Circuit boards may be manufactured with contact pads for mating with integrated circuit components, such as a processor. For example, a socket may be mated with a circuit board, and a processor can then mate with the socket. In some cases, the socket may be soldered to the circuit board. In other cases, the socket may be compression mounted to contact pads on the circuit board. A socket connected by solder may induce stress to the circuit board, cause warpage, or risk a solder joint failing. Compression mounting may require a large amount of force, particularly for high-pin count integrated circuit components.
In various embodiments disclosed herein, an integrated circuit component may have a liquid metal interconnect array. The liquid metal interconnect array may be sealed by a seal layer. The seal layer includes a foam cap layer and a fabric layer. In use, a bed of nails socket on a circuit board can interface with the liquid metal interconnect array by piercing the seal layer with an array of nails. The liquid metal interconnect array can make a good electrical connection with the nails without the stress of a soldered socket and without the compression of a land grid array. Repeated piercing of a bare foam cap layer may damage it, causing the liquid metal to leak out with a resulting failure as an interconnect. The fabric layer can prevent and mitigate damage to the foam cap layer, reducing failure of the interface between the liquid metal interconnect array and the bed of nails sock.
As used herein, the phrase “communicatively coupled” refers to the ability of a component to send a signal to or receive a signal from another component. The signal can be any type of signal, such as an input signal, an output signal, or a power signal. A component can send or receive a signal to another component to which it is communicatively coupled via a wired or wireless communication medium (e.g., conductive traces, conductive contacts, air). Examples of components that are communicatively coupled include integrated circuit dies located in the same package that communicate via an embedded bridge in a package substrate and an integrated circuit component attached to a printed circuit board that send signals to or receives signals from other integrated circuit components or electronic devices attached to the printed circuit board.
In the following description, specific details are set forth, but embodiments of the technologies described herein may be practiced without these specific details. Well-known circuits, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail to avoid obscuring an understanding of this description. Phrases such as “an embodiment,” “various embodiments,” “some embodiments,” and the like may include features, structures, or characteristics, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular features, structures, or characteristics.
Some embodiments may have some, all, or none of the features described for other embodiments. “First,” “second,” “third,” and the like describe a common object and indicate different instances of like objects being referred to. Such adjectives do not imply objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally or spatially, in ranking, or any other manner. “Connected” may indicate elements are in direct physical or electrical contact, and “coupled” may indicate elements co-operate or interact, but they may or may not be in direct physical or electrical contact. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous. Terms modified by the word “substantially” include arrangements, orientations, spacings, or positions that vary slightly from the meaning of the unmodified term. For example, the central axis of a magnetic plug that is substantially coaxially aligned with a through hole may be misaligned from a central axis of the through hole by several degrees. In another example, a substrate assembly feature, such as a through width, that is described as having substantially a listed dimension can vary within a few percent of the listed dimension.
It will be understood that in the examples shown and described further below, the figures may not be drawn to scale and may not include all possible layers and/or circuit components. In addition, it will be understood that although certain figures illustrate transistor designs with source/drain regions, electrodes, etc. having orthogonal (e.g., perpendicular) boundaries, embodiments herein may implement such boundaries in a substantially orthogonal manner (e.g., within +/−5 or 10 degrees of orthogonality) due to fabrication methods used to create such devices or for other reasons.
Reference is now made to the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein similar or same numbers may be used to designate the same or similar parts in different figures. The use of similar or same numbers in different figures does not mean all figures including similar or same numbers constitute a single or same embodiment. Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in the present document.
In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the novel embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. The intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the scope of the claims.
As used herein, 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.
As used herein, 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.
Referring now to
The integrated circuit component 102 includes an integrated circuit die 106 mounted on the top side of a circuit board 104. An interposer 108 is mounted on the bottom side of the circuit board 104. The interposer 108 may be any suitable material, such as a dielectric. The interposer 108 has cavities that are filled by an array of liquid metal interconnects 202. The array of liquid metal interconnects 202 are sealed by a seal layer 109. In an illustrative embodiment, the seal layer 109 includes a foam cap layer 110 adjacent to the interposer 108 and a fabric layer 112 adjacent to the foam cap layer 110.
