Component carrier and method of manufacturing a component carrier

Abstract

A component carrier and a method of manufacturing a component carrier are provided. The component carrier (100) comprises: a stack (104) having at least one electrically conductive layer structure (106) and at least one electrically insulating layer structure (108); a cavity (110) formed in the stack (104) and delimited by a bottom wall (112) and a side wall (114); and an electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) located at least in an edge region between the bottom wall (112) and the side wall (114).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a component carrier and a method for producing a component carrier. Background Art

[0002] Against the backdrop of the ever-increasing product functionality of component carriers equipped with one or more components, the increasing miniaturization of such components, and the increasing number of components to be mounted on component carriers, such as printed circuit boards, increasingly powerful array-like components or packages are being used, comprising a plurality of components with a plurality of contacts or connections, the spacing between which is becoming increasingly smaller. In particular, component carriers must be mechanically robust and electrically reliable in order to be able to operate even under harsh conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0003] It may be desirable to form a component carrier with a precisely defined cavity in a simple manner.

[0004] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a component carrier is provided, comprising: a stack having at least one electrically conductive layer structure and at least one electrically insulating layer structure; a cavity formed in the stack and delimited by a bottom wall and side walls; and an electrically conductive laser protection structure located at least in an edge region between the bottom wall and the side walls.

[0005] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a component carrier is provided, wherein the method comprises: providing a stack having at least one electrically conductive layer structure and at least one electrically insulating layer structure; forming a cavity in the stack, the cavity being bounded by a bottom wall and side walls; and forming an electrically conductive laser protection structure at least in an edge region between the bottom wall and the side walls, wherein the laser protection structure can form part of a component carrier that is easy to manufacture.

[0006] In the context of the present application, the term "component carrier" may specifically denote any supporting structure on which and / or in which one or more components can be accommodated to provide mechanical support and / or electrical connection and / or thermal connection. In other words, the component carrier can be configured as a mechanical and / or electronic and / or thermal carrier for the components. The component carrier may comprise a laminated stack, such as a laminated stack. In particular, the component carrier may be one of a printed circuit board, an organic interposer and an IC (integrated circuit) substrate. The component carrier may also be a hybrid board combining different component carriers of the above-mentioned types of component carriers.

[0007] In the context of this application, the term "stack" may particularly refer to a flat or planar sheet-like body. For example, the stack may be a layer stack, and in particular, the stack may be a laminated layer stack or a laminate. Such a laminate may be formed by connecting multiple layer structures by applying mechanical pressure and / or heat. Preferably, the multiple layer structures are aligned parallel to each other. The stack may include at least one electrically conductive structure and at least one electrically insulating structure.

[0008] In the context of this application, the term "layer structure" may particularly refer to a continuous layer, a patterned layer, or a plurality of discontinuous islands in a common plane, and the layer structure may perform the functions of electrical conduction and / or electrical insulation. In the context of this application, the term "cavity" may particularly refer to a blind hole or a through hole in a stack of component carriers. For example, the shape and size of the cavity may be designed to fully or partially accommodate a component or other component carrier in the cavity. Preferably, only one blind hole is formed in the stack.

[0009] In the context of the present application, the term "electrically conductive laser protection structure" may particularly refer to a physical structure made of a material that is less susceptible to removal by the laser beam than surrounding materials (particularly materials beneath the laser protection structure). For example, the electrically conductive laser protection structure may be a metal structure that has a lower laser radiation absorptivity (particularly less than 5%) and / or a higher laser radiation reflectivity (particularly 90% to 95%) than other materials beneath the laser protection structure that face away from the laser beam (e.g., metal-containing, ceramic, glass, resin, etc.). Even more particularly, the electrically conductive laser protection structure may be made of a metal material that has a lower laser radiation absorptivity than copper and / or a higher laser radiation reflectivity than copper. Preferred materials for the electrically conductive laser protection structure may be silver, aluminum, gold, nickel, and / or chromium. For example, when the electrically conductive laser protection structure is made of silver, it may also enhance signal transmission because the electrical conductivity of silver may be higher than that of copper.

[0010] In the context of the present application, the term "edge region between the bottom wall and the side wall of the cavity" may particularly denote an area that delimits the cavity and is arranged in the interface volume between the bottom wall and the side wall of the cavity. For example, the edge region may be a corner region between the bottom wall and the side wall of the cavity, or may include a corner region between the bottom wall and the side wall of the cavity. For example, the bottom wall of the cavity may be represented as a horizontal or substantially horizontal region that delimits the cavity from the bottom side. For example, the side wall of the cavity may be represented as a vertical, substantially vertical or inclined region that delimits the cavity in the lateral direction. The edge region may be located between the bottom wall and the side wall. The edge region may form a circumferentially closed or annular region. Alternatively, the edge region may include a plurality of parts that are not interconnected.

[0011] In the context of the present application, the term "major surface of a body" may particularly denote one or more largest substantially flat surface areas of a body (e.g., a stack). Typically, a substantially rectangular body, for example, may have two opposing major surfaces in the form of two horizontal surface areas on the top and bottom of the body. Thus, the major surfaces may be distinct from the sidewalls of the body.

[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a component carrier (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB) or an integrated circuit (IC) substrate) includes a (e.g., laminated) stack of layers having a cavity formed therein. Advantageously, an electrically conductive laser protection structure is at least partially formed in or along an edge or corner region between a bottom wall and side walls defining the cavity. This electrically conductive laser protection structure can at least partially protect structures beneath the electrically conductive laser protection structure (e.g., an electrically conductive laser blocking structure) from a laser beam that can be directed onto the stack to form the cavity. For example, the cavity can be formed by removing a block from the stack, which can be circumferentially defined by laser cutting and defined from the bottom side, e.g., by a weakly adhesive release layer. By way of example only, the laser protection structure can be a silver structure formed on top of a copper structure, such as a laser blocking structure, to prevent the copper structure from being partially or completely removed by a laser beam that can be directed onto the stack and toward the copper structure during cavity formation. By selectively providing an electrically conductive laser protection structure at least in the edge or corner region between the bottom wall and the side walls of the cavity to be formed, very deep cavities can be formed by laser processing requiring strong laser shock without the risk of excessive damage to the stack due to the influence of the laser beam.

[0013] In the following, further exemplary embodiments of the component carrier and the method are described.

[0014] In one embodiment, the component carrier includes an electrically conductive laser blocking structure that covers at least a portion of the bottom wall and / or the side walls, and is at least partially covered by the laser protection structure. In the context of this application, the term "electrically conductive laser blocking structure" may particularly refer to a metal structure beneath the laser protection structure that ensures that a laser beam used to form the cavity does not penetrate the laminate to a depth that reaches the electrically conductive laser blocking structure, or that the laser beam used to form the cavity does not penetrate the electrically conductive laser blocking structure. In particular, the electrically conductive laser protection structure may be disposed between a laser source emitting the laser beam and the electrically conductive laser blocking structure. For example, the electrically conductive laser protection structure may be disposed between the cavity on the top side of the electrically conductive laser protection structure and the electrically conductive laser blocking structure on the bottom side of the electrically conductive laser protection structure. While the electrically conductive laser protection structure may protect the electrically conductive laser blocking structure from excessive damage by the laser beam, the electrically conductive laser blocking structure may provide an additional safety feature for reliably preventing the laser beam from penetrating the laminate to a depth below the laser blocking structure. For example, the laser protection structure may also be used to protect underlying optical structures and / or radio frequency waveguide structures.

[0015] In another embodiment, a separate laser blocking structure may not be provided in addition to the provided laser protection structure. In such an embodiment, only the laser protection structure (e.g., made of silver) may be provided without an additional laser blocking structure (e.g., made of copper) underneath the laser protection structure. For example, a silver layer may serve as both the laser protection structure and the blocking layer.

[0016] In an embodiment, the laser blocking structure forms part of at least one electrically conductive layer structure of the stack. Thus, the laser blocking structure may form an integral part of the stack and may be made of the same material as at least one further electrically conductive layer structure of the stack, preferably may be made of copper.

[0017] In embodiments, when the laser protection structure serves as an interconnect layer to connect to components and / or other electrical and / or optical elements (e.g., optical plugs), the laser protection structure can be a surface treatment layer. If the surface treatment layer includes silver, it can be configured as organic silver to enhance oxidation resistance. When the laser protection structure is implemented as a surface treatment layer, the laser protection structure can include gold, such as NiPdAu or pure gold, to achieve good electrical performance.

[0018] In an embodiment, the laser blocking structure and the laser protection structure are made of different materials. The different materials may be different metals, different metal compositions, or different alloys. This allows the properties of the laser blocking structure and the laser protection structure to be individually adjusted depending on their respective tasks or functions.

[0019] In embodiments, the laser-blocking structure and the laser-protective structure form a multi-layer conductive structure. Specifically, the laser-blocking structure and the laser-protective structure can form a metal stack of two different structures, and specifically, the laser-blocking structure and the laser-protective structure can form a metal stack of two different layers. The laser-protective structure can also partially or completely enclose the laser-blocking structure. Interfaces can be formed between the layers of the multi-layer conductive structure, which further reduce material removal by the laser beam.

[0020] In an embodiment, a first portion of the multilayer conductive structure is exposed in the cavity and a second portion of the multilayer conductive structure is embedded in the stack. Figure 1 、 Figures 16 to 18 Such an embodiment shown in FIG reliably ensures that the laser beam cutting the cavity does not extend laterally beyond the multilayer conductive structure and does not cause artifacts around the edge between the bottom wall and the side walls of the cavity. From a manufacturing perspective, deep cavities (such as more than 700 μm or 800 μm) can also be cut.

