1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a system-in-a-package based flash memory card including an integrated circuit package occupying a small overall area within the card and cut to conform to the shape of a lid for the card.
2. Description of the Related Art
The strong growth in demand for portable consumer electronics is driving the need for high-capacity storage devices. Non-volatile semiconductor memory devices, such as flash memory storage cards, are becoming widely used to meet the ever-growing demands on digital information storage and exchange. Their portability, versatility and rugged design, along with their high reliability and large capacity, have made such memory devices ideal for use in a wide variety of electronic devices.
One exemplary standard for flash memory cards is the so-called SD flash memory card. The SD (Secure Digital) Card is a secure flash memory about the size of a postage stamp. Jointly developed by SanDisk, Toshiba and Matsushita Electronic (which makes Panasonic products), the SD Card weighs approximately two grams and is used for memory storage in a wide variety of digital products, including for example digital music players, cellular phones, handheld PCs (HPCs), digital cameras, digital video camcorders, smart phones, car navigation systems and electronic books.
In the past, electronic devices such as SD cards have included an integrated circuit (“IC”) system consisting of several individually packaged ICs each handling different functions, including logic circuits for information processing, memory for storing information, and I/O circuits for information exchange with the outside world. The individually packaged ICs have been mounted separately on a substrate such as a printed circuit board to form the IC system. In conventional SD Cards including individually packaged components on a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board took up all or almost all of the available space within the card. The printed circuit board was formed to that size in order to contain all of the individually packaged components.
More recently, system-in-a-package (“SiP”) and multichip modules (“MCM”) have been developed where a plurality of integrated circuit components have been packaged together to provide a complete electronic system in a single package. Typically, an MCM includes a plurality of chips mounted side by side on a substrate and then packaged. An SiP typically includes a plurality of chips, some or all of which may be stacked on a substrate and then packaged.
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a system-in-a-package based flash memory card including an integrated circuit (“IC”) package occupying a small overall area within the card and cut to conform to the shape of a lid for the card. An integrated circuit may be cut from a panel into a shape that fits within and conforms to the shape of lids for a finished memory card, such as for example an SD Card. The integrated circuit package may be a system-in-a-package, a multi-chip module, or other arrangement where a complete electronic system is formed in a single package.
In embodiments, the IC package is cut with a chamfer that matches up with and conforms to the size and shape of a chamfer formed in a lid for an SD flash memory card. Similarly, the IC package is also cut with a notch that is sized and positioned so as to define a space in which a read/write switch in the SD flash memory card may operate. Moreover, forming all of the IC components within an SiP or similar package provides a significant savings of space within the finished flash memory card in comparison to conventional printed circuit boards including individually packaged components. Whereas the printed circuit board with individually packaged components took up all or substantially all of the available space within a standard SD Card, the IC package takes up less than one-half of the available space in the flash memory card of the present invention.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to
A method for forming a flash memory card according to embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the flowchart of
A plurality of discrete integrated circuits 102 may be batch processed on panel 100 to achieve economies of scale. Each of these integrated circuits 102 may then be encapsulated and singulated to form a plurality of integrated circuit packages as explained hereinafter. Each integrated circuit 102 being formed on panel 100 may include one or more passive components 104 surface mounted to panel 100 in step 54. The type and number of passive components 104 is not critical to the present invention and may vary widely in alternative embodiments. In an embodiment, the passive components 104 may include capacitors and/or resistors physically and electrically coupled to panel 100 as is known in the art.
Embodiments of the present invention may further include a light emitting diode (“LED”) 108 surface mounted to panel 100 in a step 56. The LED 108 may be embedded within the finished package and have an active end emitting light out of an edge of the finished package. A package including such an LED is described in U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 11/129,637,, entitled “Method Of Assembling Semiconductor Devices With LEDs,” by Takiar et al., filed May 13, 2005,, which application has been incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. LED 108 may be omitted in embodiments of the invention.
Each integrated circuit 102 may further include one or more semiconductor die 114 mounted to panel 100 in step 58 in a known adhesive or eutectic die bond process, using a known die-attach compound. The number and type of semiconductor die 114 may vary greatly in alternative embodiments of the invention. In one embodiment, the one or more die 114 may include a flash memory array (e.g., NOR, NAND or other), S-RAM or DDT, and/or a controller chip such as an ASIC. Other semiconductor die are contemplated. The one or more die 114 may be electrically connected to panel 100 by wire bonds 116 in step 60 in a known wire-bond process.
While the mounting of the passive components, the LED and the semiconductor die are disclosed as separate steps in the flowchart of
Once the plurality of integrated circuits 102 have been formed on panel 100, each of the integrated circuits 102 may be encapsulated with a molding compound 120 in step 62 and as shown in
After molding step 62, a marking can be applied to the molding compound 120 in step 64. The marking may for example be a logo or other information printed on the surface of the molding compound for each integrated circuit 102. The marking may for example indicate manufacturer and/or type of device. Marking step 64 may be omitted in alternative embodiments of the present invention.
