Package carrier with large back surface

Abstract

Carrier (102) for carrying an electronic component (108) of a package (100), wherein the carrier (102) comprises a front (106) provided with a horizontal component-side area (104) and a rear (114) opposite the front (106) and provided with a horizontal rear area (112), wherein a size (S) of the horizontal rear area (112) is larger than a size (L) of the horizontal component-side area (104).

Description

BackgroundTechnical FieldVarious embodiments generally relate to a carrier, a package, an electronic device and a method for manufacturing a carrier.Description of the Prior ArtA package may be referred to as an encapsulated electronic component, wherein electrical connections extend out of the encapsulant. For example, packages may be connected to an electronic periphery, for example mounted on a printed circuit board and / or connected to a heat sink, and may be connected to a larger system via connectors.Power density is an important driver for industry and allows new applications (e.g., aeronautics). This is associated with performance, dimensions and reliability. The various packaging solutions are versatile and must meet the requirements of a specific application.In particular, power semiconductor chip packages may generate a considerable amount of heat during operation. This may limit reliability and performance. The efficient dissipation of heat from the package may be achieved by a heat sink or the like. At the same time, good electrical performance of a package is required.SummaryThere may be a need for a package with efficient heat dissipation and / or high electrical power.According to an exemplary embodiment, a carrier for supporting an electronic component of a package is provided, wherein the carrier comprises a front side provided with a horizontal component-side region and a rear side opposite the front side and provided with a horizontal rear side region, wherein a size of the horizontal rear side region is larger than a size of the horizontal component-side region.According to an exemplary embodiment, a package is provided comprising a carrier having the above-mentioned features, an electronic component mounted on at least a part of the horizontal component-side region of the carrier, and an encapsulant encapsulating at least a part of the electronic component and at least a part of the carrier.According to another exemplary embodiment, an electronic device is provided, wherein the electronic device comprises a package having the above-mentioned features and a mounting structure mounted on, under or above the horizontal rear side region.According to yet another exemplary embodiment, a method of manufacturing a carrier for supporting an electronic component of a package is provided, the method comprising providing the carrier with a front side having a horizontal component side region, providing the carrier with a back side opposite the front side and having a horizontal back side region, and forming a size of the horizontal back side region that is greater than a size of the horizontal component side region.According to an exemplary embodiment, a carrier and a corresponding package equipped with such a carrier are provided, wherein the carrier comprises a horizontal component-side region on a front side and a horizontal rear side region on an opposite rear side. At least one electronic component may be mounted on the horizontal component-side region of the carrier. The electronic component may be partially or fully encapsulated and the carrier may be partially or fully encapsulated by an encapsulant. This encapsulation may be achieved in a manner to expose at least a portion of the horizontal backside portion with respect to the encapsulant such that the horizontal backside portion is prepared for removing heat from the encapsulated electronic component and / or for providing an electrical connection function. However, even if the entire carrier is encapsulated by the encapsulant, the horizontal back side portion may also function to remove heat. Advantageously, a size or an amount of the back horizontal side region is made larger than a size or an amount of the component horizontal side region. This may ensure efficient dissipation of heat generated by the at least one electronic component during operation of the package via the enlarged horizontal back region. Advantageously, the large horizontal rear side region can not only lead to an increased amount of dissipated heat, but additionally also to heat spreading over an angle range from the encapsulated electronic component to an outer side of the package. This, in turn, may ensure proper performance of the package and high thermal reliability. Additionally or alternatively, a larger backside of a carrier may provide the additional advantage of conducting a higher current or voltage. Furthermore, a mounting structure (for example a heat sink or a printed circuit board) can advantageously be mounted directly or indirectly on the enlarged horizontal rear side region in order to further promote the dissipation of heat from an interior of the package and / or for conducting electrical current.DESCRIPTION OF FURTHER EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTSFurther exemplary embodiments of the carrier, the package, the electronic device and the method are explained below.In the context of the present application, the term "package" may particularly denote an electronic element that may comprise one or more electronic components mounted on one or more carriers, wherein the at least one carrier may comprise or consist of a single part, multiple parts connected by encapsulation or other package components, or a sub-array of carriers. The components of the package may be at least partially encapsulated by an encapsulant.In the context of the present application, the term "carrier" (e.g. a chip carrier) may particularly denote a support structure serving as a mechanical support for one or more electronic components to be mounted thereon. In other words, the carrier can fulfil a mechanical supporting function. Additionally or alternatively, a carrier can also fulfil an electrical connection function. For this purpose, at least a part of the carrier may be electrically conductive. A carrier may comprise or consist of a single part, multiple parts connected by encapsulation or other package