Laminated structure reference point

Abstract

The invention relates to a reference point for a laminated structure. Laminated structures and fiducial configurations for electronic device laminated structures are disclosed. The reference point formed in the laminated structure has better visibility and contrast, so that the capability of detecting the reference point by an automatic machine optical detection device commonly used in the electronic industry is improved. The disclosed reference points are defined by openings extending along its depth in the laminate structure, providing sufficient contrast. The aperture of the reference point passes through the plurality of metal layers and the dielectric layer of the laminated structure. Laser drilling or other reduction processing technologies can be adopted for datum point forming. The reference point disclosed herein can be coated with an additional layer or plating, such as a metal plating comprising a layer of electronic device electromagnetic shielding, with the reference point having sufficient visibility and contrast such that the additional layer or plating remains detectable.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of an application filed on March 6, 2020, with international application number PCT / US020 / 021404, which entered the Chinese national phase on November 5, 2021, with national application number 202080034015.3, and invention name “reference point of laminated structure”. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a laminate structure of an electronic device, and more particularly to a reference point of the laminate structure. Background Art

[0003] Electronic substrates are usually used to support and connect electronic components and electronic modules. Laminated structures such as printed circuit boards are often used as electronic substrates for electronic devices. A typical laminated structure may include a non-conductor for support and one or more conductors for connecting electronic components or electronic modules. The conductor may be any type of conductive structure exposed at the surface of the non-conductor, and may include contact pads, conductive lines, surface exposed portions of guide holes, etc. Electronic components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, resonators, bonding wires, and integrated circuits (ICs) are mounted on one or more conductors through a welding process. For example, a conductor may include one or more contact pads interconnected by one or more conductive lines. Therefore, one or more circuits are formed on the laminated structure. One or more electronic components mounted on the laminated structure can be arranged to form an electronic device or module.

[0004] In a typical manufacturing process, many electronic modules are formed simultaneously on a common laminate structure, and then the electronic modules or groups of electronic modules are singulated. In this way, common production steps and processes can be carried out in sequence at high speed to form a large number of electronic modules at the same time. Electronic component placement tools can be used to place electronic components on a common laminate structure to form electronic modules. After the electronic modules are formed, singulation can include singulating the laminate structure along the outer perimeter of the individual electronic modules or around the group of electronic modules. Reference points or identification marks are usually used to mark the placement positions of various electronic components on the laminate structure, or to mark the location of the singulation line of the electronic module.

[0005] Existing technology requires improvements in electronic devices and related manufacturing techniques to overcome the challenges posed by traditional electronic devices. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a laminated structure of an electronic device, and more specifically to the configuration of a reference point of the laminated structure. The laminated structure disclosed herein may include one or more metal layers and a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer providing support for one or more electronic components or modules mounted thereon. The disclosed reference points are formed in the laminated structure, with better visibility and contrast, thereby improving the ability of optical detection equipment of commonly used automated machines in the electronics industry to detect the reference points. In some embodiments, the reference points are defined by openings extending along the depth of the laminated structure, thereby providing sufficient contrast. The openings of the reference points pass through multiple metal layers and dielectric layers of the laminated structure. In some embodiments, the openings of the reference points are formed by subtractive techniques such as laser drilling. In some embodiments, the reference points may be coated with additional layers or coatings, such as a metal coating including an electromagnetic shielding layer of an electronic device (mounted on the laminated structure), and the reference points have sufficient visibility and contrast to keep the additional layers or coatings detectable.

[0007] On the other hand, any of the above aspects and / or various individual aspects and features described herein may be combined to provide other advantages. Unless otherwise specified herein, any of the various features and elements described herein may be used in combination with one or more other disclosed features and elements.

[0008] Those skilled in the art will understand the scope of the present invention and recognize other aspects of the present invention after reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] This specification includes accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification, and illustrate several aspects of the present disclosure. Together with the following description, they illustrate the principles of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 1A It is a top view of the laminate structure after it is formed at several reference points.

[0011] Figure 1B is along Figure 1A Sectional view taken along section line AA.

[0012] Figure 2 is a top view of the laminate structure after several reference points are formed to increase the depth of the laminate structure in the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0013] Figure 3A It is a cross-sectional view of the laminate structure before forming at the reference point.

