Wireline/wireless RF-Interconnect for future SoC

Abstract

In the era of the nanometer CMOS technology, due to stringent system requirements in power, performance and other fundamental physical limitations (such as mechanical reliability, thermal constraints, overall system form factor, etc.), future SOC systems are relying more on ultra-high data rates scalable, re-configurable, highly compact and reliable interconnect fabric. To overcome such challenges, we explore the use of multiband wireline and wireless RF-Interconnect (RF-I) which can communicate simultaneously through multiple frequency bands with low power signal transmission, reconfigurable bandwidth and excellent mechanical flexibility and reliability. In this paper, we review recent advances in wireline and wireless RF-I in three different potential application domains, which include Network-on-Chips (NoCs), advanced memory interface and ultra-high speed contactless connectors. © 2011 IEEE.