components, or a sub-arrangement of carrier portions. A carrier may also contribute to heat dissipation and heat spread from the electronic component out of the package to promote heat dissipation. A metallic carrier comprising or consisting of, for example, copper and / or aluminum may have a high thermal conductivity and may therefore be excellent in terms of its heat dissipation capability. A sufficiently high heat capacity of a carrier may likewise be advantageous. For example, a carrier may be a die pad (for example a leadframe structure) or a clip.In the context of the present application, the term "electronic component" may include, in particular, a semiconductor chip (in particular a power semiconductor chip), an active electronic device (such as a transistor), a passive electronic device (such as a capacitance or an inductance or an ohmic resistance), a sensor (such as a microphone, a light sensor or a gas sensor), an actuator (for example a loudspeaker) and a microelectromechanical system (MEMS). In particular, the electronic component may be a semiconductor chip having at least one integrated circuit element (such as a diode or a transistor) in a surface portion thereof. The electronic component may be a bare die or may be already packaged or encapsulated. Semiconductor chips implemented according to example embodiments may be formed in particular in silicon technology, gallium nitride technology, silicon carbide technology, gallium oxide technology, etc. More preferably, one or more power semiconductor chips may be chips made of a wide band gap semiconductor, etc.In the context of the present application, the term "encapsulant" may particularly denote an electrically insulating and preferably thermally conductive material surrounding at least a part of an electronic component and at least a part of a carrier and optionally a part of one or more leads. For example, the encapsulation can be a molding compound and can be produced, for example, by transfer molding or compression molding. Other encapsulation methods that may be implemented according to example embodiments are printing, casting, glob top formation, etc. It may also be possible that the encapsulation is of a gel type that may be used for encapsulation by casting.In the context of the present application, the term "horizontal component-side region" may particularly denote a surface portion of the carrier oriented transversely or even perpendicularly to a stacking direction of the carrier and the electronic component(s). When the package is mounted with a mounting structure under the package, the horizontal component-side region may form the upper main surface of a die pad-like carrier. When the package is mounted with a mounting structure under the package, the horizontal component-side portion may form the lower main surface of a clip-like carrier. Preferably, the horizontal component-side region can be flat or planar. For example, the horizontal component-side region may be free of a surface profile. Thus, the horizontal component-side region may be a planar region. For example, the entire horizontal component-side region may be a continuous region on a common vertical plane. The horizontal component-side portion may include a central component mounting portion on which the at least one electronic component is mounted or mountable. To avoid misunderstanding, a carrier, e.g. a die pad of a leadframe having some patterns or structures in its die attach area, such as grooves, recesses, reservoirs, spacers, e.g. for receiving solder or adhesive or another adhesive material, should also be covered by the carrier in this patent application. Thus, in some scenarios, the horizontal component-side region may also include one or more grooves, recesses, reservoirs, spaces, patterns, and / or structures, etc. In addition, the horizontal component-side region may comprise a lateral, for example annular, portion which may remain free of electronic component(s). For example, a width of such a lateral portion may be in a range from 100 μm to 1 mm. For example, a main surface of an electronic component mounted on the horizontal component-side region may have a surface area in a range of 10% to 80% of the total surface area of the horizontal component-side region, for example, depending on the requirements of a particular application. The horizontal component-side region may form an entire (e.g. upper) main surface of the carrier.In the context of the present application, the term "horizontal rear side region" can denote in particular a region of the carrier which is remote from the horizontal component-side region. In embodiments, the horizontal back side region may be exposed beyond the encapsulant, i.e. not covered by the encapsulant. Given its exterior exposure, the horizontal backside region may conduct heat and / or electric current generated by the encapsulated electronic(s) component(s) out of an interior of the package and to a vicinity of the package. Optionally, this heat dissipation function may be supported by a mounting structure, such as a heat sink, which may be attached to the horizontal back side region, preferably but not necessarily with a thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer therebetween. In other embodiments, the horizontal backside region may be encapsulated within the encapsulant. In particular, the horizontal rear side region can be flat or planar. For example, the horizontal back side region may be free of a surface profile. The horizontal back side portion may form the entire lower main surface of the carrier or a central portion thereof. In some embodiments, during the molding process, some encapsulant may cover a small portion of the backside of the carrier, e.g. a so-called moldflase. The horizontal back side region may refer to the region of the back side of the carrier which is not covered by the moldflase. For example, the horizontal back surface portion is a planar portion or is a stepped portion.In the context of the present application, the term "size of the horizontal rear side region" can particularly denote the amount of the horizontally oriented carrier surface region which is defined by the horizontal rear side region which is exposed with respect to the encapsulant and which is covered by the encapsulant. For example, the size of the horizontal back surface area may be given in square centimeters. For