[0014] Figure 3B yes Figure 3A A cross-sectional view of a laminate structure after a photoresist layer is patterned on the laminate structure.

[0015] Figure 3C yes Figure 3BCross-sectional view of the laminate structure after the thickness of the first metal layer is increased in specific areas.

[0016] Figure 3D yes Figure 3C Cross-sectional view of the laminate structure after removing the photoresist layer.

[0017] Figure 3E yes Figure 3D A cross-sectional view of a laminate structure at a reference point with depth added to the laminate structure.

[0018] Figure 4A is a cross-sectional view of a laminate structure including a solder resist layer in an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0019] Figure 4B yes Figure 4A Cross-section of a laminate structure with added depth at the reference point.

[0020] Figure 5A is a cross-sectional view of a laminate structure including a metal plating layer in an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0021] Figure 5B yes Figure 5A The embodiments include Figure 4A and Figure 4B A cross-sectional view of the laminated structure of the solder mask layer shown in FIG.

[0022] Fig. 6A FIG. 1 is a top view of a representative laminate structure after multiple electronic modules are installed to form a row of electronic modules.

[0023] Figure 6B yes Fig. 6A Medium laminate structure Figure 5A and Figure 5B A top view of the metal coating after forming is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The embodiments described below provide information necessary for those skilled in the art to implement these embodiments and illustrate the best way to implement these embodiments. When reading the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art should understand these concepts of the present disclosure and recognize that the application of these concepts is not specifically described herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure and claims.

[0025] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. are used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish different components. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first component may also be called the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be called the first component. In this article, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed related items.

[0026] It should be understood that when a component such as a layer, region or substrate refers to "being located on another component" or "extending on another component", it can be directly located on another component or extend directly on another component, but there may be an intermediate component. On the contrary, if a component refers to "being directly located on another component" or "extending directly on another component", there should be no intermediate component. Similarly, it should be understood that when a component such as a layer, region or substrate refers to "being located above another component" or "extending above another component", it can be directly located above another component or extend directly above another component, but there may be an intermediate component. On the contrary, if a component refers to "being directly located above another component" or "extending directly above another component", there should be no intermediate component. It should be understood that when a component refers to "connecting" or "docking" with another component, it can be directly connected or docked with another component, but there may be an intermediate component. On the contrary, if a component refers to "directly connecting" or "directly docking" with another component, there should be no intermediate component.

[0027] Relative terms such as "below", "above", "upper", "lower", "horizontal" or "vertical" may be used herein to describe the relative relationship of one component, layer or region to another component, layer or region, as shown in the drawings. It should be understood that these terms and the above content include other different orientations in addition to the device orientations described in the drawings.

[0028] The terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this document, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" also include the plural forms. It should be further understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes" and / or "including" used herein clearly indicate the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, components and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0029] Unless otherwise specified, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. It should be further understood that the terms used herein should be interpreted as having the meaning consistent with the context of this description and the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless otherwise explicitly specified herein.

[0030] The present disclosure relates to a laminated structure of an electronic device, and more particularly to the configuration of a reference point of the laminated structure. The laminated structure disclosed herein may include one or more metal layers and a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer providing a support structure for one or more electronic components or modules mounted thereon. Forming the disclosed reference points in the laminated structure provides better visibility and contrast, thereby improving the ability of commonly used automated machine optical detection equipment in the electronics industry to detect the reference points. In certain embodiments, the reference points are defined by openings extending along the depth of the laminated structure, thereby providing sufficient contrast. The openings of the reference points pass through multiple metal layers and dielectric layers of the laminated structure. In certain embodiments, the openings of the reference points are formed by subtractive techniques such as laser drilling. In certain embodiments, the reference points may be coated with additional layers or coatings, such as a metal coating comprising an electromagnetic shielding layer of an electronic device (mounted on the laminated structure), and the reference points have sufficient visibility and contrast to keep the additional layers or coatings detectable.

[0031] Reference points or identification marks have many uses in the electronics industry, including marking the placement positions of various electronic components during the manufacturing process or marking the positions of the cut lines of electronic components or electronic modules. Typically, reference points are placed at different positions on the electronic substrate, and the automation equipment is equipped with optical detection equipment such as cameras to detect the positions of the reference points and perform subsequent manufacturing steps accordingly. For example, a placement machine can be configured to use a camera to detect each reference point and place each electronic component at the position of different reference points accordingly. In another example, a cutting machine can be configured to use a camera to detect each reference point and score, break, saw or cut the electronic device accordingly along the cutting lines or cross lines marked by the reference points.

