Patent Application
20250149455
Electronic circuits when fabricated on a wafer of semiconductor material, such as silicon, are commonly called integrated circuits (ICs). The wafer with such ICs is typically cut into numerous individual dies. IC devices (e.g., dies) are typically coupled together in a multi-die IC package to integrate features or functionality and to facilitate connections to other components, such as package substrates. An IC package may include an embedded multi-die interconnect bridge (EMIB) for coupling two or more dies. An IC package may be integrated onto an electronic system, such as a consumer electronic system. Some ICs have specific functionalities, such as memory or processing. Some other ICs have multiple functionalities, such as a system-on-chip (SOC), in which all or most components of a computer or other electronic system are integrated into a single monolithic die.
Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, like reference numerals designate like structural elements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings.
For purposes of illustrating IC packages described herein, it is important to understand phenomena that may come into play during assembly and packaging of ICs. The following foundational information may be viewed as a basis from which the present disclosure may be properly explained. Such information is offered for purposes of explanation only and, accordingly, should not be construed in a way that limits the broad scope of the present disclosure and its potential applications.
Die partitioning, in which multiple smaller dies are coupled together by high-density interconnects, may achieve smaller form factors and higher yields than utilizing a single, monolithic die. However, coupling dies together at the fine pitch needed to achieve desired interconnect density has been limited by conventional approaches. One approach to achieving a finer pitch includes incorporating a thin glass core into a package substrate.
The structures and assemblies disclosed herein may include a glass core, also referred to herein as a “glass layer,” with vias extending through the glass core for front-to-back connections between two different substrates. A glass core as compared to a conventional epoxy core offers several advantages including higher through-glass via (TGV) density, lower signal losses, and lower total thickness variation (TTV), among others. A substrate may include a dielectric material with conductive pathways therein that are typically formed on a surface of the glass core. The conductive pathways through the dielectric material may provide routing for design flexibility, and the uniform diameters of the TGVs may provide dimensional stability and improved connectivity. One challenge with incorporating substrates on a glass layer is having to pattern conductive features directly on the glass layer because the conductive material (e.g., copper) tends to delaminate. One way to reduce this reliability risk is by adding a buffer layer between the glass layer and the substrate. The buffer layer includes a dielectric material with individual conductive vias that are electrically coupled, at one end, to individual TGVs and that are electrically coupled, at the other end, to individual conductive contacts in the substrate. The conductive vias are required to have diameters that are smaller than the diameters of the TGVs to compensate for any overlay alignment errors with the individual landing pads. The smaller diameters of the conductive vias are more likely to create malfunctions, failures, and other reliability issues. Various ones of the embodiments disclosed herein may help reduce the cost and complexity assembling multi-die IC packages relative to conventional approaches and increase reliability and functionality of these IC packages during use.
Accordingly, disclosed herein are microelectronic assemblies including a glass layer having a surface; a material on the surface of the glass layer, the material including a polyimide or a dielectric material; a via including a conductive material, wherein the via extends through the glass layer and through the material on the surface of the glass layer, and wherein the via has a first diameter through the material on the surface, a second diameter at the surface of the glass layer, and the first diameter is equal to the second diameter plus 1 micron or minus 1 micron; and a dielectric layer on the material at the surface of the glass layer, the dielectric layer including a conductive pathway electrically coupled to the via.
Each of the structures, assemblies, packages, methods, devices, and systems of the present disclosure may have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for all the desirable attributes disclosed herein. Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are stated in the description below and the accompanying drawings.
In the following detailed description, various aspects of the illustrative implementations may be described using terms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art.
The terms “circuit” and “circuitry” mean one or more passive and/or active electrical and/or electronic components that are arranged to cooperate with one another to provide a desired function. The terms also refer to analog circuitry, digital circuitry, hard wired circuitry, programmable circuitry, microcontroller circuitry and/or any other type of physical hardware electrical and/or electronic component.
The term “integrated circuit” means a circuit that is integrated into a monolithic semiconductor or analogous material.
