A computing device

Abstract

An embodiment of the present application provides a computing device comprising: a circuit board, a processor, and a power connector; the processor is disposed on the circuit board and electrically connected to the circuit board via a ball grid array (BGA); the power connector is disposed on the circuit board and electrically connected to the circuit board; the circuit board comprises a stacked multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) and at least one conductive member; the conductive member penetrates at least one layer of the PCB; the conductive member is used to electrically connect the processor to the power connector; wherein the conductive member is electrically connected to a plurality of solder balls in the BGA, the plurality of solder balls being arranged in a row. The computing device described above powers the processor via the conductive member on the circuit board electrically connected to the row of solder balls, thereby having lower resistance and greater flow capacity to meet the power supply requirements of a processor with high power consumption.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of servers, and in particular to a computing device. Background Art

[0002] As the computing performance of processors in servers and other computing devices continues to improve, processor power consumption is also increasing, resulting in an increasing demand for board-level power supply. The current flow capacity of vias on printed circuit boards (PCBs) directly affects the power supply's ability to power the processor. However, the PCB vias on the bottom of the processor are relatively small in diameter, resulting in low flow capacity and unable to meet the power supply requirements of high-performance processors.

[0003] How to improve the flow capacity of the PCB vias at the bottom of the processor is limited and cannot meet the power supply requirements of high-power processors. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An embodiment of the present application provides a circuit board and a computing device, which supplies power to a processor via a conductive member on the circuit board that is electrically connected to a row of solder balls, and has lower resistance and greater flow capacity to meet the power supply requirements of a processor with high power consumption.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computing device, comprising: a circuit board, a processor, and a power connector;

[0006] The processor is disposed on the circuit board and is electrically connected to the circuit board via a ball grid array; the power connector is disposed on the circuit board and is electrically connected to the circuit board;

[0007] The circuit board includes a stacked multi-layer printed circuit board PCB and at least one conductive member;

[0008] The conductive member passes through at least one layer of the PCB; the conductive member is used to electrically connect the processor and the power connector; wherein the conductive member is electrically connected to a plurality of solder balls in the ball grid array, and the plurality of solder balls are arranged in a row.

[0009] The computing device described above supplies power to the processor via a conductive member electrically connected to a row of solder balls on a circuit board, which has lower resistance and greater flow capacity to meet the power supply requirements of a processor with high power consumption.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the thickness of the conductive member is less than or equal to the thickness of the circuit board.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the conductive member passes through the circuit board;

[0012] The circuit board includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other;

[0013] The processor is disposed on the first surface of the circuit board;

[0014] The power connector is arranged on the second surface of the circuit board;

[0015] Along the thickness direction of the circuit board, the conductive member includes a first surface and a second surface; the first surface of the conductive member is used for electrically connecting the plurality of solder balls; and the second surface is used for electrically connecting the power connector.

[0016] The computing device directly connects the processor and the power supply assembly via the conductive member, thereby further reducing the connection resistance between the processor and the power supply connector.

[0017] In a possible implementation, a plurality of solder pads are provided on the first surface of the conductive member; and the processor is electrically connected to the power connector via the plurality of solder balls, the plurality of solder pads, and the conductive member.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the width of the conductive member is greater than or equal to the diameter of the solder ball and smaller than the distance between two adjacent solder balls.

[0019] The conductive member in the circuit board of the computing device has a larger cross-section, thereby improving the flow capacity of the conductive member.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the conductive member is a cuboid.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the conductive member is made of copper or silver.

[0022] In a possible implementation, a plurality of connector pads are provided on the second surface of the conductive member, and the power connector is electrically connected to the circuit board through the connector pads.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the circuit board further includes a power supply layer and a conductor column passing through the circuit board; the conductive member passes through the circuit board;

[0024] The processor and the power connector are located on the same surface of the circuit board; one surface of the conductive member is electrically connected to the processor; the side surface of the conductive member is electrically connected to the power layer; one end of the conductor column is electrically connected to the power connector; and the side wall of the conductor column is electrically connected to the power layer.

[0025] The above computing device supplies power to the processor through the conductive member, the power layer and the conductor column. Since the conductive member has lower resistance and higher flow capacity, it can meet the power supply requirements of the processor with high power consumption.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the circuit board includes a power supply layer and a conductor column that passes through a portion of the PCB; the processor and the power connector are respectively located on the first and second opposite surfaces of the circuit board; the first surface of the conductive member is electrically connected to the processor; the second surface of the conductive member is electrically connected to the power supply layer; the first end of the conductor column is electrically connected to the power connector; and the second end of the conductor column is electrically connected to the power supply layer.

[0027] The above computing device supplies power to the processor through the conductive member, the power layer and the conductor column. Since the conductive member has lower resistance and higher flow capacity, it can meet the power supply requirements of the processor with high power consumption.

