Characterization of TSVs by Cascaded Daisy Chains

The Characterization of stacked TSVs is difficult because of expensive experiments and low feasibility. In addition, the calibration of transmission lines connecting TSVs and coupling among TSVs is the main obstacle when horizontally connected TSVs are measured. Therefore, the equivalent transmission matrix of the coupling effect between two adjacent TSVs is derived, and a set of test structures is proposed to extract characteristics of a signal TSV. Under weak coupling conditions, the effect caused by transmission lines and coupling among signals can be eliminated by a calibration mechanism. Hence, extraction results can be used to predict the electrical behavior of stacked TSVs, and experiments are inexpensive and feasible.