Patent Application
20230299044
On-die inductors may be critical to the performance of high-speed serial input-output (IO) interfaces or radio frequency (RF) circuitry on the die, e.g., to control the parasitic capacitance induced by bump pads of the die. Such inductors are typically designed within the thick, outer most metal layers of the die, and are used to compensate impedance discontinuities introduced by parasitic capacitance in the signals on-die and in the first level interconnect path.
On-die inductors may be critical to the performance of high-speed serial input-output (IO) interfaces (e.g., Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) or Serializer/Deserializer (SERDES) interfaces) or radio frequency (RF) circuitry on the die, e.g., to control the parasitic capacitance induced by bump pads of the die. Such inductors are typically designed within the thick, outer most metal layers of the die, and are used to compensate impedance discontinuities introduced by parasitic capacitance in the signals on-die and in the first level interconnect path.
These inductors may sometimes be large enough to force bump depopulations with dummy metal zones within the die and metal voiding on the package surface metal to reduce capacitive coupling of the inductor. In addition, the dense patterning requirements of these inductors on the thick, on-die metal layers has driven customized silicon node extensions specifically for the high-speed serial IO and RF circuitry, which can force expensive die disaggregation packaging solutions (e.g., to pair the custom silicon node with the standard nodes used for a main die). Moreover, high-speed serial IO connection bandwidth continues to increase, and such increases are requiring more and more die area allocated to these inductors for impedance discontinuity compensation.
These inductors occupy valuable thick metal die area which could otherwise be utilized for other purposes, e.g., to improve on-die power distribution or used for additional power/ground bumps for cases where the on-die inductor drives a bump depopulation. In addition to the physical area occupied by these inductors, they also have strict isolation requirements from surrounding circuitry, further adding to their footprint within the die metal stack and package surface layer. The resulting impact of designing these inductors on-die can be a net die area impact for the high-speed serial IO and RF circuit interfaces. Furthermore, the performance of inductors formed using on-die back end of line (BEOL) layers, including bandwidth and quality factors, can be limited by the silicon metal layer thickness and adjacent ground layers, which introduce large parasitic capacitance.
To address these, or other issues, embodiments herein may utilize one or more metal layers within a multi-die complex (which may be referred to as “mold metal layers”) to implement passive electrical components, such as inductors, capacitors, transformers, filters, or any other passive electrical component that can be formed with metal strips. A multi-die complex, as used herein, may refer to an apparatus with multiple active or passive circuit dies or chips (or chiplets). An active circuit die may refer to an integrated circuit die that uses active components, such as transistors (e.g., a processor die, memory die, or active power delivery circuitry, such as a power management integrated circuit (PMIC)), while a passive circuit die may refer to a die with passive circuits, e.g., die-to-die communication circuitry or passive power delivery circuits (e.g., transformers). Some multi-die complexes may include two or more active integrated circuit dies positioned on different planes (e.g., stacked), and may be referred to as a “3D” die complex, while other multi-die complexes may include an active die and a passive die positioned on different planes (e.g., stacked), and may be referred to as a “2.5D” die complex. The 3D or 2.5D multi-die complex may combine its multiple dies within a mold, which may be an organic dielectric encapsulation material in certain embodiments. In some embodiments, for example, a multi-die complex may include one or more top dies near a top side of the complex and one or more bottom dies near a bottom side of the complex, with the top and bottom dies being separated by one or more conductive metal layers (e.g., Copper) within the mold. The mold metal layers may be positioned elsewhere within the mold as well, e.g., above or below the top or bottom dies, respectively.
These metal layers can be utilized to design passive electrical components (e.g., inductors, capacitors, etc.) to supplement the signal integrity and power delivery performance of the total multi-die complex. In addition, the mold metal layers may enable via offsets between the top die(s) and bottom die(s) as well as pitch transitions from the top die(s) to the package side connections at the bottom of the complex. These electrical components can supplement on-die components to ensure optimal device performance while maximizing metal layer use within the multi-die complex.