[0028] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a circuit board, including:

[0029] A multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) and at least one conductive element are stacked;

[0030] Each layer of the PCB includes an insulation layer and a wiring layer;

[0031] The conductive member penetrates at least one layer of the PCB;

[0032] The conductive member is used to connect a plurality of solder balls on the processor for power supply with a power connector or a power converter, and the plurality of solder balls are arranged in a row.

[0033] The above-mentioned circuit board supplies power to the processor through conductive parts, has lower resistance and better flow capacity, so as to meet the power supply requirements of the processor with high power consumption.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the width of the conductive member is not less than the diameter of the solder ball and not greater than the distance between two adjacent solder balls; the length of the conductive member is the length of the smallest rectangle or rounded rectangle surrounding the multiple solder balls.

[0035] The conductive member in the above-mentioned circuit board has a larger cross-section, thereby improving the flow capacity of the conductive member.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the conductive member passes through the multi-layer PCB.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the first surface of the conductive member is used to electrically connect the plurality of solder balls; and the second surface of the conductive member is used to electrically connect the power connector or the power converter.

[0038] The above circuit board can further reduce the connection resistance between the processor and the power supply component by directly connecting the processor and the power supply component through the conductive member. Here, the power supply component includes a power connector or a power converter.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the circuit board also includes a plurality of conductor posts; the multi-layer PCB includes a power supply layer; a surface of the conductive member is electrically connected to the plurality of solder balls, and a side surface of the conductive member is electrically connected to the power supply layer; the conductor post passes through the multi-layer PCB, one end of the conductor post is electrically connected to the power connector or the power converter, and a side wall of the conductor post is electrically connected to the power supply layer.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the circuit board also includes a plurality of conductor columns; the multi-layer PCB includes a power supply layer; the conductive member passes through some layers of the PCB; the first surface of the conductive member is electrically connected to the plurality of solder balls, and the second surface of the conductive member is electrically connected to the power supply layer, and the first surface and the second surface are two opposite surfaces on the conductive member; the first end of the conductor column is electrically connected to the power connector or the power converter, and the second end of the conductor column is electrically connected to the power supply layer.

[0041] The above circuit board supplies power to the processor through the conductive parts, power supply layer and conductor columns. Since the conductive parts have lower resistance and higher flow capacity, they can meet the power supply requirements of processors with high power consumption.

[0042] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for preparing a circuit board, characterized in that the method includes:

[0043] A circuit board is provided, wherein a slot is formed on the circuit board in an area corresponding to each group of first BGA solder balls, and passes through the circuit board; wherein each first BGA solder ball in the group of first BGA solder balls is used to power a processor, and the group of first BGA solder balls are arranged in a row;

[0044] A first metal layer is formed on the inner wall of the slot hole and the surface of the circuit board through a hole metallization process.

[0045] Insert the metal sheet into the metalized slot.

[0046] A second metal layer is formed by electroplating on the hole wall of the metallized slot, the surface of the first metal layer and the surface of the metal sheet. The metal sheet, the first metal layer and the second metal layer filled in the slot form a conductive member.

[0047] The above method forms a conductive part by inserting a metal sheet into a large-sized slot and electroplating it, and then powers the processor through the conductive part, which has lower resistance and better flow capacity to meet the power supply requirements of the processor with high power consumption.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: generating BGA solder pads at positions on the surface of the circuit board corresponding to the first BGA solder ball and the second BGA solder ball, where the second BGA solder ball is used for the processor to transmit signals.

[0049] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a motherboard comprising: a processor, a power supply component, and a circuit board implemented as described in the first aspect or any one of its implementation methods; or comprising a processor, a power supply component, and a circuit board prepared as described in the third aspect or any one of its implementation methods.

[0050] It is understandable that the motherboard provided in the fourth aspect may include the circuit board provided in the second aspect or the circuit board prepared by the method provided in the third aspect. Therefore, the beneficial effects achievable therefrom can refer to the corresponding beneficial effects in the first or third aspects and will not be further elaborated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] Figure 1 An example diagram of the hardware architecture of a power supply system for an electronic device or processor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 2A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a mainboard provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 2B for Figure 2A The cross-sectional view of the main board along line AB is shown;

[0054] Figure 2C for Figure 2A The cross-sectional view of the main board along line CD is shown;

[0055] Figure 2D for Figure 2A A schematic top view of a circuit board in the main board shown;

[0056] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the distribution of solder balls in a BGA on a processor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 4 An exemplary cross-sectional view of a circuit board provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 5A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of another mainboard provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 5B for Figure 5A The cross-sectional view of the main board along line AB is shown;

[0060] Figure 5C for Figure 5A The cross-sectional view of the main board along line CD is shown;

[0061] Figure 5D for Figure 5A A schematic top view of a circuit board in the main board shown;

[0062] Figure 6 An exemplary cross-sectional view of a circuit board provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 7 for Figure 2A The cross-sectional view of the main board along line CD is shown;

[0064] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a process for preparing a circuit board provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figures 9A-9G This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a structure formed in the preparation process of a circuit board provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] First, the terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are explained.

