MCM packaging for present- and next-generation high clock-rate digital- and mixed-signal electronic systems: areas for development

This paper will review the manner in which electronic packaging will be driven by the high-level performance requirements of next-generation mixed-signal systems, and by the evolving characteristics of next-generation integrated circuits. Present performance and fabrication limitations of the multichip module (MCM) technology will be discussed, as well as possible approaches to remove or minimize these constraints. Areas fruitful for research by the simulation community will be noted. This review is intended to provide a broad applications-oriented framework for the theoretical and simulation-directed papers in this special issue on interconnect and packaging.