Patent Application
20140084454
The described embodiments relate generally to substrate assemblies, and more particularly to direct substrate assembly between multiple substrates.
Integrated circuits have long become a mainstay of many electronic designs. Many items such as processors, memories, custom electronic designs including application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays and sensors use integrated circuit device technology to manufacture these items. Integrated circuit technologies can produce devices en masse, typically on a common substrate referred to as a wafer.
In some applications, two or more substrates can be electrically coupled together to form an assembly. Oftentimes, the assembly is large and can consume too much volume. Furthermore, the signal quality of the pathways electrically coupling the substrates can be affected by an abundance of junctions or other impediments in a signal pathway.
Therefore, what is desired is a compact way to couple substrates together and enhance the quality of electrical signals between the coupled substrates.
This paper describes various embodiments that relate to multiple substrate assemblies. In one embodiment a multiple shaped-interface substrate assembly can include a first substrate with an electrical component area and an interlocking edge that can include a thinned region and a first electrical interface region positioned next to the thinned region. The assembly can further include a second substrate with an electrical component area and an interlocking edge that can also include a thinned region and a second electrical interface region positioned next to the thinned region wherein the first substrate can be electrically and mechanically bonded to the second substrate.
In another embodiment, a method for forming a multiple shaped-interface assembly can include the steps of receiving a first and a second substrate, forming a first shaped edge region on the first substrate including a thinned region, disposing a first electrical interface region next to the first shaped edge region, forming a second shaped edge region on the second substrate including a thinned region, disposing a second electrical interface region next to the second shaped edge region, and bonding the first substrate to the second substrate through the first and second shaped edge regions.
In yet another embodiment, computer code for forming a substrate assembly can include computer code for receiving a first and a second substrate, computer code for forming a first shaped edge region, computer code for disposing a first electrical interface region adjacent to the first shaped edge region, computer code for forming a second edge shaped region, computer code for disposing a second electrical interface region adjacent to the second shaped edge region and computer code for bonding the first substrate to the second substrate through the first and the second shaped edge regions.
Other aspects and advantages of the embodiments will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the described embodiments.
The embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements.
Representative applications of methods and apparatus according to the present application are described in this section. These examples are being provided solely to add context and aid in the understanding of the described embodiments. It will thus be apparent to one skilled in the art that the described embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the described embodiments. Other applications are possible, such that the following examples should not be taken as limiting.
In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in accordance with the described embodiments. Although these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice the described embodiments, it is understood that these examples are not limiting; such that other embodiments may be used, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the described embodiments.
Substrates for electrical devices often need to be coupled to other components or other substrates. Unfortunately, the many traditional approaches can require extensive volume to implement and can also can offer degraded signal quality for signals coupled between substrates.
In one embodiment, shaped edge regions can be formed on substrates to provide a region for establishing a mechanical bond between substrates. The shaped edge regions can also include an electrical interface area that can provide an electrical coupling between substrates. In one embodiment, the shaped edge regions can include a keying feature to help assist in alignment and orientation between substrates.
Substrates 102-105 can be formed on silicon, gallium arsenide, germanium, gallium nitride any other technically feasible substrate. Interconnecting substrate 110 can be similar to the substrates 102-105, or, in another embodiment, interconnecting substrate 110 can be a printed circuit board assembly. Conductive elements within the interconnecting substrate can be metalized layers, conductively doped regions, copper traces or any other technically feasible electrical conductor.
As shown, interconnections between substrates generally begin at a first contract 115, travel through the interconnecting substrate 110 and traverse a second contact 115. Each contact, as well as the interconnecting substrate, can add parasitic circuit elements such as inductance, resistance and capacitance that can adversely affect signal quality.
The second substrate 202 can electrically couple to the first substrate 201 by means of electrical contact 216 and silicon through vias 240. In another embodiment, The second substrate can electrically couple to the printed circuit board 220 by coupling a signal through silicon through via 241, electrical contact 216, silicon through via 240 and electrical contact 215. Parasitic circuit elements can still be encountered as a signal travels through multiple silicon through vias 240, 241 and electrical contacts 215 and 216 again adversely affecting signal quality.