[0067] (1) A via is a hole drilled on a multi-layer PCB (also known as a circuit board) that provides electrical connections between the PCB layers, that is, transmits signals from one layer to another on a multi-layer PCB. Vias can include but are not limited to three types: through holes, blind holes, and buried holes. Among them, through holes, also known as through holes, are connecting holes between the top and bottom layers of a PCB, and can also provide interconnection between internal PCB layers. Blind holes are vias that connect the surface and inner layers of a PCB but do not penetrate the circuit board. They can be used to interconnect the top or bottom layers of a PCB with the inner layers. Buried holes are vias that connect the inner layers but are not visible on the surface layer. They are used for interconnection between internal PCB layers.

[0068] Methods to improve the flow capacity of vias include: thick copper plating on the hole wall, inserting copper needles into the hole, inserting conductive paste (such as copper paste, silver paste, etc.) into the hole, etc. However, the thick copper plating technology is suitable for larger hole diameters (above 0.3mm), and the thickness of the electroplated copper on the hole wall is limited (usually within 3mils), which results in insufficient flow capacity in large flow scenarios; the copper needle plugging technology is also not suitable for small hole diameter scenarios (if the hole diameter is too small, the required copper needle diameter is also small, making pin insertion difficult); although the conductive paste technology is suitable for small hole diameter scenarios, the paste (such as copper paste, silver paste, etc.) has high resistance and poor conductivity, resulting in insufficient flow capacity.

[0069] The PCB via hole diameter at the bottom of the processor is only 6-8 mils, and the flow capacity is low. The existing via flow technology cannot meet the power supply requirements of high-performance processors.

[0070] (2) Circuit board, also called circuit board, is a stacked multi-layer PCB, that is, a multi-layer wiring layer, which generally includes a signal layer, a ground layer and a power layer, etc. Among them, the number of layers of the signal layer, the ground layer and the power layer can be one or more layers, and the specific number of layers and positions of each layer are determined based on the function of the circuit to be implemented. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the power layer is not a necessary layer, and the power layer may not be included. Among them, the top and bottom layers of the circuit board are generally used to arrange components and a small amount of wiring. In the embodiment of the present application, the top layer of the circuit board is used to place the processor. The circuit board generally adopts an even-layer structure, which can be a 4-layer board, a 6-layer board, an 8-layer board, a 12-layer board, a 14-layer board or a structure of more layers.

[0071] like Figure 1 As shown, it is an example diagram of the hardware architecture of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The electronic device is also called a computing device, which can be a server, or a gateway device or network device such as a base station or a router, or a terminal device such as a laptop, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, or a mobile phone. Among them, the server can be a file server, a domain control server, a database server, a mail server, a web server, a multimedia server, a communication server, a terminal server, an infrastructure server, a virtualization server, etc. The server can be tower-type, rack-type, blade-type, etc. The electronic device can be, but is not limited to, an X86 architecture, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture, an advanced reduced instruction set machine (ARM) architecture, etc.

[0072] The electronic device may include but is not limited to: one or more processors 11, one or more memories 12, a power connector 13, and other electronic components, etc. The one or more processors 11 are coupled to the one or more memories 12 via a bus, and the power connector 13 is electrically connected to the processor 11, etc.

[0073] It should be understood that it is not limited to Figure 1The electronic device referred to herein may include more or fewer units / electronic components, and the structure illustrated in the embodiments of the present invention does not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device. In other embodiments of the present application, the electronic device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or separate certain components, or arrange the components differently. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0074] The processor 11 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural network processing unit (NPU), a deep-learning processing unit (DPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), or any other processor. The processor 11 may also be a system on chip (SoC) consisting of a CPU and other peripheral devices (such as memory and a GPU).

[0075] The memory 12 may include an internal memory (also referred to as a memory) and an external memory (e.g., a hard disk, a flash memory, etc.). The memory 12 may store executable program code, which includes instructions. The processor 11 executes the instructions stored in the memory 12 to implement various functions of the electronic device and data processing.

[0076] The power connector 13 is used to receive power input to supply power to components in the electronic device, such as the processor 11 and the memory 12 .

[0077] The processor 11 , the memory 12 and the power connector 13 may all be arranged on the mainboard, for example, connected to the mainboard via welding or a connector.

[0078] The motherboard is used to realize the communication connection between the electronic components in the electronic device, such as the connection between the processor 11 and other electronic components such as the memory 12 and the power connector 13, so as to realize the communication between the various electronic components.

[0079] Among them, the motherboard is also called the circuit board, including multi-layer PCB ( Figure 1 (not shown) A multilayer PCB can be a 4-layer, 6-layer, 8-layer, 12-layer, or even more layer PCB. Each layer can be used for wiring or copper cladding. Each layer can have different functions, and the layers can be interconnected through through holes, blind vias, and buried vias.

