SemiWiki.com - Video EP4: A Deeper Look at Advanced Packaging & Multi-Die Design Challenges with Anna Fontanelli

Episode Date: May 9, 2025

In this episode of the Semiconductor Insiders video series, Dan is once again joined by Anna Fontanelli, founder and CEO of MZ Technologies. In this discussion, more details of the challenges presented by advanced packaging and multi-die design are explored. Anna provides details of what’s involved in architectural … Read More

Hello, my name is Daniel Nenni, the founder of SemiWiki, the open forum for semiconductor professionals. Welcome to the Semiconductor Insiders video series, where we take 10 minutes to discuss leading edge semiconductor design challenges with industry experts. My guest today is Anna Fontanelli, founder and CEO of MZ Technologies. Thank you for your time, Anna. Hi, Dan. A pleasure to be here with you today.

So Anna, in this complex world of 3DIC heterogeneous systems, architectural exploration and connectivity management play crucial roles in achieving optimal performance, power efficiency and cost effectiveness. Is that correct? Oh yes, architectural exploration is the key to system definition. It involves technology selection, partitioning, placement and determining the optimal chiplet

organization in the 3D stack. Interconnect management is crucial in designing the intricate network that links the chiplets. It includes interconnect design and optimization, virtual and physical routing, signal integrity analysis and management. And what solutions does MZ Technologies bring to this challenge? Well, of course we have our Gino Evo. One of its core function is connectivity management,

enabling design and optimization of high pin count interconnects in complex 2.D and 3D multi-fabric system design. It aids in IO planning for heterogeneous 3D system integration, anticipating and avoiding downstream thermal and mechanical issues that arise from complex floor planning and interconnects. Okay, I understand, but I'm guessing that's not the only function. You are right. In addition to connectivity management,

Gino Evo is excellent for architectural exploration, providing a virtual canvas for system-level exploration across different architectures, promoting innovative IC system integration, facilitating what-if analysis during the design early stages, enabling the optimization of performance, power consumption, area utilization, and last but not least preventing costly time-consuming rework later in the design process. So in summary, my understanding is that GiniOevo can really help designers in two crucial aspects, architectural exploration and connectivity management. Is that correct?

Absolutely. In essence, Gino Evo is designed to address the challenges of advanced packaging and multi-dye design, providing a holistic approach to efficient and reliable connectivity management. It helps designers develop power efficient and cost effective solutions for a wide range of application and is very well suited for the modern chiplet design. Anna, advanced packaging is a set of techniques that combines multiple chips or components

into a single package. It goes beyond traditional chip packaging by integrating different devices such as memory processors and sensors into a single unit. So what are some of the technical challenges in this new technology trend? On one side, advanced packaging goes beyond traditional chip packaging. It integrates memory, processors and sensors into a single unit. This offers several benefits including increased performance, reduced power consumption and smaller form factors. But in doing so, it significantly

increases chip design and manufacturing complexity. Right, so probably managing the intricate interconnections between multiple chips and components in the 3D space requires sophisticated design tools and manufacturing processes. What should EDA do for advanced packaging? Designers now have to make strategic decisions using early on analysis to ensure a global design perspective right from the very start. It's very important to see the whole three-dimensional physics picture from the beginning and this in a certain sense is a kind of revolution in the EDA world. Really? Can you be more precise? Yes, sure. Gino Evo, our flagship product, provides several solutions to challenges posed by advanced 3D packaging,

provides several solutions to challenges posed by advanced 3D packaging, but it will take some time to give more details. Please, yes, we have time. So, okay, let me cover five key aspects. The first one, connectivity management. GinoEVO excels at managing the complex interconnects inherent in 2.5D and 3D ICs. It helps optimize interconnects, manage signal bases and differential pairs, ensuring signal integrity, and mitigating potential performance bottlenecks. The second one is about architectural exploration. Gino Evo facilitates what-if analysis, allowing exploration of various packaging options and

optimizing the overall system architecture for the best possible layout solution. Then comes multi-physics design cockpit. Ginoivo multi-physics capabilities analyze thermal and mechanical stresses early in the design cycle. This helps identify and address potential reliability issues before they lead to costly failures. Aterogeneous integration. Ginoevo provides a unified platform for integrating components from diverse sources and technologies, simplifying the co-design of chiplets, interposes, and packages. And last but not least, IO planning. Gino Evo helps in the planning of IO connections for ASICs and hierarchical ASICs,

allowing for optimized connection placement. Great explanation. Thank you, Anna. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Dan. Bye-bye. That concludes our video. Thank you for watching and have a nice day.