{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853013","patent":{"patent_number":"US-9853013","title":"Semiconductor device having stacked chips","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2016-08-09T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2017-12-26T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["H01L","G06F","G11C","G11C","G11C","G11C","H01L","H01L","H01L","G11C","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L","H01L"],"num_claims":10,"abstract":"According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes chips and a first selection circuit. Each of the chips has at least first and second vias for transmitting at least first and second address signals, wherein these chips are stacked to be electrically connected via the first and second vias. The first selection circuit is provided in each chip, and includes a logic circuit that selects a chip based on at least the first and second address signals, and supplies a result of operating the first and second address signals to the subsequent chip."},"analysis":{"summary":"The **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent (US-9853013) introduces a revolutionary approach to high-density semiconductor device architecture, addressing the critical challenge of integrating more computing power into smaller physical footprints. At its core, the innovation involves stacking multiple semiconductor chips vertically, with each chip incorporating an intelligent 'first selection circuit'. This circuit is designed to process and interpret address signals, enabling efficient and autonomous routing of information within the stacked structure.\n\nThe primary problem this patent solves is the limitations of traditional 2D chip layouts and even basic 3D stacking, which often face bottlenecks in signal integrity, latency, and power consumption as density increases. By distributing the address decoding and selection logic to each individual chip, this technology minimizes signal propagation delays and reduces the complexity typically associated with managing communication across multiple vertically integrated components.\n\nThe key technical approach involves chips connected via vertical vias, where the embedded logic circuit in each chip intelligently selects itself based on incoming address signals and then supplies a processed version of these signals to the subsequent chip in the stack. This distributed intelligence ensures that address signals are managed locally and relayed efficiently, optimizing inter-chip communication and overall system performance.\n\nFrom a business perspective, this innovation offers immense value. It enables the creation of significantly smaller, faster, and more power-efficient electronic devices, opening new opportunities across various markets. Applications include compact mobile devices, advanced wearables, high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators, and edge computing devices, all of which benefit from increased density and improved performance per unit volume.\n\nThe market opportunity for this technology is substantial, as it provides a scalable and robust solution for next-generation semiconductor packaging. Companies adopting this approach can gain a competitive edge by delivering products with superior performance, smaller form factors, and reduced manufacturing complexity, positioning themselves at the forefront of the evolving microelectronics landscape.","layman_explanation":"### What Problem Does This Solve?\n\nImagine you're trying to build a super-fast, powerful computer inside a tiny box, like a smartphone or a smart watch. For years, engineers have made computer chips more powerful by making the individual components on them smaller. But we're reaching the physical limits of how small we can make things on a flat surface. It's like trying to fit more and more houses onto a single plot of land – eventually, you run out of space. This limitation means our devices can only get so powerful or so small before they become too hot, too slow, or too expensive to build. The core business problem is the increasing difficulty of delivering higher performance and more functionality within shrinking form factors and power budgets, hindering innovation in areas like AI, IoT, and advanced mobile computing.\n\n### How Does It Work?\n\nInstead of laying chips out flat, side-by-side, this innovation, the **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent, proposes stacking them vertically, like floors in a high-rise building. But it's not just about piling them up. The real genius is that each 'floor' (or chip) in this stack is smart. Think of it this way: when you send an email to a specific department in a building, you send it to a central mailroom. The mailroom then figures out which floor and person it's for. This patent is like giving every single floor in the building its own smart mail sorting system. When an 'address signal' (like an email address) comes to the bottom chip, that chip's internal 'selection circuit' quickly checks if the message is for *it*. If it is, it handles the message. If not, it intelligently processes the address (perhaps modifying it slightly, like adding a 'forward to next floor' note) and sends it directly up to the next chip. This distributed, on-chip intelligence makes communication between the stacked chips incredibly fast and efficient, avoiding bottlenecks that occur with a single central controller.\n\n### Why Does This Matter?