[0080] In some embodiments, the electronic device may further include a power converter (not shown). The power converter may be connected to a power connector and disposed on a surface (top or bottom) of the circuit board. In some implementations, the power converter is also known as a voltage regulator module (VRM), which is used to receive power input and convert the power voltage, including but not limited to one or more of a step-down circuit (such as a Buck circuit), a step-up circuit (such as a Boost circuit), or a Buck-Boost circuit, etc., determined by the voltage required by the processor 11 and the input voltage.

[0081] Not limited to Figure 1 The processor 11 is connected to the power connector 13 shown in the figure. The processor 11 can also be connected to other communication interfaces through the motherboard to achieve information interaction between the processor 11 and electronic components such as the memory 12 and other processors.

[0082] It should also be understood that it is not limited to Figure 1 The electronic device shown may include more or fewer units.

[0083] It is understood that the structures illustrated in the embodiments of the present invention do not constitute specific limitations on the electronic device. In other embodiments of the present application, the electronic device may include more or fewer components than shown, or may combine or separate certain components, or arrange the components differently. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0084] The following two embodiments introduce the power supply system and circuit board structure of the processor involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0085] Example 1

[0086] like Figure 2A The three-dimensional schematic diagram of the motherboard shown, Figure 2B shown Figure 2A Schematic diagram of the cross section of the motherboard at line AB, Figure 2C shown Figure 2A Schematic diagram of the cross section of the motherboard at line CD and Figure 2D shown Figure 2A The top view of the upper surface of the circuit board in the example diagram, the main board can be applied to the above Figure 1The motherboard may include, but is not limited to, a processor 11, a circuit board 14, and a power connector 13. The processor 11 and the power connector 13 are disposed on different surfaces of the circuit board 14. For example, the processor 11 is disposed on the top surface of the circuit board 14, and the power connector 13 is disposed on the bottom surface of the circuit board 14. It should be understood that the power connector 13 may also be a power converter, or a combination of a power converter and a power connector. Figure 2B and Figure 2C Take the power connector 13 as an example. When the mainboard includes a power converter, the power converter can be connected to the power connector, and the power connector can be connected to a power supply.

[0087] The surface of the processor 11 adjacent to the top layer of the circuit board 14 may include a ball grid array (BGA). The BGA includes multiple solder balls, also known as BGA solder balls, for soldering to the top layer of the PCB. The BGA array includes BGA solder balls 111a for powering the processor 11 and BGA solder balls 111b for transmitting signals.

[0088] Usually, the connection terminals (solder balls 111a) for high current power supply in high power chips such as processor 11 are distributed relatively concentratedly. Figure 3 As shown, it is an example diagram of the distribution of solder balls in the BGA of the processor 11, in which the solder balls 111a used for the same power supply are distributed linearly or concentrated in one or more places. Among them, the area 301 concentrates multiple rows and columns of solder balls 111a. For example, it can be divided into multiple areas 3011, and the solder balls 111a in each area 3011 are arranged in a row, or it can be said to be distributed in a longitudinal linear manner; or the solder balls 111a in area 302 are distributed in a 45° oblique line, also arranged in a row, and the solder balls 111a in area 303 are distributed in a horizontal linear manner, also arranged in a row. Among them, being arranged in a row or distributed linearly means that multiple adjacent solder balls can be connected into a line, which can be a straight line, an oblique line, or a broken line. Among them, two solder balls are adjacent to each other when one solder ball is located above, below, left, right or diagonally above the other solder ball and there is no solder ball between the two solder balls (in Figure 3 for reference).

[0089] It should be understood that the high current here refers to a current of not less than 100A, for example, a current of 300-600A or 400-500A. Figure 1 The number of solder balls, the distribution of solder balls 111a, and the distribution of solder balls 111b are illustrative of the meaning of "concentration" of solder balls 111a, and do not represent the number and distribution in actual processor products.

[0090] To improve the high-current power supply requirements of processor 11, the present embodiment forms a slot extending through circuit board 14 in the area corresponding to a row of BGA solder balls 111a. This slot is filled with conductive material to form a conductive member. Compared to vias, this conductive member has a larger cross-sectional area, thereby significantly improving the flow capacity.

[0091] like Figure 2B-2D As shown, the circuit board 14 includes one or more conductive members 141 extending through the circuit board 14 . Each conductive member corresponds to a row of BGA solder balls 111a used to supply high current to the processor 11. The conductive members 141 can be formed of a conductive material such as copper or silver. It should be understood that the conductive members 141 can also be formed of other metals or alloys, which are not limited here. One surface of each conductive member 141 is used to electrically connect to the multiple BGA solder balls 111a distributed in a linear pattern, and the other surface is used to electrically connect to the power connector 13.