By placing passive electrical components within these mold metal layers, one or more advantages may be realized. For example, inductors within the mold metal layers may improve signal integrity compensation. For instance, the inductors may replace or supplement t-coil inductors that are typically designed in the top/thick metal layers of the top die for high-speed serial interfaces and utilize the over mold metal layers, freeing up valuable thick metal area within the die. Moreover, since the inductors need to be well isolated and the mold material has a lower dielectric constant than the dielectrics above/below the thick on-die metals, the isolation of the inductors from surrounding circuits may be improved. Additionally, larger metal geometrics in the mold metal layer may allow for lower resistance and parasitic capacitance, potentially improving the quality factor (Q) of the inductor (i.e., lower loss), and the thicker mold layers may allow for higher inductance by reducing capacitive coupling to nearby metal layers.
As another example, inductors formed in the mold metal layers can be used for power delivery compensation. For instance, the mold metal layers can be designed with interleaved power and ground mesh layers with a much smaller dielectric thickness than the package. This parallel current delivery path can result in lower power delivery loop inductance to distribute power to the top die(s) of the multi-die complex.
Other types of passive components can be formed using the mold metal layers as well. As one example, a passive Faraday cage can be designed from the mold metal layers around one or more base die(s) to improve RF shielding and/or enable die-to-die isolation within the multi-die complex.
The package 130 includes a package substrate 104 and a multi-die complex 120 coupled to the package substrate 104 via solder bumps 105. The multi-die complex 120 includes a base die 108 and two top dies 110A, 110B in a mold material 106, e.g., as described above. In some embodiments, the base die 108 may include passive circuitry (e.g., passive power regulation circuitry or die-to-die communication circuitry) while the top dies 110 may include active circuitry (e.g., processor circuitry, memory circuitry, active power delivery circuitry (e.g., active voltage regulators or a power management integrated circuit (PMIC))). In other embodiments, each of the dies 108, 110 may include active circuitry.
The multi-die complex 120 also includes two metal layers 109 within the mold material 109 (other embodiments may include different numbers of metal layers 109), and the metal layers 109 may include one or more passive electrical components formed therein, as described above. For instance, one or more inductors may be formed in one or both of the metal layers 109, and the inductors may be connected to circuitry within one or multiple of the dies 108, 110. As another example, one or more capacitors may be formed from portions of the metal layers 109, with a dielectric between the portions. In some embodiments, traces in one or both metal layers 109 may form an RF shielding structure (e.g., as described below with respect to
The multi-die complex 120 also includes sets of metal pillars 107 and vias 111 in the mold material 106. The metal pillars 107 and vias 111 may function as through-mold vias to connect the dies 108, 110 to one another or to circuitry on the package substrate 104. The package substrate 104 may include one or more circuits to interconnect the dies 108, 110 with the main board 102 and/or other components connected to the main board 102. In some embodiments, the package substrate 103 may also include circuitry to interconnect the dies 108, 110 with one another.
The integrated circuit device 500 may include one or more device layers 504 disposed on the die substrate 502. The device layer 504 may include features of one or more transistors 540 (e.g., metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs)) formed on the die substrate 502. The transistors 540 may include, for example, one or more source and/or drain (S/D) regions 520, a gate 522 to control current flow between the S/D regions 520, and one or more S/D contacts 524 to route electrical signals to/from the S/D regions 520. The transistors 540 may include additional features not depicted for the sake of clarity, such as device isolation regions, gate contacts, and the like. The transistors 540 are not limited to the type and configuration depicted in
Returning to
The high-k dielectric material may include elements such as hafnium, silicon, oxygen, titanium, tantalum, lanthanum, aluminum, zirconium, barium, strontium, yttrium, lead, scandium, niobium, and zinc. Examples of high-k materials that may be used in the gate dielectric include, but are not limited to, hafnium oxide, hafnium silicon oxide, lanthanum oxide, lanthanum aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, zirconium silicon oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, barium strontium titanium oxide, barium titanium oxide, strontium titanium oxide, yttrium oxide, aluminum oxide, lead scandium tantalum oxide, and lead zinc niobate. In some embodiments, an annealing process may be carried out on the gate dielectric to improve its quality when a high-k material is used.
The gate electrode may be formed on the gate dielectric and may include at least one p-type work function metal or n-type work function metal, depending on whether the transistor 540 is to be a p-type metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) or an n-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor. In some implementations, the gate electrode may consist of a stack of two or more metal layers, where one or more metal layers are work function metal layers and at least one metal layer is a fill metal layer. Further metal layers may be included for other purposes, such as a barrier layer.