In some embodiments, the IC dies disclosed herein may include substantially monocrystalline semiconductors, such as silicon or germanium, as a base material on which integrated circuits are fabricated with traditional semiconductor processing methods. The semiconductor base material may include, for example, N-type or P-type materials. Dies may include, for example, a crystalline base material formed using a bulk silicon (or other bulk semiconductor material) or a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI, e.g., a silicon-on-insulator) structure. In some other embodiments, the base material of one or more of the IC dies may include alternate materials, which may or may not be combined with silicon, that include but are not limited to germanium, indium antimonide, lead telluride, indium arsenide, indium phosphide, gallium arsenide, indium gallium arsenide, gallium antimonide, or other combinations of group III-N, group III-V, group II-VI, or group IV materials. In yet other embodiments, the base material may include compound semiconductors, for example, with a first sub-lattice of at least one element from group III of the periodic table (e.g., Al, Ga, In), and a second sub-lattice of at least one element of group V of the periodic table (e.g., P, As, Sb). In yet other embodiments, the base material may include an intrinsic IV or III-V semiconductor material or alloy, not intentionally doped with any electrically active impurity; in alternate embodiments, nominal impurity dopant levels may be present. In still other embodiments, dies may include a non-crystalline material, such as polymers; for example, the base material may include silica-filled epoxy. In other embodiments, the base material may include high mobility oxide semiconductor material, such as tin oxide, antimony oxide, indium oxide, indium tin oxide, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, indium zinc oxide, indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), gallium oxide, titanium oxynitride, ruthenium oxide, or tungsten oxide. In general, the base material may include one or more of tin oxide, cobalt oxide, copper oxide, antimony oxide, ruthenium oxide, tungsten oxide, zinc oxide, gallium oxide, titanium oxide, indium oxide, titanium oxynitride, indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, nickel oxide, niobium oxide, copper peroxide, IGZO, indium telluride, molybdenite, molybdenum diselenide, tungsten diselenide, tungsten disulfide, N- or P-type amorphous or polycrystalline silicon, germanium, indium gallium arsenide, silicon germanium, gallium nitride, aluminum gallium nitride, indium phosphide, and black phosphorus, each of which may possibly be doped with one or more of gallium, indium, aluminum, fluorine, boron, phosphorus, arsenic, nitrogen, tantalum, tungsten, and magnesium, etc. Although a few examples of the material for dies are described here, any material or structure that may serve as a foundation (e.g., base material) upon which IC circuits and structures as described herein may be built falls within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
Unless described otherwise, IC dies described herein include one or more IC structures (or, simply, “ICs”) implementing (i.e., configured to perform) certain functionality. In one such example, the term “memory die” may be used to describe a die that includes one or more ICs implementing memory circuitry (e.g., ICs implementing one or more of memory devices, memory arrays, control logic configured to control the memory devices and arrays, etc.). In another such example, the term “compute die” may be used to describe a die that includes one or more ICs implementing logic/compute circuitry (e.g., ICs implementing one or more of input/output (I/O) functions, arithmetic operations, pipelining of data, etc.).
In another example, the terms “package” and “IC package” are synonymous, as are the terms “die” and “IC die.” Note that the terms “chip,” “chiplet,” “die,” and “IC die” are used interchangeably herein.
The term “optical structure” includes arrangements of forms fabricated in ICs to receive, transform and/or transmit optical signals as described herein. It may include optical conductors such as waveguides, electromagnetic radiation sources such as lasers and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and electro-optical devices such as photodetectors.
In various embodiments, any photonic IC (PIC) described herein may include a semiconductor material, for example, N-type or P-type materials. The PIC may include, for example, a crystalline base material formed using a bulk silicon (or other bulk semiconductor material) or a SOI structure (or, in general, a semiconductor-on-insulator structure). In some embodiments, the PIC may be formed using alternative materials, which may or may not be combined with silicon, that include, but are not limited to, lithium niobite, indium phosphide, silicon dioxide, germanium, silicon germanium, indium antimonide, lead telluride, indium arsenide, indium phosphide, gallium arsenide, aluminum gallium arsenide, aluminum arsenide, indium aluminum arsenide, aluminum indium antimonide, indium gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, indium gallium nitride, aluminum indium nitride or gallium antimonide, or other combinations of group III-N or group IV materials. In some embodiments, the PIC may include a non-crystalline material, such as polymers. In some embodiments, the PIC may be formed on a printed circuit board (PCB). In some embodiments, the PIC may be inhomogeneous, including a carrier material (such as glass or silicon carbide) as a base material with a thin semiconductor layer over which is an active side comprising transistors and like components. Although a few examples of the material for the PIC are described here, any material or structure that may serve as a foundation upon which the PIC may be built falls within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
The term “insulating” means “electrically insulating,” the term “conducting” means “electrically conducting,” unless otherwise specified. With reference to optical signals and/or devices, components and elements that operate on or using optical signals, the term “conducting” can also mean “optically conducting.”
The terms “oxide,” “carbide,” “nitride,” etc. refer to compounds containing, respectively, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, etc.
The term “high-k dielectric” refers to a material having a higher dielectric constant than silicon oxide, while the term “low-k dielectric” refers to a material having a lower dielectric constant than silicon oxide.
The term “insulating material” refers to solid materials (and/or liquid materials that solidify after processing as described herein) that are substantially electrically nonconducting. They may include, as examples and not as limitations, organic polymers and plastics, and inorganic materials such as ionic crystals, porcelain, glass, silicon and alumina or a combination thereof. They may include dielectric materials, high polarizability materials, and/or piezoelectric materials. They may be transparent or opaque without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Further examples of insulating materials are underfills and molds or mold-like materials used in packaging applications, including for example, materials used in organic interposers, package supports and other such components.
In various embodiments, elements associated with an IC may include, for example, transistors, diodes, power sources, resistors, capacitors, inductors, sensors, transceivers, receivers, antennas, etc. In various embodiments, elements associated with an IC may include those that are monolithically integrated within an IC, mounted on an IC, or those connected to an IC. The ICs described herein may be either analog or digital and may be used in a number of applications, such as microprocessors, optoelectronics, logic blocks, audio amplifiers, etc., depending on the components associated with the IC. The ICs described herein may be employed in a single IC die or as part of a chipset for executing one or more related functions in a computer.
In various embodiments of the present disclosure, transistors described herein may be field-effect transistors (FETs), e.g., metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) FETs (MOSFETs). In general, a FET is a three-terminal device that includes source, drain, and gate terminals and uses electric field to control current flowing through the device. A FET typically includes a channel material, a source region and a drain regions provided in and/or over the channel material, and a gate stack that includes a gate electrode material, alternatively referred to as a “work function” material, provided over a portion of the channel material (the “channel portion”) between the source and the drain regions, and optionally, also includes a gate dielectric material between the gate electrode material and the channel material.
