The present invention is related to packaged microelectronic devices and methods for packaging microelectronic devices.
Microelectronic devices are used in cell phones, pagers, personal digital assistants, computers, and many other products. A packaged microelectronic device can include a microelectronic die, an interposer substrate or lead frame attached to the die, and a molded casing around the die. The microelectronic die generally has an integrated circuit and a plurality of bond-pads coupled to the integrated circuit. The bond-pads are coupled to terminals on the interposer substrate or lead frame. The interposer substrate can also include ball-pads coupled to the terminals by traces in a dielectric material. An array of solder balls is configured so that each solder ball contacts a corresponding ball-pad to define a “ball-grid” array. Packaged microelectronic devices with ball-grid arrays are generally higher grade packages that have lower profiles and higher pin counts than conventional chip packages that use a lead frame.
Packaged microelectronic devices are typically made by (a) forming a plurality of dies on a semiconductor wafer, (b) cutting the wafer to singulate the dies, (c) attaching individual dies to an interposer substrate, (d) wire-bonding the bond-pads to the terminals of the interposer substrate, and (e) encapsulating the dies with a molding compound. It is time consuming and expensive to mount individual dies to individual interposer substrates. Also, as the demand for higher pin counts and smaller packages increases, it become more difficult to (a) form robust wire-bonds that can withstand the forces involved in molding processes and (b) accurately form other components of die level packaged devices. Therefore, packaging processes have become a significant factor in producing semiconductor and other microelectronic devices.
Another process for packaging microelectronic devices is wafer-level packaging. In wafer-level packaging, a plurality of microelectronic dies are formed on a wafer and then a redistribution layer is formed on top of the dies. The redistribution layer has a dielectric layer, a plurality of ball-pad arrays on the dielectric layer, and traces coupled to individual ball-pads of the ball-pad arrays. Each ball-pad array is arranged over a corresponding microelectronic die, and the ball-pads in each array are coupled to corresponding bond-pads on the die by the traces in the redistribution layer. After forming the redistribution layer on the wafer, a stenciling machine deposits discrete blocks of solder paste onto the ball-pads of the redistribution layer. The solder paste is then reflowed to form solder balls or solder bumps on the ball-pads. After formation of the solder balls on the ball-pads, the wafer can be cut to singulate the dies. Microelectronic devices packaged at the wafer-level can have high pin counts in a small area, but they are not as robust as devices packaged at the die-level.
Packaged microelectronic devices can also be produced by “build-up” packaging. For example, a sacrificial substrate can be attached to a panel including a plurality of microelectronic dies and an organic filler that couples the dies together. The sacrificial substrate is generally a ceramic disc, and it is attached to the active side of the microelectronic dies. Next, the back side of the microelectronic dies is thinned, and then a ceramic layer is attached to the back side. The sacrificial substrate is then removed from the active side of the dies and build-up layers or a redistribution layer can be formed on the active side of the dies. Packaged devices using a build-up approach on a sacrificial substrate provide high pin counts in a small area and a reasonably robust structure.
The build-up packaging process, however, has several drawbacks. For example, the process is relatively expensive and may not be used on equipment set up for circular substrates. Furthermore, the resulting packaged microelectronic devices do not have an effective mechanism for dissipating heat, which can significantly impair the electrical performance of the device. Accordingly, there is a need for an efficient and cost-effective process to package microelectronic dies that have heat dissipation mechanisms.
The present invention is directed to packaged microelectronic devices and methods for packaging microelectronic devices. One aspect of the invention is directed to a method of packaging a microelectronic device that includes a microelectronic die having an integrated circuit, a first side with a plurality of bond-pads electrically coupled to the integrated circuit, and a second side opposite the first side. In one embodiment, the method includes forming a recess in a substrate, placing the microelectronic die in the recess formed in the substrate with the second side facing toward the substrate, and covering the first side of the microelectronic die with a dielectric layer after placing the microelectronic die in the recess. In a further aspect of this embodiment, the substrate can include a thermal conductive substrate, such as a substrate comprised of copper, aluminum, or an alloy. In another aspect of this embodiment, the substrate can have a coefficient of thermal expansion at least approximately equal to the coefficient of thermal expansion of the microelectronic die or a printed circuit board.
In another embodiment of the invention, the method includes placing the microelectronic die in the recess in the substrate with the second side facing toward the substrate, covering the first side of the microelectronic die with the dielectric layer, and disposing a conductive link in the dielectric layer that is electrically coupled to at least one bond-pad. In a further aspect of this embodiment, the substrate can be a generally circular substrate. In another aspect of this embodiment, the method can further include placing an electrical coupler on the at least one bond-pad of the microelectronic die before covering the first side of the microelectronic die with the dielectric layer.
Another aspect of the invention is directed to a packaged microelectronic device. In one embodiment, the device includes a single, continuous substrate having a recess and a microelectronic die having an integrated circuit, a first side with a plurality of bond-pads electrically coupled to the integrated circuit, and a second side opposite the first side. The microelectronic die is received within the recess with the second side facing the substrate. The device also includes a dielectric layer over the microelectronic die and a ball-pad in or on the dielectric layer. The ball-pad is electrically coupled to one of the plurality of bond-pads. In a further aspect of this embodiment, the substrate can be a thermally conductive substrate. For example, the substrate can include copper, aluminum, or an alloy.
The following description is directed toward packaged microelectronic devices and methods for packaging microelectronic devices. Many specific details of several embodiments are described below with reference to packaged microelectronic devices having microelectronic dies and a substrate to provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. The present invention, however, can be practiced using other types of microelectronic devices and/or micromechanical devices. Those of ordinary skill in the art will thus understand that the invention may have additional embodiments, or that the invention may be practiced without several of the details described below.
The microelectronic dies 120 are placed into the recesses 112 of the substrate 110 after singulating the dies 120. In one aspect of this embodiment, the microelectronic dies 120 include an integrated circuit 122 (shown schematically), a first side 126 with bond-pads 124 electrically coupled to the integrated circuit 122, and a second side 128 opposite the first side 126. The microelectronic dies 120 are placed into the recesses 112 with the second side 128 facing the substrate 130. The microelectronic dies 120 can be placed into the recesses 112 by conventional die attach equipment. The recesses 112 can have a width D1 greater than the width D3 of the microelectronic dies 120 and a depth D2 greater than the height D4 of the microelectronic dies 120. Accordingly, the microelectronic dies 120 are received within the recesses 112. In other embodiments, the height of the microelectronic die may exceed the depth of the recess.
In one aspect of the microelectronic device 100 illustrated in
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/248,384 filed Oct. 11, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,329,949 issued Feb. 12, 2008, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/421,452 filed Apr. 22, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,312,101 issued Dec. 25, 2007, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10421452 | Apr 2003 | US |
Child | 11248384 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11248384 | Oct 2005 | US |
Child | 12028211 | US |