A Segmented CA Based Approach to Test TSVs in 3D IC

A three-dimensional (3D) IC using through silicon via (TSV) has been found to be more effective to cope with the challenges faced by current 2D technologies. Post-bond testing of TSVs has been identified as a major challenge for yield assurance in 3D ICs. This work proposes a novel post-bond test scheme for TSVs in a 3D ICs. The solution/design is based on the modular structure of Cellular Automata (CA), a modeling tool invented by von Neumann and Stanislaw Ulam. A special class of CA referred to as SACA has been introduced to identify the defects in TSVs. The introduction of CA segmentation ensures better efficiency in the design, in terms of number of computations to detect the faulty TSVs.