Yield-enhancement schemes for multicore processor and memory stacked 3D ICs

A three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC) with multiple dies vertically connected by through-silicon-via (TSV) offers many benefits over current 2D ICs. Multicore logic-memory die stacking has been considered as one candidate for 3D ICs by utilizing the TSV to provide high data bandwidth between logic and memory. However, 3D ICs suffer from the low-yield issue. This article proposes effective yield-enhancement techniques for multicore die-stacked 3D ICs. Two reconfiguration schemes are proposed to logically swap the positions of cores in the dies of 3D ICs such that the yield of 3D ICs is increased. Two algorithms also are proposed to determine the reconfiguration effectively. Simulation results show that the proposed reconfiguration schemes can achieve a yield gain ranging from 1% to 11%.