[0032] Figure 1A It is a top view of the laminate structure 10 after being formed at several reference points 12 - 1 to 12 - 3 . Figure 1B is along Figure 1ASectional view after sectioning line AA. The laminated structure 10 includes a plurality of metal layers 14-1 to 14-6 and a plurality of dielectric layers 16-1 to 16-5. The laminated structure 10 may include a printed circuit board on which the plurality of metal layers 14-1 to 14-6 are alternately laminated with the plurality of dielectric layers 16-1 to 16-5. Although six metal layers 14-1 to 14-6 are shown, the laminated structure may have any number of metal layers. Typically, the increased number of laminated metal layers corresponds to the increased number of electronic components, which are then mounted and electrically connected on a particular laminated structure. In this way, electrical connections of the electronic components are achieved on different planes of the laminated structure 10. In some embodiments, the plurality of metal layers 14-1 to 14-6 may include copper (Cu), copper foil, etc., and the plurality of dielectric layers 16-1 to 16-5 may include fiber materials, glass fibers, epoxy resins, glass fiber reinforced epoxy resins, ceramic materials, polymer materials, and combinations thereof. The reference points 12-1 to 12-3 may be formed on the laminate structure 10, and their positions are spaced according to the mounting areas of the respective electronic components. Depending on the detection equipment used, the reference points 12-1 to 12-3 may be any number of shapes, including circular, cross, square, rectangular, elliptical, etc. Figure 1A As shown, the reference point 12-1 is circular on a portion of the first metal layer 14-1, wherein the boundary of the circle is defined by the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1. A gap portion is formed adjacent to the boundary of the reference point 12-1, and the gap portion does not include the first metal layer 14-1, so that the first dielectric layer 16-1 can be seen in the gap portion. In another example, the reference point 12-2 is also circular, wherein the boundary of the circle is defined by the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1; however, the molding position of the reference point 12-2 is an area of ​​the laminated structure 10 that does not include the first metal layer 14-1. In another example, the reference point 12-3 is a cross or a + sign shape, and the boundary is defined by the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1. Each of the reference points 12-1 to 12-3 can be formed by selectively removing or selectively depositing the first metal layer 14-1. Thus, the fiducials 12-1 to 12-3 are formed using the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1 and the portion of the first dielectric layer 16-1 visible through the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1. Therefore, the depth of each fiducial of the fiducials 12-1 to 12-3 depends on the thickness of the first metal layer 14-1. Depending on the usage, the laminate structure 10 may be subsequently coated with one or more additional layers (e.g., dielectric material, metal material, etc.) in a manufacturing step associated with attaching various electronic components to the laminate structure 10. If the fiducials 12-1 to 12-3 are also coated with one or more additional layers, the visibility and / or contrast of the fiducials 12-1 to 12-3 may be reduced, making it difficult for automated machines to detect the exact location of the fiducials 12-1 to 12-3.

[0033] Figure 2 20-1 to 20-3 are formed (increasing the depth on the laminated structure 18 in the embodiments disclosed herein). As described above, the first metal layer 14-1 is visible in the top view. The reference point 20-1 is a circle on a portion of the first metal layer 14-1, wherein the outer boundary of the circle is defined by the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1. Within the outer boundary, an annular area is formed, and the annular area does not include the first metal layer 14-1. The annular area extends deep enough in the laminated structure 18 to provide better visibility and contrast for the reference point 20-1. The reference point 20-2 is also a circle, wherein the outer boundary of the circle is defined by the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1; however, the entire area within the outer boundary of the circle does not include the first metal layer 14-1 and extends a similar depth in the laminated structure 18. The reference point 20-3 is a cross or + sign shape, and the boundary is defined by the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1. Therefore, each reference point 20 - 1 to 20 - 3 is formed in the laminate structure 18 , and each reference point 20 - 1 to 20 - 3 is defined by one or more openings in the first metal layer 14 - 1 .