In a general sense, an “interconnect” refers to any element that provides a physical connection between two other elements. For example, an electrical interconnect provides electrical connectivity between two electrical components, facilitating communication of electrical signals between them; an optical interconnect provides optical connectivity between two optical components, facilitating communication of optical signals between them. As used herein, both electrical interconnects and optical interconnects are included in the term “interconnect.” The nature of the interconnect being described is to be understood herein with reference to the signal medium associated therewith. Thus, when used with reference to an electronic device, such as an IC that operates using electrical signals, the term “interconnect” describes any element formed of an electrically conductive material for providing electrical connectivity to one or more elements associated with the IC or/and between various such elements. In such cases, the term “interconnect” may refer to both conductive traces (also sometimes referred to as “lines,” “wires,” “metal lines” or “trenches”) and conductive vias (also sometimes referred to as “vias” or “metal vias”). Sometimes, electrically conductive traces and vias may be referred to as “conductive traces” and “conductive vias”, respectively, to highlight the fact that these elements include electrically conductive materials such as metals. Likewise, when used with reference to a device that operates on optical signals as well, such as a PIC, “interconnect” may also describe any element formed of a material that is optically conductive for providing optical connectivity to one or more elements associated with the PIC. In such cases, the term “interconnect” may refer to optical waveguides (e.g., structures that guide and confine light waves), including optical fiber, optical splitters, optical combiners, optical couplers, and optical vias.
The term “waveguide” refers to any structure that acts to guide the propagation of light from one location to another location typically through a substrate material such as silicon or glass. In various examples, waveguides can be formed from silicon, doped silicon, silicon nitride, glasses such as silica (e.g., silicon dioxide or SiO2), borosilicate (e.g., 70-80 wt % SiO2, 7-13 wt % of B2O3, 4-8 wt % Na2O or K2O, and 2-8 wt % of Al2O3) and so forth. Waveguides may be formed using various techniques including but not limited to forming waveguides in situ. For example, in some embodiments, waveguides may be formed in situ in glass using low temperature glass-to-glass bonding or by laser direct writing. Waveguides formed in situ may have lower loss characteristics.
The term “conductive trace” may be used to describe an electrically conductive element isolated by an insulating material. Within IC dies, such insulating material includes interlayer low-k dielectric that is provided within the IC die. Within package substrates, and printed circuit boards (PCBs) such insulating material includes organic materials such as Ajinomoto Buildup Film (ABF), polyimides, or epoxy resin. Such conductive lines are typically arranged in several levels, or several layers, of metallization stacks.
The term “conductive via” may be used to describe an electrically conductive element that interconnects two or more conductive lines of different levels of a metallization stack. To that end, a via may be provided substantially perpendicularly to the plane of an IC die/chip or a support structure over which an IC structure is provided and may interconnect two conductive lines in adjacent levels or two conductive lines in non-adjacent levels.
The term “package substrate” may be used to describe any substrate material that facilitates the packaging together of any collection of semiconductor dies and/or other electrical components such as passive electrical components. As used herein, a package substrate may be formed of any material including, but not limited to, insulating materials such as resin impregnated glass fibers (e.g., PCB or Printed Wiring Boards (PWB)), glass, ceramic, silicon, silicon carbide, etc. In addition, as used herein, a package substrate may refer to a substrate that includes buildup layers (e.g., ABF layers).
The term “metallization stack” may be used to refer to a stack of one or more interconnects for providing connectivity to different circuit components of an IC die/chip and/or a package substrate.
As used herein, the term “pitch” of interconnects refers to a center-to-center distance between adjacent interconnects.
In context of a stack of dies coupled to one another or in context of a die coupled to a package substate, the term “interconnect” may also refer to, respectively, die-to-die (DTD) interconnects and die-to-package substrate (DTPS) interconnects. DTD interconnects may also be referred to as first-level interconnects (FLI). DTPS interconnects may also be referred to as Second-Level Interconnects (SLI). Although not specifically shown in all of the present illustrations in order to not clutter the drawings, when DTD or DTPS interconnects are described, a surface of a first die may include a first set of conductive contacts, and a surface of a second die or a package substrate may include a second set of conductive contacts. One or more conductive contacts of the first set may then be electrically and mechanically coupled to some of the conductive contacts of the second set by the DTD or DTPS interconnects. In some embodiments, the pitch of the DTD interconnects may be different from the pitch of the DTPS interconnects, although, in other embodiments, these pitches may be substantially the same.
It will be recognized that one more levels of underfill (e.g., organic polymer material such as benzotriazole, imidazole, polyimide, or epoxy) may be provided in an IC package described herein and may not be labeled in order to avoid cluttering the drawings. In various embodiments, the levels of underfill may include the same or different insulating materials. In some embodiments, the levels of underfill may include thermoset epoxies with silicon oxide particles; in some embodiments, the levels of underfill may include any suitable material that can perform underfill functions such as supporting the dies and reducing thermal stress on interconnects. In some embodiments, the choice of underfill material may be based on design considerations, such as form factor, size, stress, operating conditions, etc.; in other embodiments, the choice of underfill material may be based on material properties and processing conditions, such as cure temperature, glass transition temperature, viscosity and chemical resistance, among other factors; in some embodiments, the choice of underfill material may be based on both design and processing considerations.
In some embodiments, one or more levels of solder resist (e.g., epoxy liquid, liquid photoimageable polymers, dry film photoimageable polymers, acrylics, solvents) may be provided in an IC package described herein and may not be labeled or shown to avoid cluttering the drawings. Solder resist may be a liquid or dry film material including photoimageable polymers. In some embodiments, solder resist may be non-photoimageable.
