On the Potential of 3D Integration of Inductive DC-DC Converter for High-Performance Power Delivery

This paper studies the potential and challenges of integrating an inductor based DC-DC converter based voltage regulator module (VRM) as a separate die with processor for high-performance power delivery network (PDN). The frequency domain analysis of PDN considering the converter shows 3D integration of VRM improves PDN impedance but the effectiveness depends on the converter design and whether the LC filter is integrated on-board, on-package, or on-die with the die-stack. The methodologies to co-design the converter with PDN and packaging scenarios are discussed and implications on PDN impedance and power losses are studied to maximally exploit the advantage of 3D stacking.