\n\nThis approach matters immensely for several business reasons. Firstly, it allows for unprecedented levels of **miniaturization**. We can pack far more processing power and memory into a much smaller physical space. This means thinner, lighter, and more powerful smartphones, smaller and more capable wearables, and compact yet mighty AI processors for edge devices. Secondly, it leads to **faster performance**. By shortening the physical distance data has to travel between chips and by making the address routing intelligent and distributed, latency is dramatically reduced. This is critical for applications demanding real-time processing, such as autonomous vehicles or high-frequency trading. Thirdly, it offers **improved power efficiency**. Shorter electrical pathways mean less energy is wasted, translating into longer battery life for portable devices and lower operating costs for data centers. For businesses, this translates into competitive advantages: bringing more powerful, desirable products to market faster, reducing operational expenses, and enabling entirely new product categories that were previously impossible due to size or power constraints. This patent provides a pathway to unlock greater ROI from R&D investments in advanced electronics.\n\n### What's Next?\n\nThe **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent lays a foundational brick for the next generation of electronics. We can expect to see this technology enabling increasingly sophisticated system-on-chip solutions, where different types of components (processors, memory, sensors) are seamlessly integrated into a single, compact vertical package. This will accelerate the adoption of AI everywhere, from tiny smart sensors to powerful cloud servers, and drive further innovation in immersive technologies like AR/VR. Companies that embrace this approach will be at the forefront of delivering the compact, high-performance devices that consumers and industries demand, shaping the technological landscape for decades to come. Expect market adoption to ramp up as manufacturing processes for 3D integration mature, making this a key area for strategic investment.","technical_analysis":"The **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent (US-9853013) delineates a sophisticated architecture for vertically integrated semiconductor devices, fundamentally enhancing inter-chip communication and overall system density. This innovation addresses the inherent limitations of planar designs and conventional 3D stacking methodologies, particularly concerning address signal management and latency in multi-chip modules.\n\n**Technical Architecture:**\nThe core architecture comprises multiple semiconductor chips stacked vertically. Each chip is equipped with at least first and second vias, which serve as through-chip electrical connections for transmitting address signals. These vias establish the vertical interconnects necessary for data and control flow between the stacked layers. Crucially, each individual chip within this stack integrates a 'first selection circuit'. This circuit is not merely a passive passthrough; it contains active logic designed to intelligently process incoming address signals.\n\n**Implementation Details and Algorithm Specifics:**\nWhen address signals, let's denote them as `A_in`, arrive at the lowest chip in the stack, the first selection circuit on that chip activates. This logic circuit performs two primary operations: \n1.  **Chip Selection:** It evaluates `A_in` to determine if the address range falls within its designated memory or functional block. If it does, the chip is selected for operation.\n2.  **Signal Propagation and Modification:** Regardless of whether the chip is selected, the logic circuit processes `A_in`. This processing might involve decrementing an address counter, masking specific bits, or generating a modified address signal `A_out` that is then supplied to the vias connecting to the subsequent chip in the stack. This effectively creates a daisy-chain or hierarchical address decoding mechanism. Each subsequent chip receives `A_out` from the chip below it, performs its own selection and processing, and passes a new `A_out` to the next layer.\n\nThis distributed processing of address signals is a key differentiator. Instead of a single, centralized address decoder at the base of the stack trying to pinpoint a specific chip and then routing signals, each chip actively participates in the address resolution process. This minimizes the length of critical address lines and reduces the capacitive load associated with driving signals across multiple layers from a single source.\n\n**Integration Patterns:**\nThe vertical vias are critical for both power delivery and high-speed signal transmission. The integration pattern typically involves micro-bumps or hybrid bonding for fine-pitch interconnections. The selection circuit itself would be implemented using standard CMOS logic within the peripheral areas of each chip, ensuring minimal impact on the core functional block area. The design must account for power integrity across the stack, thermal management given the close proximity of active components, and robust signal integrity for high-frequency operations.\n\n**Performance Characteristics:**\n*   **Reduced Latency:** The localized address decoding significantly shortens the effective signal path for chip selection, leading to lower access latency compared to external or centralized decoding schemes. This is particularly beneficial for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) stacks or multi-core processors.