The terms “substantially,” “close,” “approximately,” “near,” and “about,” generally refer to being within +/−20% of a target value (e.g., within +/−5% or 10% of a target value) based on the context of a particular value as described herein or as known in the art.
Terms indicating orientation of various elements, e.g., “coplanar,” “perpendicular,” “orthogonal,” “parallel,” or any other angle between the elements, generally refer to being within +/−5%-20% of a target value based on the context of a particular value as described herein or as known in the art.
The term “connected” means a direct connection (which may be one or more of a mechanical, electrical, and/or thermal connection) between the things that are connected, without any intermediary devices, while the term “coupled” means either a direct connection between the things that are connected, or an indirect connection through one or more passive or active intermediary devices.
The description uses the phrases “in an embodiment” or “in embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments.
Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous.
The disclosure may use perspective-based descriptions such as “above,” “below,” “top,” “bottom,” and “side”; such descriptions are used to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict the application of disclosed embodiments.
The terms “over,” “under,” “between,” and “on” as used herein refer to a relative position of one material layer or component with respect to other layers or components. For example, one layer disposed over or under another layer may be directly in contact with the other layer or may have one or more intervening layers. Moreover, one layer disposed between two layers may be directly in contact with one or both of the two layers or may have one or more intervening layers. In contrast, a first layer described to be “on” a second layer refers to a layer that is in direct contact with that second layer. Similarly, unless explicitly stated otherwise, one feature disposed between two features may be in direct contact with the adjacent features or may have one or more intervening layers.
The term “dispose” as used herein refers to position, location, placement, and/or arrangement rather than to any particular method of formation.
The term “between,” when used with reference to measurement ranges, is inclusive of the ends of the measurement ranges.
For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C). When used herein, the notation “A/B/C” means (A), (B), and/or (C).
Although certain elements may be referred to in the singular herein, such elements may include multiple sub-elements. For example, “an electrically conductive material” may include one or more electrically conductive materials. In another example, “a dielectric material” may include one or more dielectric materials.
Unless otherwise specified, the use of the ordinal adjectives “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense.
The accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
In the drawings, same reference numerals refer to the same or analogous elements/materials shown so that, unless stated otherwise, explanations of an element/material with a given reference numeral provided in context of one of the drawings are applicable to other drawings where element/materials with the same reference numerals may be illustrated.
Furthermore, in the drawings, some schematic illustrations of example structures of various devices and assemblies described herein may be shown with precise right angles and straight lines, but it is to be understood that such schematic illustrations may not reflect real-life process limitations which may cause the features to not look so “ideal” when any of the structures described herein are examined using, e.g., images of suitable characterization tools such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, transmission electron microscope (TEM) images, or non-contact profilometer. In such images of real structures, possible processing and/or surface defects could also be visible, e.g., surface roughness, curvature or profile deviation, pit or scratches, not-perfectly straight edges of materials, tapered vias or other openings, inadvertent rounding of corners or variations in thicknesses of different material layers, occasional screw, edge, or combination dislocations within the crystalline region(s), and/or occasional dislocation defects of single atoms or clusters of atoms. There may be other defects not listed here but that are common within the field of device fabrication and/or packaging.
Note that in the figures, various components (e.g., interconnects) are shown as aligned (e.g., at respective interfaces) merely for ease of illustration; in actuality, some or all of them may be misaligned. In addition, there may be other components, such as bond-pads, landing pads, metallization, etc. present in the assembly that are not shown in the figures to prevent cluttering. Further, the figures are intended to show relative arrangements of the components within their assemblies, and, in general, such assemblies may include other components that are not illustrated (e.g., various interfacial layers or various other components related to optical functionality, electrical connectivity, or thermal mitigation). For example, in some further embodiments, the assembly as shown in the figures may include more dies along with other electrical components. Additionally, although some components of the assemblies are illustrated in the figures as being planar rectangles or formed of rectangular solids, this is simply for ease of illustration, and embodiments of these assemblies may be curved, rounded, or otherwise irregularly shaped as dictated by and sometimes inevitable due to the manufacturing processes used to fabricate various components.
In the drawings, a particular number and arrangement of structures and components are presented for illustrative purposes and any desired number or arrangement of such structures and components may be present in various embodiments.
Further, unless otherwise specified, the structures shown in the figures may take any suitable form or shape according to material properties, fabrication processes, and operating conditions.
For convenience, if a collection of drawings designated with different letters are present (e.g.,
Various operations may be described as multiple discrete actions or operations in turn in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the claimed subject matter. However, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations may not be performed in the order of presentation. Operations described may be performed in a different order from the described embodiment. Various additional operations may be performed, and/or described operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.
A first material 105-1 and a second material 105-2 may include any suitable material, including a polyimide or a dielectric. In some embodiments, a first material 105-1 and a second material 105-2 are a same material. In some embodiments, a first material 105-1 and a second material 105-2 are different materials. A first material 105-1 and a second material 105-2 may have any suitable dimensions, including a thickness 195 (e.g., a z-height or z-dimension) between 0.25 microns and 50 microns. In some embodiments, a thickness 195-1 of the first material 105-1 is equal to a thickness 195-2 of the second material 105-2. In some embodiments, a thickness 195-1 of the first material 105-1 is different than a thickness 195-2 of the second material 105-2.
