Design tools for the 3D roadmap

3D TSV technology will soon be widely available and consumer products with embedded TSVs will be the norm rather than the exception. The roadmap envisioned by most for 3D development shows CMOS image sensors and TSVs as mainstream items in 2009 with heterogeneous stacked systems and logic-on-memory following in 2010 and 2011. By 2015, we expect to see complex embedded devices combining sensors, CPUs, and memories. This roadmap is, however, conditioned on the appropriate 3D design software being available. We present the fundamental elements required for a true 3D design flow. We discuss the requirements for standards, design for manufacturing and test guidelines, and tools needed to solve today´s as well as tomorrow´s problem. Alongside the 3D technology roadmap we propose a 3D EDA roadmap that will have to be followed in parallel if progress is to continue at the anticipated pace.