Tezzaron readies 3D controller, SRAM product lines

NAPERVILLE, Ill.--Tezzaron Semiconductor Inc. is readying a line of chips, based on its three-dimensional, wafer-stacking technology.

Tezzaron is offering two types of what it calls 3D standard devices--a microcontroller and SRAM. The company is also sampling semi-custom 3D devices, such as CMOS sensors and cross-point switches.

The devices are built around its so-called FaStack 3D technology, which makes use of wafer-scale stacking and a high-density array of through-silicon connectors. Each 3D IC occupies a smaller area and shorter interconnect length than traditional devices, thereby providing faster access and consuming less power, according to the Naperville-based fabless chip maker.

Unlike other so-called 3D packages, which contain separate devices, Tezzaron said that its 3D IC is a single device. The device is "integrated vertically as well as horizontally for highest performance and maximum density," according to the company.

Tezzaron plans to ship two types of 3D commercial parts by the end of this quarter: microcontrollers and memory devices. The FaStack microcontroller is a "super-8051" that runs from 5 to 100 times faster than all other 8051-type devices.

Featuring a RISC core and up to 512-KBytes of stacked SRAM layers, this device achieves up to 200-MHz operation, providing 200 MIPS and 100 MFlops, according to the company.

The FaStack 3D memory device is a fast synchronous burst SRAM with 1, 2, or 4 Megabits in standard packaging. "Because stacking produces a tiny footprint, these same devices could employ chip-scale packaging of only 7- x 7-mm--or one-sixth the size of the standard 119-pin BGA," the company said.

Both of these devices are 0.18-micron parts. The initial products feature two-layer parts. Limited numbers of parts will be available for early orders.