A material of the core 103 may include glass, such as bulk transparent glass, and also may be referred to herein as “a glass layer.” As used herein, the term “core” refers to a structure (e.g., a portion of a glass layer) of any glass material such as quartz, silica, fused silica, silicate glass (e.g., borosilicate, aluminosilicate, alumino-borosilicate), soda-lime glass, soda-lime silica, borofloat glass, lead borate glass, photosensitive glass, non-photosensitive glass, or ceramic glass. In particular, the core 103 may be bulk glass or a solid volume/layer of glass, as opposed to, e.g., materials that may include particles of glass, such as glass fiber reinforced polymers. Such glass materials are typically non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solids. In some embodiments, the core 103 may be an amorphous solid glass layer. In some embodiments, the core 103 may include silicon and oxygen, as well as any one or more of aluminum, boron, magnesium, calcium, barium, tin, sodium, potassium, strontium, phosphorus, zirconium, lithium, titanium, and zinc. In some embodiments, the core 103 may include a material, e.g., any of the materials described above, with a weight percentage of silicon being at least about 0.5%, e.g., between about 0.5% and 50%, between about 1% and 48%, or at least about 23%. For example, if the core 103 is fused silica, the weight percentage of silicon may be about 47%. In some embodiments, the core 103 may include at least 23% silicon and/or at least 26% oxygen by weight, and, in some further embodiments, the core 103 may further include at least 5% aluminum by weight. In some embodiments, the core 103 may include any of the materials described above and may further include one or more additives such as Al2O3, B2O3, MgO, CaO, SrO, BaO, SnO2, Na2O, K2O, SrO, P2O3, ZrO2, Li2O, Ti, and Zn. In some embodiments, the core 103 may be a layer of glass that does not include an organic adhesive or an organic material. The core 103 may be distinguished from, for example, the “prepreg” or “RF4” core of a PCB substrate which typically includes glass fibers embedded in a resinous organic material such as an epoxy. In some embodiments, a cross-section of the core 103 in an x-z plane, a y-z plane, and/or an x-y plane of an example coordinate system, shown in
Turning back to
The microelectronic assembly 100 may further include die 114-1 and die 114-2 electrically coupled to a top surface of the second substrate 148-2 by interconnects 150. In particular, conductive contacts 122 on a bottom surface of die 114-1, 114-2 may be electrically and mechanically coupled to conductive contacts 174 at a top surface of the second substrate 148-2 by interconnects 150.
Interconnects 150 may enable electrical coupling between die 114-1 and die 114-2 through conductive pathways 196 in substrate 148-2. Interconnects 150 disclosed herein may take any suitable form. In some embodiments, a set of interconnects 150 may include solder 132 (e.g., solder bumps or balls that are subject to a thermal reflow to form the interconnects 150). Interconnects 150 that include solder may include any appropriate solder material, such as lead/tin, tin/bismuth, eutectic tin/silver, ternary tin/silver/copper, eutectic tin/copper, tin/nickel/copper, tin/bismuth/copper, tin/indium/copper, tin/zinc/indium/bismuth, or other alloys. In some embodiments, a set of interconnects 150 may include an anisotropic conductive material, such as an anisotropic conductive film or an anisotropic conductive paste. An anisotropic conductive material may include conductive materials dispersed in a non-conductive material. In some embodiments, an anisotropic conductive material may include microscopic conductive particles embedded in a binder or a thermoset adhesive film (e.g., a thermoset biphenyl-type epoxy resin, or an acrylic-based material). In some embodiments, the conductive particles may include a polymer and/or one or more metals (e.g., nickel or gold). For example, the conductive particles may include nickel-coated gold or silver-coated copper that is in turn coated with a polymer. In another example, the conductive particles may include nickel. When an anisotropic conductive material is uncompressed, there may be no conductive pathway from one side of the material to the other. However, when the anisotropic conductive material is adequately compressed (e.g., by conductive contacts on either side of the anisotropic conductive material), the conductive materials near the region of compression may contact each other so as to form a conductive pathway from one side of the film to the other in the region of compression. In some embodiments, interconnects 150 disclosed herein may have a pitch between about 18 microns and 75 microns.
The die 114 disclosed herein may include an insulating material (e.g., a dielectric material formed in multiple layers, as known in the art) and multiple conductive pathways formed through the insulating material. In some embodiments, the insulating material of a die 114 may include a dielectric material, such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, oxynitride, polyimide materials, glass reinforced epoxy matrix materials, or a low-k or ultra low-k dielectric (e.g., carbon-doped dielectrics, fluorine-doped dielectrics, porous dielectrics, organic polymeric dielectrics, photo-imageable dielectrics, and/or benzocyclobutene-based polymers). In some embodiments, the insulating material of a die 114 may include a semiconductor material, such as silicon, germanium, or a III-V material (e.g., gallium nitride), and one or more additional materials. For example, an insulating material may include silicon oxide or silicon nitride. The conductive pathways in a die 114 may include conductive traces and/or conductive vias, and may connect any of the conductive contacts in the die 114 in any suitable manner (e.g., connecting multiple conductive contacts on a same surface or on different surfaces of the die 114). The conductive pathways in the dies 114 may be bordered by liner materials, such as adhesion liners and/or barrier liners, as suitable. In some embodiments, the die 114 is a wafer. In some embodiments, the die 114 is a monolithic silicon, a fan-out or fan-in package die, or a die stack (e.g., wafer stacked, die stacked, or multi-layer die stacked). In various embodiments, die 114 may include, or be a part of, one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a memory device (e.g., a high-bandwidth memory device), a logic circuit, input/output circuitry, a transceiver such as a field programmable gate array transceiver, a gate array logic such as a field programmable gate array logic, of a power delivery circuitry, a III-V or a III-N device such as a III-N or III-N amplifier (e.g., GaN amplifier), Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) circuitry, Double Data Rate (DDR) transfer circuitry, or other electronic components known in the art. In some embodiments, die 114-1 and die 114-2 may include different functionalities. As used herein, the term “functionality” with reference to a die refers to one or more functions (e.g., capability, task, operation, action, instruction execution, etc.) that the die in question can perform. For example, die 114-1 may be a CPU and die 114-2 may be a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) or memory. In other embodiments, die 114-1 and die 114-2 may include the same or similar functionalities. For example, die 114-1 and die 114-2 may each include memory.