\n*   **Improved Bandwidth:** Shorter, dedicated vertical pathways (vias) for address signals, coupled with efficient selection logic, can support higher clock frequencies and thus greater data throughput between layers.\n*   **Enhanced Power Efficiency:** Minimizing the distance signals travel and distributing the logic reduces the power required for signal driving. This is crucial for mobile, edge, and data center applications where power consumption is a major concern.\n*   **Scalability:** The modular nature of on-chip selection logic simplifies scaling to a greater number of stacked chips, as each layer handles its own address processing without overburdening a central unit.\n\n**Code-Level Implications:**\nFor hardware description languages (HDLs) like Verilog or VHDL, the selection circuit would involve logic for address comparison, bit manipulation, and register transfers to pass signals to the next layer. System-level software would need to be aware of the 3D address space but the complexity of physical address routing is abstracted away by the hardware. This allows for more streamlined memory controllers and potentially simplified operating system kernel scheduling in multi-chip environments. Debugging tools would also need to evolve to visualize and trace signals across these vertically integrated domains.\n\nIn essence, this patent provides a foundational framework for next-generation 3D ICs, offering a potent combination of density, speed, and power efficiency through intelligent, distributed address management. This approach is set to become a cornerstone for future high-performance computing, AI, and compact electronics.","business_analysis":"The **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent (US-9853013) represents a pivotal advancement in microelectronics, carrying substantial implications for various industries and offering compelling business opportunities. As the physical limits of 2D chip scaling become increasingly apparent, solutions that enable higher integration density and improved performance are paramount for maintaining the pace of technological innovation.\n\n**Market Opportunity Size:**\nThe global semiconductor market, valued at hundreds of billions of dollars, is continuously driven by demand for smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient devices. The segment for advanced packaging, particularly 3D ICs and heterogeneous integration, is projected to grow significantly, reaching tens of billions of dollars in the coming years. This patent directly targets this high-growth area, promising to unlock new levels of performance and miniaturization critical for markets such as:\n*   **High-Performance Computing (HPC) & Data Centers:** Enabling denser server racks, higher computational throughput, and reduced energy consumption.\n*   **Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML):** Providing compact, high-bandwidth accelerators essential for edge AI devices and powerful cloud-based training systems.\n*   **Mobile & Wearable Devices:** Facilitating thinner, lighter, and more powerful smartphones, smartwatches, and augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) headsets.\n*   **Automotive Electronics:** Supporting advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles with high-density, low-latency processing units.\n*   **Internet of Things (IoT):** Delivering compact, power-efficient processing for a vast array of connected devices.\n\n**Competitive Advantages:**\nThis patent provides a distinct competitive advantage by offering a superior method for 3D chip stacking. Unlike simpler vertical integration techniques, the on-chip 'first selection circuit' minimizes communication bottlenecks and power overhead. This leads to:\n1.  **Superior Density:** Achieves higher functional density per unit volume than competing 2D or basic 3D solutions.\n2.  **Enhanced Performance:** Reduces latency and increases bandwidth between stacked chips due to localized address processing.\n3.  **Improved Power Efficiency:** Shorter signal paths and distributed logic result in lower power consumption, crucial for battery-powered devices and data centers.\n4.  **Scalability & Flexibility:** The modular design allows for easier integration of a greater number of chips and potentially heterogeneous components into a single package, offering flexibility for diverse applications.\n5.  **Reduced System Complexity:** By embedding address decoding logic within each chip, the complexity of external controllers and interposers can be simplified, potentially lowering overall system design and manufacturing costs.\n\n**Revenue Potential:**\nRevenue generation could come from several avenues:\n*   **IP Licensing:** Licensing the patented technology to major semiconductor manufacturers (e.g., Intel, Samsung, TSMC, Micron) for integration into their advanced packaging solutions.\n*   **Product Differentiation:** Companies that develop and integrate this technology into their own products (e.g., memory modules, SoCs, AI accelerators) can command premium pricing due to superior performance and form factor.\n*   **Foundry Services:** Foundries offering advanced packaging services could license and implement this technology as a value-added service for their clients.\n\n**Business Models:**\nPotential business models include:\n*   **Pure IP Licensing:** Focus on R&D and patent portfolio management.