1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to packaging semiconductor dice to produce integrated circuits. It particularly relates to packaging a semiconductor die that enables greater heat dissipation and build-up layer fabrication efficiency.
2. Background
Higher performance, lower cost, increased miniaturization of integrated circuit components and greater packaging density of integrated circuits are ongoing goals of the computer industry. As these goals are achieved, semiconductor dice become smaller. Of course, the goal of greater packaging density requires that the entire semiconductor die package be equal to or only slightly larger (about 10% to 30%) than the size of the semiconductor die itself. Such semiconductor die packaging is called a “chip scale packaging” or “CSP”.
Generally, for most CSP, the surface area provided by the active surface for most semiconductor dice does not provide enough surface for all of the external contacts needed to contact external devices for certain types of semiconductor dice. Additional surface area can be provided with the use of an interposer, such as a substantially rigid material or a substantially flexible material.
The use of the substrate interposer 222 requires a number of processing steps which increase the cost of the package. Additionally, the use of the small solder balls 228 presents crowding problems which can result in shorting between the small solder balls 228 and can present difficulties in inserting underfill material between the semiconductor die 224 and the substrate interposer 222 to prevent contamination and provide mechanical stability. Furthermore, the necessity of having two sets of solder balls (i.e., small solder balls 228 and external contacts 244) to achieve connection between the semiconductor die 224 and the external electrical system decreases the overall performance of the package.
Another problem arising from the fabrication of a smaller semiconductor die is that the density of power consumption of the integrated circuit components in the semiconductor die has increased, which, in turn, increases the average junction temperature of the die. If the temperature of the semiconductor die becomes too high, the integrated circuits of the semiconductor die may be damaged or destroyed. Furthermore, for semiconductor dice of equivalent size, the overall power increases which presents the same problem of increased power density.
Various apparatus and techniques have been used for removing heat from semiconductor dice. Some techniques involve the use of encapsulation materials to encapsulate semiconductor dice on to a heat spreader, or to embed (secure) semiconductor dice into recesses (cavities) within a heat spreader for heat dissipation. The use of these techniques produces additional, complicated processing steps for fabricating an integrated circuit package. Therefore, it would be advantageous to develop new apparatus and techniques for integrated circuit fabrication that eliminate complicated processing steps and the necessity of the substrate interposer, and provides improved heat dissipation.
a is a side cross-sectional view of a heat spreader having a plurality of semiconductor dice including build-up layers and solder balls positioned thereon, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
b is a side cross-sectional view of a singulated device, diced from the assembly of
a-12c illustrate a self-aligned solder embodiment for attaching a semiconductor die to a heat spreader in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the formation of a thinned semiconductor die attached to a planar heat spreader, and in combination with a bumpless build-up layer (BBUL) produces a number of advantages for an integrated circuit package. One advantage is that the use of a thin die allows for easier formation of one or more build-up layers over the die and heat spreader combination since extra processing steps are not needed to make the top surface of the die/heat spreader combination planar (flat). Other significant advantages include the following: 1) the heat spreader may be planar (as opposed to irregular, non-planar shapes) which allows for easier fabrication, 2) easier attachment of the die to the heat spreader as compared to “die embedded-in-heat spreader” techniques since precise control of depositing material in the bottom of a cavity is not necessary (particularly advantageous for a self-aligned solder approach), and 3) no encapsulation of the die to the heat spreader is required as with other techniques.
Other advantages include the build-up layer/dielectric deposition process that creates a planarized build-up layer which is void-free. These characteristics ensure an efficient copper patterning process (e.g., conductive trace formation) and good reliability for the integrated circuit package. Additionally, the thinned die reduces the thermal resistance of the die/heat spreader combination to improve heat extraction from the die. The thinned die also is more compliant so it stretches and contracts in concert with the thermal/mechanical properties of the heat spreader, thus reducing stress-induced cracking of the package. Furthermore, several processing steps are eliminated from comparable procedures for making bumpless build up packages which include, but are not limited to, taping, tape residue cleaning, encapsulation material injection, die embedding, and other processing steps.
Although
Embodiments of the present invention include a packaging technology that places one or more thinned semiconductor (microelectronic) dice on a planar heat spreader and secures the semiconductor dice on to the heat spreader. In one embodiment, the die may be attached to the heat spreader using an adhesive material, such as solder or a polymeric material. In an alternative embodiment, the die may be bonded to the heat spreader by a direct metallurgical bond, such as may be formed by interdiffusion of Au (gold) and Si (silicon). Alternative methods of forming a bond between the die and the heat spreader may also be used. A build-up layer (or layers) of dielectric materials and conductive traces is then fabricated on the semiconductor die and the heat spreader to form an integrated circuit package.
These embodiments enable the integrated circuit package to be built around the thinned semiconductor die. Yet further, the configurations of the present invention allow for direct bumpless build-up layer techniques to be used which allows the package to be scaleable. The configurations also result in thinner form factors, as the die is very thin and no additional heat spreader is needed for the package.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
If the first dielectric layer exposed surface 130 is not sufficiently planar, any known planarization technique, such as chemical mechanical polishing, etching, and the like, may be employed. Additional planarization may also be achieved emplacing the dielectric material in two or more separate steps.
