Through-Silicon Via

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What Does Through-Silicon Via Mean?

A through-silicon via (TSV) is a type of via (vertical interconnect access) connection used in microchip engineering and manufacturing that completely passes through a silicon die or wafer to allow for stacking of silicon dice. TSV is an important component for creating 3-D packages and 3-D integrated circuits. This type of connection performs better than its alternatives, such as package-on-package, since its density is higher and its connections shorter.

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Techopedia Explains Through-Silicon Via

Through-silicon via (TSV) is used in creating 3-D packages that contain more than one integrated circuit (IC) that is vertically stacked in a way that occupies less space while still allowing for greater connectivity. Before TSVs, 3-D packages had the stacked ICs wired at the edges, which increased the length and width and usually required an additional "interposer" layer between the ICs, resulting in a much bigger package. The TSV removes the need for edge wiring and interposers, which results in a smaller and flatter package.

Three-dimensional ICs are vertically stacked chips similar to a 3-D package but act as a single unit, which allows them to pack more functionalities in a relatively small footprint. TSV further enhances this by providing a short high-speed connection between the different layers.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.