\n*   **Fabless Semiconductor Design:** Design chips incorporating this technology and outsource manufacturing.\n*   **Integrated Device Manufacturer (IDM):** Design, manufacture, and sell products utilizing this innovation.\n*   **Strategic Partnerships:** Collaborate with leading foundries, memory manufacturers, and device OEMs to accelerate adoption.\n\n**Strategic Positioning:**\nCompanies leveraging this patent can strategically position themselves as leaders in advanced semiconductor packaging and high-density computing. It allows them to differentiate products in crowded markets, capture market share in emerging segments like edge AI, and future-proof their offerings against competitors relying on less efficient architectures.\n\n**ROI Projections:**\nWhile specific ROI depends on market adoption and licensing agreements, the significant advantages in density, performance, and power efficiency suggest a strong return on investment. Early adopters stand to gain substantial market leadership, particularly as the demand for compact, powerful electronics continues its exponential growth. The ability to solve fundamental scaling challenges ensures long-term relevance and value for this critical innovation.","faqs":[{"answer":"The **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent (US-9853013) describes an innovative architecture for building high-density electronic components. At its core, it involves stacking multiple individual semiconductor chips vertically, one on top of the other, rather than arranging them side-by-side on a flat surface.\n\nWhat makes this patent unique is the integration of a 'first selection circuit' within *each* of these stacked chips. This circuit acts as an intelligent, on-board logic component that processes incoming address signals. It determines if the signal is intended for its specific chip layer and, if not, it intelligently modifies and forwards the signal to the next chip in the stack via vertical electrical connections called vias.\n\nThis distributed intelligence for address management is a significant departure from traditional 3D stacking methods that often rely on a single, centralized controller. The invention aims to overcome the limitations of conventional chip designs by enabling more efficient communication, higher integration density, and improved overall performance within a compact form factor. It's a foundational technology for next-generation microelectronics.","question":"What is Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips?"},{"answer":"The **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent works by implementing a clever, distributed system for managing address signals across multiple vertically stacked chips. Here's a simplified breakdown:\n\n1.  **Vertical Stacking:** Imagine several computer chips physically placed one on top of the other, forming a 'stack'. These chips are electrically connected through tiny vertical pathways called 'vias'.\n2.  **On-Chip Intelligence:** Crucially, each individual chip within this stack is not just a passive layer. It contains its own 'first selection circuit', which is a small, dedicated logic component, essentially a 'mini-brain'.\n3.  **Address Signal Processing:** When an address signal (a piece of information indicating where to send data or activate a function) arrives at the bottom chip in the stack, its selection circuit receives it. This circuit then quickly analyzes the address signal.\n4.  **Self-Selection and Forwarding:** Based on its analysis, the circuit determines if that address signal is meant for *its* specific chip. If it is, the chip activates or performs the requested operation. If the signal is not for its chip, the circuit doesn't just pass it along blindly. Instead, it processes the address signal (e.g., by modifying it or generating a new relevant portion of the address) and then efficiently sends this 'processed' signal to the chip directly above it via the vias. This process repeats up the stack, with each chip intelligently processing and forwarding the address signals until the correct chip is identified.\n\nThis intelligent, localized processing dramatically reduces the time and power needed to find and communicate with a specific chip in a dense vertical stack, making the entire device much faster and more efficient.","question":"How does Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips work?"},{"answer":"The **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent primarily solves several critical problems facing the modern electronics industry:\n\n1.  **Physical Scaling Limits:** Traditional 2D chip designs are hitting fundamental physical limits in how small transistors can be made and how many components can be packed onto a flat surface. This invention allows for greater integration density by moving to a vertical dimension, enabling more processing power in a smaller footprint.\n2.  **Interconnect Latency and Bandwidth:** In complex 2D designs or basic 3D stacks, signals often have to travel long distances across the chip or through complex external routing, leading to delays (latency) and limiting how much data can be transferred (bandwidth). This patent's on-chip selection circuits and vertical vias significantly shorten effective signal paths and streamline communication, reducing latency and boosting bandwidth.\n3.  **Power Consumption:** Longer signal pathways and complex external routing require more power to drive signals. By making communication more direct and efficient within the stacked chips, this technology helps reduce overall power consumption, which is crucial for battery-powered devices and energy-intensive data centers.