[0034] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3E Cross-sectional views illustrating different stages of fiducial fabrication in the embodiments disclosed herein. Figure 3A 2 is a cross-sectional view of the laminated structure 22 before forming at the reference point. As described above, the laminated structure 22 includes a plurality of metal layers 14-1 to 14-6 and a plurality of dielectric layers 16-1 to 16-5. As shown in the figure, the second metal layer 14-2 is formed with an opening 24, and the second metal layer 14-2 cannot extend along the area of ​​the laminated structure 22 like the other metal layers 14-1, 14-3 to 14-6. For this reason, the first dielectric layer 16-1 and the second dielectric layer 16-2 are continuous in the opening 24. When forming the opening 24 of the second metal layer 14-2 when manufacturing the laminated structure 22, the forming method may include selectively depositing the pattern of the second metal layer 14-2 forming the opening 24, or depositing the second metal layer 14-2 over a large area and selectively removing the portion of the second metal layer 14-2 forming the opening 24.

[0035] Figure 3B yes Figure 3A FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the laminate structure 22 after the photoresist layer 26 is patterned on the laminate structure 22. The pattern of the photoresist layer 26 may be formed by various methods such as lithography and photolithography. Figure 3B In the figure, a photoresist layer 26 is formed on the laminate structure 22 to mark the position of the opening 24 of the second metal layer 14-2. Figure 3C yes Figure 3B1. A cross-sectional view of the laminate structure 22 after the thickness of the first metal layer 14-1 is increased in a specific area. As shown, additional material of the first metal layer 14-1 can be formed around the photoresist layer 26 on the laminate structure 22. To this end, the first metal layer 14-1 formed between the photoresist layer 26 and the first dielectric layer 16-1 is relatively thin. In some examples where the first metal layer 14-1 includes Cu, additional Cu material can be deposited around the photoresist layer 26 using a plating process or other deposition technique to increase the thickness of the first metal layer 14-1. In other embodiments, a material different from the first metal layer 14-1 can be deposited around the photoresist layer 26. Figure 3D The laminated structure 22 Figure 3C The cross-sectional view after the photoresist layer 26 is removed. In particular, the laminate structure 22 can be peeled off. Figure 3C The photoresist layer 26 in the first metal layer 14-1 can be removed by etching or other methods. Figure 3C The thinner portion of the photoresist layer 26 is formed directly below the first metal layer 14-1, thereby forming an opening 28 defined by the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1. Figure 1A Similar to the reference point 12-2 in FIG. 1 , the boundary of the reference point 30 is defined by the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1. Figure 3D The thickness is increased, and the depth of the reference point 30 in the laminate structure 22 is greater than Figure 1A The depth of the reference point 12-2 is thus greater than that of the reference point 12-2, thereby providing better contrast when viewed from above the laminate structure 22. As shown, the opening 28 marks the location of the opening 24 in the second metal layer 14-2.

[0036] Figure 3E yes Figure 3DFIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the laminate structure 22 after further increasing the depth of the laminate structure 22 at a reference point 30. As shown, the portions of the first dielectric layer 16-1 and the second dielectric layer 16-2 marked by the opening 28 are removed so that the opening 28 extends to the third metal layer 14-3. To this end, the shape of the opening 28 is defined by the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1, the first dielectric layer 16-1, and the second dielectric layer 16-2, and the marked point 30 includes the surface of the third metal layer 14-3 that is visibly exposed through the opening 28, and the opening 28 passes through the opening 24 of the second metal layer 14-2. Therefore, the reference point 30 is formed on the laminate structure 22, and the reference point 30 is defined by the opening 28 passing through the first metal layer 14-1, the first dielectric layer 16-1, and the second metal layer 14-2. In particular, the width of the opening 28 defines the width of the reference point 30. In some embodiments, the sidewall 28' of the opening 28 includes a portion of the first metal layer 14-1 and a portion of the first dielectric layer 16-1. The sidewall 28' may also include a portion of the second dielectric layer 16-2. Therefore, the sidewall 28' also relates to the sidewall of the laminate structure 22 within the opening 28, and the sidewall 28' may also define at least a portion of the reference point 30. In some embodiments, the width of the opening 24 of the second metal layer 14-2 on the laminate structure 22 is greater than the width of the opening 28. For this reason, the sidewall 28' does not include the second metal layer 14-2. Therefore, the reference point 30 extends further into the laminate structure 22, which can provide further better visibility and contrast when looking down from above the laminate structure 22. Therefore, at least some portions of the reference point 30 can be defined by the edge of the first metal layer 14-1 at the opening 28, thereby achieving the formation of a well-defined edge for optical detection equipment.