The microelectronic assembly 100 of
The microelectronic assembly 100 of
The microelectronic assembly 100 of
In some embodiments, one or more levels of solder resist (e.g., epoxy liquid, liquid photoimageable polymers, dry film photoimageable polymers, acrylics, solvents) may be provided in an IC package described herein and may not be labeled or shown to avoid cluttering the drawings. Solder resist may be a liquid or dry film material including photoimageable polymers. In some embodiments, solder resist may be non-photoimageable.
Any suitable techniques may be used to manufacture the microelectronic assemblies 100 disclosed herein. For example,
The packages disclosed herein, e.g., any of the microelectronic assemblies 100, or any further embodiments described herein, may be included in any suitable electronic component.
As shown in
Package support 2252 may include conductive contacts 2263 that are coupled to conductive pathway 2262 through package support 2252, allowing circuitry within dies 2256 and/or interposer 2257 to electrically couple to various ones of conductive contacts 2264 (or to other devices included in package support 2252, not shown).
IC package 2200 may include interposer 2257 coupled to package support 2252 via conductive contacts 2261 of interposer 2257, first level interconnects (FLI) 2265, and conductive contacts 2263 of package support 2252. FLI 2265 illustrated in
IC package 2200 may include one or more dies 2256 coupled to interposer 2257 via conductive contacts 2254 of dies 2256, FLI 2258, and conductive contacts 2260 of interposer 2257. In various embodiments, interposer 2257 may include core 103 including glass as described herein. Conductive contacts 2260 may be coupled to conductive pathways (not shown) through interposer 2257, allowing circuitry within dies 2256 to electrically couple to various ones of conductive contacts 2261 (or to other devices included in interposer 2257, not shown). FLI 2258 illustrated in
In some embodiments, underfill material 2266 may be disposed between package support 2252 and interposer 2257 around FLI 2265, and mold 2268 may be disposed around dies 2256 and interposer 2257 and in contact with package support 2252. In some embodiments, underfill material 2266 may be the same as mold 2268. Example materials that may be used for underfill material 2266 and mold 2268 are epoxies as suitable. Second level interconnects (SLI) 2270 may be coupled to conductive contacts 2264. SLI 2270 illustrated in
In embodiments in which IC package 2200 includes multiple dies 2256, IC package 2200 may be referred to as a multichip package (MCP). Dies 2256 may include circuitry to perform any desired functionality. For example, besides one or more of dies 2256 including components of dies 114 as described herein, one or more of dies 2256 may be logic dies (e.g., silicon-based dies), one or more of dies 2256 may be memory dies (e.g., high-bandwidth memory), etc. In some embodiments, at least some of dies 2256 may not include components of dies 114 as described herein.
Although IC package 2200 illustrated in
In some embodiments, circuit board 2302 may be a PCB including multiple metal layers separated from one another by layers of insulator and interconnected by electrically conductive vias. Any one or more of the metal layers may be formed in a desired circuit pattern to route electrical signals (optionally in conjunction with other metal layers) between the components coupled to circuit board 2302. In other embodiments, circuit board 2302 may be a non-PCB package support.
Package-on-interposer structure 2336 may include IC package 2320 coupled to interposer 2304 by coupling components 2318. In some embodiments, IC package 2320 may include microelectronic assembly 100, and other components as described herein, which are not shown so as not to clutter the drawing. Coupling components 2318 may take any suitable form depending on desired functionalities, such as the forms discussed above with reference to coupling components 2316. In some embodiments, IC package 2320 may be or include IC package 2200, e.g., as described above with reference to
Although a single IC package 2320 is shown in
In the embodiment illustrated in
Interposer 2304 may be formed of an epoxy resin, a fiberglass reinforced epoxy resin, a ceramic material, or a polymer material such as polyimide. In some implementations, interposer 2304 may be formed of alternate rigid or flexible materials that may include the same materials described above for use in a semiconductor substrate, such as silicon, germanium, and other group III-V and group IV materials. Interposer 2304 may include metal interconnects 2308 and vias 2310, including TSVs 2306. Interposer 2304 may further include embedded devices 2314, including both passive and active devices. Such devices may include, but are not limited to, capacitors, decoupling capacitors, resistors, inductors, fuses, diodes, transformers, sensors, electrostatic discharge (ESD) devices, and memory devices. More complex devices such as radio frequency (RF) devices, power amplifiers, power management devices, antennas, arrays, sensors, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices may also be formed on interposer 2304. Package-on-interposer structure 2336 may take the form of any of the package-on-interposer structures known in the art.
