The NanoIC pilot line, coordinated by imec as part of a European initiative to advance chip technologies beyond 2nm, has released two process design kits (PDKs): one for fine-pitch redistribution layer (RDL) and one for die-to-wafer (D2W) hybrid bonding interconnects. These are the first PDKs of their kind made publicly accessible at this level of integration.
The release targets universities, start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and industrial players to support design exploration in high-density chip-to-chip connectivity.
The fine-pitch RDL PDK enables high-density routing on polymer-based substrates, with line widths and spaces reaching 1.3 microns and microbump pitches down to 20 microns. This overcomes previous limitations in polymer substrates for fine interconnects. On a UCIe-Advanced die-to-die interface, it supports up to 40% higher communication speed and up to 15% lower energy per bit compared to earlier methods. The PDK applies to applications in automotive, high-performance computing, and next-generation GPU architectures.
The D2W hybrid bonding PDK supports ultra-dense 3D die-to-die connections through direct oxide-to-oxide links, replacing traditional copper bumps to eliminate associated parasitics and enable low-loss, energy-efficient pathways. It suits AI applications, advanced computing platforms, and high-performance GPU architectures requiring high-bandwidth chip-to-chip links.
Both PDKs are exploratory versions providing design rules, validated building blocks, layout creation tools, automated and custom routing, and design rule checks. They allow initial technology assessment and idea testing, with future maturation planned toward complete fabrication-ready toolsets that support tape-out and physical manufacturing on the NanoIC pilot line.
This brings NanoIC's total publicly accessible PDKs to five, following earlier releases of N2, A14, and eDRAM PDKs, now encompassing logic, memory, and interconnect technologies.
A workshop dedicated to the fine-pitch RDL and D2W hybrid bonding PDKs is scheduled for May 27, 2026, with details on the NanoIC website.
