Meeting and Seminar Archive:
(Co-sponsored seminar with SCV CAS, CPMT and CS chapters)
Date: Oct 20, 2008
Title: Multichip module packaging and its impact on architecture
Speaker: Dr. Hubert Harrer, Senior Technical Staff Member, Server and Technology Group, IBM
Location: Ramada Inn in Sunnyvale
Abstract:
The presentation compares the system packaging and technologies of IBM´s
latest system z high end servers.
Starting from the z900, the system design change towards a blade-like
architecture will be explained. The latest system generation z9 has achieved
a doubling of the multiprocessor performance compared to the z990 system by
maximizing its CPU configuration in combination with increasing the speed of
the interconnections.
This MCM technology is the key enabler for the high bandwidths between
processor chips and the cache chips. The glass ceramic module has
accomplished this challenge within the 102 layers resulting in a total
wiring length of 545m. The increase of bandwidth requirements for the
packaging will be compared for the last generations. Also the complex board
and card technology of the second level packaging will be discussed. The
cooling of the system is being done with a modular refrigeration unit (MRU),
which cools the processor chips down to 45C. This low temperature ensures
highest reliability and reduced leakage current of the chips. An air cooled
backup mode at a lower frequency ensures that the system does not go down in
case of an MRU fail. The MCM has been designed for a maximum power of 850W
during nominal operation and 1200W in case of the air-cooled backup mode.
The presentation will focus on the electrical design methodologies for high
end servers like power delivery concepts, signal integrity methodologies and
power integrity designs for delivering such high currents.
Biography:
Dr. Hubert Harrer is a Senior Technical Staff Member (STSM) since 2002 working in
the IBM Server and Technology Group. He received his Dipl.-Ing. degree in
1989 and his Ph.D. degree in 1992 from the Technical University of Munich.
In 1993 he received a DFG research grant to work at the University of
California at Berkeley in the paradigm of Cellular Neural Networks. Since
1994 he has worked for IBM in the Boeblingen Packaging Department. In 1999
he was on international assignment at IBM Poughkeepsie, New York. He was
leading the z900 MCM designs and is the technical lead for z-series CEC
packaging designs since 2001. This includes the system z990 and system z9
mainframe computers. His technical interests focus on packaging technology,
high frequency designs and electrical analysis for first and second level
packaging. He has published multiple papers and holds 7 patents in the area
of packaging.
