The disclosure relates to packaging technology, and, in particular, to package structures that improve the heat dissipation effectiveness by using dummy chips.
This application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 112149039, filed on Dec. 15, 2023, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
For packages with a lead frame architecture, integrated circuit (IC) chips primarily transmit IC signals to the package pins through wire bonding or a flip-chip with bumps. Generally, wire bonding provides better heat dissipation than bumps because IC chips are attached to exposed pads. The heat dissipation effectiveness in the bump form depends on the quantity of bumps. In a typical layout, the quantity of bumps that can be placed is limited. Therefore, heat dissipation is usually poorer than with wire bonding. However, the use of bumps results in low resistance compared to wire bonding, providing an advantage in terms of electrical properties.
In recent years, for the purpose of integrating IC chips with different functions within a limited space using packages with a lead frame architecture, the use of package-on-package (POP) has become common for packaging. However, the upper chip needs to be attached to the lower chip via a layer of non-conductive adhesive, which typically has poor thermal conductivity, leading to less-than-expected heat dissipation.
To address the above issues, some solutions have been proposed. For example, through grinding, the surface of the flip-chip is exposed (the same approach is applied to the upper chip in the POP configuration) to facilitate the direct installation of a heat sink on the chip's surface, thereby accelerating heat dissipation. However, exposing the silicon surface directly often leads to issues with electrostatic discharge (ESD), causing charge accumulation and discharge, thereby affecting IC signals.
In addition to the ESD issue, if the surface of a silicon chip is exposed by grinding, the package thickness will be constrained, making it difficult to adjust the package thickness to match all package moldings. Moreover, IC chips are typically controlled to a thickness of within 12 mils for ease of cutting, while taking factors such as tool wear and production rate into consideration. Therefore, it is impossible to increase the thickness of IC chips to meet the desired package thickness.
An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a package structure. The package structure includes a lead frame, a first flip-chip disposed over the lead frame, a first dummy chip affixed on the first flip-chip by a non-conductive adhesive layer to serve as heat dissipation paths for the first flip-chip, and an encapsulant encapsulating the first flip-chip and the first dummy chip.
An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a package structure. The package structure includes a circuit board, a plurality of package structures of claim 10 disposed on the circuit board, a plurality of first external connectors electrically connecting the heat sinks to the circuit board, and at least one second external connector electrically connecting the heat sinks of adjacent package structures. Each of the heat sinks has a different potential.
Aspects of the present disclosure are better understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is worth noting that some features may not be drawn to scale in accordance with the standard practice in the industry. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion. It is also emphasized that the drawings appended illustrate only typical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting in scope, for the disclosure may apply equally well to other embodiments.
The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of the provided subject matter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of a first feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed between the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.
Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.
In accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure, regarding terms such as “connected,” “interconnected,” and the like. referring to bonding and connection, unless otherwise defined, these terms mean that two structures are in direct contact, or two structures are not in direct contact and other structures are provided to be disposed of between the two structures. Moreover, terms referring to bonding and connection may also include the situation where both structures are movable or both structures are fixed. In addition, the terms “electrical connected” or “coupling connected” include any direct and indirect means of electrical connection.
Further, when a number or a range of numbers is described with “about,” “approximate,” or “substantially,” and the like, the term is intended to encompass numbers that are within a reasonable range, including the number described, such as within +/−10% of the number described as understood by one of the ordinary skill in the art. For example, the term “about 5 nm” can encompass the size range from 4.5 nm to 5.5 nm. The stated value of the present disclosure is an approximate value. When there is no specific description, the stated value includes the meaning of “about,” “approximate,” or “substantially.”
It should be noted that the following embodiments can replace, recombine, and combine features in several different embodiments to complete other embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. The features between the various embodiments can be combined and used arbitrarily, as long as they do not violate or conflict with the spirit of the present disclosure.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It should be appreciated that, in each case, the term, which is defined in a commonly used dictionary, should be interpreted as having a meaning that conforms to the relative skills of the present disclosure and the background or context of the present disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner unless so defined.
To address the drawbacks of the prior art, the present disclosure provides a package structure, in which a non-functional dummy chip is affixed on the IC chip to address the problem of heat dissipation (for example, undesirable heat dissipation), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The present disclosure can also address other issues, such as electrical issues (for example, electrostatic discharge (ESD) issues) or production issues (for example, the inability to match all package molding requirements).
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the term “dummy chip” refers to a chip without IC signals, unless otherwise defined.