In use, the integrated circuit component 102 can mate with the bed of nails socket 116, as shown in
Without a seal layer 109, the liquid metal in the liquid metal interconnects 202 may leak out or may be partially pulled out when the pins 120 are removed. The foam cap layer 110 can prevent the liquid metal from leaking out and can also remove any liquid metal from the pins 120 as the nails 120 are removed. However, without a fabric layer 112, the foam cap layer 110 may become damaged after a few cycles of inserting and removing the integrated circuit component 102 from the bed of nails socket 116. The presence of the fabric layer 112 can, in various embodiments, provide several advantages. The fabric layer 112 can retain small pieces of the foam cap layer 110 that may otherwise be separated from the foam cap layer 110 after being punctured by the pins 120. The stiffness of the fabric layer 112 can provide lateral forces that guide the pins 120 to the same puncture location, reducing structural damage to the foam cap layer 110. The fabric layer 112 can also provide an additional surface to wipe any liquid metal from the pins 120 during extraction. Additionally, the fabric layer 112 may provide a surface texture and coloring match that masks any trace amount of liquid metal residue from other sources, such as contaminated pins 120.
Each liquid metal interconnect 202 is adjacent to a contact pad 306 of the circuit board 104. Each contact pad 306 may be connected to a trace, via, or other interconnect on the circuit board 104. Each contact pad 306 may connect to a die or other component mounted on the circuit board 104.
Each liquid metal interconnect 202 may have any suitable dimensions, such as a width, length, and/or thickness of 0.1-2 millimeters. The liquid metal interconnects 202 may have any suitable pitch, such as 0.2-2.5 millimeters. The integrated circuit component 102 may include any suitable number of liquid metal interconnects 202, such as 100-20,000 liquid metal interconnects 202. Each liquid metal interconnect 202 may have any suitable shape, such as a cylinder, cuboid, parallelepiped, etc. The array of liquid metal interconnects 202 may have one or more areas where no or fewer liquid metal interconnects 202 are present, such as an interior rectangular area with no liquid metal interconnects 202. The circuit board 104 may have components in the areas where no or fewer liquid metal interconnects 202 are present (not shown in
Each contact pad 306 of the circuit board 104 may have a similar size and pitch as the liquid metal interconnects 202, although the thickness may be less. The contact pads 306 may be any suitable material, such as copper, aluminum, or other conductor.
Each liquid metal interconnect 202 may be made of any suitable liquid metal. In the illustrative embodiment, the liquid metal interconnect 202 includes gallium. For example, the liquid metal interconnect 202 may be embodied as gallium, a gallium/indium alloy, a gallium/tin alloy, etc. In some embodiments, the liquid metal interconnect 202 may be embodied as a low-temperature solder. As used herein, low-temperature solder refers to solder with a melting point less than 180° Celsius.
The foam cap layer 110 may be any suitable material, such as a foam or polymer. In the illustrative embodiment, after being pierced by a pin 120 of the bed of nails socket 116, the foam cap layer 110 partially or fully seals the liquid metal interconnects 202, preventing most or all of the liquid metal interconnect 202 from leaking out. The foam cap layer 110 may be any suitable thickness, such as 0.1-1 millimeter. In the illustrative embodiment, the foam cap layer 110 has a thickness of about 0.4 millimeters.
The fabric layer 112 may be any suitable material, such as cellulose-based fibers, polyurethane fibers, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers, glass fibers, etc. The fabric layer 112 may be a woven or nonwoven fabric. The fibers of the fabric layer 112 may have any suitable diameter, such as 10-100 micrometers. In the illustrative embodiment, the fibers of the fabric layer 112 have a diameter of about 20 micrometers. The fabric layer 112 may have any suitable thickness, such as 50 micrometers to several millimeters or thicker.
The fabric layer 112 may be secured to the foam cap layer 110 in any suitable manner. In one embodiment, the foam may be formed on top of the fabric layer 112, with part of the fabric layer 112 being integrated into part of the foam cap layer 110. In some embodiments, the fabric layer 112 may be secured to the foam cap layer 110 using an adhesive layer 602, as shown in
The integrated circuit component 102 may include one or more dies, chips, or other components connected to the circuit board 104. The integrated circuit component 102 may be or otherwise include, e.g., a processor, a memory, an accelerator device, etc. The integrated circuit component 102 may include an integrated heat spreader over the die 106.
The bed of nails socket 116 includes a frame 118 and an array of pins 120. The frame 118 may be made from any suitable material that can hold the integrated circuit component 102 in place, such as plastic, metal, etc. The plurality of pins 120 may be made of any suitable material, such as copper, aluminum, or other conductor. The pins 120 may have any suitable dimensions, such as a width of 0.1-1 millimeter and a length of 0.2-3 millimeters. The tip of the pins 120 may have any suitable radius of curvature, such as 0.01-10 micrometers. The tip of the pins 120 may have any suitable bevel angle, such as 10-30°. Each pin 120 is connected to a via 302 in the circuit board 114. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, some or all of the pins 120 may be connected to a trace on an outer surface of the circuit board 114.