For a PMOS transistor, metals that may be used for the gate electrode include, but are not limited to, ruthenium, palladium, platinum, cobalt, nickel, conductive metal oxides (e.g., ruthenium oxide), and any of the metals discussed below with reference to an NMOS transistor (e.g., for work function tuning). For an NMOS transistor, metals that may be used for the gate electrode include, but are not limited to, hafnium, zirconium, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, alloys of these metals, carbides of these metals (e.g., hafnium carbide, zirconium carbide, titanium carbide, tantalum carbide, and aluminum carbide), and any of the metals discussed above with reference to a PMOS transistor (e.g., for work function tuning).
In some embodiments, when viewed as a cross-section of the transistor 540 along the source-channel-drain direction, the gate electrode may consist of a U-shaped structure that includes a bottom portion substantially parallel to the surface of the die substrate 502 and two sidewall portions that are substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the die substrate 502. In other embodiments, at least one of the metal layers that form the gate electrode may simply be a planar layer that is substantially parallel to the top surface of the die substrate 502 and does not include sidewall portions substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the die substrate 502. In other embodiments, the gate electrode may consist of a combination of U-shaped structures and planar, non-U-shaped structures. For example, the gate electrode may consist of one or more U-shaped metal layers formed atop one or more planar, non-U-shaped layers.
In some embodiments, a pair of sidewall spacers may be formed on opposing sides of the gate stack to bracket the gate stack. The sidewall spacers may be formed from materials such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride doped with carbon, and silicon oxynitride. Processes for forming sidewall spacers are well known in the art and generally include deposition and etching process steps. In some embodiments, a plurality of spacer pairs may be used; for instance, two pairs, three pairs, or four pairs of sidewall spacers may be formed on opposing sides of the gate stack.
The S/D regions 520 may be formed within the die substrate 502 adjacent to the gate 522 of individual transistors 540. The S/D regions 520 may be formed using an implantation/diffusion process or an etching/deposition process, for example. In the former process, dopants such as boron, aluminum, antimony, phosphorous, or arsenic may be ion-implanted into the die substrate 502 to form the S/D regions 520. An annealing process that activates the dopants and causes them to diffuse farther into the die substrate 502 may follow the ion-implantation process. In the latter process, the die substrate 502 may first be etched to form recesses at the locations of the S/D regions 520. An epitaxial deposition process may then be carried out to fill the recesses with material that is used to fabricate the S/D regions 520. In some implementations, the S/D regions 520 may be fabricated using a silicon alloy such as silicon germanium or silicon carbide. In some embodiments, the epitaxially deposited silicon alloy may be doped in situ with dopants such as boron, arsenic, or phosphorous. In some embodiments, the S/D regions 520 may be formed using one or more alternate semiconductor materials such as germanium or a group III-V material or alloy. In further embodiments, one or more layers of metal and/or metal alloys may be used to form the S/D regions 520.
Electrical signals, such as power and/or input/output (I/O) signals, may be routed to and/or from the devices (e.g., transistors 540) of the device layer 504 through one or more interconnect layers disposed on the device layer 504 (illustrated in
The interconnect structures 528 may be arranged within the interconnect layers 506-510 to route electrical signals according to a wide variety of designs; in particular, the arrangement is not limited to the particular configuration of interconnect structures 528 depicted in
In some embodiments, the interconnect structures 528 may include lines 528a and/or vias 528b filled with an electrically conductive material such as a metal. The lines 528a may be arranged to route electrical signals in a direction of a plane that is substantially parallel with a surface of the die substrate 502 upon which the device layer 504 is formed. For example, the lines 528a may route electrical signals in a direction in and out of the page and/or in a direction across the page from the perspective of
The interconnect layers 506-510 may include a dielectric material 526 disposed between the interconnect structures 528, as shown in
A first interconnect layer 506 (referred to as Metal 1 or “M1”) may be formed directly on the device layer 504. In some embodiments, the first interconnect layer 506 may include lines 528a and/or vias 528b, as shown. The lines 528a of the first interconnect layer 506 may be coupled with contacts (e.g., the S/D contacts 524) of the device layer 504. The vias 528b of the first interconnect layer 506 may be coupled with the lines 528a of a second interconnect layer 508.
The second interconnect layer 508 (referred to as Metal 2 or “M2”) may be formed directly on the first interconnect layer 506. In some embodiments, the second interconnect layer 508 may include via 528b to couple the lines 528 of the second interconnect layer 508 with the lines 528a of a third interconnect layer 510. Although the lines 528a and the vias 528b are structurally delineated with a line within individual interconnect layers for the sake of clarity, the lines 528a and the vias 528b may be structurally and/or materially contiguous (e.g., simultaneously filled during a dual-damascene process) in some embodiments.