example, the horizontal back surface portion may be a polygonal (e.g., rectangular) or round (e.g., circular) surface portion.In the context of the present application, the term "size of the horizontal component-side region" can particularly denote the amount of the carrier surface region defined by the horizontal component-side region. For example, the size of the horizontal component-side area may be given in square centimeters. For example, the horizontal component-side portion may be a polygonal (for example, rectangular) or round (for example, circular) surface portion.In the context of the present application, the term "main surface" of a body may particularly denote a body surface of one of the largest body surfaces. For example, a body (such as a carrier or a part thereof) may be plate-shaped or substantially plate-shaped and may then have two opposing major surfaces separated by body material in a thickness direction and interconnected by a circumferential side wall or edge. For example, a main surface of a carrier body may be at least partially exposed. Additionally or alternatively, a main surface (for example another main surface) of a carrier body may be connected to one or more chips. For example, a front side surface and a back side surface of a carrier may form two opposing main surfaces thereof.In an embodiment, the mounting structure includes a heat sink or mounting base (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB) or an insulated metal substrate (IMS) or a direct copper bonding (DCB) substrate or an active metal brazing (AMB) substrate). As an alternative to a printed circuit board, another type of laminate carrier may also be implemented. In the context of the present application, the term "heat sink" may particularly denote a high thermal conductive body that may be thermally coupled to the package and particularly the carrier of the package to dissipate heat generated by the electronic component during operation of the package. For example, the heat sink may be made of a material having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / mK, in particular at least 50 W / mK, even up to 400 W / mK or even above. For example, the heat sink may be made of an electrically conductive material such as copper and / or aluminum, but may also comprise a ceramic material. The heat sink may be directly or indirectly thermally coupled to the partially exposed carrier, for example, through a thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer, such as a thermal interface material (TIM) and / or a gap filler. For example, the thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer may have a thermal conductivity in a range from 3 W / mK to 20 W / mK or even above. For example, the heat sink may include a thermally conductive body (such as a metal plate) having a plurality of cooling fins extending from the thermally conductive body. Additionally or alternatively, liquid and / or gas cooling can also be achieved by a heat sink. The thermal coupling of the package to a heat sink may ensure efficient cooling. In the context of the present application, the term "circuit board" may particularly denote a flat body (such as a disc or plate) formed by a plurality of laminated layers connected to each other, i.e. electrically insulating and electrically conductive layers which may be connected to each other by lamination. Lamination may refer to joining of laminatable layers using elevated temperature, optionally accompanied by additional mechanical pressure applied to stacked laminate layers. In the context of the present application, the term "insulated metal substrate" may particularly denote a printed circuit board built up on a metal plate (made of aluminum, for example) on which an electrically insulating layer, made of prepreg, for example, is applied.In a preferred embodiment, when the mounting structure is configured as a heat sink, the heat sink may be mechanically and thermally coupled to the horizontal back side portion through a thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer (e.g., a gap filler or a thermal interface material) therebetween. While such a thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer may ensure electrical insulation of a metallic horizontal back surface portion, its thermal conductivity may be significantly lower than that of the heat sink and the support. Thus, increasing an exposed heat dissipation area of the horizontal backside area, as achieved by example embodiments, may be of greatest advantage when implementing a thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer between the heat sink and the partially exposed carrier. Even if the carrier is completely encapsulated by the encapsulant or is mounted on an interposer exposed beyond the encapsulant, a heat sink may be attached to the encapsulant or interposer to further promote heat dissipation.If, in an alternative embodiment, the mounting structure is designed as a PCB or an IMS, such a mounting structure can be connected to the (for example exposed) horizontal rear side region, for example by soldering, sintering, by electrically conductive adhesive or another electrically conductive connection medium. A PCB or an IMS may promote heat dissipation without thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer therebetween and may also have an electrical coupling function for the package's encapsulated electronic component(s).In an embodiment, a vertical thickness of the carrier may be in a range of 200 μm to 2 mm. The greater the thickness of the carrier (e.g., a die pad), the greater the gain of the dissipated heat may be. Illustratively, the thicker the carrier, the greater the surface increase on the rear side at a specific angle of inclination of the side wall. Such tapering of the carrier may increase the amount of metal, which may further increase the heat capacity of the carrier. A corresponding bearer can also handle short events.In an embodiment, a size of a heat removal exposed region of the back horizontal side region may be larger than a size of the component horizontal side region (see, for example, FIG. 1 ). This may result in excellent heat dissipation properties. For example, in such an embodiment, the bottom major surface of the carrier may be free of an anti-flash profile.In another embodiment, a size of a heat removal exposed region of the back horizontal