The present disclosure refers to semiconductor package assemblies and subassemblies, and to methods for assembling semiconductor packages.
The vast majority of integrated circuits devices are currently provided as a monolithic chip - that is to say the circuitry is provided within a single device. However, as circuit complexity increases the increased functionality and complexity results in increased die and package size, and result manufacturing yields tends to drop, with increasing die size and complexity. Furthermore, providing inputs and outputs the chip, also referred to as “I/O routing” becomes increasingly complex and challenging as chip functionality and size increases, as does managing the soil more characteristics of the dial package.
It is known to produce multichip packages (MCM), but most MCM concepts significantly increase the complexity of manufacturing.
According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a semiconductor package assembly comprising: a substrate having a substrate top surface and a substrate bottom surface; a first semiconductor die, partially over the substrate and having a die bottom surface having first and second pluralities of I/O pads thereon; a first plurality of localised electrical connection components, between and affixed to each of the die bottom surface and the substrate top surface and providing electrical connections between the substrate and the first plurality of I/O pads; a second plurality of localised electrical connection components, affixed to the substrate bottom surface, and for providing electrical connection between the substrate and a circuit board; wherein the second plurality of I/O pads are arranged for providing electrical connections to a chip-scale-package unit to be affixed to the first semiconductor die by a third plurality of localised electrical connection components, and to be positioned in a same horizonal plane as the substrate. Such embodiments may be suitable for assembly with a suitable chip-scale-package unit either prior to or concurrent with mounting or assembly onto a circuit board.
In one or more embodiments, the semiconductor package assembly further comprises the third plurality of localised electrical connection components affixed to the die bottom surface and for providing electrical connection between the first semiconductor die and the chip-scale-package unit. When used with a suitable chip-scale-package unit, the chip-scale-package unit may thus not require balls, bumps or pillars on its top surface.
In one or more embodiments, the semiconductor package assembly further comprises the chip-scale-package unit, having a chip-scale-package unit top surface to which the third plurality of localised electrical connection components are affixed and a chip-scale-package unit bottom surface. In such embodiments, the semiconductor package assembly may be available for assembly or mounting onto a circuit board as a single component.
In one or more embodiments the chip-scale-package unit is proximate to the substrate on at least two sides. In one or more embodiments the chip-scale-package unit is surrounded by the substrate on all sides. The chip-scale-package unit may be laterally spaced apart from the substrate by at least a distance. The distance may be chosen to allow for at least one of manufacturing tolerances and placement tolerances, and for differences in thermal expansion. In some embodiments it is or may be desirable to keep the distance to a minimum in order to minimise the space taken on the circuit board, or to maximise the space available on the substrate for bumps, balls or pillars.
In one or more embodiments, the semiconductor package assembly further comprises a fourth plurality of localised electrical connection components, affixed to the substrate bottom surface and for providing electrical connection between the substrate and a circuit board.
In one or more embodiments, the semiconductor package assembly further comprises a fifth plurality of localised electrical connection components, affixed to the chip-scale-package unit bottom surface and for providing electrical connection between the chip-scale-package unit and a circuit board. The fourth and fifth pluralities may each be the same size or height - in particular in embodiments in which the bottom surface of substrate is coplanar with the bottom surface of the chip-scale-package; in other embodiments the fourth and fifth pluralities may be of different sizes or heights.
In one or more embodiments the substate extends laterally beyond the semiconductor die, for instance due to physical restriction of line space imposed by circuit design, which may increase from die level to substrate, the substrate may have a different shape and size than the die.. In one or more other embodiments the semiconductor die extends laterally beyond the substrate. This may enable or assist in efficient usage of area or “real-estate”, for instance in applications having restricted or limited space on a circuit board to which the chip-scale-package is to be mounted; for instance it may be possible to position surface mount passive devices, or other components, on the circuit board underneath the overhanging semiconductor die There will be appreciated in some embodiments these two features may be mixed such that in one dimensional direction the semiconductor die extends laterally beyond substrate and in a perpendicular direction the substrate extends laterally beyond the semiconductor die
In one or more embodiments the substate extends laterally beyond the semiconductor die.
In one or more embodiments the chip-scale-package unit consists of a single chip-scale-package die. In one or more other embodiments the chip-scale-package unit comprises a stacked pair of chip-scale-package die. In yet other embodiments, the semiconductor package assembly comprises one or more additional chip-scale-package units, each or any of which may comprise a stacked pair of chip-scale-package die or a single chip-scale-package die. Furthermore, in yet other embodiments, the semiconductor package assembly does not comprise such additional chip-scale-package units, but is configured so as to be assembled in with it or them.
In one or more embodiments, the semiconductor package assembly further comprises moulding compound at least partially surrounding at least one of the pair of chip-scale-package die.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of assembling a semiconductor package which includes a chip-scale-package unit comprising: providing a first semiconductor die; providing a first plurality of localised electrical connection components on the first semiconductor die; affixing a substrate to the first plurality of localised electrical connection components; and affixing a chip-scale-package unit in a same plane as the substrate, to the first semiconductor die.
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from, and elucidated with reference to, the embodiments described hereinafter.