The third interconnect layer 510 (referred to as Metal 3 or “M3”) (and additional interconnect layers, as desired) may be formed in succession on the second interconnect layer 508 according to similar techniques and configurations described in connection with the second interconnect layer 508 or the first interconnect layer 506. In some embodiments, the interconnect layers that are “higher up” in the metallization stack 519 in the integrated circuit device 500 (i.e., farther away from the device layer 504) may be thicker that the interconnect layers that are lower in the metallization stack 519, with lines 528a and vias 528b in the higher interconnect layers being thicker than those in the lower interconnect layers.
The integrated circuit device 500 may include a solder resist material 534 (e.g., polyimide or similar material) and one or more conductive contacts 536 formed on the interconnect layers 506-510. In
In some embodiments in which the integrated circuit device 500 is a double-sided die, the integrated circuit device 500 may include another metallization stack (not shown) on the opposite side of the device layer(s) 504. This metallization stack may include multiple interconnect layers as discussed above with reference to the interconnect layers 506-510, to provide conductive pathways (e.g., including conductive lines and vias) between the device layer(s) 504 and additional conductive contacts (not shown) on the opposite side of the integrated circuit device 500 from the conductive contacts 536.
In other embodiments in which the integrated circuit device 500 is a double-sided die, the integrated circuit device 500 may include one or more through silicon vias (TSVs) through the die substrate 502; these TSVs may make contact with the device layer(s) 504, and may provide conductive pathways between the device layer(s) 504 and additional conductive contacts (not shown) on the opposite side of the integrated circuit device 500 from the conductive contacts 536. In some embodiments, TSVs extending through the substrate can be used for routing power and ground signals from conductive contacts on the opposite side of the integrated circuit device 500 from the conductive contacts 536 to the transistors 540 and any other components integrated into the die 500, and the metallization stack 519 can be used to route I/O signals from the conductive contacts 536 to transistors 540 and any other components integrated into the die 500.
Multiple integrated circuit devices 500 may be stacked with one or more TSVs in the individual stacked devices providing connection between one of the devices to any of the other devices in the stack. For example, one or more high-bandwidth memory (HBM) integrated circuit dies can be stacked on top of a base integrated circuit die and TSVs in the HBM dies can provide connection between the individual HBM and the base integrated circuit die. Conductive contacts can provide additional connections between adjacent integrated circuit dies in the stack. In some embodiments, the conductive contacts can be fine-pitch solder bumps (microbumps).
In some embodiments, the circuit board 602 may be a printed circuit board (PCB) including multiple metal (or interconnect) layers separated from one another by layers of dielectric material and interconnected by electrically conductive vias. The individual metal layers comprise conductive traces. 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 the circuit board 602. In other embodiments, the circuit board 602 may be a non-PCB substrate. The integrated circuit device assembly 600 illustrated in
The package-on-interposer structure 636 may include an integrated circuit component 620 coupled to an interposer 604 by coupling components 618. The coupling components 618 may take any suitable form for the application, such as the forms discussed above with reference to the coupling components 616. Although a single integrated circuit component 620 is shown in
The integrated circuit component 620 may be a packaged or unpacked integrated circuit product that includes one or more integrated circuit dies (e.g., the die 402 of
In embodiments where the integrated circuit component 620 comprises multiple integrated circuit dies, they dies can be of the same type (a homogeneous multi-die integrated circuit component) or of two or more different types (a heterogeneous multi-die integrated circuit component). A multi-die integrated circuit component can be referred to as a multi-chip package (MCP) or multi-chip module (MCM).
In addition to comprising one or more processor units, the integrated circuit component 620 can comprise additional components, such as embedded DRAM, stacked high bandwidth memory (HBM), shared cache memories, input/output (I/O) controllers, or memory controllers. Any of these additional components can be located on the same integrated circuit die as a processor unit, or on one or more integrated circuit dies separate from the integrated circuit dies comprising the processor units. These separate integrated circuit dies can be referred to as “chiplets”. In embodiments where an integrated circuit component comprises multiple integrated circuit dies, interconnections between dies can be provided by the package substrate, one or more silicon interposers, one or more silicon bridges embedded in the package substrate (such as Intel® embedded multi-die interconnect bridges (EMIBs)), or combinations thereof.
