed to the ohmic losses, but degradation of relatively low signals is mainly due to a slow wave mode, taking effect from the penetration of electromagnetic fields into the conducting strip of the transmission line.