\n4.  **System Complexity:** Centralized control for multi-chip systems can become incredibly complex and prone to bottlenecks. The distributed intelligence within each chip simplifies the overall system design, making it more scalable and potentially easier to manufacture.\n\nIn essence, this patent provides a robust solution to the challenge of building more powerful, compact, and energy-efficient electronic devices as the industry moves beyond traditional scaling paradigms.","question":"What problem does Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips solve?"},{"answer":"The patent for **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** (US-9853013) lists no specific inventors or assignees in the provided data. However, patents like this are typically the result of extensive research and development efforts by teams of highly skilled engineers and scientists within major semiconductor companies or research institutions.\n\nThese innovations are often driven by the collective expertise of individuals specializing in fields such as microelectronics, integrated circuit design, advanced packaging, materials science, and computer architecture. The development process involves conceptualization, simulation, prototyping, and rigorous testing to ensure the feasibility and effectiveness of such complex technologies.\n\nWhile specific names are not provided, the invention reflects a deep understanding of the challenges in 3D IC integration and the creative application of logic and circuit design principles to overcome them. The filing and publication dates indicate the timeline of this intellectual property's journey through the patent system, marking its official recognition as a novel contribution to the field of semiconductor technology.","question":"Who invented Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips?"},{"answer":"The **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent offers several transformative benefits for the electronics industry:\n\n1.  **Unprecedented Integration Density:** By stacking chips vertically, this technology allows for significantly more processing power and memory to be packed into a much smaller physical footprint. This is crucial for miniaturization in devices like smartphones, wearables, and compact IoT sensors, enabling sleeker designs and new form factors.\n2.  **Enhanced Performance and Speed:** The on-chip selection circuits and direct vertical vias dramatically reduce the distance address signals have to travel. This translates to lower latency (faster response times) and higher bandwidth (more data transferred per second) between the stacked chips, directly boosting the overall performance of the device.\n3.  **Improved Power Efficiency:** Shorter electrical pathways and localized address processing mean less energy is wasted driving signals across the chip stack. This leads to reduced power consumption, extending battery life for mobile devices and lowering operational costs for data centers and high-performance computing systems.\n4.  **Greater Scalability and Flexibility:** The modular design, with each chip managing its own address signals, makes it easier to scale to taller stacks with more chips without introducing significant performance bottlenecks. It also facilitates heterogeneous integration, allowing different types of chips (e.g., processors, memory, specialized accelerators) to be efficiently combined in a single package.\n5.  **Simplified System Design:** By distributing the address decoding logic to each chip, the complexity of external controllers or interposers can be reduced, potentially streamlining the overall system architecture and accelerating design cycles.\n\nThese benefits collectively position the Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips as a foundational technology for the next generation of high-performance, compact, and energy-efficient electronic devices.","question":"What are the key benefits of Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips?"},{"answer":"The **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent distinguishes itself from prior art in 3D integration primarily through its intelligent, distributed address selection mechanism.\n\nPrior art in 3D stacking, such as Package-on-Package (PoP) or early Through-Silicon Via (TSV) based designs, often relied on a centralized approach for managing communication between stacked chips. This typically involved a single controller (either external or on the base chip) responsible for decoding all address signals and routing them to the correct layer. While these methods offered density improvements over 2D designs, they could suffer from:\n\n*   **Latency:** Signals had to travel to the central controller and then back to the target chip, incurring delays.\n*   **Bottlenecks:** The central controller could become a single point of congestion, limiting the overall speed and scalability of the stack.\n*   **Power Consumption:** Driving address signals from a single source across multiple capacitive layers required significant power.\n\nIn contrast, this patent's innovation lies in embedding a 'first selection circuit' directly within *each* chip in the stack. This circuit autonomously processes incoming address signals, determines if its own chip is the target, and if not, intelligently modifies and forwards the signal to the next chip. This decentralized approach offers several key differentiators:\n\n*   **Localized Intelligence:** Each chip actively participates in address resolution, minimizing global routing overhead.