[0037] In order to remove the portions of the first dielectric layer 16-1 and the second dielectric layer 16-2 marked by the opening 28, in some embodiments, a selective removal process is used on the laminate structure 22. The selective removal process may include laser drilling, wherein pulsed laser energy from a laser source such as a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser is used at the opening 28 of the laminate structure 22. The first dielectric layer 16-1 and the second dielectric layer 16-2 absorb the laser energy, promoting ablation. In addition, the first metal layer 14-1 and the third metal layer 14-3 absorb less laser energy. To this end, laser energy can be used on a wider area of ​​the laminate structure 22 to define the shape of the reference point 30 through the opening 28 in the pattern or through the first metal layer 14-1. The first dielectric layer 16-1 and the second dielectric layer 16-2 are ablated, and the ablation is stopped at the exposed surface of the third metal layer 14-3. Therefore, by initially setting other openings on each metal layer in the laminate structure 22, the reference points 30 of different depths can be configured. For example, during the process of making the laminated structure 22, the third metal layer 14-3 may be formed using openings similar to the openings 24 in the second metal layer 14-2. Therefore, the laser drilling process may ablate portions of the first dielectric layer 16-1, the second dielectric layer 16-2, and the third dielectric layer 16-3, stopping at the fourth metal layer 14-4. Other subtractive removal steps may be considered, including mechanical drilling or cutting and etching.

[0038] Figure 4A is a cross-sectional view of a laminate structure 32 including a solder resist layer 34 in an embodiment disclosed herein. The laminate structure 32 is similar to Figure 3D The laminate structure 22 includes metal layers 14-1-14-6, dielectric layers 16-1-16-5, openings 28 defined by the first metal layer 14-1 pattern, and reference points 30, as described above. Depending on the purpose and type of components to be mounted at other locations on the laminate structure 32, the solder resist layer 34 can provide electrical isolation for the top of the laminate structure 32, as well as oxidation protection. It is worth noting that the solder resist layer 34 can be configured on the first metal layer 14-1 to form solder resist openings 36 marked by the reference points 30. In some embodiments, the solder resist openings 36 are configured with a width across the entire laminate structure 32 that is greater than the width of the reference points 30 across the entire laminate structure 32. Accordingly, a portion of the first metal layer 14-1 closest to the hole 28 may be free of the solder resist layer 34 to facilitate access to the opening 28 in subsequent processing steps and to improve visibility of the reference points 30.

[0039] Figure 4B yes Figure 4A A cross-sectional view of the laminate structure 32 after the depth is increased at the reference point 30. The depth of the reference point 30 can be increased by a material subtractive method, as described above. Figure 3EThe width of the solder mask opening 36 is greater than the width of the reference point 30, so that the laser energy generated during the laser drilling process can be applied to the opening 28, and the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1 that defines the opening 28 can also define the portions of the first and second dielectric layers 16-1, 16-2 that have been subtracted.

[0040] In certain embodiments, the surface of the laminated structure disclosed herein may be coated with one or more additional layers or coatings. Depending on the desired use and the electronic components that can be installed on the laminated structure accordingly, the one or more additional layers may include additional dielectric coatings and / or additional metal coatings, etc. For example, the electronic components or modules on the laminated structure may be coated with one or more metal coatings to form an electromagnetic shielding layer, which reduces electromagnetic interference or crosstalk between different electronic components or modules. The electromagnetic shielding layer may include one or more thin metal layers deposited on the laminated structure in sequence, covering specific electronic components or modules. The electromagnetic shielding layer may also include one or more metal particles or flakes suspended in an adhesive. During the deposition process, the reference points set inside the laminated structure may also be coated with an electromagnetic shielding layer coating. According to the reference point configuration disclosed herein, the reference points may be coated with additional layers or coatings and still maintain visibility and contrast sufficient for viewing and detection by automated processing equipment.

