AC Coupling Addresses Connection Density and Integrity Issues

摘要

AC-coupled transmission is an established data communication method, of which Ethernet is a prime example. Researchers at North Carolina State University (Raleigh, N.C.) and Sun Microsystems (Santa Clara, Calif.) are among those examining AC-coupled interconnection for chip-to-package and chip-to-chip communication. The advantage is that contacts need only be aligned to make the connections. Direct connection using solder, wire or other material would only be necessary for the DC power and ground connections. For the upcoming connection densities and pad pitches called for in the 2003 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), alignment alone will certainly be quite a challenge, not to mention the need to make good conductive connections for each contact. For AC-coupled contacts, alignment would be the only challenge.