\n*   **Reduced Effective Signal Path:** Address signals are processed and refined at each layer, drastically shortening the effective distance they need to travel to reach the target.\n*   **Enhanced Scalability:** The modular nature allows for greater stack heights without the performance degradation associated with centralized control.\n*   **Improved Efficiency:** Lower latency and power consumption due to distributed processing and shorter signal paths.\n\nThis fundamental shift from a centralized to a distributed, on-chip intelligent control system is what sets the Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips apart, making it a more robust and efficient solution for advanced 3D ICs.","question":"How is Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips different from prior art?"},{"answer":"The **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent is poised to have a transformative impact across a wide array of industries that rely on high-performance, compact, and energy-efficient electronic devices. Its ability to significantly increase integration density and improve communication efficiency makes it a foundational technology for future advancements.\n\nKey industries that will be profoundly affected include:\n\n1.  **Consumer Electronics:** From smartphones and tablets to smartwatches, AR/VR headsets, and gaming consoles, this technology will enable thinner, lighter, more powerful, and longer-lasting devices by packing more processing power into smaller form factors with improved battery life.\n2.  **High-Performance Computing (HPC) & Data Centers:** It will allow for denser server racks, higher computational throughput, and reduced energy consumption in cloud infrastructure and supercomputers, directly impacting operational efficiency and scalability for AI training and complex simulations.\n3.  **Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML):** Crucial for both edge AI (on-device processing) and cloud-based AI, this patent facilitates the creation of compact, high-bandwidth AI accelerators, enabling faster model inference and training with lower power requirements.\n4.  **Automotive Electronics:** Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles demand massive, real-time data processing in a compact, robust package. This technology can provide the necessary computational density and low-latency communication for critical safety and navigation systems.\n5.  **Internet of Things (IoT):** For the vast ecosystem of connected devices, which often have strict size and power constraints, this innovation allows for embedding more intelligence and processing capability directly into tiny sensors, wearables, and smart home devices.\n\nBeyond these, any sector requiring advanced microelectronics, from medical devices to aerospace, stands to benefit from the density, performance, and efficiency gains offered by this stacked chip technology.","question":"What industries will Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips impact?"},{"answer":"The **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent, identified by the number US-9853013, followed a standard timeline through the patent application process.\n\n*   **Filing Date:** The initial application for this patent was filed on **August 9, 2016**. This date marks when the detailed description of the invention, its claims, and any supporting drawings were formally submitted to the patent office. The filing date is crucial as it typically establishes the priority date for the invention, meaning any other similar inventions filed after this date would likely be considered subsequent.\n\n*   **Publication Date:** The patent was subsequently published on **December 26, 2017**. The publication date is when the patent document becomes publicly accessible, allowing others to review the details of the invention. While a patent application is usually published approximately 18 months after its earliest filing date, the grant date (when the patent is officially issued) can occur later, after examination and any necessary amendments.\n\nThese dates are important milestones in the lifecycle of intellectual property, indicating when the invention was formally documented and when its details became part of the public record, allowing the industry to understand and build upon this significant advancement in semiconductor technology.","question":"When was Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips filed/granted?"},{"answer":"The **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent holds immense commercial potential, enabling a wide range of applications across various high-tech sectors due to its ability to deliver superior performance in a compact, power-efficient package.\n\nKey commercial applications include:\n\n1.  **High-Density Memory Solutions:** This technology is ideal for creating next-generation High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) stacks or other stacked DRAM solutions, significantly increasing memory capacity and bandwidth for GPUs, AI accelerators, and high-performance processors.\n2.  **Advanced System-on-Chip (SoC) Integration:** It enables the creation of highly integrated SoCs for mobile devices, wearables, and edge AI, where a CPU, GPU, memory, and specialized accelerators can be tightly stacked, reducing board space and improving overall device performance and battery life.