The shaped edge regions 314 and 324 can include electrical interface regions 318 and 328 respectively. First substrate 310 can include a conductive element 312 coupling electrical interface region 318 to circuit region 315 and second substrate 320 can include a conductive element 322 coupling electrical interface region 328 to circuit region 325. Although conductive elements 312 and 322 are drawn internal to first and second substrates 310 and 320, any technically feasible conductive elements can be used, including conductive doping or metal layers disposed on a surface of the first and second substrates 310 and 320. Electrical interface regions 318 and 328 can include surface contracts, gold stud bumps, deposited metal contacts or any other technically feasible electrical contact.
Shaped edge regions can include a thinned region. In
In other embodiment, circuit regions can be formed on a different side of a substrate (with respect to shaped edge regions). This embodiment is illustrated in
The substrates shown in
Substrates 610 and 620 can include edge shaped regions as before, but in this embodiment the shaped edge regions can not only enable mechanical and electrical bonding between substrates, but also mechanical and electrical bonding to support substrate 602. In one embodiment substrates 610 and 620 can be mounted on support substrate 602 such that substrates 610 and 620 are positioned out of the plane of support substrate 602. When substrates 610 and 620 comprise sensors, then assembly 600 can configure sensors to be sensitive to activity not restricted to the plane of the support substrate 602.
Shaped edge region 650 can be shared between substrates 610 and 620. Substrate 610 can include electrical interface region 651 and substrate 620 can include electrical interface region 652. When substrate 610 is electrically and mechanically bonded to substrate 620, then electrical signals can advantageously be coupled from substrate 610 through electrical interface regions 615 and 652 to substrate 620. Similarly, substrate 610 can be electrically and mechanically bonded to support substrate 602 at shaped edge region 630. Support substrate 602 can include electrical interface region 631 and substrate 610 can include electrical interface region 632. Electrical signals can be coupled between substrate 610 and support substrate 602 through electrical interface regions 631 and 632. In a like manner, substrate 620 can be electrically and mechanically bonded to support substrate 602 at shaped edge region 640. Support substrate 602 can include electrical interface region 641 and substrate 610 can include electrical interface region 642. Electrical signals can be coupled between substrate 610 and support substrate 602 through electrical interface regions 641 and 642.
Electronic device 800 can also include user input device 1008 that allows a user of the electronic device 800 to interact with the electronic device 800. For example, user input device 808 can take a variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, touch screen, audio input interface, visual/image capture input interface, input in the form of sensor data, etc. Still further, electronic device 800 can include a display 810 (screen display) that can be controlled by processor 1002 to display information to the user. Data bus 816 can facilitate data transfer between at least file system 804, cache 806, processor 802, and controller 813. Controller 813 can be used to interface with and control different manufacturing equipment through equipment control bus 814. For example, control bus 814 can be used to control a computer numerical control (CNC) mill, a press, an injection molding machine, soldering machine, deep ion reactive ion etch equipment or other such equipment. For example, processor 802, upon a certain manufacturing event occurring, can supply instructions to control manufacturing equipment through controller 813 and control bus 814. Such instructions can be stored in file system 804, RAM 820, ROM 822 or cache 806.
Electronic device 800 can also include a network/bus interface 811 that couples to data link 812. Data link 812 can allow electronic device 800 to couple to a host computer or to accessory devices. The data link 812 can be provided over a wired connection or a wireless connection. In the case of a wireless connection, network/bus interface 811 can include a wireless transceiver. Sensor 826 can take the form of circuitry for detecting any number of stimuli. For example, sensor 826 can include any number of sensors for monitoring a manufacturing operation such as for example a Hall Effect sensor responsive to external magnetic field, an audio sensor, a light sensor such as a photometer, computer vision sensor to detect clarity, a temperature sensor to monitor a etching process and so on.
The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of the described embodiments can be used separately or in any combination. Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. The described embodiments can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium for controlling manufacturing operations or as computer readable code on a computer readable medium for controlling a manufacturing line. The computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, HDDs, DVDs, magnetic tape, and optical data storage devices. The computer readable medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.
The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the described embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the described embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.