[0021] In an embodiment, the laser protection structure is arranged in the second portion, in particular the laser protection structure is arranged only in the second portion. Figure 16 Such a configuration can be obtained, for example, when the exposed portion of the laser protection structure is sacrificed during a cavity forming process using a laser beam for cutting and optionally during a further material removal process such as plasma etching and / or wet chemical etching.

[0022] In an embodiment, the laser protection structure is exposed at the sidewalls defining the cavity (see Figure 16 Even if the laser protection structure is removed during the laser processing in the first part, the laser protection structure may still be exposed at the side wall of the cavity. Due to the material properties of the laser protection structure and / or the provided undercut, this can have the advantage of providing good adhesion to the side wall of the cavity.

[0023] In an embodiment, the laser protection structure is at least partially present in the first portion. Figure 17A corresponding embodiment is shown in . Such a structure can be obtained, for example, when the laser protection structure is subjected to a laser beam during a cavity formation process by laser cutting. At least part of the laser protection structure can then extend into the cavity. Therefore, due to the laser treatment of the exposed part, the surface of the exposed part can have a different roughness or morphology compared to the unexposed part. This increased roughness can improve the adhesion between the exposed laser protection structure and other elements to be connected to the laser protection structure. At the same time, this can bring the advantage of protecting the laser blocking structure and / or the electrically conductive layer structure from environmental influences, for example, this can protect the laser blocking structure and / or the electrically conductive layer structure from decomposition due to moisture and / or air.

[0024] In embodiments, the laser protection structure is arranged to prevent direct physical contact between the upper major surface and / or sidewalls of the laser-blocking structure and the remainder of the stack. For example, the laser protection structure may form a cap-like structure on the top and lateral surfaces of the laser-blocking structure. This may provide the additional advantage of ensuring reliable integrity of the laser-blocking structure in the stack, as the laser protection structure may have adhesion-promoting properties.

[0025] In an embodiment, the first portion has no laser protection structure (see e.g. Figure 16 This allows the laser protection structure to be maintained only where needed after cavity formation. For example, portions of the laser protection structure exposed to the cavity along the edges of the corners between the bottom wall and the sidewalls may also be consumed during laser processing. This may also result in different roughness levels on the surface of the laser protection structure due to laser processing and unprocessed processing.

[0026] In an embodiment, the first portion comprises at least a portion of a laser protection structure (see e.g. Figure 1 or Figure 17 In such an embodiment, the laser protection structure may permanently protect the laser blocking structure in the cavity. For example, the laser protection structure may also permanently protect the laser blocking structure in the cavity from corrosion and / or physical impact.

[0027] In one embodiment, the laser protection structure forms at least part of the first portion and / or the second portion. Thus, the laser protection structure may be present in only one of the portions, or in both portions. This allows for the utilization of the physical and / or chemical properties of the laser protection structure, such as durability or electrical conductivity, and thus provides a high degree of design freedom for the component carrier. This also allows for the use of such structures to achieve different functions, depending on the specific application.

[0028] In an embodiment, the area of ​​the electrically conductive laser protection structure (e.g., the surface area of ​​the upper major surface or the surface area facing away from the laser blocking structure) is larger than the area of ​​the bottom wall of the cavity in the stack (see, e.g., Figure 2 For example, the area of ​​the upper major surface of the aforementioned multilayer conductive structure can be larger than the area of ​​the bottom wall of the cavity in the stack. This large area of ​​the laser protection structure or multilayer conductive structure can provide protection against the laser beam over a large spatial range that is even larger than the actual bottom surface of the cavity. This can provide a safety feature in the event of tolerances.

[0029] In an embodiment, the electrically conductive laser protection structure extends laterally beyond the bottom wall of the cavity in the stack (see Figure 2 ). For example, the upper major surface of the multilayer conductive structure extends laterally beyond the bottom wall of the cavity in the stack. When the laser protection structure and the optional laser blocking structure extend laterally beyond the confines of the cavity into the stack, particularly reliable protection can be provided against the cutting laser beam extending into undesired areas of the stack. When the laser beam cuts a portion of the stack down to the laser protection structure, the cut may not be straight and completely smooth for the entire sidewall area, which may cause some damage to the sidewall area. The damage may be over-etching of the material and / or undercutting of the bottom area of ​​the cavity. Because the laser protection structure extends into the stack, even if there is over-etching or undercutting, the laser beam can only extend down to the laser protection structure, and no damage will be caused to the layers below because the laser protection structure protects the layers below.

[0030] In an embodiment, the electrically conductive laser protection structure is a continuous layer (see Figure 2 ), particularly covering the entire bottom wall of the stack. For example, the multilayer conductive structure including the laser protection structure and the laser blocking structure can be a continuous layer, particularly covering the entire bottom wall of the stack. In such a configuration, the entire bottom wall of the cavity in the stack can be reliably protected from the laser beam, ensuring the formation of a deep and precise cavity. In addition, when one or more components are embedded in the cavity for packaging purposes, the laser protection structure can serve as a heat dissipation structure. In particular, such components or packages can be used for high-performance computing.

[0031] In an embodiment, the electrically conductive laser protection structure is a patterned structure (see, e.g., Figure 1 ), in particular, the electrically conductive laser protection structure only partially covers the bottom wall of the cavity in the stack. For example, the multi-layer conductive structure can be a patterned layer, in particular, the multi-layer conductive structure only partially covers the bottom wall of the stack. This configuration reduces the space and material consumption for forming the laser protection structure and the optional laser blocking structure. This configuration can provide electrical connection and signal transmission.

[0032] In an embodiment, the sidewall has an undercut between the stack and the electrically conductive laser protection structure (see Figures 16 to 18 For example, the sidewall may have an undercut between the stack and the multilayer conductive structure. In the case of a multilayer structure, an undercut may be formed between two layers. Such an undercut may be formed during laser cavity formation, which may also remove portions of the laser protection structure, which may result in an undercut.

[0033] In embodiments, an electrically conductive laser protection structure is formed on the core of the laminate, particularly between the core and the laminate's layer stack. For example, a multilayer conductive structure comprising a laser protection structure and a laser blocking structure is formed on the core of the laminate, particularly between the core and the laminate's layer stack. Due to the provision of the laser protection structure, the laser beam used to form the cavity can cut through the layer stack into the core beneath the stack without risking artifacts. This can allow the formation of even very deep cavities that extend up to or even into the core.

[0034] In embodiments, an electrically conductive laser protection structure is formed within and / or on the multilayer core of a stack. For example, a multilayer conductive structure including a laser blocking structure and a laser protection structure can be formed within and / or on the multilayer core of a stack. Thus, even stacks including multiple core layers can be subjected to cavity formation by laser processing without the risk of damage or inaccuracy in the formed cavity.

[0035] In embodiments, the electrically conductive laser protection structure is formed in and / or on the layer stack of the laminate. Thus, the described embodiments can allow for the formation of cavities in the layer stack, even with a coreless component carrier. This can offer the advantage of including the laser protection structure in a dedicated layer. Because the layers in the layer stack can be thinner than 100 μm, or even thinner than 50 μm, a well-defined cavity can be formed depending on the cavity thickness.

[0036] In an embodiment, the cavity formed in the stack extends through the stack on one side of the core and extends downward through the core to the stack on the other side of the core. Thus, a laser protection structure can be formed on the other stack. With this structure, the cavity can be very deep, and a symmetrical component carrier can be initially formed. Furthermore, this structure allows for warpage control, as a high number of layers may be required on one side for a deep cavity. This structure balances the number of layers and cavity depth. More importantly, it also allows for the flexibility of providing a component carrier with either high or low density, depending on the end application.

[0037] In an embodiment, the cavity extends vertically over a plurality of layer structures of the stack. For example, the plurality of layer structures over which the cavity extends vertically may be at least two, particularly at least three, preferably at least four, or even more than four, for example at least ten. In particular, a corresponding deep cavity without structural artifacts can be formed by using a pulsed laser source, for example, a pulsed laser source having a pulse length of no more than picoseconds, particularly a pulsed laser source having a pulse length of no more than femtoseconds.

[0038] In an embodiment, the cavity has a depth of at least 500 μm, particularly at least 700 μm. In an embodiment, the depth of the cavity is at least 50% of the thickness of the stack. Advantageously, such a large cavity depth can support a variety of high-tech applications, such as optical packaging including at least one optical component embedded in the cavity.

[0039] In embodiments, the laser protection structure comprises a plurality of connected sublayers, particularly the plurality of connected sublayers being made of different materials and / or different material compositions. The properties of the laser protection structure in protecting a stack (e.g., a laser-blocking structure of the stack) from laser beams can be further refined by constructing the laser protection structure from two or more separate sublayers or substructures of different metals, metal compositions, or alloys. This can enhance the reflectivity of the multilayer laser protection structure with respect to laser light and / or reduce the absorptivity of the multilayer laser protection structure with respect to laser light.

[0040] In one embodiment, the method includes fabricating the laser protection structure from a material having an absorptivity of less than 0.2 (or 20%) and / or a reflectivity of at least 0.7 (or 70%) relative to the operating wavelength of the laser beam. In one embodiment, the laser protection structure is made of a material configured to reflect laser light. For example, the laser protection structure may reflect at least 60% of the laser light, preferably at least 70%, and more preferably at least 80%. Preferably, the material absorbs less than 5% of the light and reflects and / or scatters greater than 95%. Advantageously, the laser protection structure may be made of a material configured to absorb only a very small amount of the laser light. For example, the laser protection structure may have an absorptivity of no more than 40% relative to the laser light, preferably no more than 20%, and most preferably no more than 10%. When the laser protection structure strongly reflects and / or poorly absorbs the laser light, a precisely defined and very deep cavity can be formed without the risk of significant artifacts. Furthermore, the laser blocking structure can be reliably protected by the laser protection structure.