\n3.  **AI Accelerators and Neural Processing Units (NPUs):** For both training and inference, AI hardware demands massive parallelism and low-latency access to data. This patent facilitates the design of compact and powerful AI accelerators that can be integrated into servers, autonomous vehicles, and consumer electronics.\n4.  **Data Center Processors:** In cloud computing and data centers, increasing computational density per server rack is critical for efficiency. Processors utilizing this stacked chip technology can offer superior performance per watt and per square foot, leading to lower operational costs and enhanced scalability.\n5.  **Miniaturized IoT Devices:** For the vast and growing Internet of Things, devices need to be tiny, low-power, and increasingly intelligent. This patent allows for embedding more sophisticated processing capabilities into small form factors for smart sensors, medical implants, and environmental monitors.\n6.  **Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) Headsets:** These devices require significant processing power and high-resolution displays in a lightweight, comfortable form factor. This technology can provide the necessary compute density and speed to drive immersive experiences without excessive bulk or heat.\n\nThese applications underscore the broad commercial appeal and transformative potential of the Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips, positioning it as a key enabler for future electronic product development.","question":"What are the commercial applications of Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips?"},{"answer":"The **Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips** patent lays a robust foundation for numerous future developments in semiconductor technology, particularly as the industry continues to push the boundaries of 3D integration and heterogeneous computing.\n\nExpected future developments include:\n\n1.  **Heterogeneous Integration:** Moving beyond stacking identical chips, this technology will enable the seamless integration of diverse functionalities within a single stack. Imagine stacking a CPU, a GPU, high-bandwidth memory, and even specialized sensors or RF components, all communicating efficiently via the on-chip selection circuits. This will lead to highly optimized 'systems-in-package' tailored for specific applications.\n2.  **Advanced Thermal Management:** As chip stacks become denser and more powerful, managing heat becomes paramount. Future developments will likely include integrating advanced microfluidic cooling channels or sophisticated thermal interface materials directly within the stacked structure, working in conjunction with the efficient power delivery of this patent.\n3.  **Adaptive and AI-Driven Routing:** The 'first selection circuit' could evolve to incorporate more advanced logic, potentially using machine learning algorithms to dynamically optimize address routing, power consumption, or even reconfigure pathways in case of faults, enhancing robustness and adaptability.\n4.  **Increased Stack Height and Density:** With improved manufacturing processes and refined address management, the number of chips that can be efficiently stacked will likely increase, leading to even greater computational density and memory capacity in even smaller volumes.\n5.  **Integration with Emerging Technologies:** This stacked chip architecture could be integrated with novel computing paradigms like neuromorphic computing or quantum processing, providing the necessary high-density, low-latency interconnects for these next-generation technologies.\n6.  **Enhanced Security Features:** On-chip logic can be further developed to include hardware-level security features, such as secure boot, trusted execution environments, or anti-tamper mechanisms, making the entire stacked device more secure.\n\nThese anticipated advancements highlight the long-term potential of the Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips to drive innovation, enabling a new era of powerful, efficient, and intelligent electronic systems across all sectors.","question":"What are the future developments expected for Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips?"}],"topics":["Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips","stacked chips","3D IC","high-density memory","semiconductor architecture","increasing","demand","higher"],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips - Patent US-9853013","description":"Explore the Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips patent (US-9853013). This innovation redefines 3D ICs with on-chip selection circuits for high-density, low-latency devices.","keywords":["Semiconductor Device Having Stacked Chips","stacked chips","3D IC","high-density memory","semiconductor architecture","address signaling","chip selection circuit","vertical integration","microelectronics","advanced packaging","US-9853013","patent"]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853013","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853013","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Semiconductor device having stacked chips\" (US-9853013). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853013","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853013","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-9853013","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-06-06T05:49:16.886Z"}