In some embodiments, IC device assembly 2300 may include an IC package 2324 coupled to first face 2340 of circuit board 2302 by coupling components 2322. Coupling components 2322 may take the form of any of the embodiments discussed above with reference to coupling components 2316, and IC package 2324 may take the form of any of the embodiments discussed above with reference to IC package 2320.
In some embodiments, IC device assembly 2300 may include a package-on-package structure 2334 coupled to second face 2342 of circuit board 2302 by coupling components 2328. Package-on-package structure 2334 may include an IC package 2326 and an IC package 2332 coupled together by coupling components 2330 such that IC package 2326 is disposed between circuit board 2302 and IC package 2332. Coupling components 2328 and 2330 may take the form of any of the embodiments of coupling components 2316 discussed above, and IC packages 2326 and/or 2332 may take the form of any of the embodiments of IC package 2320 discussed above. Package-on-package structure 2334 may be configured in accordance with any of the package-on-package structures known in the art.
A number of components are illustrated in
Additionally, in various embodiments, computing device 2400 may not include one or more of the components illustrated in
Computing device 2400 may include a processing device 2402 (e.g., one or more processing devices). As used herein, the term “processing device” or “processor” may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data from registers and/or memory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data that may be stored in registers and/or memory. Processing device 2402 may include one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), ASICs, CPUs, GPUs, cryptoprocessors (specialized processors that execute cryptographic algorithms within hardware), server processors, or any other suitable processing devices. Computing device 2400 may include a memory 2404, which may itself include one or more memory devices such as volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM)), nonvolatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)), flash memory, solid state memory, and/or a hard drive. In some embodiments, memory 2404 may include memory that shares a die with processing device 2402. This memory may be used as cache memory and may include embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM) or spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM).
In some embodiments, computing device 2400 may include a communication chip 2412 (e.g., one or more communication chips; note that the terms “chip,” “die,” and “IC die” are used interchangeably herein). For example, communication chip 2412 may be configured for managing wireless communications for the transfer of data to and from computing device 2400. The term “wireless” and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels, etc., that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagnetic radiation through a nonsolid medium. The term does not imply that the associated devices do not contain any wires, although in some embodiments they might not.
Communication chip 2412 may implement any of a number of wireless standards or protocols, including Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standards including Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 family), IEEE 802.16 standards (e.g., IEEE 802.16-2005 Amendment), Long-Term Evolution (LTE) project along with any amendments, updates, and/or revisions (e.g., advanced LTE project, ultramobile broadband (UMB) project (also referred to as “3GPP2”), etc.). IEEE 802.16 compatible Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) networks are generally referred to as WiMAX networks, an acronym that stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, which is a certification mark for products that pass conformity and interoperability tests for the IEEE 802.16 standards. The communication chip 2412 may operate in accordance with a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved HSPA (E-HSPA), or LTE network. The communication chip 2412 may operate in accordance with Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), or Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). Communication chip 2412 may operate in accordance with Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), and derivatives of it, as well as any other wireless protocols that are designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, and beyond. Communication chip 2412 may operate in accordance with other wireless protocols in other embodiments. Computing device 2400 may include an antenna 2422 to facilitate wireless communications and/or to receive other wireless communications (such as AM or FM radio transmissions).
In some embodiments, communication chip 2412 may manage wired communications, such as electrical, optical, or any other suitable communication protocols (e.g., the Ethernet). As noted above, communication chip 2412 may include multiple communication chips. For instance, a first communication chip 2412 may be dedicated to shorter-range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and a second communication chip 2412 may be dedicated to longer-range wireless communications such as global positioning system (GPS), EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, EV-DO, or others. In some embodiments, a first communication chip 2412 may be dedicated to wireless communications, and a second communication chip 2412 may be dedicated to wired communications.
Computing device 2400 may include battery/power circuitry 2414. Battery/power circuitry 2414 may include one or more energy storage devices (e.g., batteries or capacitors) and/or circuitry for coupling components of computing device 2400 to an energy source separate from computing device 2400 (e.g., AC line power).
Computing device 2400 may include a display device 2406 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Display device 2406 may include any visual indicators, such as a heads-up display, a computer monitor, a projector, a touchscreen display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode display, or a flat panel display, for example.
Computing device 2400 may include audio output device 2408 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Audio output device 2408 may include any device that generates an audible indicator, such as speakers, headsets, or earbuds, for example.
Computing device 2400 may include audio input device 2418 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Audio input device 2418 may include any device that generates a signal representative of a sound, such as microphones, microphone arrays, or digital instruments (e.g., instruments having a musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) output).
Computing device 2400 may include a GPS device 2416 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). GPS device 2416 may be in communication with a satellite-based system and may receive a location of computing device 2400, as known in the art.
Computing device 2400 may include other output device 2410 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Examples of other output device 2410 may include an audio codec, a video codec, a printer, a wired or wireless transmitter for providing information to other devices, or an additional storage device.
Computing device 2400 may include other input device 2420 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Examples of other input device 2420 may include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, an image capture device, a keyboard, a cursor control device such as a mouse, a stylus, a touchpad, a bar code reader, a Quick Response (QR) code reader, any sensor, or a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader.
Computing device 2400 may have any desired form factor, such as a handheld or mobile computing device (e.g., a cell phone, a smart phone, a mobile internet device, a music player, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook computer, an ultrabook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an ultramobile personal computer, etc.), a desktop computing device, a server or other networked computing component, a printer, a scanner, a monitor, a set-top box, an entertainment control unit, a vehicle control unit, a digital camera, a digital video recorder, or a wearable computing device. In some embodiments, computing device 2400 may be any other electronic device that processes data.