[0092] The conductive member 141 may be a rectangular parallelepiped or a rounded rectangular parallelepiped, etc., and its thickness may be equal to or less than the thickness of the circuit board 14, for example, 1mm-10mm, such as 2mm; its width is not less than the diameter of a BGA solder ball 111a and less than the distance between two adjacent BGA solder balls 111a, for example, 0.1-0.3mm or 6-14mil, and another example, 0.2mm; its length may generally be the length of the smallest rectangle or rounded rectangle surrounding the plurality of linear BGA solder balls 111a, for example, 1-20mm. Figure 2D As shown, the surface of the conductive member 141 is a minimum rounded rectangle surrounding the corresponding positions of the four BGA solder balls 111 a.

[0093] The circuit board 14 may include a plurality of conductive members 141 spaced apart, each conductive member 141 providing a different power source for the processor 11. Here, "different power sources" refer to different voltages and / or currents of the power supply. Figure 2B and Figure 2D An example of five conductive members 141 being provided in a circuit board is used for explanation.

[0094] In some embodiments, a BGA pad 142 is provided on the surface of the conductive member 141 at a position corresponding to each BGA solder ball (111a, 111b) for soldering to the BGA solder ball (111a, 111b) at the corresponding position. A connector pad 143 can be provided on the bottom layer of the circuit board 14 at a position corresponding to each BGA solder ball 111a. The connector pad 143 is used to solder to the power connector 13. At this time, one end of each conductive member 141 is connected to the BGA pad 142 corresponding to the conductive member 141, and the other end is connected to the connector pad 143. The BGA pad 142 corresponding to each conductive member 141 is used to solder to the corresponding solder ball 111a. The power connector 13 may include a connector solder ball 131 for soldering to the connector pad 143. The processor 11 is connected to the power connector 13 through the BGA solder ball 111a, the BGA pad 142, the conductive member 141, the connector pad 143 and the connector solder ball 131 in sequence to receive power from the power supply.

[0095] The circuit board 14 may be a multi-layer PCB structure, taking 12 layers as an example. Figure 4 The cross-sectional view of a circuit board shown in FIG. 14 may include: wiring layers L1-L12. Among them, L1-L12 may be signal layers or ground layers, and any two adjacent wiring layers are isolated by an insulating PP board. Figure 2B or Figure 3 In the embodiment, the circuit board 14 may not include a power layer. The circuit board 14 may also include vias (not shown). The BGA solder balls 111b used for signal transmission on the processor 11 are coupled to one or more signal layers in the circuit board 14 through the vias. The signal layers may also be interconnected through through holes, blind vias, and buried vias to achieve coupling between the processor 11 and the signal layers.

[0096] Example 2

[0097] like Figure 5A Another three-dimensional schematic diagram of a motherboard shown in FIG. Figure 5B for Figure 5A The cross-sectional diagram of the motherboard at line AB is shown. Figure 5C for Figure 5A The cross-sectional diagram of the motherboard at line CD is shown as well as Figure 5D for Figure 5A The schematic cross-sectional view of the circuit board surface at line CD is shown. This structure can be applied to the above Figure 1The motherboard may include, but is not limited to, a processor 11, a circuit board 14, and a power connector 13. The processor 11 and the power connector 13 are disposed on the same surface of the circuit board 14. For example, the processor 11 and the power connector 13 are both disposed on the top surface of the circuit board 14. It should be understood that the power connector 13 may also be a power converter, or a combination of the power connector 13 and the power converter. Figure 5B Take the power connector 13 as an example. When the mainboard includes a power converter, the power converter can be connected to the power connector 13, and the power connector 13 can be connected to a power supply.

[0098] Similar to the first embodiment, the processor 11 includes a BGA solder ball 111 a for power supply and a BGA solder ball 111 b for signal transmission.

[0099] like Figure 5B-5D As shown, the circuit board 14 includes a multi-layer PCB layer, which includes at least one power layer 144a and multiple conductive members 141, wherein each conductive member 141 can pass through the entire circuit board 14 or only pass through the PCB layer located on the power layer 144a, and a surface of each conductive member 141 is coupled to multiple BGA solder balls 111a distributed in a linear manner, and its side is coupled to the power layer 144a, and the power layer 144a is coupled to the power connector 13.

[0100] It should be understood that the conductive member 141 can be formed of conductive materials such as copper or silver. It should be understood that the conductive member 141 can also be formed of other metals or alloys, which is not limited here. Among them, the conductive member 141 can be a rectangular parallelepiped or a rounded rectangular parallelepiped, etc., and its thickness is equal to the thickness of the circuit board 14, for example, 1mm-10mm, such as 2mm; its width is not less than the diameter of one BGA solder ball 111a and less than the distance between two adjacent BGA solder balls 111a, for example, 0.1-0.3mm or 6-14mil, and for example, 0.2mm; its length is at least greater than the sum of the diameters of two BGA solder balls 111a, and usually its length can be the length of the smallest rectangle or rounded rectangle area surrounding multiple linear BGA solder balls 111a, for example, 1-20mm. As Figure 5D As shown, the surface of the conductive member 141 is a minimum rounded rectangle surrounding the corresponding positions of the four BGA solder balls 111 a.