Each of the integrated circuits 102 may then be singulated in step 66. Singulation step 66 involves cutting integrated circuits 102 on panel 100 into a plurality of individual integrated circuit packages. As used herein, the term “cutting” is used to refer to cutting, sawing, punching or other methods used to separate the integrated circuits 102 into individual integrated circuit packages. Known cutting devices include, for example, water jet cutting, laser cutting, water guided laser cutting, dry media cutting, and diamond coated wire. Water jet cutting may be the preferred cutting device given its small cutting width (e.g., 50, microns), its ability to shape small features, and its rapid cutting rate. Water can also be used together with laser cutting to help complement or focus its effects. As is known in the art, the above cutting methods are able to achieve sophisticated rectilinear and/or curvilinear shapes of the individualized integrated circuit packages. A further description of the cutting of integrated circuits from a panel and the shapes which may be achieved thereby is disclosed in U.S. Publication No. 2004/0259291,, entitled, “Method For Efficiently Producing Removable Peripheral Cards,” which application is assigned to the owner of the present invention and which application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. It is understood that the singulated integrated circuits may be formed by other processes than that described above in alternative embodiments.
In embodiments of the present invention, each of the integrated circuits may be cut from panel 100 into a shape that fits within and conforms to the shape of lids for a finished memory card as explained in greater detail hereinafter. An outline of the cutting shape in one embodiment is shown in dashed lines 118 on the top view of the encapsulated panel in
An example of an integrated circuit (“IC”) package 126 which may be obtained by the above-described process is shown in
A chamfer 144 is formed in a corner between first edge 134 and fourth edge 140 for conforming to a chamfer in a flash memory card lid as explained in greater detail below. A notch 146 may be formed in a corner between second edge 136 and third edge 138 for location of a switch in a flash memory card lid as explained in greater detail below.
Referring again to the flowchart of
As indicated above, IC package 126 includes the chamfer 144. The IC package 126 is cut so that chamfer 144 matches up with and conforms to the size and shape of chamfer 154. Similarly, standard SD cards are formed with a switch 156 which cooperates with mechanisms in the host device to enable and disable read/write operations from/to the card. The IC package 126 is cut so that the notch 146 in package 126 is sized and positioned to not interfere with the switch 156 as it moves between its enable and disable positions.
Additionally, forming all of the IC components within package 126 provides a significant savings of space within the lids 150 in comparison to conventional printed circuit boards including individually packaged components. Whereas the printed circuit board with individually packaged components took up all or substantially all of the available space within a standard SD Card, the IC package 126 occupies only a fraction of the available space. In an embodiment, IC package 126 may have a maximum length (between the second edge 136 and fourth edge 140) of approximately 2, cm, and a maximum width (between the first edge 134 and third edge 138) of approximately 1, cm. With these dimensions, the IC package takes up less than one-half of the available space in card 152. It is understood that the IC package 126 may occupy more than one-half of the available space within card 152, such as for example three-fourths of the available space in card 152.
Embodiments of the present invention have been described including an IC package which fits within the footprint of a standard SD card. However, it is understood that embodiments of the present invention may alternatively shape an SiP, MCM, or other arrangement where a complete electronic system is formed in a single package to fit within an outer lid or enclosure in a number of other flash memory standards. Such standards include but are not limited to a Compact Flash, a Smart Media, a Mini SD Card, an MMC, an xD Card, a Transflash or a Memory Stick. Other devices are contemplated.
In summary, an example of the present technology relates to a method of forming an integrated circuit for a flash memory, the flash memory including one or more lids, the method comprising the steps of: (a) mounting a plurality of integrated circuit components on a base; (b) encapsulating the plurality of integrated circuit components in a molding compound; (c) cutting the encapsulated integrated circuit to a shape to fit within the one or more lids; and (d) cutting the encapsulated integrated circuit to have one or more sides conforming to a shape of the one or more lids.
In a further example, the present technology relates to a method of forming an integrated circuit for a flash memory, the flash memory including one or more external lids, the method comprising the steps of: (a) mounting a plurality of integrated circuit components on a substrate; (b) encapsulating the plurality of integrated circuit components in a molding compound; and (c) cutting the encapsulated integrated circuit to include a notch, the notch cut to conform in shape to a notch in the one or more external lids.
In a further example, the present technology relates to a method of forming a flash memory, the method comprising the steps of: (a) mounting a plurality of integrated circuit components on a substrate; (b) encapsulating the plurality of integrated circuit components in a molding compound; (c) cutting the encapsulated integrated circuit to include a notch; and (d) encasing the encapsulated integrated circuit within one or more external lids, the one or more external lids including a notch for receiving a reciprocating switch, wherein the notch cut in said step (c) removes a portion of the molding compound that would otherwise interfere with reciprocation of the switch in the notch in the one or more external lids.
The foregoing detailed description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The described embodiments were chosen in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/133,576, filed on May 19, 2005, entitled SYSTEM-IN-A-PACKAGE BASED FLASH MEMORY CARD, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20120009732 A1 | Jan 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11133576 | May 2005 | US |
Child | 13235852 | US |