Through-silicon via advanced packaging technology and its radio frequency applications

Through silicon Via (TSV) technology is widely recognized as one of the most promising interconnect solutions, owing to its ability to dramatically shorten interconnect paths, reduce package dimensions, decrease power consumption, and enhance device performance. Conventional TSVs embedded in low-resistivity silicon interposers are primarily employed in high-performance computing and memory stacking applications. Their application in radio frequency (RF) domains is limited due to the problems in both severe high-frequency signal losses and TSV-to-TSV crosstalk. Currently, extensive research efforts have been done to address these limitations. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the fabrication processes of conventional TSVs, and summarizes the applications and challenges of conventional TSV technique in RF circuits. Furthermore, it overviews the recently developing coaxial TSV designs for RF applications, discussing in details their fabrication processes, simulation studies, and design optimizations. Finally, it provides an outlook on the future development of TSV in RF integrated microsystems.