As shown in
A plurality of conductive traces 136 may be formed on the first dielectric layer 126, as shown in
The plurality of conductive traces 136 may be formed by any known technique, including but not limited to semi-additive plating and photolithographic techniques. An exemplary semi-additive plating technique can involve depositing a seed layer, such as sputter-deposited or electroless-deposited metal, such as copper, on the first dielectric layer 126. A resist layer is then patterned on the seed layer followed by electrolytic plating of a layer of metal, such as copper, on the seed layer exposed by open areas in the patterned resist layer. The patterned resist layer is stripped and portions of the seed layer not having the layer of metal plated thereon is etched away. Other methods of forming the plurality of conductive traces 136 will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
If the plurality of conductive traces 136 is not capable of placing the plurality of vias 134 in an appropriate position or if electrical performance requirements of the build-up layer is not met, then additional build-up layers may be formed. To form an additional build-up layer, an additional dielectric layer may be formed on the upper surface of the first build-up layer, and another plurality of vias may be formed in this additional dielectric layer, such as described in
The process sequence for formation of additional build-up layers is illustrated in
As shown in
As shown in
Once the final plurality of conductive traces 142 and landing pads 144 is formed, this combination can be used in the formation of conductive interconnects, such as solder bumps, solder balls, pins, and the like, for communication with external components (not shown). For example, a solder mask material 148 can be disposed over the second dielectric layer 138 and the second plurality of conductive traces 142 and landing pads 144. A plurality of vias 150 may be then formed in the solder mask material 148 to expose at least a portion of each of the landing pads 134, as shown in
a illustrates a plurality of semiconductor dice 200 residing on the heat spreader 102 to form a plurality of conjoined microelectronic packages. At least one build-up layer is formed on the semiconductor dice active surfaces 201 and the exposed top surface 112 of the heat spreader 102. The layer(s) of dielectric material and conductive traces comprising the build-up layer(s) is simply designated together as build-up layer 154 in
Preferably, the heat spreader 102 adequately removes the heat from the semiconductor die 200. However, if the heat spreader 102 does not do so, a conductive heat sink 162 may be attached to the heat spreader 102, as shown in
a-14 illustrate a self-aligning solder embodiment of the present invention to simply and accurately attach the semiconductor die 200, by back surface 203, to the top surface of the heat spreader 102 while providing thermal conduction between the semiconductor die 200 and the heat spreader 102. As shown in
The solder bumps 174 may be formed by first applying a wetting layer 171, such as a seed layer as known in the art, to the back surface of the wafer corresponding to the semiconductor die back surface 203. A removable solder dam 173, such as a photoresist, is patterned over the wetting layer 171 to prevent the solder of the solder bumps 174 prematurely wetting across the wetting layer 171. The solder bumps 174 may be formed by a plating technique, or by screen printing or ink-jetting a paste into openings in the photoresist and reflowing the paste to form solder bumps.
As shown in
After reflow, the semiconductor die removable solder dam 173 and the heat spreader removable solder dam 177 are then removed, such as by a photoresist strip process as known in the art. Next, as shown in
As previously discussed, a build-up layer (illustrated as a dielectric layer 126 and conductive traces 136) may be then formed on the semiconductor die active surface 201 and the heat spreader first surface 112, as shown in
It is, of course, understood that individual packages may be formed by cutting through the heat spreader and portions of the build-up layer, as previously discussed and illustrated.
Having thus described in detail embodiments of the present invention, it is understood that the invention defined by the appended claims is not to be limited by particular details set forth in the above description, as many apparent variations thereof are possible without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/033,325, filed Jan. 11, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,420,273, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/036,389, filed Jan. 7, 2002, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,841,413 on Jan. 11, 2005, which are all incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4995546 | Regnault | Feb 1991 | A |
5144747 | Eichelberger | Sep 1992 | A |
5198963 | Gupta et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
5289337 | Aghazadeh et al. | Feb 1994 | A |
5297006 | Mizukoshi | Mar 1994 | A |
5336930 | Quach | Aug 1994 | A |
5398160 | Umeda | Mar 1995 | A |
5422788 | Heinen et al. | Jun 1995 | A |
5621615 | Dawson et al. | Apr 1997 | A |
5622305 | Bacon et al. | Apr 1997 | A |
5744863 | Culnane et al. | Apr 1998 | A |
5794839 | Kimura et al. | Aug 1998 | A |
5909056 | Mertol | Jun 1999 | A |
6114761 | Mertol et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
6154366 | Ma et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6232652 | Matsushima | May 2001 | B1 |
6262489 | Koors et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6387733 | Holyoak et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
6423570 | Ma et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6472762 | Kutlu | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6507115 | Hofstee et al. | Jan 2003 | B1 |
6552267 | Tsao et al. | Apr 2003 | B2 |
6559670 | Motamedi | May 2003 | B1 |
6627997 | Eguchi et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6672947 | Tsao et al. | Jan 2004 | B2 |
6744132 | Alcoe et al. | Jun 2004 | B2 |
6756685 | Tao | Jun 2004 | B2 |
6841413 | Liu et al. | Jan 2005 | B2 |
6900534 | Murtuza | May 2005 | B2 |
6909176 | Wang et al. | Jun 2005 | B1 |
6919525 | Pinneo | Jul 2005 | B2 |
6955982 | Jimarez et al. | Oct 2005 | B2 |
7105861 | Erchak et al. | Sep 2006 | B2 |
20020056909 | Kwon et al. | May 2002 | A1 |
20020175403 | Sreeram et al. | Nov 2002 | A1 |
20030020174 | Kohno | Jan 2003 | A1 |
20030047814 | Kwon | Mar 2003 | A1 |
20040029304 | Naydenkov et al. | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20040262742 | DiStefano et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20050012205 | Dias et al. | Jan 2005 | A1 |
20050121778 | Liu et al. | Jun 2005 | A1 |
20050136640 | Hu et al. | Jun 2005 | A1 |
20060220055 | Erchak et al. | Oct 2006 | A1 |
20060232932 | Curtis et al. | Oct 2006 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
0119691 | Sep 1984 | EP |
WO-2006039176 | Apr 2006 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20080153209 A1 | Jun 2008 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 11033325 | Jan 2005 | US |
Child | 12042392 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10036389 | Jan 2002 | US |
Child | 11033325 | US |