In the illustrative embodiment, the circuit board 114 is made from fiberglass and resin, such as FR-4. In other embodiments, other types of circuit board 114 may be used. The illustrative circuit board 114 may have any suitable length or width, such as 10-500 millimeters. The circuit board 114 may have any suitable thickness, such as 0.2-5 millimeters. In some embodiments, the array of pins 120 may interface with vias or traces on an integrated circuit component instead of an FR-4 circuit board, such as a die, chip, system-on-a-chip, etc.
The circuit board 114 may have mounted on it additional components not shown, such as capacitors, resistors, integrated circuit components, power components, interconnects, etc.
Referring now to
The method 900 begins in block 902, in which an interposer 108 is applied to a substrate (e.g., the circuit board 104) of an integrated circuit component 102. In block 904, cavities defined in the interposer 108 are filled with liquid metal interconnects 202, such as a gallium-based liquid metal or a low-temperature solder.
It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the steps of the method 900 may be performed in a different order. For example, in
In block 1010, cavities defined in the interposer 108 are filled with liquid metal interconnects 202, such as a gallium-based liquid metal or a low-temperature solder. In block 1012, the interposer 108 with the seal layer 109 is applied to a substrate (e.g., the circuit board 104) of an integrated circuit component 102.
The integrated circuit device 1200 may include one or more device layers 1204 disposed on the die substrate 1202. The device layer 1204 may include features of one or more transistors 1240 (e.g., metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs)) formed on the die substrate 1202. The transistors 1240 may include, for example, one or more source and/or drain (S/D) regions 1220, a gate 1222 to control current flow between the S/D regions 1220, and one or more S/D contacts 1224 to route electrical signals to/from the S/D regions 1220. The transistors 1240 may include additional features not depicted for the sake of clarity, such as device isolation regions, gate contacts, and the like. The transistors 1240 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 1240 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 1240 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 1202 and two sidewall portions that are substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the die substrate 1202. 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 1202 and does not include sidewall portions substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the die substrate 1202. 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 1220 may be formed within the die substrate 1202 adjacent to the gate 1222 of individual transistors 1240. The S/D regions 1220 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 1202 to form the S/D regions 1220. An annealing process that activates the dopants and causes them to diffuse farther into the die substrate 1202 may follow the ion-implantation process. In the latter process, the die substrate 1202 may first be etched to form recesses at the locations of the S/D regions 1220. An epitaxial deposition process may then be carried out to fill the recesses with material that is used to fabricate the S/D regions 1220. In some implementations, the S/D regions 1220 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 1220 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 1220.
Electrical signals, such as power and/or input/output (I/O) signals, may be routed to and/or from the devices (e.g., transistors 1240) of the device layer 1204 through one or more interconnect layers disposed on the device layer 1204 (illustrated in
The interconnect structures 1228 may be arranged within the interconnect layers 1206-1210 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 1228 depicted in
In some embodiments, the interconnect structures 1228 may include lines 1228a and/or vias 1228b filled with an electrically conductive material such as a metal. The lines 1228a may be arranged to route electrical signals in a direction of a plane that is substantially parallel with a surface of the die substrate 1202 upon which the device layer 1204 is formed. For example, the lines 1228a may route electrical signals in a direction in and out of the page and/or in a direction across the page. The vias 1228b may be arranged to route electrical signals in a direction of a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the die substrate 1202 upon which the device layer 1204 is formed. In some embodiments, the vias 1228b may electrically couple lines 1228a of different interconnect layers 1206-1210 together.
The interconnect layers 1206-1210 may include a dielectric material 1226 disposed between the interconnect structures 1228, as shown in
A first interconnect layer 1206 (referred to as Metal 1 or “M1”) may be formed directly on the device layer 1204. In some embodiments, the first interconnect layer 1206 may include lines 1228a and/or vias 1228b, as shown. The lines 1228a of the first interconnect layer 1206 may be coupled with contacts (e.g., the S/D contacts 1224) of the device layer 1204. The vias 1228b of the first interconnect layer 1206 may be coupled with the lines 1228a of a second interconnect layer 1208.