The package structure of the present disclosure may be used in quad flat no lead package (QFN), quad flat package (QFP), dual in-line package (DIP), small outline package (SOP), small outline transistor package (SOT), and system on integrated chip package (SOIC), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It may applied to other package structures with lead frames based on practice needs. The content of the present will be described below using QFN, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
Some variations of the embodiments are described below. Throughout the various drawings and illustrative embodiments, the same or like reference numerals are used to designate the same or like elements.
The lead frame 102 may include a die pad (not shown) and a plurality of connection points (not shown). In this embodiment, a plurality of recessed portions at the bottom of the lead frame 102 are represented as an area not occupied by functional components (e.g., the chip pad and the connection points). The areas are filled with an encapsulant 114 (
In some embodiments, the bumps 104 serve as heat dissipation paths for the first flip-chip 106 and transfer the heat generated by the first flip-chip 106 downward to the lead frame 102 for heat dissipation. However, the heat dissipation effectiveness depends on the quantity of the bumps 104, and typically, there is a limited number of bumps 104 that can be arranged in a standard IC chip layout. In other words, if the quantity of the bumps 104 is reduced, the heat dissipation effectiveness of the first flip-chip 106 decreases
In some embodiments, the bumps 104 may include a variety of shapes, such as square, circular, elliptical, polygonal, and the like. The shape can be determined based on manufacturing or signal connection requirements In some embodiments, the material of the bumps 104 may include a single metal (e.g., tin or copper), an alloy (e.g., tin-silver alloy or tin-lead alloy), a composite material structure (e.g., tin-silver-copper alloy), or other suitable materials. In some embodiments, the bumps 104 may be formed on the connection points of the first flip-chip 106 by an electroplating process or a ball mounting process.
In some embodiments, the backside of the first flip-chip 106 (the side facing upward in
Referring to
In some embodiments, the non-conductive adhesive layer 110 is used to prevent ESD issues caused by the surface of the first dummy chip 112 exposed while protecting the IC chip from external factors (e.g., physical damage, chemical erosion, or the like) that could affect the IC signals. In addition, the non-conductive adhesive layer 110 can be used to electrically isolate the first flip-chip 106 from the first dummy chip 112 to prevent the first dummy chip 112 from affecting the IC signals of the first flip-chip 106.
In some embodiments, the non-conductive adhesive layer 110 may include non-conductive paste (NCP), non-conductive film (non-conductive film, NCF), or other suitable non-conductive adhesive materials, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, conductive adhesive can be used in conjunction with non-conductive dummy chips, as long as it avoids ESD issues on the surface of the first dummy chip 112. In some embodiments, the adhesive layer can contain commonly used components in the field of non-conductive adhesives or non-conductive films, such as thermoplastic resin, thermosetting resin, curing agent, inorganic filler, and catalyst. In some embodiments, the non-conductive adhesive layer 110 may formed on the first flip-chip 106 by printing, spraying, or bonding.
In some embodiments, the thickness of the non-conductive adhesive layer 110 is 10 um to 50 um. Generally, since the thermal conductivity coefficient of the non-conductive adhesive layer 110 is low (e.g., 0.3 W/(m·K) or less than 0.6 W/(m·K)), a thicker layer results in greater thermal resistance, leading to a significant reduction in the heat dissipation effectiveness. For example, if the thickness of the non-conductive adhesive layer 110 is increased from 10 um to 20 um (increased to two times), the thermal resistance will become twice the original value.
In some embodiments, the first dummy chip 112 may serve as additional heat dissipation paths for the first flip-chip 106 (i.e., except for the above-described bumps 104). As mentioned above, the bumps 104 serve as heat dissipation paths for the first flip-chip 106, but the heat dissipation effectiveness depends on the quantity of bumps 104. In addition, generally, the backside of the first dummy chip 112 (the side facing upward in
Generally, for ease of production, the molds used for package molding typically have several common fixed sizes. However, if the surface of the first flip-chip 106 is exposed by grinding to ensure direct contact with a subsequently installed heat sink (e.g., the heat sink 402 in
In some embodiments, the first dummy chip 112 may include a silicon chip without functional circuits, a silicon chip or a silicon carbide chip designated for disposal, or any materials with a high thermal conductivity coefficient and easy to cut. In an embodiment, the width 112W of the first dummy chip 112 is greater than the width 106W of the first flip-chip 106 in the cross-sectional view. This increases the heat dissipation area of the first flip-chip 106 and also shield it from external electromagnetic waves. In an embodiment, the width 112W of the first dummy chip 112 is smaller than the width 106W of the first flip-chip 106 in the cross-sectional view. The first dummy chip 112 with a smaller width has a better bonding force with the encapsulant 114 (
Next, referring to
In some embodiments, the encapsulant 114, also known as a molding compound, may include an epoxy, a resin, a moldable polymer, combinations thereof, or other suitable materials. The encapsulant 114, such as epoxy or resin, may be applied in a substantially liquid state and then cured through a chemical reaction. In some other embodiments, the encapsulant 114 may be an ultraviolet (UV) or thermally cured polymer, which can be in the form of a gel or a malleable solid arranged around the first flip-chip 106 and the first dummy chip 112, and then may be cured using a UV or thermal curing process. In some embodiments, the encapsulant 114 may be formed by compression molding, injection molding, transfer molding, or other suitable packaging methods.
