Physical layout automation for system-on-packages

System-On-Package (SOP) technology provides a capability to integrate both mixed-signal active components and passive components all into a single high speed/density three dimensional packaging substrate. The physical layout resource of SOP is multi-layer in nature, where all layers are used for both placement and routing unlike the traditional multi-layer PCB or MCM packaging. In this paper, we present the first 3D physical design algorithms targeting SOP technology. 3D partitioning divides the input design into multiple layers. 3D placement determines the location of the active and passive components in multi-layer packaging substrate while considering various signal integrity issues. 3D global routing performs the following major steps: pin/net distribution, layer assignment, tree generation, and channel/pin assignment. Our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approaches.