The second interconnect layer 1208 (referred to as Metal 2 or “M2”) may be formed directly on the first interconnect layer 1206. In some embodiments, the second interconnect layer 1208 may include via 1228b to couple the lines 1228 of the second interconnect layer 1208 with the lines 1228a of a third interconnect layer 1210. Although the lines 1228a and the vias 1228b are structurally delineated with a line within individual interconnect layers for the sake of clarity, the lines 1228a and the vias 1228b may be structurally and/or materially contiguous (e.g., simultaneously filled during a dual-damascene process) in some embodiments.
The third interconnect layer 1210 (referred to as Metal 3 or “M3”) (and additional interconnect layers, as desired) may be formed in succession on the second interconnect layer 1208 according to similar techniques and configurations described in connection with the second interconnect layer 1208 or the first interconnect layer 1206. In some embodiments, the interconnect layers that are “higher up” in the metallization stack 1219 in the integrated circuit device 1200 (i.e., farther away from the device layer 1204) may be thicker that the interconnect layers that are lower in the metallization stack 1219, with lines 1228a and vias 1228b in the higher interconnect layers being thicker than those in the lower interconnect layers.
The integrated circuit device 1200 may include a solder resist material 1234 (e.g., polyimide or similar material) and one or more conductive contacts 1236 formed on the interconnect layers 1206-1210. In
In some embodiments in which the integrated circuit device 1200 is a double-sided die, the integrated circuit device 1200 may include another metallization stack (not shown) on the opposite side of the device layer(s) 1204. This metallization stack may include multiple interconnect layers as discussed above with reference to the interconnect layers 1206-1210, to provide conductive pathways (e.g., including conductive lines and vias) between the device layer(s) 1204 and additional conductive contacts (not shown) on the opposite side of the integrated circuit device 1200 from the conductive contacts 1236.
In other embodiments in which the integrated circuit device 1200 is a double-sided die, the integrated circuit device 1200 may include one or more through silicon vias (TSVs) through the die substrate 1202; these TSVs may make contact with the device layer(s) 1204, and may provide conductive pathways between the device layer(s) 1204 and additional conductive contacts (not shown) on the opposite side of the integrated circuit device 1200 from the conductive contacts 1236. 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 1200 from the conductive contacts 1236 to the transistors 1240 and any other components integrated into the die 1200, and the metallization stack 1219 can be used to route I/O signals from the conductive contacts 1236 to transistors 1240 and any other components integrated into the die 1200.
Multiple integrated circuit devices 1200 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 1402 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 1402. In other embodiments, the circuit board 1402 may be a non-PCB substrate. In some embodiments the circuit board 1402 may be, for example, the circuit board 104. The integrated circuit device assembly 1400 illustrated in
The package-on-interposer structure 1436 may include an integrated circuit component 1420 coupled to an interposer 1404 by coupling components 1418. The coupling components 1418 may take any suitable form for the application, such as the forms discussed above with reference to the coupling components 1416. Although a single integrated circuit component 1420 is shown in
The integrated circuit component 1420 may be a packaged or unpacked integrated circuit product that includes one or more integrated circuit dies (e.g., the die 1102 of
In embodiments where the integrated circuit component 1420 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 1420 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 1404 may spread connections to a wider pitch or reroute a connection to a different connection. For example, the interposer 1404 may couple the integrated circuit component 1420 to a set of ball grid array (BGA) conductive contacts of the coupling components 1416 for coupling to the circuit board 1402. In the embodiment illustrated in
In some embodiments, the interposer 1404 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 1404 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 1404 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 1404 may include metal interconnects 1408 and vias 1410, including but not limited to through hole vias 1410-1 (that extend from a first face 1450 of the interposer 1404 to a second face 1454 of the interposer 1404), blind vias 1410-2 (that extend from the first or second faces 1450 or 1454 of the interposer 1404 to an internal metal layer), and buried vias 1410-3 (that connect internal metal layers).
In some embodiments, the interposer 1404 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 1404 comprising a silicon interposer can further comprise one or more routing layers to route connections on a first face of the interposer 1404 to an opposing second face of the interposer 1404.
The interposer 1404 may further include embedded devices 1414, 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 1404. The package-on-interposer structure 1436 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 1400 may include an integrated circuit component 1424 coupled to the first face 1440 of the circuit board 1402 by coupling components 1422. The coupling components 1422 may take the form of any of the embodiments discussed above with reference to the coupling components 1416, and the integrated circuit component 1424 may take the form of any of the embodiments discussed above with reference to the integrated circuit component 1420.
