The Chiplet Center of Excellence sets new standards for the automotive industry

By Dr. Andreas Ostmann

September 27, 2024

With the newly founded Chiplet Center of Excellence (CCoE) in Dresden, Fraunhofer IIS/EAS, Fraunhofer IZM and Fraunhofer ENAS want to set new standards for automotive electronics. Dr. Michael Schiffer, head of the »Wafer Level System Integration« department, and Dr. Andreas Ostmann, head of the »System Integration and Interconnection Technologies« department, spoke to RealIZM about the need to develop innovative chiplet solutions and to drive forward heterogeneous integration and electronic packaging in Europe.

To begin with, can you please explain what chiplets are?

Dr. Michael Schiffer: »Chiplets« are first and foremost a design philosophy. The architecture of chiplets is based on the concept of combining electronic components of different sizes and functions both next to and on top of each other – not unlike how Lego bricks work. Wafer-thin wires serve as connecting elements. As a result, the chip components form a functional overall system – a so-called »system-on-chip« (SoC). In contrast to a »multi-chip module«, in which the various chips also function independently, a single chiplet is only partially functional in itself.

What are the advantages and challenges that come with developing chiplet systems?

Dr. Michael Schiffer: The chiplet approach, for example, offers major advantages in terms of hardware security and trustworthy electronics. Only the person responsible for the design of the entire chiplet system gets to access all components. A person trying to forge the system could only ever copy single chiplets in the distributed supply chain. This makes it more difficult for outsiders to copy the entire system. Going forward, other security features could be added by photonic subcomponents.

Dr. Andreas Ostmann: Creating chiplet systems is very demanding. The components must be electrically coupled so perfectly that they behave like a single silicon chip. The challenge for us as technologists is to ensure short and fast connections with as little loss as possible between the electrical components.

In your opinion, which connection technology is best suited for chiplets?

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