Next, referring to
As shown in
The package structure 200 in
It should be noted that although there are only two flip-chips shown in
It should be noted that the heat dissipation effectiveness for the first flip-chip 106 is worse than that of the second flip-chip 206 since the first flip-chip 106 is further away from the lead frame 102 and is separated from the second flip-chip 206 by the non-conductive adhesive layer 210 with a low thermal conductivity. However, with the first dummy chip 112 provided by the present disclosure, an additional heat dissipation path for the first flip-chip 106 is created, thus further improving the heat dissipation effectiveness for the first flip-chip 106.
In some embodiments,
In some embodiments, a patterning process may be used to form a plurality of trenches 302 on the surface of the first dummy chip 112. In some embodiments, the patterning process may include a photolithography process and an etching process using a photomask to define a photoresist pattern on the first dummy chip 112 to be patterned, and then the photoresist pattern is used as a mask to etch the first dummy chip 112 to form the trenches 302. In some embodiments, the photolithography process may include, but is not limited to, photoresist coating (e.g., spin coating), soft baking, hard baking, mask alignment, exposure, post-exposure baking, photoresist development, cleaning, and drying. The etching process may include, but is not limited to, dry etching process, wet etching process, reactive ion etching (RIE), ashing, and/or other etching methods.
Next, referring to
Next, referring to
The package structure 400 in
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Next, referring to
In some embodiments, the heat sinks 402 are in the form of a heat slug, a heat spreader, a heat sink fin, a heat pipe, or other suitable forms of heat sink. In some embodiments, the heat sinks 402 can be adhered to the surface of the first dummy chip 112 and/or the second dummy chip 113 through a thermal conductive adhesive.
In one embodiment, the package structure 400 further includes a circuit board 410 disposed under the lead frame 102 and a plurality of first external connectors 404 electrically connecting the heat sinks 402 to the circuit board 410. Specifically, the heat sinks 402 are electrically connected to the circuit board 410 through the first external connectors 404 and a plurality of connection points 408. In some embodiments, the connection points 408 may include metal pads, metal pillars, under bump metallurgies (UBMs), or other suitable bonding materials. In some embodiments, the circuit board 410 may include a printed circuit board (PCB), a flexible printed circuit (FPC), or other suitable circuit boards.
In one embodiment, each of the heat sinks 402 has different potentials, serving not only to further improve heat dissipation of the first flip-chip 106, but also as an external capacitor, thus allowing for a reduction in the area of the first flip-chip 106. In some embodiments, the heat sinks 402 may be electrically connected to the circuit board 410 through the first external connectors 404 by wire bonding.
It should be noted that although there are only two package structures 400, two first external connectors 404, and a second external connector 406 shown in
In some embodiments, the second external connectors 406 are similar to the first external connectors 404, except that the first external connectors 404 are used to electrically connect the heat sinks 402 to the circuit board 410, and the second external connectors 406 are used to electrically connect (e.g., in series or in parallel) the heat sinks 402 of the adjacent package structures 400.
In summary, various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a package structure. The package structure includes a dummy chip without signals affixed on the IC chip. Therefore, the IC chip can not only dissipate heat downward to the circuit board through the bumps but also use the dummy chip as additional heat dissipation paths. Moreover, the package structure allows for the processing and filling of high thermal conductivity materials on the dummy chip to improve the heat dissipation effectiveness. In addition, the non-conductive adhesive layer between the IC chip and the dummy chip can prevent ESD issues caused by the surface of the first dummy chip exposed while protecting the IC chip from external factors (e.g., physical damage, chemical erosion, or the like) affecting the IC signal. Further, the thickness of the dummy chip can be adjusted to meet the desired package thickness and resolve issues related to mold size compliance. Furthermore, the dummy chip provides a flat surface for accommodating various forms of heat sinks in the packaging, and it can also be combined with multiple heat sinks to form an external capacitor, thereby integrating passive components to reduce space.
While the present disclosure has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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112149039 | Dec 2023 | TW | national |