[0101] The circuit board 14 may include a plurality of conductive members 141 arranged at intervals, and each conductive member 141 may supply a different power source to the processor 11 .

[0102] Figure 6 shown Figure 5A The cross-sectional structure diagram of the circuit board at line AB in FIG. 1 shows that the circuit board 14 may be a multi-layer PCB structure. Figure 6 Taking 12 layers as an example, the circuit board 14 includes two power supply layers 144a, at least one first PCB layer 144b disposed on the first surface of the two power supply layers 144a, at least one second PCB layer 144c disposed on the second surface of the two power supply layers 144a, and a plurality of conductive members 141 and a plurality of conductor posts 145 extending through the circuit board 14. The conductive members 141 and the conductor posts 145 are both coupled to the power supply layer 144a. One surface of the conductive member 141 is electrically connected to a row of BGA solder balls 111a, and its side surface is electrically connected to the power supply layer 144a. One end of the conductor post is electrically connected to a power connector, and its side wall is electrically connected to the power supply layer 144a. Alternatively, the conductive members 141 and the conductor posts 145 may only extend through the first PCB layer 144b located on the power supply layer 144a to connect to the power supply layer 144a. The circuit board 14 may include two power layers 144a: one for wiring, transmitting the power signal received by the power connector 13 to the conductive element 141; the other for grounding, providing a conductive loop. The circuit board 14 may also include more power layers 144a and more conductive elements 141; this is not limited here. The voltage or current passing through each conductive element 141 can be the same or different, depending on the power supply requirements of the processor 11, which is also not limited here.

[0103] Alternatively, both the conductive member 141 and the conductive post 145 may extend only through the first PCB layer 144b located above the power layer 144a and couple to the power layer 144a. In this case, one surface of the conductive member 141 is electrically connected to a row of BGA solder balls 111a, and the other surface is electrically connected to the power layer 144a. One end of the conductive post 145 is electrically connected to the power connector 13, and the other surface is electrically connected to the power layer 144a.

[0104] The processor 11 is coupled to the power layer 144a via the conductive member 141a on the circuit board 14, and the power connector 13 is coupled to the power layer 144a via the conductive post 145. This allows the power connector 13 to power the processor 21 via the conductive post 145, the power layer 144a, and the conductive member 141. It is understood that a portion of the conductive member 141 is coupled to one power layer 144a; another portion of the conductive member 141 is coupled to another power layer 144a; a portion of the conductive post 145 is coupled to one power layer 144a; and another portion of the conductive post 145 is coupled to another power layer 144a.

[0105] The conductor post 145 may be a solid copper post or silver post, or other metals or alloys, which are not limited herein. In addition, the diameter of the conductor post 145 may be greater than or equal to the diameter of the first conductive member 141a, and may be 0.15-1 mm or greater.

[0106] In some embodiments, a BGA pad 142 is provided on the top layer of the circuit board 14 at a position corresponding to each BGA solder ball (111a, 111b) for soldering to the corresponding BGA solder ball (111a, 111b). In this case, one end of each conductive member 141 is connected to the BGA pads 142 corresponding to the BGA solder balls 111a distributed in a line, and the other end is connected to a power supply layer 144a. One end of each conductive column 145 is connected to a power supply layer 144a, and the other end is connected to the power connector 13.

[0107] It should be understood that the conductor post 145 can also be replaced with other conductive components, such as vias. Because the power connector 13 and the processor 11 are arranged side by side on the top layer of the circuit board 14, the diameter of the via on the circuit board 14 on the side of the power connector 13 is not limited by the BGA array of the processor 11. The via can have a larger diameter, and a conductive liquid can be injected into the via or a conductive needle can be inserted into the via.

[0108] The power connector 13 can be connected to the conductor post 145 (or via) by welding, wires, or other connection methods. For example, the top layer of the circuit board 14 also includes a connector pad, and the power connector 13 can be welded to the conductor post 145 through the connector pad.

[0109] The circuit board 14 may be a multi-layer PCB structure, taking 12 layers as an example. Figure 6 The cross-sectional view of a circuit board 14 is shown, and the circuit board 14 may include: wiring layers L1-L12, wherein each of L1-L5 and L8-L12 may be a signal layer or a ground layer, and L6-L7 may be a power layer 144a.

[0110] In another embodiment, Figure 7 Shown Figure 2A The motherboard shown in the figure is another cross-sectional example diagram along the CD line. In this case, the circuit board 14 includes one or more power supply layers 144a. The conductive member 141 and the conductor column 145 can be respectively arranged on both sides of the power supply layer 144a. In this case, the processor 11 and the power connector 13 can be respectively arranged on two opposite surfaces of the circuit board 14. One surface of the conductive member 141 is electrically connected to a row of BGA solder balls 111a, and the other surface is electrically connected to the power supply layer 144a; one end of the conductor column 145 is electrically connected to the power supply connector 13, and the other surface is electrically connected to the power supply layer 144a.