[0041] In an embodiment, the laser protection structure is made of a material that has a higher reflectivity to laser light than copper. At appropriate laser wavelengths, silver, aluminum, gold, and / or chromium may be good choices of materials for the laser protection structure.

[0042] In an embodiment, the laser protection structure comprises or consists of the following materials: silver and / or aluminum and / or alloys containing silver and / or aluminum; gold; and / or alloys. These materials fully meet the requirements of the component carrier stack and at the same time provide reliable protection against laser light.

[0043] In an embodiment, the laser blocking structure comprises copper or consists of copper. Thus, the laser blocking structure at least partially covered by the laser protection structure can be made of a copper material that is fully compatible with component carrier manufacturing technology, such as that used to manufacture PCBs or IC substrates.

[0044] In one embodiment, the laser protection structure and / or laser blocking structure form an annular closed frame. In particular, the laser protection structure and / or laser blocking structure extend completely along the edge region. A corner portion may be formed between the bottom wall and the side walls of the cavity. The circumferentially closed edge may be formed by the corner portion extending along the entire perimeter of the bottom wall of the cavity. When the laser protection structure and the optional laser blocking structure are formed along the entire circumferentially closed edge, the entire edge is protected by the laser protection structure during laser processing. This can ensure excellent results in terms of cavity precision, damage suppression, and / or cavity depth.

[0045] In an embodiment, the laser protection structure and / or laser blocking structure is non-functional, in particular, the laser protection structure and / or laser blocking structure are non-functional with respect to the electrical and / or optical functions of the component carrier. A non-functional laser protection structure, and optionally a non-functional laser blocking structure, can mean that the laser protection structure and / or laser blocking structure do not have any electrical and / or optical functions during operation of the component carrier. The sole purpose of such a laser protection structure and / or laser blocking structure may be to protect and / or block the laser beam during cutting of the cavity. For example, the laser protection structure and / or laser blocking structure may not be connected to other electrically conductive layer structures of the stack.

[0046] In an embodiment, the laser blocking structure forms an electrically conductive pattern covering a portion of the bottom wall and exposing another portion of the bottom wall (see, e.g., Figure 1 This may also allow the laser protection structure to cover the sidewalls of the electrically conductive laser blocking structure, further enhancing the protection effect.

[0047] In an embodiment, the laser protection structure covers the entire upper major surface of the electrically conductive pattern, and optionally covers sidewalls of the electrically conductive pattern. Figure 1 Such an embodiment is shown in In such an embodiment, an excellent protection against the laser beam can be provided over a large part of the bottom wall.

[0048] In an embodiment, the laser protection structure covers only the upper main surface of the electrically conductive pattern in the edge region, while other regions may be etched, and optionally additionally covers only the sidewalls of the electrically conductive pattern in the edge region. Figure 4 Such an embodiment is shown in This can reduce the amount of work required to form the laser protection structure.

[0049] In an embodiment, an electrically conductive pattern is formed on the bottom wall and in the edge region of the cavity (see Figure 1 or Figure 4 ). This can provide laser blocking functionality over a large area.

[0050] In an embodiment, the electrically conductive pattern is formed only in the edge region of the cavity and not in the central portion of the bottom wall surrounded by the edge region. Figure 3 This can bring advantages of a large cavity volume and a small amount of work for forming the laser blocking structure and the laser protection structure.

[0051] In an embodiment, the laser blocking structure covers the entire bottom wall of the cavity (see Figure 2 Such an embodiment can provide the laser blocking function over the entire extension of the bottom wall of the cavity and can thus ensure the protection of large areas (eg greater than 5000 μm 2 ) from damage caused by laser beams.

[0052] In embodiments, the electrically conductive laser protection structure covers the entire upper major surface of the laser blocking structure and optionally covers the sidewalls of the laser blocking structure. This can allow for very significant laser protection functionality. For example, the laser protection structure can cover at least the entire upper major surface of the laser blocking structure, which covers the entire bottom wall of the cavity.

[0053] In an embodiment, the stack comprises a core and a layer stack on the core, wherein the cavity extends through the entire layer stack and partially into the core. Due to the provision of a laser protection structure, preferably in combination with an underlying laser blocking structure, very deep cavities (e.g., having a depth of at least 500 μm, preferably at least 700 μm) can be formed without the risk of artifacts or damage to the stack material due to the influence of the picosecond laser beam. This large cavity depth can also allow the cavity to be cut through the complete layer stack so as to also extend into the core below the layer stack.

[0054] In embodiments, cavities can be cut into the edges of the stack. Thus, there can be only three side walls, and there can be side sections with lateral openings. With this type of structure, external connection elements (such as optical plugs and / or extraction elements) can be easily inserted into, connected to, and / or disconnected from the component carrier.

[0055] In an embodiment, the component carrier includes at least one component, in particular, an optical connector, which is at least partially inserted into at least a portion of the cavity. In the context of this application, the term "component at least partially inserted into at least a portion of the cavity" may particularly mean that the component is completely or only partially accommodated in the cavity of the stack. In a completely accommodated embodiment, the entire vertical spatial extent between the upper and lower ends of the component is located within the cavity. In a partially accommodated embodiment, only a portion of the vertical spatial extent between the upper and lower ends of the component is located within the cavity, for example, the component may protrude upward and / or downward from the cavity. In one embodiment, the upper end of the at least partially accommodated component may be aligned with the upper major surface of the stack, and / or the lower end of the component may be aligned with the lower major surface of the stack. For example, the component may be an electrical component for providing an electronic function (such as a semiconductor chip), a thermal component for providing a cooling function (such as a copper or ceramic block), and / or an optical component for providing an optical function. The optical component may, for example, be an optical chip or an optical connector. In particular, such an optical chip can be a chip configured to receive an optical signal, and more particularly, such an optical chip can be a chip configured to convert the received optical signal into an electrical signal by an electro-optical converter (such as a photodiode). The optical chip can also have processing capabilities for processing optical signals and / or electrical signals, and the optical chip can derive optical signals from the optical signals and / or electrical signals. The optical chip can be an electro-optical chip, in particular the optical chip provides the optical functions of the electro-optical system. In particular, the optical chip can also have an integrated semiconductor laser diode and / or amplifier. In an embodiment, the component can be a waveguide connector, for example, the component is optionally coupled to an optical waveguide. For example, the optical connector can be a fiber optic connector. Such a fiber optic connector can be an optical component that connects an optical fiber and can be quickly connected and disconnected. A cavity can be formed at the edge of the stack, and the cavity can be used for a plug-in interface of an optical cable.

[0056] In an embodiment, the electrically conductive laser protection structure has a thickness ranging from 0.1 μm to 10 μm. In particular, the laser protection structure of the aforementioned thickness can be made of silver. The corresponding laser blocking structure can have a thickness ranging from 10 μm to 50 μm and can be made of copper, for example. The combination of the aforementioned individual thicknesses can be the total thickness of the multilayer structure mentioned above.

[0057] In embodiments, the electrically conductive laser protection structure has a roughness Ra ranging from 100 nm to 900 nm, particularly from 100 nm to 300 nm. In embodiments, the electrically conductive laser blocking structure has a roughness Ra ranging from 150 nm to 1000 nm, particularly from 150 nm to 500 nm. Thus, the laser protection structure can be smoother than the laser blocking structure or have a lower roughness Ra than the laser blocking structure, further increasing its reflectivity to the laser and making it less susceptible to ablation / irradiation by the layer beam. Laser-beam-treated laser protection structures at cavity edges may have a different roughness than laser protection structures in the center or other regions that have not been laser-beam-treated. Laser protection structures at cavity edges may have a greater roughness than laser protection structures in other regions.

[0058] In an embodiment, the method includes forming a cavity by processing a laminate using a laser beam, wherein during the formation of the cavity, a laser protection structure protects the layer structure of the laminate from the effects of the laser beam, in particular, an electrically conductive laser-blocking structure disposed on a bottom wall of the cavity from the effects of the laser beam. Thus, during laser cutting of the cavity (more particularly, the sidewalls of the cavity), the laser protection structure can protect the laminate, more particularly the laser-blocking structure, and the optional laser-blocking structure can protect the remainder of the laminate, since the laser-blocking structure can reliably block the laser beam even if a portion of the laser beam passes through the laser protection structure.

[0059] In an embodiment, the method includes manufacturing the laser protection structure from a material having an absorptivity lower than 0.2 and / or a reflectivity of at least 0.7 relative to the operating wavelength of the laser beam. This allows for reflection of a large portion of the light, while the remaining portion of the light absorbed can be small enough to avoid overheating and / or severe damage.

[0060] In an embodiment, the method includes forming the cavity by processing with a pulsed laser beam. Preferably, the method includes forming the pulsed laser beam using laser pulses having a time length and / or time distance of no more than 1 picosecond. For example, a picosecond laser or a femtosecond laser can be used to form the cavity. For example, the method includes forming the cavity by processing with a laser beam having a wavelength below 600 nm, such as a laser beam having a wavelength in the range of 500 nm to 550 nm, such as a laser beam having a wavelength of 532 nm. A laser beam having the described characteristics can allow the cavity to be formed without performing cumbersome decontamination procedures.

[0061] In an embodiment, the method includes forming a weakly adhesive release structure at least partially on a laser protection structure inside the stack, separating the blocks by forming (particularly by laser processing) a circumferential separation groove around the block of the stack located above the release structure, and removing the separated blocks and the release structure from the rest of the stack. According to an exemplary embodiment, a cavity can be formed in the stack by embedding a release layer with poor adhesion properties in the stack. For example, such a release layer can be made of a waxy material or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Thereafter, a circumferential closed incision can be formed in the stack, which cuts out the block of the stack defined by the release layer at the bottom surface. This cutting process can be performed, for example, by laser cutting. After the separated block of the stack is removed from the rest of the stack, the cavity remains.