The integrated circuit device assembly 1400 illustrated in
Additionally, in various embodiments, the electrical device 1500 may not include one or more of the components illustrated in
The electrical device 1500 may include one or more processor units 1502 (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 1502 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 1500 may include a memory 1504, 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 1504 may include memory that is located on the same integrated circuit die as the processor unit 1502. 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 1500 can comprise one or more processor units 1502 that are heterogeneous or asymmetric to another processor unit 1502 in the electrical device 1500. There can be a variety of differences between the processing units 1502 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 1502 in the electrical device 1500.
In some embodiments, the electrical device 1500 may include a communication component 1512 (e.g., one or more communication components). For example, the communication component 1512 can manage wireless communications for the transfer of data to and from the electrical device 1500. 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 1512 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 1512 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 1512 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 1512 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 1512 may operate in accordance with other wireless protocols in other embodiments. The electrical device 1500 may include an antenna 1522 to facilitate wireless communications and/or to receive other wireless communications (such as AM or FM radio transmissions).
In some embodiments, the communication component 1512 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 1512 may include multiple communication components. For instance, a first communication component 1512 may be dedicated to shorter-range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and a second communication component 1512 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 1512 may be dedicated to wireless communications, and a second communication component 1512 may be dedicated to wired communications.
The electrical device 1500 may include battery/power circuitry 1514. The battery/power circuitry 1514 may include one or more energy storage devices (e.g., batteries or capacitors) and/or circuitry for coupling components of the electrical device 1500 to an energy source separate from the electrical device 1500 (e.g., AC line power).
The electrical device 1500 may include a display device 1506 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). The display device 1506 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 1500 may include an audio output device 1508 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). The audio output device 1508 may include any embedded or wired or wirelessly connected external device that generates an audible indicator, such speakers, headsets, or earbuds.
The electrical device 1500 may include an audio input device 1524 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). The audio input device 1524 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 1500 may include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) device 1518 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above), such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) device. The GNSS device 1518 may be in communication with a satellite-based system and may determine a geolocation of the electrical device 1500 based on information received from one or more GNSS satellites, as known in the art.
The electrical device 1500 may include an other output device 1510 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Examples of the other output device 1510 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 1500 may include an other input device 1520 (or corresponding interface circuitry, as discussed above). Examples of the other input device 1520 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 1500 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 1500 may be any other electronic device that processes data. In some embodiments, the electrical device 1500 may comprise multiple discrete physical components. Given the range of devices that the electrical device 1500 can be manifested as in various embodiments, in some embodiments, the electrical device 1500 can be referred to as a computing device or a computing system.
Illustrative examples of the technologies disclosed herein are provided below. An embodiment of the technologies may include any one or more, and any combination of, the examples described below.
Example 1 includes an integrated circuit component, the integrated circuit component comprising a plurality of contact pads; an interposer comprising a plurality of liquid metal interconnects, wherein individual liquid metal interconnects of the plurality of liquid metal interconnects are adjacent a contact pad of the plurality of contact pads; and a seal layer that seals the plurality of liquid metal interconnects, the seal layer comprising a foam cap layer; and a fabric layer comprising a plurality of fibers.
Example 2 includes the subject matter of Example 1, and wherein the plurality of fibers are integrated into the foam cap layer.
Example 3 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1 and 2, and wherein the foam cap layer is adjacent to the interposer, wherein the fabric layer is adjacent to the foam cap layer.
Example 4 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-3, and wherein an adhesive secures the fabric layer to the foam cap layer.
Example 5 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-4, and wherein the seal layer comprises a plurality of foam cap layers and a plurality of fabric layers.
Example 6 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-5, and wherein the fabric layer is woven.
Example 7 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-6, and wherein the fabric layer is not woven.
Example 8 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-7, and wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of polyurethane fibers.
Example 9 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-8, and wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of polyethylene terephthalate fibers.
Example 10 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-9, and wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of glass fibers.
Example 11 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-10, and wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of polyurethane fibers, a plurality of polyethylene terephthalate fibers, a plurality of glass fibers, or any combination thereof.
Example 12 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-11, and wherein individual fibers of the plurality of fibers have a diameter between 10 and 50 micrometers.
Example 13 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-12, and wherein the fabric layer has a thickness between 50 and 1,000 micrometers.
Example 14 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-13, and wherein the foam cap layer has a thickness between 100 and 1,000 micrometers.
Example 15 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-14, and further including a processor die electrically coupled to the plurality of liquid metal interconnects.