[0041] Figure 5A is a cross-sectional view of a laminate structure 38 including a metal plating layer 40 in an embodiment disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the metal plating layer 40 may include one or more layers or sublayers that constitute the electromagnetic shielding layer required for electronic components or modules installed at other locations of the laminate structure 38. The deposition of the metal plating layer 40 may be one or more combinations of electroless plating, electrolytic plating, other plating processes, sputtering, dispensing, and spraying. In some embodiments, the metal plating layer 40 includes one or more copper, nickel (Ni) and a combination thereof. For example, the metal plating layer 40 may include a first electroless copper, a second layer of electrolytic copper, and a third layer of electrolytic nickel to form an electromagnetic shielding layer. In other embodiments, the metal plating layer 40 includes conductive metal particles or flakes suspended or filled in an epoxy resin material or adhesive to form an electromagnetic shielding layer. In such embodiments, the epoxy resin material may be filled with one or more combinations of conductive metal particles or flakes of copper, silver (Ag), tin / zinc alloy (Sn / Zn) or other conductive materials. As previously described, Figure 5A The laminate structure 38 is similar to Figure 3EThe laminated structure 22 includes metal layers 14-1 to 14-6, dielectric layers 16-1 to 16-5, openings 28 defined by the pattern of the first metal layer 14-1, and reference points 30. During the deposition of the metal plating layer 40, the openings 28 may also be covered with the metal plating layer 40. At this point, the metal plating layer 40 may extend into the openings 28 and cover the sidewalls 28'. In some embodiments, the metal plating layer 40 may extend into the openings 28 to cover the surface of the third metal layer 14-3 exposed through the openings 28. As shown, the reference points 30 are defined by the openings 28, and the metal plating layer 40 covers one or more surfaces of the laminated structure outside the openings 28 (e.g., the top surface of the first metal layer 14-1) and one or more surfaces of the laminated structure 38 inside the openings 28 (e.g., the sidewalls 28' and a portion of the third metal layer 14-3).

[0042] Figure 5B yes Figure 5A The embodiments include Figure 4A and Figure 4B 34 is a cross-sectional view of a laminate structure 38 of a solder mask 34. As shown, the solder mask 34 can be configured as described above, and then a metal plating layer 40 can be formed on the laminate structure 38 to cover at least a portion of the solder mask 34. At this point, the metal plating layer 40 can also cover the portion of the first metal layer 14-1 not covered by the solder mask 34, and the metal plating layer 40 can also extend into the opening 28, as described above. In some embodiments, the metal plating layer 40 covers the sidewalls 28' of the opening 28, as well as a portion of the third metal layer 14-3 in the opening 28.

[0043] During the manufacturing process of electronic devices, the laminated structure disclosed herein can be filled with an array of one or more electronic components to form an electronic module array. The electronic components are mounted on one or more metal layers of the laminated structure and are electrically connected to the one or more metal layers. After the electronic module array is manufactured, the laminated structure can be cut along the cutting lines or cross lines extending between a single electronic module or multiple groups of electronic modules to form a plurality of separate electronic modules. The reference points described herein can be set at various different positions in the laminated structure. In some embodiments, the placement of the reference points can identify the cutting line position of the cutting line device. In some embodiments, the placement of the reference points can also identify the installation position of the individual electronic components required for the mounting device.

[0044] Fig. 6A4 is a top view of a representative laminate structure 42 with a plurality of electronic modules 44 formed into a row of electronic modules 44. Depending on the application, various combinations of one or more electronic components (including resistors, capacitors, inductors, resonators, bonding wires, and ICs) can constitute each electronic module 44. Crossing lines or singulation lines 46 are arranged between the rows and columns of electronic modules 44. For simplicity, only a few singulation lines 46 are shown, but it can be understood that a singulation line 46 can be formed between each row and each column of electronic modules 44. In some embodiments, as previously described, a plurality of reference points 30 are provided in the laminate structure 42. As shown in FIG. Fig. 6A As shown, the plurality of reference points 30 are arranged in various areas of the laminate structure 42 that are spaced apart from the mounting areas of the electronic modules 44. In particular, the reference points 30 are arranged along the perimeter of the laminate structure 42, and the reference points 30 can be marked with or aligned with the singulation lines 46. An automatic singulation machine can be configured in this manner to detect the position of each reference point 30, properly align, and cut, saw, break, or otherwise separate the laminate structure 42 along each singulation line 46. Accordingly, each reference point 30 can include an alignment mark indicating the position of each singulation line 46 required for singulation. In some embodiments, the singulation lines 46 or cross lines can include a width measured as a distance between adjacent electronic modules 44 (in the range of about 100 micrometers (μm) to about 500 μm). In order to provide an alignment mark, the reference point 30 is marked with the width of the singulation line 46. In some embodiments, fiducials 30 may include a longest dimension across the surface of laminate 42 (e.g., a diameter of a circular fiducial) that is approximately the same as the width of singulation lines 46. In other embodiments, fiducials 30 may include a longest dimension across the surface of laminate 42 that is less than the width of singulation lines 46. In further embodiments, fiducials 30 may include a longest dimension across the surface of laminate 42 that is greater than the width of singulation lines 46. In any of these embodiments, fiducials 30 may be marked with singulation lines 46 such that a center point of each fiducial 30 is aligned with at least one singulation line 46. In some embodiments, the longest dimension of fiducials 30 across the surface of laminate 42 may include a range of about 100 μm to about 500 μm, or about 200 μm to about 400 μm, or about 250 μm to about 350 μm.