[0062] In an embodiment, the component carrier is formed as a plate. This facilitates a compact design, while still providing a large base for components mounted thereon. Furthermore, bare chips, particularly as an example of embedded electronic components, can be easily embedded in thin boards, such as printed circuit boards, due to their small thickness.

[0063] In an embodiment, the component carrier is configured as one of a printed circuit board, a substrate (in particular an IC substrate), and an interposer.

[0064] In the context of the present application, the term "printed circuit board (PCB)" may particularly denote a plate-like component carrier formed by laminating a plurality of electrically conductive layer structures with a plurality of electrically insulating layer structures, for example by applying pressure and / or by supplying heat. As a preferred material for PCB technology, the electrically conductive layer structures are made of copper, while the electrically insulating layer structures may comprise resin and / or glass fiber, so-called prepregs, or FR4 materials. The individual electrically conductive layer structures may be connected to one another in a desired manner by forming holes through the laminate, for example by laser drilling or mechanical drilling, and by partially or completely filling these holes with an electrically conductive material, in particular copper, thereby forming vias or any other through-hole connections. The filled holes connect the entire stack (i.e., through-hole connections extending through a plurality of layers or the entire stack), or the filled holes connect at least two electrically conductive layers, so-called vias. Similarly, optical interconnects may be formed through the various layers of the stack to accommodate an electro-optical circuit board (EOCB). In addition to one or more components that can be embedded in a printed circuit board, a printed circuit board is generally configured to accommodate one or more components on one surface or two opposing surfaces of the plate-shaped printed circuit board. The one or more components can be connected to the corresponding main surface by soldering. The dielectric portion of the PCB may include a resin with reinforcing fibers (such as glass fibers).

[0065] In an embodiment, the component carrier is an integrated circuit substrate. In the context of the present application, the term "integrated circuit substrate" (IC substrate) can particularly refer to a component carrier whose size and pitch are adjusted to meet the requirements of the integrated circuit components (especially control chips) mounted on the integrated circuit substrate. Relative to a PCB, an IC substrate can be a relatively small component carrier on which one or more integrated circuit components can be mounted and which can serve as a connector between one or more chips and the PCB. For example, the IC substrate can have approximately the same size as the electronic components to be mounted on the substrate (for example, in the case of a chip scale package (CSP)). In another embodiment, the IC substrate can be larger than a specified component (for example, in a flip chip ball grid array, FCBGA configuration). More specifically, an IC substrate can be understood as a carrier for electrical connectors or power grids, and a component carrier for connectors that are comparable to a printed circuit board (PCB) but have a relatively high density of lateral and / or vertical arrangements. Horizontal connectors are, for example, conductive paths, while vertical connectors can be, for example, drilled holes. These horizontal connectors and / or vertical connectors are arranged within the IC substrate and can be used to provide electrical, thermal and / or mechanical connections between accommodated components or non-accommodated components (e.g., bare wafers), in particular IC chips, and printed circuit boards or interposers. The dielectric portion of the IC substrate can be composed of a resin with reinforcing particles (such as reinforcing spheres, in particular reinforcing glass spheres). The pitch of the IC substrate (i.e., the distance between corresponding edges of two adjacent metal structures) can be no greater than 150 μm, in particular no greater than 100 μm. In contrast, the pitch of the PCB can be at least 200 μm, in particular the pitch of the PCB can be at least 300 μm.

[0066] The substrate or interposer may include or be composed of a layer of at least one of the following: glass; silicon (Si) and / or a photosensitive or dry-etchable organic material, such as an epoxy-based stack material (e.g., an epoxy-based stack film); or a polymer compound (the polymer compound may or may not include photosensitive and / or heat-sensitive molecules), such as polyimide, polybenzoxazole.

[0067] In an embodiment, the at least one electrically insulating layer structure comprises at least one of the following: a resin or polymer, such as an epoxy resin, a cyanate resin, a benzocyclobutene resin, or a bismaleimide-triazine resin; a polyphenylene derivative (e.g., based on polyphenylene ether, PPE), polyimide (PI), polyamide (PA), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and / or combinations thereof. Reinforcement structures, such as mesh, fibers, spheres, or other types of filler particles, made of glass (multilayer glass), may also be used to form a composite. A semi-cured resin combined with a reinforcing agent, such as fibers impregnated with the above resins, is referred to as a prepreg. These prepregs are typically named after their properties, such as FR4 or FR5, which describe their flame retardancy. While prepregs, particularly FR4, are generally preferred for rigid PCBs, other materials, particularly epoxy-based stacking materials (e.g., stacking films) or photosensitive dielectric materials, may also be used. For high-frequency applications, high-frequency materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene, liquid crystal polymers, and / or cyanate resins may be preferred. In addition to these polymers, low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) or other low, very low or ultra-low DK materials can be used as electrically insulating structures in the component carrier.

[0068] In an embodiment, the at least one electrically conductive layer structure comprises at least one of the following: copper, aluminum, nickel, silver, gold, palladium, tungsten, magnesium, carbon, (particularly doped) silicon, titanium, and platinum. Although copper is generally preferred, other materials or coated versions thereof are also possible, in particular versions coated with superconducting materials or conductive polymers, such as graphene or poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), respectively.

[0069] At least one additional component can be embedded in and / or surface-mounted on the stack. This component and / or at least one additional component can be selected from at least one of the following: a non-conductive inlay, a conductive inlay (e.g., a metal inlay, preferably comprising copper or aluminum), a heat transfer unit (e.g., a heat pipe), a light-conducting element (e.g., an optical waveguide or optical conductor connector), an electronic component, or a combination thereof. The inlay can be, for example, a metal block with or without a coating of insulating material (IMS-inlay), which can be embedded or surface-mounted to promote heat dissipation. Suitable materials are defined by their thermal conductivity, which should be at least 2 W / mK. Such materials are typically based on, but not limited to, metals, metal oxides, and / or ceramics, such as copper, aluminum oxide (Al2O3), or aluminum nitride (AlN). Other geometries with increased surface area are also often used to increase heat exchange capacity. Furthermore, the component may be an active electronic component (having at least one realized pn junction), a passive electronic component such as a resistor, an inductor, or a capacitor, an electronic chip, a memory device (e.g., a DRAM or other data memory), a filter, an integrated circuit (e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable array logic (PAL), a general array logic (GAL), and a complex programmable logic device (CPLD)), a signal processing component, a power management component (e.g., a field effect transistor (FET), a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), a junction field effect transistor (JFET), or an insulated gate field effect transistor (IGFET)). In some embodiments, the present invention relates to a device comprising a first insulator, a second insulator, a first insulator, a second insulator, a first insulator, a second insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator, a first insulator The component can be surface mounted on the component carrier and / or can be embedded in the interior of the component carrier.In addition, other components, in particular components that generate and emit electromagnetic radiation and / or are sensitive to electromagnetic radiation propagated from the environment, can also be used as components.

[0070] In an embodiment, the component carrier is a laminated component carrier. In this embodiment, the component carrier is a composite of multiple layers that are stacked and connected together by applying pressure and / or heat.

[0071] After the internal layer structure of the component carrier has been treated, one or both main surfaces of the treated layer structure can be covered symmetrically or asymmetrically with one or more further electrically insulating and / or electrically conductive layer structures (in particular, by lamination). In other words, the stacking can be continued until the desired number of layers is obtained.

[0072] After the formation of the stack having the electrically insulating layer structure and the electrically conductive layer structure has been completed, the resulting layer structure or component carrier can be subjected to a surface treatment.

[0073] In particular, regarding surface treatment, an electrically insulating solder mask can be applied to one or both major surfaces of a laminate or component carrier. For example, such a solder mask can be formed over the entire major surface, and the solder mask layer can then be patterned to expose one or more electrically conductive surface portions that will be used to electrically couple the component carrier to an electronic peripheral. Surface portions of the component carrier that remain covered with the solder mask, particularly those containing copper, can be effectively protected from oxidation or corrosion.

[0074] In terms of surface treatment, a surface treatment can also be selectively applied to exposed electrically conductive surface portions of the component carrier. This surface treatment can be an electrically conductive covering material on exposed electrically conductive layer structures (e.g., solder pads, conductive traces, etc., particularly comprising or consisting of copper) on the surface of the component carrier. If such exposed electrically conductive layer structures are not protected, the exposed electrically conductive component carrier material (particularly copper) will oxidize, resulting in lower reliability of the component carrier. The surface treatment can then be formed, for example, as a joint between a surface mounted component and the component carrier. The surface treatment has the function of protecting the exposed electrically conductive layer structures (particularly copper circuits) and enables bonding to one or more components, such as by soldering. Examples of suitable materials for the surface treatment include organic solderability preservatives (OSP), electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG), electroless nickel immersion palladium immersion gold (ENIPIG), electroless nickel electroless palladium immersion gold (ENEPIG), gold (particularly hard gold), electroless tin (chemical and electroplated), nickel gold, nickel palladium, etc. Nickel-free surface finishes are also available, especially for high-speed applications. Examples are ISIG (Immersion Silver + Gold) and EPAG (Electroless Palladium + Autocatalytic Gold).

[0075] The aspects defined above and further aspects of the invention are apparent from the examples of embodiment described hereinafter and are explained with reference to these examples of embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0076] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a component carrier according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown.

[0077] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a component carrier according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0078] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a component carrier according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0079] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a component carrier according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0080] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of a preform of a component carrier according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0081] Figures 6 to 11 A cross-sectional view of a structure obtained during the performance of a method for producing a component carrier according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown.