[0111] In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the thickness T of each PCB in the circuit board 14 can be 0.1 mm-5 mm, for example, 2 mm.

[0112] exist Figure 2A-Figure 7The circuit board 14 may also include vias (not shown). The BGA solder balls 111b on the processor 11 used for signal transmission are coupled to one or more signal layers in the circuit board 14 through the vias. The signal layers may also be interconnected through through holes, blind vias, and buried vias to achieve coupling between the processor 11 and the signal layers.

[0113] It should be understood that the BGA may also include solder balls (not shown in the figure) for supplying low current to the processor 11. The solder balls may be connected to the power connector 13 or the power layer 144a in the circuit board 14 through vias or conductor columns.

[0114] It should also be understood that the power connector 13 can also be replaced by a power converter. Here, the power connector 13 is used as an example for explanation.

[0115] It should also be understood that each PCB layer corresponds to a wiring layer, and each wiring layer is attached to a substrate. Wiring layers can be attached to both opposing surfaces of a substrate. Therefore, the number of PCB layers may not be the same as the number of PCB layers. In this embodiment, a PCB layer comprises a wiring layer and a substrate supporting it. Different PCB layers can share a substrate. The substrate can be made of polypropylene (PP), epoxy resin, polyester resin, or phenolic resin.

[0116] It should also be understood that the "connection" described in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 2 can be understood as direct connection and indirect connection. A direct connection between two components / parts means that one component / part directly contacts the other component / part; while an indirect connection means that one component / part is electrically connected to the other component / part through some other conductive component (such as a solder ball pad, metal wiring, etc.).

[0117] The following describes the above Figure 2A-Figure 7 A method for preparing a circuit board.

[0118] like Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a process for preparing a circuit board is shown, and Figures 9A-9G Schematic diagram of the structure formed in the preparation process shown. The method may include but is not limited to some or all of the following steps:

[0119] S01: Provide a circuit board. Define slots extending through the circuit board in areas corresponding to each group of BGA solder balls 111a. Each BGA solder ball 111a in a group is used to power a processor. The group of BGA solder balls 111a is arranged in a line, also known as a row of BGA solder balls 111a.

[0120] Among them, such as Figure 9AThe top view of the circuit board and its cross-sectional view along lines AB and CD are shown. Circuit board 801 comprises a multi-layer PCB (not shown), with adjacent PCB layers bonded together by an adhesive layer. The circuit board is formed by laminating the multi-layer PCBs and adhesive layers. Each PCB layer may include an insulating substrate and wiring layers covering one or both sides of the substrate.

[0121] It should be understood that Figure 9A The positions of the BGA solder balls 111a and 111b on the circuit board surface are shown, rather than the solder balls or vias. For the BGA solder balls 111a and 111b and their distribution, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 and embodiment 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0122] In some embodiments, slots can be formed in the area corresponding to each group of BGA solder balls 111a on the circuit board 801 by mechanical drilling or laser drilling. In some implementations, the slots can penetrate the circuit board 801. In other implementations, the circuit board 801 includes at least one power layer, and the slots can penetrate the PCB located on the power layer.

[0123] The present application embodiment takes the slot hole penetrating the circuit board 801 as an example. The circuit board 801 may include a power supply layer, such as the prepared Figures 2A-2D The circuit board shown in FIG; may also not include the power layer, such as prepared Figures 5A-5D The circuit board shown in FIG.

[0124] like Figure 9B and Figure 9C As shown in the top view of the circuit board and its cross-sectional view at line AB and line CD, a specific implementation of opening slots in the circuit board 801 can be to first drill holes at the positions corresponding to each BGA solder ball for high current power supply (also called power solder point positions) to obtain power holes 802 that correspond one-to-one to the BGA solder balls 111a for power supply, as shown in FIG. Figure 9B As shown, multiple drilling techniques are used in the middle of multiple power holes to connect the power holes 802 into slot holes 803, as shown in FIG. Figure 9C shown.

[0125] The length of slot 803 is the length of a line connecting a group of BGA solder balls 111a, and the width of slot 803 can be greater than the diameter of BGA solder balls 111a. The size of slot 803 is equal to the size of conductive member 114 in the first or second embodiment above. For details on the size of conductive member 114 in the first or second embodiment above, please refer to the description of the size of conductive member 114 in the first or second embodiment above, and will not be repeated here.

[0126] S02 : forming a first metal layer 804 on the inner wall of the slot 803 and the surface of the circuit board 801 through a hole metallization process.

[0127] like Figure 9D The top view of the circuit board and its cross-sectional view at line AB and line CD are shown. Hole metallization refers to the process of plating a metal layer, also called the first metal layer 804, on the insulating hole wall in the slot by chemical plating and electroplating.

[0128] S03: Insert the metal sheet 805 into the metalized slot 803 .