The above description of illustrated implementations of the disclosure, including what is described in the abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. While specific implementations of, and examples for, the disclosure are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the disclosure, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.
The following paragraphs provide various examples of the embodiments disclosed herein.
Example 1 is a microelectronic assembly, including a glass layer having a surface; a material on the surface of the glass layer, the material including a polyimide or a dielectric material; a via including a conductive material, wherein the via extends through the glass layer and through the material on the surface of the glass layer, and wherein the via has a first diameter through the material on the surface, a second diameter at the surface of the glass layer, and the first diameter is equal to the second diameter plus 1 micron or minus 1 micron; and a dielectric layer on the material at the surface of the glass layer, the dielectric layer including a conductive pathway electrically coupled to the via.
Example 2 may include the subject matter of Example 1, and may further specify that a thickness of the material on the surface of the glass layer is between Example 0.25 microns and 50 microns.
Example 3 may include the subject matter of Examples 1 or 2, and may further specify that the second diameter of the via is between 5 microns and 200 microns.
Example 4 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 1-3, and may further specify that a thickness of the glass layer is between 100 microns and 2 millimeters.
Example 5 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 1-4, and may further include a die on the dielectric layer and electrically coupled to the conductive pathway in the dielectric layer.
Example 6 may include the subject matter of Example 5, and may further include an interconnect die at least partially within the dielectric layer and electrically coupled to the die.
Example 7 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 1-6, and may further specify that the dielectric layer is a first dielectric layer including a first conductive pathway, the surface is a first surface, and the glass layer further includes a second surface opposite the first surface, and the microelectronic assembly may further include the material on the second surface of the glass layer, wherein the via further extends through the material on the second surface of the glass layer and has a third diameter through the material on the second surface that is equal to the second diameter plus 1 micron or minus 1 micron.
Example 8 may include the subject matter of Example 7, and may further include a second dielectric layer on the material at the second surface of the glass layer, the second dielectric layer including a second conductive pathway electrically coupled to the via.
Example 9 may include the subject matter of Example 8, and may further include a circuit board at the second dielectric layer and electrically coupled to the second conductive pathway.
Example 10 is a microelectronic assembly, including a glass layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface; a material on the first surface and the second surface of the glass layer, the material including a polyimide or a dielectric material; a via extending through the glass layer and through the material on the first surface and on the second surface of the glass layer, the via including a conductive material and having a first diameter through the material on the first surface of the glass layer, a second diameter through the material on the second surface of the glass layer, and a third diameter through the glass layer, wherein the first diameter is equal to the third diameter plus 1 micron or minus 1 micron, and the second diameter is equal to the third diameter plus 1 micron or minus 1 micron; a dielectric on the material at the first surface of the glass layer, the dielectric including a conductive pathway electrically coupled to the via; and a die electrically coupled to the conductive pathway by an interconnect.
Example 11 may include the subject matter of Example 10, and may further specify that a thickness of the material on the first surface or the second surface of the glass layer is between Example 0.25 microns and 50 microns.
Example 12 may include the subject matter of Examples 10 or 11, and may further specify that the third diameter of the via is between 5 microns and 200 microns.
Example 13 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 10-12, and may further specify that a thickness of the glass layer is between 100 microns and 2 millimeters.
Example 14 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 10-13, and may further specify that the dielectric is a first dielectric including a first conductive pathway, and the microelectronic assembly may further include a second dielectric on the material at the second surface of the glass layer, the second dielectric including a second conductive pathway electrically coupled to the via.
Example 15 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 10-14, and may further include an insulating material surrounding the die.
Example 16 is a microelectronic assembly, including a glass layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface; a material on the first surface and the second surface of the glass layer, the material including a polyimide or a dielectric material; a plurality of vias extending through the glass layer and through the material on the first surface and on the second surface of the glass layer, the plurality of vias including a conductive material and having a first diameter through the material on the first surface of the glass layer, a second diameter through the material on the second surface of the glass layer, and a third diameter through the glass layer, wherein the first diameter is equal to the third diameter plus 1 micron or minus 1 micron, and the second diameter is equal to the third diameter plus 1 micron or minus 1 micron; a first dielectric with a first conductive pathway on the material at the first surface of the glass layer, wherein the first conductive pathway in the first dielectric is electrically coupled to a respective one of the plurality of vias; a second dielectric with a second conductive pathway on the material at the second surface of the glass layer, wherein the second conductive pathway in the second dielectric is electrically coupled to another respective one of the plurality of vias; and a die electrically coupled to the first conductive pathway by an interconnect.
Example 17 may include the subject matter of Example 16, a thickness of the material on the first surface or the second surface of the glass layer is between Example 0.25 microns and 50 microns.
Example 18 may include the subject matter of Examples 16 or 17, and may further specify that the third diameter of the via is between 5 microns and 200 microns.
Example 19 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 16-18, and may further specify that a thickness of the glass layer is between 100 microns and 2 millimeters.
Example 20 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 16-19, and may further specify that the die is a first die and the interconnect is a first interconnect, and the microelectronic assembly may further include a second die at least partially within the first dielectric and electrically coupled to the first die by a second interconnect.
Example 21 may include the subject matter of Example 20, and may further include a third die electrically coupled to the second die by a third interconnect.
Example 22 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 16-21, and may further include a circuit board electrically coupled to the second conductive pathway.
Example 23 may include the subject matter of any of Examples 16-22, and may further include an insulating material surrounding the die.