[0082] Figure 12 is a flow chart of a method of manufacturing a component carrier according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] Figures 13 to 15 A cross-sectional view of a structure obtained during the performance of a method for producing a component carrier according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown.

[0084] Figure 16 A sectional view shows a detail of a component carrier according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0085] Figure 17 A sectional view shows a detail of a component carrier according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0086] Figure 18 A sectional view shows a detail of a component carrier according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0087] Figure 19 A plan view of a component carrier according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0088] Figure 20 This is a graph showing the dependence of the wavelength of laser light on the absorptivity of various materials.

[0089] The illustrations in the drawings are schematically shown. In different drawings, similar or identical elements are provided with the same reference signs. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0090] Before describing exemplary embodiments in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, some basic considerations on which exemplary embodiments of the present invention were developed will be summarized.

[0091] In the field of heterogeneous packaging, integration and co-packaging, deeper cavities may be required. Traditionally, the cavity depth in the stack of component carriers can be less than 300μm. However, if the cavity depth increases, for example, to more than 700μm, the laser beam used to form the cavity may directly reach the core inside. Generally, there can be different types of lasers for different applications. Taking into account the different pulses, different powers and different wavelengths of different lasers, different cavity depths can be selected by selecting the appropriate laser from different lasers. For cavities of 300μm or deeper, picosecond lasers can be applied because picosecond lasers have the following characteristics: they can generate a laser pulse once within a picosecond, so the power is very powerful and can destroy the chemical bonding of the material, and then the wavelength can penetrate a very deep depth to cut the material. In particular, the picosecond laser beam can damage the copper of the stack during the formation of the cavity. However, the copper layer that should not be cut may absorb the power of the picosecond laser and be damaged. Therefore, a laser protection layer may be advantageous.

[0092] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a component carrier (e.g., a PCB or IC substrate) is provided with a stack, preferably a laminated stack, having one or more (preferably blind hole-type) cavities within the stack. An electrically conductive laser protection structure may be arranged at least in the edge region between the bottom wall and the side walls defining the cavity. Preferably, but not necessarily, the laser protection structure may comprise a circumferentially closed frame structure extending along the entire perimeter of the interface between the bottom wall and the side walls of the cavity. The laser protection structure may inhibit or completely prevent damage to the electrically conductive laser blocking structure or other stack materials beneath the laser protection structure from the laser beam. For example, such a laser beam may be directed at the stack during cavity formation. The lateral extent of the cavity may be defined by such a laser beam. For example, the laser protection structure may comprise silver formed on or above a copper structure to prevent the copper structure from being removed or excessively damaged by the laser beam. Compared to the laser blocking structure, the laser protection structure's lower absorption and / or higher reflection of laser light allows for the formation of a deep cavity by the laser beam while effectively protecting the laser blocking structure from the intense laser beam. Furthermore, even deep cavities exceeding 300 μm, 500 μm, or even 700 μm can be formed with good precision (tapering is controllable and alignment is good).

[0093] In particular, the electrically conductive laser protection structure can preferably be designed to protect the silver surface treatment of the copper barrier layer beneath the electrically conductive laser protection structure. Alternatively, the electrically conductive laser protection structure can include aluminum, gold, chromium, titanium, tungsten, platinum, or alloys thereof. Providing such an electrically conductive laser protection structure can allow the use of a picosecond laser (e.g., having a wavelength of 532 nm) instead of a conventional CO2 laser (although such a CO2 laser can also be used in other embodiments). Alternatively, an excimer laser having a wavelength of, for example, 157 nm, 193 nm, 248 nm, 308 nm, or 351 nm can be used, or a carbon monoxide laser can be used. Advantageously, the use of a picosecond laser can avoid the need for undesirable decontamination after laser cutting, as the picosecond laser will not generate sufficient heat that could burn the resin and carbonize the sidewalls of the cavity in the stack. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can enable the fabrication of cavities with greater depth, which can even extend partially through the core. An electrically conductive laser protection structure can be used to protect an electrically conductive laser-blocking layer from the laser beam using picosecond laser implementations. The electrically conductive laser protection structure can be made of silver, while the electrically conductive laser-blocking layer can be made of copper. Alternatively, the laser-blocking layer can comprise an electrically insulating material such as ceramic, glass, or an organic polymer. Further alternatively, the laser-blocking layer can comprise a paste having a polymer matrix and a plurality of metal nanoparticles dispersed within the matrix. The uniformly distributed nanoparticles can have the same effect as a metal layer in reacting to the laser beam. In one example, the electrically conductive laser-blocking layer can comprise aluminum, gold, palladium, platinum, chromium, tungsten, or alloys thereof. In particular, a surface treatment comprising silver and applied to the copper barrier layer can be advantageously used to protect the barrier layer from the laser beam. This can enable the fabrication of cavities with varying depths, for example, up to 700 μm or greater. Advantageously, this can be accompanied by improved functional stability of the resulting component carrier.

[0094] Thus, exemplary embodiments of the present invention can support applications requiring precision machining with a low heat-affected zone. Picosecond and femtosecond lasers, which can utilize laser sources with lower wavelengths, can be used for this purpose and offer the advantage that post-machining decontamination treatment may be unnecessary and deeper targets can be reached. Providing an electrically conductive laser protection structure, preferably comprising silver or aluminum, can enable cavity formation using picosecond or femtosecond lasers without the risk of excessive damage to the stack during cavity formation by laser processing.

[0095] Therefore, by combining a picosecond or even shorter pulse laser with a laser protection structure comprising silver or other metallic material with similar laser reflectivity to block the laser beam, for example, before the laser beam damages an electrically conductive laser blocking structure beneath the electrically conductive laser protection structure, the cutting quality and integrity of the laser blocking layer can be improved. More specifically, when performing a laser manufacturing process to form a cavity, exemplary embodiments can apply a silver layer as a laser protection layer to the circuitry within the cavity. The silver layer, or alternatively, an aluminum layer, can be applied by physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, or a wet chemical reaction (e.g., electroless plating). Thus, a laser blocking structure with a laser protection structure implemented as a silver circuit disposed on the laser blocking structure can be applied within the cavity. By applying silver to a laser blocking structure comprising copper (particularly at the cavity edges), the copper barrier can be protected during laser processing. This can improve the machining of substrates used for heterogeneous packaging.

[0096] In order to achieve the above advantages and / or other advantages, a component carrier can be provided, which includes a stack including at least one electrically conductive layer structure and at least one electrically insulating layer structure; a cavity formed in the stack, the cavity being defined by a bottom surface and at least one lateral surface (or side wall), wherein the lateral surface can be defined by a laser protection structure of the multilayer conductive structure.

[0097] The multilayer conductive structure may include at least two layer structures, including a conductive layer structure that at least partially corresponds to at least one electrically conductive layer structure constituting the stack. The conductive layer structure may be made of copper. Furthermore, the conductive layer structure may form a laser-blocking structure. Furthermore, an additional conductive layer structure in the multilayer conductive structure may at least partially cover the aforementioned conductive layer structure. The additional conductive layer structure may form a laser-protective structure. The additional conductive layer structure may be made of a different material than the aforementioned conductive layer structure, in particular, may be made of at least one of silver and aluminum. The additional conductive layer structure may include a plurality of layers, in particular, the plurality of layers may be made of different materials or material combinations (such as alloys). Preferably, a first portion of the multilayer conductive structure may be exposed to the cavity, and a second portion of the multilayer conductive structure may be embedded in the stack. For example, the additional conductive layer structure is disposed in the second portion. In embodiments, the additional conductive layer structure is laterally exposed at the sidewalls of the cavity. Preferably, this may result in a concave portion and / or an undercut (e.g., due to removal of the exposed additional conductive layer structure). For example, contact between one conductive layer structure of the stack and an adjacent (e.g., lateral) layer structure may be prevented by an additional conductive layer structure. One possible effect of this measure may be to prevent copper migration. The first portion may be free of the additional conductive layer structure. Alternatively, the first portion also at least partially comprises the additional conductive layer structure. The first portion may comprise remnants of the additional conductive layer structure. The additional conductive layer structure may be at least partially arranged in one or both portions. In an embodiment, the planar extension of the multilayer conductive structure extends at least partially (in particular completely) beyond the planar extension of the cavity. The multilayer conductive structure may comprise a frame structure that at least partially (in particular completely) follows the perimeter of the sidewalls. The multilayer conductive structure may comprise a continuous layer, in particular the multilayer conductive structure covers the entire bottom surface of the cavity. Alternatively, the multilayer conductive structure may comprise a patterned layer, in particular the multilayer conductive structure partially covers a portion of the bottom surface of the cavity. In an embodiment, the cavity extends along multiple layer structures of the stack. Preferably, an undercut in the vertical direction is provided between the sidewalls of the cavity and the multilayer conductive structure. For example, the multilayer conductive structure is arranged on the core, in particular the multilayer conductive structure is arranged between the core and a stacked layer structure. In an embodiment, the multilayer conductive structure is arranged in a layer constituting a core structure (the core structure can, for example, be implemented as a multilayer core). For example, the multilayer conductive structure is arranged in a stacked layer. In an embodiment, the thickness of the cavity is greater than half the thickness of the component carrier. For example, the cavity extends along the core thickness and the multilayer conductive layer structure is arranged on a stacked layer structure defining the bottom of the cavity. Advantageously, a cavity with a depth in the range from 700 μm to 800 μm can be formed. Cutting can be done by a picosecond laser or other tool. The wavelength of the cutting tool may affect the material removal performance.