Example 16 includes a system comprising the integrated circuit component of claim 1, the system further comprising a bed of nails socket mounted on a circuit board, wherein the plurality of liquid metal interconnects are mated with the bed of nails socket.
Example 17 includes an integrated circuit component, the integrated circuit component comprising a plurality of contact pads; an interposer comprising a plurality of liquid metal interconnects, wherein individual liquid metal interconnects of the plurality of liquid metal interconnects are adjacent a contact pad of the plurality of contact pads; a foam cap layer that seals the plurality of liquid metal interconnects; and means for retaining the foam cap layer after being punctured by pins in a bed of nails socket.
Example 18 includes the subject matter of Example 17, and wherein the means for retaining the foam cap layer comprises a plurality of fibers.
Example 19 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17 and 18, and wherein the plurality of fibers are integrated into the foam cap layer.
Example 20 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-19, and wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of polyurethane fibers.
Example 21 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-20, and wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of polyethylene terephthalate fibers.
Example 22 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-21, and wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of glass fibers.
Example 23 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-22, and wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of polyurethane fibers, a plurality of polyethylene terephthalate fibers, a plurality of glass fibers, or any combination thereof.
Example 24 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-23, and wherein individual fibers of the plurality of fibers have a diameter between 10 and 50 micrometers.
Example 25 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-24, and wherein the foam cap layer is adjacent to the interposer, wherein the means for retaining the foam cap layer are adjacent to the foam cap layer.
Example 26 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-25, and wherein an adhesive secures the means for retaining the foam cap layer to the foam cap layer.
Example 27 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-26, and wherein the foam cap layer and the means for retaining the foam cap layer form part of a seal layer, wherein the seal layer comprises a plurality of foam cap layers.
Example 28 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-27, and wherein the means for retaining the foam cap layer comprises woven fabric.
Example 29 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-28, and wherein the means for retaining the foam cap layer comprises nonwoven fabric.
Example 30 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-29, and wherein the means for retaining the foam cap layer has a thickness between 50 and 1,000 micrometers.
Example 31 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-30, and wherein the foam cap layer has a thickness between 100 and 1,000 micrometers.
Example 32 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 17-31, and further including a processor die electrically coupled to the plurality of liquid metal interconnects.
Example 33 includes a system comprising the integrated circuit component of claim 17, the system further comprising the bed of nails socket mounted on a circuit board, wherein the plurality of liquid metal interconnects are mated with the bed of nails socket.
Example 34 includes a method comprising applying an interposer to a substrate of an integrated circuit component, the interposer comprising a plurality of cavities; filling the plurality of cavities of the interposer with a plurality of liquid metal interconnects; and covering the plurality of liquid metal interconnects with a seal layer, the seal layer comprising a foam cap layer and a fabric layer, the fabric layer comprising a plurality of fibers.
Example 35 includes the subject matter of Example 34, and further including creating the foam cap layer with the plurality of fibers embedded in the foam cap layer.
Example 36 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34 and 35, and wherein creating the foam cap layer with the plurality of fibers embedded in the foam cap layer comprises applying a resin and a solvent around the fabric layer; and performing a foaming process on the resin and solvent to create the foam cap layer.
Example 37 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-36, and wherein the foam cap layer is adjacent to the interposer, wherein the fabric layer is adjacent to the foam cap layer.
Example 38 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-37, and wherein an adhesive secures the fabric layer to the foam cap layer.
Example 39 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-38, and wherein the seal layer comprises a plurality of foam cap layers and a plurality of fabric layers.
Example 40 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-39, and wherein the fabric layer is woven.
Example 41 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-40, and wherein the fabric layer is not woven.
Example 42 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-41, and wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of polyurethane fibers.
Example 43 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-42, and wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of polyethylene terephthalate fibers.
Example 44 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-43, and wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of glass fibers.
Example 45 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-44, and wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of polyurethane fibers, a plurality of polyethylene terephthalate fibers, a plurality of glass fibers, or any combination thereof.
Example 46 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-45, and wherein individual fibers of the plurality of fibers have a diameter between 10 and 50 micrometers.
Example 47 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-46, and wherein the fabric layer has a thickness between 50 and 1,000 micrometers.
Example 48 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-47, and wherein the foam cap layer has a thickness between 100 and 1,000 micrometers.
Example 49 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-48, and wherein the integrated circuit component comprises a processor die electrically coupled to the plurality of liquid metal interconnects.
Example 50 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 34-49, and further including mating the plurality of liquid metal interconnects with a bed of nails socket mounted on a circuit board.