[0045] In other embodiments, the reference point 30 may be disposed adjacent to each electronic module 44 to indicate the mounting position of each electronic module 44 .

[0046] Figure 6B yes Fig. 6A The laminated structure 42 Figure 5A and Figure 5BThe top view of the metal coating 40 after forming is shown. In some embodiments, the metal coating 40 is deposited in a felt-like manner throughout the plurality of electronic modules 44 and on the surface of the laminated structure 42 exposed by the electronic modules 44. As previously described, the metal coating 40 may include an electromagnetic shielding layer. Therefore, each electronic module 44 is coated with an electromagnetic shielding layer, and after being singulated along each singulation line 46, the electromagnetic shielding layer remains on each electronic module 44. As shown in the figure, when the metal coating 40 is deposited in a felt-like manner on the entire laminated structure 42, the metal coating 40 may also cover the reference point 30. Due to the increased forming depth of the reference point 30 in the laminated structure 42, the visibility and contrast of the reference point 30 disclosed herein are at least partially improved. Therefore, the metal coating 40 may not cover the reference point 30, so that the reference point 30 remains visible in the top view and has sufficient contrast, and the reference point 30 can be detected by the camera or other detection equipment of the automatic singulation line equipment.

[0047] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the preferred embodiments of the present invention. All improvements and modifications are within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A device comprising a laminate structure comprising a plurality of metal layers arranged in an alternating configuration with a plurality of dielectric layers; a reference point defined by an opening in the laminate structure, wherein the opening extends through a first metal layer and a second metal layer of the plurality of metal layers; as well as A metal coating on a laminate structure, wherein the metal coating is different from the first metal layer and the second metal layer, and the metal coating is arranged on at least one horizontal surface of the laminate structure outside the opening, on at least one horizontal surface of the laminate structure covering the bottom of the opening, and on at least one side wall of the opening.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein The opening extends through at least one dielectric layer of the plurality of dielectric layers. 3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one horizontal surface of the laminate structure at the bottom of the opening is defined by a surface of a third metal layer of the plurality of metal layers. The device of claim 1 , wherein the metal cladding comprises an electromagnetic shield.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein The laminate structure further includes a solder resist layer on a surface of the first metal layer, the solder resist layer forming a solder resist opening aligned with the reference point.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein The solder resist opening is configured such that a width thereof on the laminate structure is greater than a width of the reference point on the laminate structure. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the metal coating is configured to cover at least a portion of the solder resist layer. 8 . The device of claim 5 , wherein a portion of the surface of the first metal layer closest to the opening is free of a solder resist layer. 9 . The device according to claim 8 , wherein the metal coating layer is configured to cover the portion of the surface of the first metal layer that is closest to the opening and is free of the solder resist layer. 10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sidewall of the reference point comprises a portion of a first metal layer and a portion of a first dielectric layer. The device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one sidewall of the reference point is free of a second metal layer.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the fiducial comprises an alignment mark.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the first metal layer is greater than a thickness of the second metal layer.

14. The device of claim 1, further comprising an electronic module on a surface of the laminate structure, wherein the reference point is formed in a portion of the laminate structure laterally spaced apart from the electronic module.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the metal cladding comprises at least one of copper and nickel.

Images