[0098] Regarding the correlation between materials and wavelengths, generally, laser light can be absorbed, reflected, refracted, scattered, etc. by materials. Preferred materials for laser protection structures are those that do not absorb excessively but do not transmit excessively light from a specific light source (with a characteristic wavelength). If a material absorbs excessive laser light, the material may burn. If a material transmits excessive laser light, it may burn underneath the material (which may cause damage to the underlying material). Therefore, for laser protection structures, metal materials may be preferred, which do not absorb or have low absorption of laser light and do not transmit or have low transmission of laser light. Therefore, as a material for a laser protection structure, silver is a good choice, but aluminum or gold are also possible.

[0099] An exemplary application of an exemplary embodiment of a component carrier may be an optical package, which may be formed, for example, according to silicon photonics technology. In particular, optical components (ie components with optical functionality, such as optical connectors) may be embedded in the cavity of the component carrier.

[0100] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a component carrier 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0101] The component carrier 100 can be an integrated circuit (IC) substrate or a printed circuit board (PCB). The component carrier 100 can include a laminated stack 104, which includes an electrically conductive layer structure 106 and an electrically insulating layer structure 108. For example, the electrically conductive layer structure 106 can include a patterned metal layer (such as a patterned copper foil or a patterned deposited copper layer) and a vertical through-connection portion, such as a copper-filled through-hole, which can be formed by drilling and plating. The electrically insulating layer structure 108 can include a corresponding resin (such as a corresponding epoxy resin), preferably including reinforcing particles (such as glass fibers or glass spheres) in the resin. For example, the electrically insulating layer structure 108 can be made of prepreg or FR4 or ABF. The electrically insulating layer structure 108 can also include a resin layer that does not contain glass (especially glass fibers).

[0102] like Figure 1 As shown, the uppermost electrically insulating layer structure 108 can be implemented as a patterned solder resist 150 that exposes selective portions of the uppermost electrically conductive layer structure 106. A solder structure 152 can be formed on the exposed portions of the uppermost electrically conductive layer structure 106. The solder structure 152 can allow a solder connection of the component carrier 100 to an electronic environment, for example, to at least one surface-mounted component and / or to other electronic boards.

[0103] The ply stack 104 includes a fully cured core 130 at a bottom side and a multi-layer stack 132 formed on the core 130 .

[0104] As shown, a cavity 110 is formed in the stack 104. In the embodiment shown, the cavity 110 is a blind hole that extends through the entire stack 132 into a portion of the core 130. The cavity 110 is bounded at the bottom side of the cavity 110 by a bottom wall 112 and laterally by circumferential sidewalls 114. The cavity 110 has a large depth D, for example, 700 μm or greater. As shown, the cavity 110 extends vertically across the multiple layer structures 106, 108 of the stack 104, partially through the core 130 and completely through the layer stack 132. In the embodiment shown, the depth D of the cavity 110 is greater than 50% of the thickness L of the stack 104. This large depth D allows an optical connector (not shown) to be embedded in the cavity 110.

[0105] Furthermore, the electrically conductive laser protection structure 102 has an entire circumference ( Figure 1 The laser protection structure 102 and the laser blocking structure 118 located below the laser protection structure 102 can advantageously form a closed, annular frame extending along the entire edge region. The laser protection structure 102 and the laser blocking structure 118 can provide laser protection and laser blocking functions along the entire perimeter of the bottom sidewall transition portion of the cavity 110. In addition to the edge region, the electrically conductive laser protection structure 102 and the electrically conductive laser blocking region 118 are also present in a portion of the central portion of the bottom wall 112 surrounded by the circumferential edge region.

[0106] The laser protection structure 102 is made of a material capable of protecting a portion of the laminate 104 below the laser protection structure 102 and the laser blocking structure 118 below the laser protection structure 102 from the laser beam used to form the cavity 110. Preferably, the laser protection structure 102 is made of silver. This protection can be achieved by reflecting most of the laser light and absorbing only a small portion of the laser light.

[0107] As already mentioned, an electrically conductive laser-blocking structure 118 may be present beneath the laser protection structure 102 and may be configured to block the laser beam used to form the cavity 110, even after the laser beam has partially passed through the laser protection structure 102. This protects the laminate material beneath the laser-blocking structure 118 from undesired impact by the laser beam and, therefore, may prevent laminate damage and ensure the mechanical integrity of the portion of the laminate 102 that defines the cavity 110. As shown, the laser-blocking structure 118 covers portions of the bottom wall 112 and portions of the sidewalls 114, and is in turn covered by the laser protection structure 102. In the embodiment shown, the laser-blocking structure 118 forms part of the electrically conductive layer structure 106 of the laminate 104 and, therefore, may be made of copper.

[0108] By forming the laser blocking structure 118 from copper and the laser protection structure 102 from silver and / or aluminum and / or gold (ie, different materials), the respective material choices can be used to optimize the respective laser blocking and laser protection functions, respectively.

[0109] As shown, the laser blocking structure 118 and the laser protection structure 102 form a multilayer conductive structure 134. The multilayer conductive structure 134 is implemented here as a double layer, but can also be a layer consisting of more than two sublayers or substructures. As also shown, a first portion of the multilayer conductive structure 134 is exposed in the cavity 110, while a second portion of the multilayer conductive structure 134 is embedded in the stack 104. This arrangement ensures excellent mechanical integrity of the cavity formation even in the presence of tolerances, for example, in terms of laser alignment relative to the stack 104. Figure 1 , a portion of the laser blocking structure 118 and a portion of the laser protection structure 102 are arranged in the first portion, while another portion of the laser blocking structure 118 and another portion of the laser protection structure 102 are arranged in the second portion.

[0110] In the illustrated embodiment, laser protection structure 102 includes a cap-shaped member that covers the top portion and sidewall portions of each individual substructure forming the patterned layer of laser-blocking structure 118. Thus, laser protection structure 102 is arranged to prevent direct physical contact between the upper major surface and sidewalls of laser-blocking structure 118 and the remainder of stack 104. Because laser-blocking structure 118 and electrically conductive laser protection structure 102 are each patterned structures, multilayer conductive structure 134 formed by structures 102, 118 only partially covers bottom wall 112 of stack 104, leaving other portions of bottom wall 112 exposed outside multilayer conductive structure 134. Consequently, laser-blocking structure 118 forms an electrically conductive pattern that covers a portion of bottom wall 112 and exposes other portions of bottom wall 112. Laser protection structure 102 covers the entire upper major surface and sidewalls of the electrically conductive pattern. As shown, the electrically conductive pattern is formed in the central portion of the bottom wall 112 and in the edge region surrounding the central portion of the cavity 110. Both the laser blocking structure 118 and the laser protection structure 102 are formed on the core 130 of the stack 104 below the interface between the core 130 and the layer stack 132 of the stack 104.

[0111] In the embodiment shown, the laser protection structure 102 and the laser blocking structure 118 are non-functional in the component carrier 100, i.e., do not contribute to the functions provided during the operation of the component carrier 100. Therefore, the only purpose of the multilayer conductive structure 134 may be to provide laser protection and laser blocking functions during the laser processing performed for cavity formation. Therefore, the laser protection structure 102 and the laser blocking structure 118 may also be electrically disconnected from other electrically conductive layer structures 106 of the stack 104 that contribute to the electronic functions of the component carrier 100. However, in another embodiment, the laser protection structure 102 and / or the laser blocking structure 118 may simultaneously perform functions during the operation of the component carrier 100, such as performing electronic functions in cooperation with other electrically conductive layer structures 106. It may provide more electrically conductive elements as interconnect structures to meet the requirements of electrical connection, and it may have more input and output structures when there are components or other electrical structures that need to be connected to these laser protection structures. As Figure 1As shown, the thickness d of electrically conductive laser protection structure 102 may be in the range of 0.1 μm to 10 μm. Alternatively, the thickness d of electrically conductive laser protection structure 102 may be in the range of 10 μm to 30 μm. Furthermore, the thickness e of electrically conductive laser blocking structure 118 may be in the range of 2 μm to 70 μm, and in particular, the thickness e of electrically conductive laser blocking structure 118 may be in the range of 10 μm to 50 μm. More generally, laser blocking structure 118 may have a greater thickness than laser protection structure 102. The roughness Ra of electrically conductive laser protection structure 102 may preferably be in the range of 50 nm to 800 nm, and in particular, the roughness Ra of electrically conductive laser protection structure 102 may be in the range of 100 nm to 300 nm, while the roughness Ra of electrically conductive laser blocking structure 118 may preferably be in the range of 100 nm to 900 nm, and in particular, the roughness Ra of electrically conductive laser blocking structure 118 may be in the range of 150 nm to 500 nm. Therefore, the surface of the laser protection structure 102 may be smoother than the surface of the laser blocking structure 118 or may have a lower roughness Ra than the surface of the laser blocking structure 118 . This may further promote reflection of most of the laser light from the exposed main surface of the laser protection structure 102 .

[0112] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a component carrier 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0113] Figure 2 The implementation method and Figure 1 The embodiments differ in particular in that, according to Figure 2 The upper major surface area of ​​the electrically conductive laser protection structure 102 and the upper major surface area of ​​the laser blocking structure 118 are both larger than the surface area of ​​the bottom wall 112 of the cavity 110 in the stack 104. Figure 2 As shown, each of the electrically conductive laser protection structure 102 and the electrically conductive laser blocking structure 118 extends laterally beyond the bottom wall 112 of the cavity 110 in the stack 104. Figure 2 Each of the electrically conductive laser protection structure 102 and the electrically conductive laser blocking structure 118 extends over and beyond the entire bottom wall 112 of the cavity 110 in the stack 104. Figure 2 As shown, because the laser protection structure 102 and the laser blocking structure 118 are integral layers, no portion of the bottom wall 112 is exposed. Figure 2 The embodiment provides excellent reliability during laser processing. Figure 2In the embodiment, the top surface and sidewalls of the laser-blocking structure 118 are covered by the laser protection structure 102. Alternatively, only the top surface of the laser-blocking structure 118 may be covered by the laser protection structure 102. The laser protection structure 102 and the laser-blocking structure 118 may be configured to serve as a heat dissipation layer and / or a power transmission layer.

