science

Multi-chip module

Multi-chip module is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Multi-chip module rather than just read about it. In short: A multi-chip module (MCM) is generically an electronic assembly (such as a package with a number of conductor terminals or "pins") where multiple integrated circuits (ICs or "chips"), semiconductor dice and/or other discrete components are integrated, usually onto a unifying substrate, so that in use it can be treated as if it were a larger IC. Other terms for MCM packaging include "heterogeneous integration" or "hy…

Key takeaways

Multi-chip module belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Multi-chip module to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Multi-chip module from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A multi-chip module (MCM) is generically an electronic assembly (such as a package with a number of conductor terminals or "pins") where multiple integrated circuits (ICs or "chips"), semiconductor dice and/or other discrete components are integrated, usually onto a unifying substrate, so that in use it can be treated as if it were a larger IC. Other terms for MCM packaging include "heterogeneous integration" or "hybrid integrated circuit". The advantage of using MCM packaging is it allows a manufacturer to use multiple components for modularity and/or to improve yields over a conventional monolithic IC approach. A Flip Chip Multi-Chip Module (FCMCM) is a multi-chip module that uses flip chip technology. A FCMCM may have one large die and several smaller dice all on the same module.

Overview Multi-chip modules come in a variety of forms depending on the complexity and development philosophies of their designers. These can range from using pre-packaged ICs on a small printed circuit board (PCB) meant to mimic the package footprint of an existing chip package to fully custom chip packages integrating many chip dies on a high density interconnection (HDI) substrate. The final assembled MCM substrate may be done in one of the following ways:

The substrate is a multi-layer laminated printed circuit board (PCB), such as those used in AMD's Zen 2 processors. The substrate is built on ceramic, such as low temperature co-fired ceramic The ICs are deposited on the base substrate using Thin Film technology. The ICs that make up the MCM package may be:

ICs that can perform most, if not all of the functions of a component of a computer, such as the CPU. Examples of this include implementations of IBM's POWER5 and Intel's Core 2 Quad. Multiple copies of the same IC are used to build the final product. In the case of POWER5, multiple POWER5 processors and their associated off-die L3 cache are used to build the final package. With the Core 2 Quad, effectively two Core 2 Duo dies were packaged together. ICs that perform only some of the functions, or "Intellectual Property Blocks" ("IP Blocks"), of a component in a computer. These are known as chiplets. An example of this are the processing ICs and I/O IC of AMD's Zen 2-based processors. An interposer connects the ICs. This is often either organic (a laminated circuit board that contains carbon, hence organic) or is made of silicon (as in High Bandwidth Memory). Each has advantages and limitations. Using interposers to connect several ICs instead of connecting several monolithic ICs in separate packages reduces the power needed to transmit signals between ICs, increases the number of transmission channels, and reduces delays caused by resistance and capacitance (RC delays). However, communication between chiplets consumes more power and has higher latency than components within monolithic ICs.

Chip stack MCMs

A relatively new development in MCM technology is the so-called "chip-stack" package. Certain ICs, memories in particular, have very similar or identical pinouts when used multiple times within systems. A carefully designed substrate can allow these dies to be stacked in a vertical configuration making the resultant MCM's footprint much smaller (albeit at the cost of a thicker or taller chip). Since area is more often at a premium in miniature electronics designs, the chip-stack is an attractive option in many applications such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). With the use of a 3D integrated circuit and a thinning process, as many as ten dies can be stacked to create a high capacity SD memory card. This technique can also be used for High Bandwidth Memory. The possible way to increasing the performance of data transfer in the Chip stack is use Wireless Networks on Chip (WiNoC).

Examples of multi-chip packages IBM Bubble memory MCMs (1970s) IBM 3081 mainframe's thermal conduction module (1980s) Superconducting Multichip modules (1990s) Intel Pentium Pro, Pentium II OverDrive, Pentium D Presler, Xeon Dempsey, Clovertown, Harpertown and Tigerton, Core 2 Quad (Kentsfield, Penryn-QC and Yorkfield), Clarkdale, Arrandale, Kaby Lake-G, and models with Crystalwell (those with the GT3e or GT4e graphics) SD cards, microSD cards and Sony memory sticks eMMC, eUFS, and NVMe with single-package solution Xenos, a GPU designed by ATI Technologies for the Xbox 360, with eDRAM POWER2, POWER4, POWER5, POWER7, POWER8, and Power10 from IBM IBM z196 Nintendo's Wii U Espresso (microprocessor) has its CPU, GPU, and onboard VRAM (integrated into the GPU) on one MCM. VIA Nano QuadCore Flash and RAM memory combined on a PoP by Micron Samsung MCP solutions combining mobile DRAM and NAND storage. AMD Ryzen Threadripper and Epyc CPUs based on Zen or Zen+ architecture are MCMs of two or four chips (Ryzen based on Zen or Zen+ is not MCM and consist of one chip) AMD's non-APU Ryzen, Ryzen Threadripper and Epyc CPUs based on the Zen 2 or Zen 3 architecture are MCMs of one, two, four or eight chips containing CPU cores and one bigger I/O chip AMD Instinct MI series GPUs based on CDNA 2 architecture are MCMs of one or two graphics compute die (GCD) chips. AMD Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs based on RDNA 3 architecture are MCMs with one GCD and up to six memory cache die (MCD) chips. Intel Xe Ponte Vecchio GPUs Intel Meteor Lake CPUs Intel Arrow Lake CPUs Any other processor with High Bandwidth Memory Apple M series with CPU and memory Intel Lunar Lake with CPU and memory

3D multi-chip modules

See also System in package (SIP) System on a chip (SoC) Hybrid integrated circuit Advanced packaging (semiconductors) Chip carrier Chip packaging and package types list Single Chip Module (SCM) UFS Multi Chip Package (uMCP)

References

External links Multichip Module Technology (MCM) or System on a Package (SoP) AMD aims to stay in the race with Magny-Cours 12-core CPU MCM Design in AutoCAD – CDS Master MCM Designer Suite

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Multi-chip module

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Multi-chip module claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Multi-chip module before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Multi-chip module ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Multi-chip module

In research: Multi-chip module appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Multi-chip module in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Multi-chip module is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Chip carriers, Modularity, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Multi-chip module outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Multi-chip module in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Multi-chip module means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Multi-chip module out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Multi-chip module in simple terms?

Why does Multi-chip module matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Multi-chip module?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Multi-chip module.