Generally, the interposer 604 may spread connections to a wider pitch or reroute a connection to a different connection. For example, the interposer 604 may couple the integrated circuit component 620 to a set of ball grid array (BGA) conductive contacts of the coupling components 616 for coupling to the circuit board 602. In the embodiment illustrated in
In some embodiments, the interposer 604 may be formed as a PCB, including multiple metal layers separated from one another by layers of dielectric material and interconnected by electrically conductive vias. In some embodiments, the interposer 604 may be formed of an epoxy resin, a fiberglass-reinforced epoxy resin, an epoxy resin with inorganic fillers, a ceramic material, or a polymer material such as polyimide. In some embodiments, the interposer 604 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. The interposer 604 may include metal interconnects 608 and vias 610, including but not limited to through hole vias 610-1 (that extend from a first face 650 of the interposer 604 to a second face 654 of the interposer 604), blind vias 610-2 (that extend from the first or second faces 650 or 654 of the interposer 604 to an internal metal layer), and buried vias 610-3 (that connect internal metal layers).
In some embodiments, the interposer 604 can comprise a silicon interposer. Through silicon vias (TSV) extending through the silicon interposer can connect connections on a first face of a silicon interposer to an opposing second face of the silicon interposer. In some embodiments, an interposer 604 comprising a silicon interposer can further comprise one or more routing layers to route connections on a first face of the interposer 604 to an opposing second face of the interposer 604.
The interposer 604 may further include embedded devices 614, 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 devices, power amplifiers, power management devices, antennas, arrays, sensors, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices may also be formed on the interposer 604. The package-on-interposer structure 636 may take the form of any of the package-on-interposer structures known in the art. In embodiments where the interposer is a non-printed circuit board
The integrated circuit device assembly 600 may include an integrated circuit component 624 coupled to the first face 640 of the circuit board 602 by coupling components 622. The coupling components 622 may take the form of any of the embodiments discussed above with reference to the coupling components 616, and the integrated circuit component 624 may take the form of any of the embodiments discussed above with reference to the integrated circuit component 620.
The integrated circuit device assembly 600 illustrated in
Additionally, in various embodiments, the electrical device 700 may not include one or more of the components illustrated in
The electrical device 700 may include one or more processor units 702 (e.g., one or more processor units). As used herein, the terms “processor unit”, “processing unit” 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. The processor unit 702 may include one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), general-purpose GPUs (GPGPUs), accelerated processing units (APUs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), neural network processing units (NPUs), data processor units (DPUs), accelerators (e.g., graphics accelerator, compression accelerator, artificial intelligence accelerator), controller cryptoprocessors (specialized processors that execute cryptographic algorithms within hardware), server processors, controllers, or any other suitable type of processor units. As such, the processor unit can be referred to as an XPU (or xPU).
The electrical device 700 may include a memory 704, which may itself include one or more memory devices such as volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM)), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, chalcogenide-based phase-change non-voltage memories), solid state memory, and/or a hard drive. In some embodiments, the memory 704 may include memory that is located on the same integrated circuit die as the processor unit 702. This memory may be used as cache memory (e.g., Level 1 (L1), Level 2 (L2), Level 3 (L3), Level 4 (L4), Last Level Cache (LLC)) and may include embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM) or spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM).
In some embodiments, the electrical device 700 can comprise one or more processor units 702 that are heterogeneous or asymmetric to another processor unit 702 in the electrical device 700. There can be a variety of differences between the processing units 702 in a system in terms of a spectrum of metrics of merit including architectural, microarchitectural, thermal, power consumption characteristics, and the like. These differences can effectively manifest themselves as asymmetry and heterogeneity among the processor units 702 in the electrical device 700.
In some embodiments, the electrical device 700 may include a communication component 712 (e.g., one or more communication components). For example, the communication component 712 can manage wireless communications for the transfer of data to and from the electrical device 700. 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 “wireless” does not imply that the associated devices do not contain any wires, although in some embodiments they might not.
The communication component 712 may implement any of a number of wireless standards or protocols, including but not limited to 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, ultra mobile 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 component 712 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 component 712 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). The communication component 712 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 thereof, as well as any other wireless protocols that are designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, and beyond. The communication component 712 may operate in accordance with other wireless protocols in other embodiments. The electrical device 700 may include an antenna 722 to facilitate wireless communications and/or to receive other wireless communications (such as AM or FM radio transmissions).