[0114] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a component carrier 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0115] Figure 3 The implementation method and Figure 1 The embodiments differ in particular in that, according to Figure 3 The electrically conductive pattern of the multilayer conductive structure 134 composed of the laser protection structure 102 and the laser blocking structure 118 is formed only in the circumferential edge region of the cavity 110, and not in the central portion of the bottom wall 112 surrounded by the edge region. In this embodiment, the multilayer conductive structure 134 only includes a circumferential closed frame structure covering the entire perimeter of the circumferential edge between the bottom wall 112 and the sidewalls 114 of the cavity 102. Alternatively, the laser protection structure 102 and the optional laser blocking structure 118 can be interrupted (e.g., like a ring with an opening). Figure 3 The embodiment ensures a very large cavity volume while providing reliable protection and blocking functions for the cutting laser beam.

[0116] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a component carrier 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0117] Figure 4 The implementation method and Figure 1 The embodiments differ in particular in that, according to Figure 4 , the laser protection structure 102 covers only the upper main surface and sidewalls of the electrically conductive pattern forming the laser-blocking structure 118 in the edge region. Alternatively, only a portion of the sidewalls and / or only a portion of the upper main surface of the electrically conductive pattern of the laser-blocking structure 118 located in the edge region may be covered by the laser protection structure 102. In the central portion of the bottom wall 112, a portion of the bottom wall 112 is exposed, while the other portions of the bottom wall 112 are covered only by the laser-blocking structure 118. The laser-blocking structure 118 is not covered by the laser protection structure 102 in the central region.

[0118] In a preferred embodiment, only a portion of the laser-blocking structure 118 in the central region can be configured as a functional trace, for example, a functional trace for transmitting a signal, while other portions of the laser-blocking structure 118 in the edge regions can be non-functional in a component carrier that is easy to manufacture. Alternatively, the reverse is true, i.e., the central region can be non-functional while the edge regions can be functional. In yet another alternative, any or all portions of the laser-blocking structure 118 can be functional.

[0119] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of a preform of a component carrier 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 5 , can be manufactured Figure 4 Component carrier 100 .

[0120] During this manufacturing process, a laminated layer stack 104 having an electrically conductive layer structure 106 and an electrically insulating layer structure 108 can be formed. A cavity 110 can be formed in the stack 104, the cavity 110 being bounded by a bottom wall 112 and side walls 114. The manufacturing process can also include forming an electrically conductive laser protection structure 102 only in the edge region between the bottom wall 112 and the side walls 114. The laser protection structure 102 may or may not form part of the component carrier 100, which is easy to manufacture. The laser protection structure 102 is formed on an edge portion of a patterned copper layer, which forms an electrically conductive laser blocking structure 118.

[0121] To form cavity 110, laminate 104 can be processed with a laser beam, during which laser protection structure 102 protects layer structures 106, 108 of laminate 104 from the laser beam. Layer structures 106, 108 include an electrically conductive laser blocking structure 118 of electrically conductive layer structure 106, which is disposed on bottom wall 112 of cavity 110. Advantageously, laser protection structure 102 can be made of a material such as silver, which has an absorptivity of less than 0.2 and a reflectivity of at least 0.7 relative to an operating wavelength of the laser beam, for example, 500 nm to 550 nm. In particular, silver has an absorptivity of less than 0.05 and a reflectivity and / or scattering greater than 0.95. Advantageously, cavity 110 can be formed by processing laminate 104 with a pulsed laser beam having a duration and / or temporal distance of laser pulses of no more than 1 picosecond. In particular, a picosecond laser or a femtosecond laser can be used.

[0122] More precisely, Figure 5The structure shown can be obtained by forming a weakly bonded release structure 120 on the exposed lateral portions of the laser protection structure 102 and the exposed central portion of the laser blocking structure 118. For example, the weakly bonded release structure 120 can be made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The structure composed of the weakly bonded release structure 120, the laser blocking structure 118, and the laser protection structure 102 can be arranged inside the stack 104 by attaching (e.g., laminating) multiple layer structures 106, 108 to the composed structure. Thereafter, the block 122 of the stack 104 located above the release structure 120 can be removed by forming a circumferential separation groove 124 around the entire perimeter of the block 122 by laser processing. Thereafter, the separated block 122 and the release structure 120 can be removed from the rest of the stack 104. Since the blocks 122 are separated laterally by the laser cut grooves 124 and only poorly adhered to the rest of the stack 104 at the bottom side due to the release structure 120, the blocks 122 can be simply removed from the stack 104, leaving the cavity 110 behind. The release structure 120 can be stripped or removed by etching. As a result, a cavity 110 is obtained according to Figure 4 Component carrier 100 .

[0123] If laser blocking structure 118 is present in the edge region between bottom wall 112 and side wall 114 without laser protection structure 102, the exposed copper in the edge region is easily damaged by the laser power when circumferentially defining cavity 110 by laser cutting, particularly when forming a cavity 110 of great depth. However, by providing silver protection for the barrier copper in the edge region in the form of laser protection structure 102 on the lateral portion of laser blocking structure 118, the silver protection on the barrier copper can be used to provide reliable protection for laser blocking structure 118 from damage by the laser beam.

[0124] Advantageously, the described fabrication process enables the formation of cavity depths exceeding 700 μm without risk of damage by the laser beam. To achieve this, the deep cavity barrier within the multilayer core can be covered with silver in critical edge regions for protection.

[0125] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that Figures 1 to 3 The implementation method can be achieved by referring to Figure 5 and Figure 4 The described manufacturing process is similar to the manufacturing process for manufacturing.

[0126] Figures 6 to 11 A cross-sectional view of a structure obtained during the performance of a method for producing a component carrier 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0127] Reference Figure 6A dielectric core 130 (formed, for example, of FR4 material) may be covered with a metal layer type electrically conductive layer structure 106 (for example, copper foil) on two opposing main surfaces of the dielectric core 130. The obtained stack 104 may, for example, be implemented as a copper clad laminate (CCL).

[0128] Reference Figure 7 , the upper electronically conductive layer structure 106 may be patterned to form the laser blocking structure 118. The lower electronically conductive layer structure 106 may be removed. The described process may be implemented as a core imaging process.

[0129] Reference Figure 8 The exposed surface of the laser blocking structure 118 can be covered by the laser protection structure 102, which is made of silver. This process can involve plating and / or physical vapor deposition and / or chemical vapor deposition. As a result, a surface-treated silver layer forming the laser protection structure 102 can be obtained.

[0130] Reference Figure 9 , the release structure 120 may be formed as a layer of a weakly adhesive material (such as PTFE) covering the central portion of the laser protection structure 102. For example, the process may be implemented as release ink printing and curing.

[0131] Reference Figure 10 , the release structure 120 may optionally be processed, for example by laser trimming. In addition, a multilayer core lamination process may be performed, during which the layer structures 106, 108 may be attached to Figure 9 The structures 106, 108 may be, for example, prepreg sheets or resin sheets and copper foil.

[0132] Reference Figure 11 , Figure 10 The electrically conductive layer structure 106 on the main surface of the structure shown in may optionally be thickened and may be patterned.

[0133] Thereafter, even thicker layer stack structures can be formed, see e.g. Figure 5 132 in the figure. Figure 5 The cavity 110 is formed by the processes described (ie, laser cutting and block removal).

[0134] Figure 12 is a flow chart 200 of a method of manufacturing a component carrier 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0135] As shown in block 202 , a CCL core may be provided.

[0136] As shown in block 204 , the CCL core may undergo core imaging.

[0137] As shown in block 206 , a core plating process may be performed.

[0138] As shown in block 208 , a surface treatment silver layer may be formed.

[0139] As shown in block 210 , a core ink printing process may be performed.

[0140] As shown in block 212 , a multi-layer core may be formed.

[0141] As shown in block 214 , a stack fabrication process may be performed.

[0142] As shown in block 216 , laser cutting may be performed to form the cavity.

[0143] As shown in block 218 , removal of the block or cap may then occur.

[0144] As shown in block 220 , an ink stripping process may be performed.

[0145] As shown in block 222 , the manufacturing process ends.

[0146] Figures 13 to 15 A cross-sectional view of a structure obtained during the performance of a method for producing a component carrier 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0147] Figure 13 The preform of the component carrier 100 has a central core 130 on which a layer stack 132 is located. Below the central core 130, a further core 130 or a further layer stack 132 can be arranged.

[0148] like Figure 13 As shown, the cavity 110 is formed only in the upper layer stack portion 132 .

[0149] like Figure 14 As shown, the formation of cavity 110 can extend into central core 130. Considering the different absorptivity and reflectivity of the different materials of stack 104, when the laser is reflected, the high reflectivity of the laser beam from the low-absorbing material may slightly damage the sidewall 114 of stack 104. This may result in the formation of a wave structure 154 on sidewall 114, see detail 156.

[0150] like Figure 15 As shown, the laser cutting process used to make the cavity 110 can even extend into the lower core 134 or lower layer stack 132. Such a deep cavity 110 can allow for embedding components 126 therein, such as optical connectors.