Embodiments will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings, in which
It should be noted that the Figures are diagrammatic and not drawn to scale. Relative dimensions and proportions of parts of these Figures have been shown exaggerated or reduced in size, for the sake of clarity and convenience in the drawings. The same reference signs are generally used to refer to corresponding or similar features in modified and different embodiments
The substrate may typically be of a polymer material, and typically may be single or multiple layers of composite organic material. The substrate includes metallic or other conductive routings therein or thereon, which are typically embedded. The thermal coefficient of expansion of the substrate may be chosen to be similar to that of the semiconductor die. In one or other more embodiments, the substrate may be a semiconductor material with conductive routings. As shown, the first semiconductor die is partially over the substrate. That is to say, some part of the first semiconductor die is over the substrate, and there is at least some part of the first semiconductor die which is not over the substrate. In the embodiment shown, this latter part corresponds to the part of the die which is over a cut-out region, or aperture, 116 in the substrate. In one or more other embodiments, as will be described in more detail hereinbelow, the part of the first semiconductor die which is not over the substrate may extend laterally beyond the substrate, or may be over a “missing corner” or “missing notch” located generally near a corner or along an edge of the substrate.
The first semiconductor die has a die bottom surface 124, having first and second pluralities of I/O pads thereon (not shown in
A second plurality of localised electrical connection components (not shown in
A second plurality of I/O pads (not shown) is arranged for providing electrical connection to the chip-scale-package unit 116. In the embodiment shown in
As shown, the CSP unit is generally in a same horizonal plane as the substrate. The top surface of the CSP units, to which the first plurality of localised electrical connection components 160 either are attached or are to be attached, may in the same plane as the top surface of the substrate 112. In such embodiments, the height (in a vertical direction) of the localised electrical connection components 160 matches the height (in a vertical direction) of the electrical components 150, to within normal manufacturing tolerances.
In other embodiments, the height of the first plurality of localised electrical connection components 160 may be greater or smaller than that of the first plurality of electrical convection components 150. In particular, this may depend on whether the top surface of the CSP units 116 is below or above the top surface of the substrate 110. In general, it will be appreciated that the localised electrical connection components or electrical interconnects, such as bump interconnects, between the die 120 and the substrate 110 may be of different size, shape or material from those between the die 120 and the CSP unit 130.
In some embodiments, in particular, in embodiments in which the thickness in a vertical direction, that is to say, the height, of the CSP unit matches the substrate thickness to within manufacturing tolerances, the bottom surface 114 of the substrate is in the same plane as the bottom surface of the CSP unit 130. This is also the case in embodiments in which a difference in height between the CSP unit and the substrate is accommodated by differences in height between the first set of localised electrical connection components 150 and the third set of localised electrical connection components 160.
In other embodiments the bottom surface 114 of the substrate may be above or below the bottom surface of the CSP unit 130. In such embodiments, the second plurality of localised electrical connection components may have a greater or smaller height than a further plurality of electrical components (not shown) which are used to affix the CSP unit 130 the circuit board (not shown), in dependence on whether the bottom surface of the CSP unit 130 is above or below the bottom surface 114 of the substrate.
From the above, it will be apparent that as used herein, the term “positioned in a same plane”, when referring to 2 components, is to be interpreted broadly, in the sense that neither component is either entirely below or above the other component. Two components which are “positioned in a same plane” cannot, therefore, be stacked one on top of the other.
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In the embodiment of the present disclosure including or accommodating a single CSP device, the substrate may be thinner than in embodiments including accommodating a CSP unit consisting of pair of stacked CSP devices; in other embodiments the single CSP device may be seen to a lesser extent (sorry but not at all, such that the substrate thickness is the same as would be the case for a pair of the fact CSP devices.
As already mentioned, as used herein, the term “localised electrical connection component” encompasses known techniques such as provision of solder bumps, balls, and copper stacks. It will be appreciated, that embodiments of the present invention generally do not require wirebonding or the like. The electrical components are localised in the sense that they provide vertical connection between bond pads of the respective devices or substrates. Of course, it will also be appreciated that embodiments of the invention can utilise one or more redistribution layers in the substrate or the CSP unit.
For use, during a further step 750 (“reflow on circuit board”) the semiconductor package assembly, a known reflow process is applied to third and fourth localised electrical connection components 118 and 232 in order to mount the semiconductor package assembly on a circuit board and electrical connection between the circuit board and, respectively, the substrate and the CSP unit.
In one or more embodiments, the reflow process at step 730 may be the so-called “C4” process (“Controlled Collapse Chip Connection”). Furthermore, the reflow process at step 750 may be the so-called “C5” processed (“Controlled Collapse Chip Carrier Connection”). The reflow process is 730 and 750 may use the same temperature. In other embodiments the reference reflow process 750 may use a lower temperature than that of 730, in order not to melt the localised electrical interconnection components 150. The temperature chosen for the reflow depends, as the skilled person will be aware, on the choice of materials for the localised electrical connection components, and in particular whether the components are balls, bumps, or pillars.
From reading the present disclosure, other variations and modifications will be apparent to the skilled person. Such variations and modifications may involve equivalent and other features which are already known in the art of semiconductor packaging and which may be used instead of, or in addition to, features already described herein.
Although the appended claims are directed to particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure of the present invention also includes any novel feature or any novel combination of features disclosed herein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalisation thereof, whether or not it relates to the same invention as presently claimed in any claim and whether or not it mitigates any or all of the same technical problems as does the present invention.
Features which are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination. The applicant hereby gives notice that new claims may be formulated to such features and/or combinations of such features during the prosecution of the present application or of any further application derived therefrom.
For the sake of completeness it is also stated that the term “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, the term “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality, a single processor or other unit may fulfil the functions of several means recited in the claims [delete if not relevant] and reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. Furthermore, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include,” “including,” and “includes” mean including, but not limited to.