Shifting challenges in the integrated interconnection systems

As the dimensions scale down, the importance of the interconnections in a circuit is growing tremendously. This paper addresses the shifting challenges of connecting millions of gates in a functional pattern and interfacing it with the outside world. The optimization of this network in terms of connectivity, integration density, performance and manufacturability is a major task where breakthroughs are expected from a synergetic development of the technology and of the design methodology, with more exploratory concepts taken from the biological world.