by Anna Filatova
07/27/2002 | 02:19 AM
This week a well-known DRAM-module manufacturer, Kingston Company announced a new technology of memory chips mounting: EPOC (Elevated Package Over CSP).
This technology is not too complicated and is thought out to be a better value replacement to stacked-chip technology (when there are several chips mounted one above another in a single package). Stacked-chip module occupies less space on the module while its capacity is much bigger. However, these chips are hard to manufacture and are not always available in sufficient quantities.<%BANNER[article]%>
In order to be independent of the other supplies of high-capacity chips, Kingston together with Payton technology found a very simple way-out, which implies that there are chips with the packages of different type mounted on the same PCB. On the “ground floor” there are miniature CSP DRAM chips in BGA package (Chip Scale Package) and on the first floor – regular TSOP chips (Thin-Small Outline Package).
The chips are not connected with one another electrically. To be more exact, they are connected via a regular surface PCB mounting. The air gap between the chips is enough to provide sufficient cooling for the hidden memory chips. According to Kingston’s reps, the major application for EPOC technology will be during the production of 1.2-inch Registered DRAM modules (usually used in rack-mount 1 U servers).
“And what’s new about it”, you might ask. And I will not be able to answer. There is nothing extraordinary in the idea of soldering several chips one above the other. However, Kingston decided to patent this technology. And after that we are still surprised with the huge number of lawsuits about patent infringement. No, not quite right. We are surprised with so few lawsuits once the approach to new and not very new ideas is like this.
The American patent practice has been a cause for concern for a long time in the rest of the world. Do you know that for this particular reason an independent organization was established, which is dealing with the "trivial patents"? In other words, they patent those technologies and inventions, which people have used for a long time already without even thinking of paying any royalty to anyone. And this organization (unfortunately its name slips my mind now) made all these patents open, unlike our American friends, who seem to be doing everything vice versa, which simply slows down the whole thing.
By the way, the Latin word "patens" means "open"…