[0151] In addition, if Figures 13 to 15 As shown by the dashed lines in FIG, multiple cavities 110 can be formed in the stack 104. For example, these cavities can be multiple cavities 110 at different vertical levels, such as Figure 13 There may also be multiple cavities 110 arranged side by side, such as Figure 14 As shown. Vertically displaced but vertically overlapping cavities 110 are also possible, as shown in FIG. Figure 15 More generally, multiple cavities 110 may be formed at different depths, have different widths, and / or have different lengths. Different cavities may also be applied on opposite sides of the stack 104.

[0152] Figure 16 A sectional view shows a detail of a component carrier 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0153] according to Figure 16 , the stack 104 may be formed, for example, from a plurality of stacked cores 130 (wherein alternatively a layer stack 132 is also possible, Figure 16 (not shown). Figure 16 As shown, the sidewall 114 of the stack 104 has an undercut 136 at the interface between the stack 104 and the electrically conductive laser protection structure 102. The undercut 136 may have a concave shape and may be formed by partially removing the exposed laser protection structure 102 under the influence of a laser beam and / or an etching solution.

[0154] Figure 17 A sectional view shows a detail of a component carrier 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0155] Figure 17 The implementation method and Figure 16 The embodiments differ in particular in that, according to Figure 17 , the exposed portion of the laser protection structure 102 in the cavity 110 remains completely intact, and an undercut 136 is formed in the stack 104 directly above the laser protection structure 102. Figure 17 , the undercut 136 has a concave shape. The resulting structure may be the result of removing the temporary ink layer (see reference numeral 120 in the embodiment described above) instead of removing the additional conductive layer structure according to reference numeral 102. The undercut 136 is arranged in the vertical direction between the sidewall 114 of the cavity 110 and the multilayer conductive structure 134 composed of the laser blocking structure 118 and the laser protection structure 102.

[0156] Figure 18 A sectional view shows a detail of a component carrier 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0157] Figure 18 The implementation method and Figure 16 and Figure 17 The embodiments differ in particular in that, according to Figure 18 , the laser protection structure 102 is as follows Figure 16 The undercut 136 and the stack 104 are shown as Figure 17 Both undercuts 136 are present. Figure 18 The biconcave undercut structure is shown. This structure is obtained by removing part of the material of the laser protection structure 102 and the stack 104 during the formation of the cavity 110.

[0158] Figure 19 1 shows a plan view of a component carrier 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 19 The laser protection structure 102 and the laser blocking structure 118 located below the laser protection structure 102 form a closed annular frame that extends completely along the edge region between the bottom wall 112 and the side wall 114 of the cavity 110. In this way, the laser protection structure 102 can provide complete circumferential protection for the stack 104 and the laser blocking structure 118, preventing them from being damaged during the laser processing to form the cavity 110. The planar extension of the multilayer conductive structure 134 can extend completely beyond the planar extension of the cavity 110.

[0159] Figure 20 is a diagram 160 showing the dependence of the laser wavelength λ plotted along abscissa 162 on the absorption AR plotted along ordinate 164 for different materials, which are shown in section 166 .

[0160] For example, a pulsed picosecond laser operating at a wavelength in the range of 500 nm to 550 nm (e.g., 532 nm) can be used for cavity formation. Particularly suitable materials for the laser protection structure 102 are, for the operating wavelength used, all materials below the line corresponding to copper as the material of the electrically conductive laser blocking structure 118. In the illustrated embodiment, at a wavelength of 532 nm, particularly suitable materials for the laser protection structure 102 are silver, aluminum, and chromium. However, other materials may be suitable for other operating wavelengths.

[0161] More generally, different laser types with different wavelengths can be used. Furthermore, any combination of materials is possible, as long as the laser protection structure 102 has a lower absorptivity than the laser-blocking layer 118. For example, for a wavelength of 200 nm, the laser protection structure 102 can be made of aluminum, while the laser-blocking structure 118 can be made of silver. In another example, for a wavelength of 600 nm, the laser protection structure can be made of gold, while the laser-blocking structure 118 can be made of nickel.

[0162] It should be noted that the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, elements described in connection with different embodiments may be combined.

[0163] It should also be noted that reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0164] The implementation of the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings and described above. On the contrary, even in the case of fundamentally different embodiments, multiple variations using the solutions shown and according to the principle of the invention are possible.

Claims

1. A component carrier (100), wherein: The component carrier (100) comprises: a stack (104) having at least one electrically conductive layer structure (106) and at least one electrically insulating layer structure (108); a cavity (110) formed in the stack (104) and defined by a bottom wall (112) and side walls (114); and An electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) is located at least in an edge region between the bottom wall (112) and the side wall (114).

2. The component carrier (100) according to claim 1, wherein The component carrier (100) comprises an electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118) which covers at least a portion of the bottom wall (112) and / or at least a portion of the side wall (114) and is at least partially covered by the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102).

3. The component carrier (100) according to claim 2, wherein The electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118) forms part of the at least one electrically conductive layer structure (106) of the stack (104).

4. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein The electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118) and the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) form a multi-layer conductive structure (134).

5. The component carrier (100) according to claim 4, wherein A first portion of the multilayer conductive structure (134) is exposed in the cavity (110), and a second portion of the multilayer conductive structure (134) is embedded in the stack (104).

6. The component carrier (100) according to claim 5, wherein The electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) is arranged in the second portion, in particular, the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) is arranged only in the second portion.

7. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein The electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) is arranged to prevent direct physical contact between an upper major surface and / or sidewall of the electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118) and the remainder of the stack (104).

8. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein The electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) forms at least part of the first portion and / or the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) forms at least part of the second portion.

9. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein The electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) has an area that is larger than an area of ​​a bottom wall (112) of the cavity in the stack (104).

10. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein The electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) extends laterally beyond a bottom wall (112) of the cavity in the ply stack (104).

11. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein The sidewall (114) has an undercut (136) located between the ply stack (104) and the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102).

12. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein The component carrier (100) comprises at least one of the following features: wherein the cavity (110) has a depth (D) of at least 500 μm, in particular, the cavity (110) has a depth (D) of at least 700 μm; Wherein, the depth (D) of the cavity (110) is at least 50% of the thickness (L) of the stack (104).

13. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein The electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) is made of a material configured to reflect laser light.

14. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein The electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) is made of a material having a laser reflectivity higher than that of copper.

15. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein The electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) includes silver and / or aluminum, or the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) consists of silver and / or aluminum.

16. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 15, wherein The electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118) includes copper, or the electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118) consists of copper.

17. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein The electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) and / or the electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118) form an annular closed frame. In particular, the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) and / or the electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118) completely extend along the edge region.

18. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein The electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) and / or the electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118) are non-functional, in particular, they are non-functional with respect to the electrical and / or optical functionality of the component carrier (100).

19. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 18, wherein The electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118) forms an electrically conductive pattern that covers portions of the bottom wall (112) and leaves other portions of the bottom wall (112) exposed.

20. The component carrier (100) according to claim 19, wherein The electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) covers only the upper major surface of the electrically conductive pattern in the edge region, and optionally, the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) covers only the sidewalls of the electrically conductive pattern in the edge region.

21. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 19 to 20, wherein The electrically conductive pattern is formed on the bottom wall (112) of the cavity (110) and in the edge region of the cavity (110).

22. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 21, wherein The electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118) covers the entire bottom wall (112) of the cavity (110).

23. The component carrier (100) according to claim 22, wherein The electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) covers the entire upper major surface of the electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118), and optionally, the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) covers the sidewalls of the electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118).

24. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein The stack (104) includes a core (130) and a layer stack (132) located on the core (130), and wherein the cavity (110) extends through the entire layer stack (132) and partially into the core (130).

25. The component carrier (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein The component carrier (100) comprises at least one component (126), in particular an optical connector, which is at least partially inserted into at least a portion of the cavity (110).

26. A method of manufacturing a component carrier (100), wherein: The method comprises: Providing a stack (104) having at least one electrically conductive layer structure (106) and at least one electrically insulating layer structure (108); forming a cavity (110) in the stack (104), the cavity (110) being defined by a bottom wall (112) and side walls (114); and An electrically conductive laser protective structure (102) is formed at least in the edge region between the bottom wall (112) and the side wall (114), said electrically conductive laser protective structure (102) forming part of a component carrier (100) that is easy to manufacture.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein The method comprises forming the cavity (110) by processing the laminate (104) with a laser beam, wherein during the forming of the cavity (110) by processing the laminate (104) with a laser beam, the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) protects the layer structures (106, 108) of the laminate (104) from the laser beam, and in particular, during the forming of the cavity (110) by processing the laminate (104) with a laser beam, the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) protects an electrically conductive laser blocking structure (118) arranged on the bottom wall (112) of the cavity (110) from the laser beam.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein The method comprises manufacturing the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) from a material having an absorptivity lower than 0.2 and / or a reflectivity of at least 0.7 relative to an operating wavelength of the laser beam.

29. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein The method includes forming the cavity (110) by processing with a pulsed laser beam.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein The method includes forming the pulsed laser beam using laser pulses having a time length and / or time distance of no more than 1 picosecond.

31. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 30, wherein The method comprises forming the cavity (110) by processing with a laser beam having a wavelength below 600 nm, for example, by processing with a laser beam having a wavelength in the range from 500 nm to 550 nm.

32. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 31, wherein The method comprises: forming a weakly bonded release structure (120) at least partially on the electrically conductive laser protection structure (102) within the interior of the ply stack (104); Separating the blocks (122) by forming circumferential separation grooves (124) around the blocks (122) of the stack (104) above the weakly bonded release structure (120), in particular, separating the blocks (122) by forming circumferential separation grooves (124) around the blocks (122) of the stack (104) above the weakly bonded release structure (120) by laser processing; and The release structure (120) and the separated block (122) are removed from the remainder of the stack (104).

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