A chiplet is a tiny
integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tiny ...
(IC) that contains a well-defined subset of functionality. It is designed to be combined with other chiplets on an
interposer
An interposer is an electrical interface routing between one socket or connection to another. The purpose of an interposer is to spread a connection to a wider pitch or to reroute a connection to a different connection.
Interposer comes from t ...
in a single
package. A set of chiplets can be implemented in a mix-and-match "
LEGO
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...
-like" assembly. This provides several advantages over a traditional
system on chip
A system on a chip or system-on-chip (SoC ; pl. ''SoCs'' ) is an integrated circuit that integrates most or all components of a computer or other electronic system. These components almost always include a central processing unit (CPU), memory ...
(SoC):
* Reusable IP (Intellectual Property): the same chiplet can be used in many different devices
* Heterogeneous integration: chiplets can be fabricated with different processes, materials, and
nodes
In general, a node is a localized swelling (a "knot") or a point of intersection (a Vertex (graph theory), vertex).
Node may refer to:
In mathematics
*Vertex (graph theory), a vertex in a mathematical graph
*Vertex (geometry), a point where two ...
, each optimized for its particular function
* Known good die:
chiplets can be tested before assembly, improving the yield of the final device
Multiple chiplets working together in a single integrated circuit may be called a
multi-chip module
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 dies and/or other discrete components are int ...
(MCM),
hybrid IC,
2.5D IC, or an
advanced package.
Chiplets may be connected with standards such as UCIe, Bunch of Wires (BoW), OpenHBI, and OIF XSR.
See also
*
UCIe
Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express (UCIe) is an open specification for a die-to-die interconnect and serial bus between chiplets. It is co-developed by AMD, Arm, ASE Group, Google Cloud, Intel, Meta, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Samsung, and TSMC.
...
References
{{reflist
Integrated circuits
Semiconductor devices