Power Grid Optimization in 3D Circuits U s i n g MIM and CMOS Decoupling Capacitors

In three-dimensional (3D) chips, the amount of supply current per package pin is significantly more than in twodimensional (2D) designs. Therefore, the power supply noise problem, already a major issue in 2D, is even more severe in 3D. CMOS decoupling capacitors (decaps) have been used effectively for controlling power grid noise in the past, but with technology scaling, they have grown increasingly leaky. As an alternative, metal-insulator-metal (MIM) decaps, with high capacitance densities and low leakage current densities, have been proposed. In this paper, we explore the tradeoffs between using MIM decaps and traditional CMOS decaps, and propose a congestion-aware 3D power supply network optimization algorithm to optimize this tradeoff. The algorithm applies a sequence-of-linear-programs based method to find the optimum tradeoff between MIM and CMOS decaps. Experimental results show that power grid noise can be more effectively optimized after the introduction of MIM decaps, with lower leakage power and little increase in the routing congestion, as compared to a solution using CMOS decaps only, and motivate the stronger need for these decaps in 3D technology, as compared to 2D designs.