In some embodiments, the communication component 712 may manage wired communications, such as electrical, optical, or any other suitable communication protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standards). As noted above, the communication component 712 may include multiple communication components. For instance, a first communication component 712 may be dedicated to shorter-range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and a second communication component 712 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 component 712 may be dedicated to wireless communications, and a second communication component 712 may be dedicated to wired communications.
The electrical device 700 may include battery/power circuitry 714. The battery/power circuitry 714 may include one or more energy storage devices (e.g., batteries or capacitors) and/or circuitry for coupling components of the electrical device 700 to an energy source separate from the electrical device 700 (e.g., AC line power).
The electrical device 700 may include a display device 706 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). The display device 706 may include one or more embedded or wired or wirelessly connected external 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.
The electrical device 700 may include an audio output device 708 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). The audio output device 708 may include any embedded or wired or wirelessly connected external device that generates an audible indicator, such speakers, headsets, or earbuds.
The electrical device 700 may include an audio input device 724 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). The audio input device 724 may include any embedded or wired or wirelessly connected 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). The electrical device 700 may include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) device 718 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above), such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) device. The GNSS device 718 may be in communication with a satellite-based system and may determine a geolocation of the electrical device 700 based on information received from one or more GNSS satellites, as known in the art.
The electrical device 700 may include another output device 710 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Examples of the other output device 710 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.
The electrical device 700 may include another input device 720 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Examples of the other input device 720 may include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, an image capture device (e.g., monoscopic or stereoscopic camera), a trackball, a trackpad, a touchpad, a keyboard, a cursor control device such as a mouse, a stylus, a touchscreen, proximity sensor, microphone, a bar code reader, a Quick Response (QR) code reader, electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, PPG (photoplethysmogram) sensor, galvanic skin response sensor, any other sensor, or a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader.
The electrical device 700 may have any desired form factor, such as a hand-held or mobile electrical device (e.g., a cell phone, a smart phone, a mobile internet device, a music player, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a 2-in-1 convertible computer, a portable all-in-one computer, a netbook computer, an ultrabook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an ultra mobile personal computer, a portable gaming console, etc.), a desktop electrical device, a server, a rack-level computing solution (e.g., blade, tray or sled computing systems), a workstation or other networked computing component, a printer, a scanner, a monitor, a set-top box, an entertainment control unit, a stationary gaming console, smart television, a vehicle control unit, a digital camera, a digital video recorder, a wearable electrical device or an embedded computing system (e.g., computing systems that are part of a vehicle, smart home appliance, consumer electronics product or equipment, manufacturing equipment). In some embodiments, the electrical device 700 may be any other electronic device that processes data. In some embodiments, the electrical device 700 may comprise multiple discrete physical components. Given the range of devices that the electrical device 700 can be manifested as in various embodiments, in some embodiments, the electrical device 700 can be referred to as a computing device or a computing system.
Illustrative examples of the technologies described throughout this disclosure are provided below. Embodiments of these technologies may include any one or more, and any combination of, the examples described below. In some embodiments, at least one of the systems or components set forth in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and/or methods as set forth in the following examples.
Example 1 is a multi-die apparatus comprising: a mold material; a first integrated circuit die within the mold material; a second integrated circuit die within the mold material; one or more metal layers within the mold material; and one or more passive electrical components formed at least partially within the metal layers.
Example 2 includes the subject matter of claim 1, wherein one or more passive electrical components includes an inductor formed in a layer of the one or more metal layers.
Example 3 includes the subject matter of claim 1, wherein one or more passive electrical components includes a capacitor formed by a portion of a first layer of the one or more metal layers, a portion of a second layer of the one or more metal layers, and a dielectric material between the portions of the first layer and the second layer that define the capacitor.
Example 4 includes the subject matter of claim 1, wherein one or more passive electrical components includes a radio frequency (RF) shield surrounding the second integrated circuit die, the RF shield comprising: a set of metal pillars within the mold material and surrounding the second integrated circuit die; and a set of traces defined in a layer of the one or more metal layers, the set of traces arranged in a grid pattern, or as a solid plane or a plane with metal density control voiding, and coupled to the metal pillars of the set of metal pillars.
