On-chip interconnects - Giga hertz and beyond

Because of the excessive loss of long signal lines and limited DC and AC current carrying capacity, pushing the conventional on-chip interconnect system into multi-GHz VLSI's will soon hit performance barriers. Introduction of metal planes or meshes into on-chip interconnects will provide impedance-controlled environment for signal lines, and combined with larger signal lines, the long lossy line problem can be solved. Planes also help distribute power with minimal AC/DC noise. As an additional feature, integration of passive elements into on-chip interconnects will be very useful to realize fully integrated "system-on-chip."