[0129] like Figure 9E The top view of the circuit board and its cross-sectional view along lines AB and CD are shown. Specifically, multiple metal sheets 805 are provided and inserted into slots 803. The length of each metal sheet 805 can vary, determined based on the size of the slots 803 into which they are inserted. The length l can be equal to the length of the slots 803 to ensure electrical connection between the metal sheet 805 and the slots 805. The width h of the metal sheet 805 can be equal to or greater than the thickness of the circuit board 801. The thickness d of the metal sheet 805 is less than the diameter of the power hole 802, for example, 4-12 mils.

[0130] S04: Electroplating forms a second metal layer 806 on the metalized slot wall, the surface of the first metal layer 804 and the surface of the metal sheet 805. The metal sheet 805, the first metal layer 804 and the second metal layer 806 filled in the slot 803 form a conductive member. Figure 9F The top view of the circuit board and its cross-sectional view at line AB and line CD are shown.

[0131] It should be understood that the position corresponding to the BGA solder ball 111b can also be punched (not shown in the figure), which can be a through hole or a blind hole, etc., or the hole can be metallized and a layer of metal can be electroplated to form a conductive via to achieve signal transmission between the processor and the circuit board 801.

[0132] Optionally, the two surfaces of the circuit board 801 may be planarized by a process such as grinding to provide a planarized surface for the preparation of surface wiring layers, pads, and the like.

[0133] S05: Generate a BGA pad at a position corresponding to the BGA solder ball on the surface of the circuit board.

[0134] Before forming the pads, both surfaces of the circuit board 801 may be patterned to form wiring layers on the surfaces of the circuit board 801 .

[0135] like Figure 9GThe top view of the circuit board and its cross-sectional view along lines AB and CD are shown. BGA pads 806a are formed on the surface of the circuit board 801 at positions corresponding to the BGA solder balls 111a, and BGA pads 806b are formed at positions corresponding to the BGA solder balls 111b. BGA pads 806a are used to solder to the corresponding BGA solder balls 111a on the processor 11, and BGA pads 806b are used to solder to the corresponding BGA solder balls 111b on the processor 11.

[0136] During specific preparation, a plate over filled via (POFV) process may be used to form the BGA pads (111a, 111b). In this case, the BGA pads may also be referred to as POFV pads.

[0137] The materials of the first metal layer 804 , the second metal layer 806 and the metal sheet 805 may be the same or different, and may be copper, silver, aluminum, palladium or other metals.

[0138] Furthermore, after the circuit board is prepared, it can be welded with the processor 11, the power connector 13, etc. Figure 2A-Figure 7 The motherboard shown.

[0139] It should be noted that the flowcharts described in each embodiment of the present invention are merely one embodiment. Without departing from the spirit of the present invention, the steps in each flowchart may be modified or varied in various ways, such as executing the steps in the flowchart in a different order, or deleting, adding, or modifying certain steps.

[0140] The technical terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to illustrate specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In this document, the singular forms "a," "the," and "said" are used to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the terms "including" and / or "comprising" used in this specification refer to the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components.

[0141] It should also be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, "at least one" and "one or more" refer to one, two, or more than two. The term "and / or" is used to describe the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0142] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in this specification mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with that embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the present application. Thus, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," and "in yet other embodiments" appearing in various places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0143] The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or steps and function elements in the appended claims, if any, are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing that function in combination with other explicitly claimed elements. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of example and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the form disclosed.

Claims

1. A computing device, characterized in that include: circuit boards, processors, and power connectors; The processor is arranged on the circuit board and is electrically connected to the circuit board via a ball grid array; The power connector is provided on the circuit board and is electrically connected to the circuit board; The circuit board includes a stacked multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) and a plurality of conductive members, each of which supplies power to the processor using a different power source; The conductive member penetrates at least one layer of the PCB; The conductive member is used to electrically connect the processor and the power connector; wherein the conductive member is electrically connected to a plurality of solder balls in the ball grid array, and the plurality of solder balls are arranged in a row; The conductive member passes through the circuit board; The circuit board includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other; The processor is disposed on the first surface of the circuit board; The power connector is arranged on the second surface of the circuit board; Along the thickness direction of the circuit board, the conductive member includes a first surface and a second surface; The first surface of the conductive member is used to electrically connect the plurality of solder balls; The second surface is used for electrically connecting to the power connector; The width of the conductive member is greater than or equal to the diameter of the solder ball and smaller than the distance between two adjacent solder balls.

2. The computing device according to claim 1, wherein The thickness of the conductive member is less than or equal to the thickness of the circuit board.

3. The computing device according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of solder pads are provided on the first surface of the conductive member; and the processor is electrically connected to the power connector via the plurality of solder balls, the plurality of solder pads and the conductive member.

4. The computing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The conductive member is a cuboid.

5. The computing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The conductive element is made of copper or silver.

6. The computing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: A plurality of connector pads are provided on the second surface of the conductive member, and the power connector is electrically connected to the circuit board via the connector pads.

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