RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC—Ziptronix Inc., which has developed a 3D method for stacking and bonding semiconductor chips, has raised an additional $2.3 million according to Dow Jones VentureWire.

Founded in 2000 as a spin-out from RTI International in the Research Triangle, the company previously raised about $36 million from investors who include RTI, Intersouth Partners, Grotech, Alliance Technology Ventures.

Ziptronix makes an innovative wafer and die bonding technology that lowers manufacturing and packaging costs and increases yields in high-speed logic and MEMs manufacturing, the company says.

Its technology, which lets chips bond powerfully at the molecular level via silicon oxide, gets around a variety of limitations that stymied previous attempts to create 3D circuits. The company holds 17 patents and has filed for others. The technology originated at Duke.

In a previous interview, a company executive told TechJournal South that chip manufacturing has reached a point similar to high density building in cities: “There’s no where to go but up,” he said.

The technology accomplishes the same results as more difficult chip size reduction resulting in increased logic density but without additional fabrication design costs. The company licenses its technology to chip makers.

On the Web: www.ziptronix.com

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