Example 5 includes the subject matter of claim 1, wherein the one or more metal layers are formed between the first integrated circuit die and the second integrated circuit die.
Example 6 includes the subject matter of claim 1, wherein the first integrated circuit die comprises active circuitry, and the second integrated circuit die comprises active circuitry.
Example 7 includes the subject matter of claim 6, wherein the first integrated circuit die comprises a processor and the second integrated circuit die comprises one or more of a processor, memory circuitry, a voltage regulator, and a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).
Example 8 includes the subject matter of claim 1, wherein the first integrated circuit die comprises active circuitry, and the second integrated circuit die comprises passive circuitry.
Example 9 includes the subject matter of claim 8, wherein the first integrated circuit die comprises a processor and the second integrated circuit die comprises passive power delivery circuitry.
Example 10 includes the subject matter of claim 8, further comprising a third integrated circuit die comprising active circuitry, wherein second integrated circuit die comprises die-to-die communication circuitry coupling the first integrated circuit die and the third integrated circuit die.
Example 11 includes the subject matter of any one of claims 1-10, wherein the metal layers within the mold material comprise one or more traces to interconnect the first integrated circuit die and the second integrated circuit die.
Example 12 includes an integrated circuit assembly comprising: a package substrate; and a multi-die apparatus coupled to the package substrate, the multi-die apparatus according to any one of Examples 1-11.
Example 13 includes the subject matter of Example 12, further comprising a main circuit board, wherein the package substrate is coupled to the main circuit board.
Example 14 includes the subject matter of Example 13, wherein the metal layers with the mold material comprise traces coupled to traces within the package substrate that are coupled to power supply lines within the main circuit board.
Example 15 includes the subject matter of claim 13 or 14, wherein the metal layers with the mold material comprise a first layer and a second layer, a portion of the first layer coupled to a voltage supply plane of the main circuit board and a portion of the second layer coupled to a ground plane of the main circuit board.
Example 15 includes a computing system comprising memory and a processor, the processor comprising a multi-die apparatus according to any one of Examples 1-11 or an integrated circuit assembly according to Examples 12-15.
Example 16 includes the subject matter of Example 15, further comprising a power supply, wherein the metal layers with the mold material comprise traces coupling the first integrated circuit die and the second integrated circuit die to the power supply.
Example 17 includes the subject matter of Example 15 or 16, wherein the metal layers with the mold material comprise a first layer and a second layer, a portion of the first layer coupled to a voltage supply plane of a main circuit board of the computing system and a portion of the second layer coupled to a ground plane of the main circuit board of the computing system.
In the above description, various aspects of the illustrative implementations have been described using terms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced with only some of the described aspects. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials, and configurations have been set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrative implementations. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without all of the specific details. In other instances, well-known features have been omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the illustrative implementations.
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).
The terms “over,” “under,” “between,” “above,” and “on” as used herein may 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 the two layers or may have one or more intervening layers. In contrast, a first layer “on” a second layer 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 features.
Additionally, the phrase “located on” in the context of a first layer or component located on a second layer or component refers to the first layer or component being directly physically attached to the second part or component (no layers or components between the first and second layers or components) or physically attached to the second layer or component with one or more intervening layers or components.
Further, the term “adjacent” refers to layers or components that are in physical contact with each other. That is, there is no layer or component between the stated adjacent layers or components. For example, a layer X that is adjacent to a layer Y refers to a layer that is in physical contact with layer Y.
The above description may use 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 term “coupled with,” along with its derivatives, may be used herein. “Coupled” may mean one or more of the following. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements indirectly contact each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other, and may mean that one or more other elements are coupled or connected between the elements that are said to be coupled with each other. The term “directly coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct contact.
In various embodiments, the phrase “a first feature formed, deposited, or otherwise disposed on a second feature” may mean that the first feature is formed, deposited, or disposed over the second feature, and at least a part of the first feature may be in direct contact (e.g., direct physical and/or electrical contact) or indirect contact (e.g., having one or more other features between the first feature and the second feature) with at least a part of the second feature.
Where the disclosure recites “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such disclosure includes one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Further, ordinal indicators (e.g., first, second, or third) for identified elements are used to distinguish between the elements, and do not indicate or imply a required or limited number of such elements, nor do they indicate a particular position or order of such elements unless otherwise specifically stated.