side region may be the same as a size of the component horizontal side region (see, for example, FIG. 3 ). For example, an outermost portion of the bottom major surface of the carrier may be provided with an anti-flash profile in such an embodiment. At the same time, very good heat dissipation properties can be obtained.In one embodiment, at least a portion of a sidewall of the carrier tapers in a thickness direction from the back side toward the front side. In short, side walls of the carrier may be partially or fully inclined, rather than being fully vertical. In particular, a die pad-like carrier (or a clip-like carrier) may be provided with angled side walls. For example, such a shape may be made by angled stamping. A tapering side wall of the carrier can advantageously increase the horizontal rear-side region in comparison with the horizontal component-side region. Further, an inclined leadframe die pad sidewall or an inclined clip sidewall may also promote heat spread within the carrier. For example, heat may spread over an angle of about ±45°. Such heat propagation can be promoted by tapered side walls of the carrier connecting the horizontal component-side region to the horizontal rear-side region.In an embodiment, the at least partially tapered sidewall of the carrier has a straight shape (see, for example, FIG. 1 ). A straight shape can be formed with a particularly simple manufacturing process, for example by punching.In one embodiment, a taper angle of the side wall of the carrier relative to a vertical direction is at least 5°. Additionally or alternatively, a taper angle of the side wall of the carrier relative to a vertical direction is not more than 45°. The taper angle can preferably lie in a range from 5° to 30°, in particular in a range from 10° to 25°. The mentioned taper angles may allow to provide a significantly large increase in the horizontal back side region compared to the horizontal component side region without making the manufacturing process excessively complex and without the risk of severe manufacturing artifacts such as burrs.In an embodiment, a first portion of the sidewall narrows in the thickness direction and a joined second portion of the sidewall extends vertically along the thickness direction. Such an embodiment is shown in Fig. 8. An edge or corner may be formed between the first part and the second part. The vertical second portion may have the advantage that it may efficiently suppress undesirable manufacturing artifacts such as burrs and / or particles generated by abrasion due to sidewall processing.In one embodiment, at least a portion of a sidewall of the carrier has a stepped profile that narrows from the rear side toward the front side. Such an embodiment is shown, for example, in Fig. 7. If the side wall of the carrier has a stepped profile, a single step may be present or a plurality of steps may be staircased. The steps may contribute to a mechanical anchoring of the carrier in the encapsulation. At the same time, the steps can lead to a spatial widening from front side to rear side, in order thereby to increase the horizontal rear side region compared to the horizontal component-side region.In one embodiment, the carrier is formed as at least a part of a leadframe structure, in particular as a die pad. More generally, the carrier may comprise or consist of a structured metal plate (for example made of copper and / or aluminum). In the context of the present application, the term "leadframe" may particularly denote a sheet metal structure that may be bent, stamped and / or patterned to form leadframe bodies as mounting portions for mounting chips and leads for electrically connecting the package to an electronic environment. In an embodiment, the lead frame may be a metal plate (in particular made of copper) which may be structured, for example by punching. Forming the chip carrier as a lead frame is a cost-effective and mechanically and electrically very advantageous configuration in which a low-resistance connection of chips can be combined with a robust support capability of the lead frame. Further, a leadframe may contribute to the thermal conductivity of the package and remove heat generated during operation of the chip / chips as a result of the high thermal conductivity of the metallic (in particular copper) material of the leadframe.In an embodiment, the carrier additionally comprises at least one line portion separated from the die pad (see FIG. 11 ). In particular, an arrangement of line sections may be provided, which together with a die pad may form a lead frame structure.In another embodiment, the carrier is designed as a clip. A "clip" may particularly denote a connection element comprising an electrically conductive material such as copper and being an integral body. A clip may be connected to a main surface (preferably to an upper main surface) of an electronic component, such as a semiconductor die. For example, an electronic component configured as a semiconductor die may be sandwiched between a die pad on a bottom side and a clip on a top side.In an embodiment, a difference between a diameter (e.g., a maximum diameter) of the horizontal rear-side region and a diameter (e.g., a maximum diameter) of the horizontal component-side region is at least 0.5 mm. Additionally or alternatively, a difference between a diameter (for example, a maximum diameter) of the horizontal rear-side region and a diameter (for example, a maximum diameter) of the horizontal component-side region is not more than 5 mm. The exact dimensions may depend on a particular application.As mentioned above, the horizontal back area may be larger than the horizontal component side area.In an embodiment, a difference between the horizontal back region and the horizontal component side region divided by the horizontal back region is at least 3%. Additionally or alternatively, a difference between the horizontal rear area and the horizontal component side area divided by the horizontal rear area may be not more than 30%. For example, the ratio may be in a range of 5% to 15%. In rough approximation, the amount of recoverable heat scales with the increased area of the horizontal back area. In the above example, the amount of recoverable heat may be increased by about 5% to 15%. As mentioned above, the horizontal back area may be larger than the horizontal component side area.In one embodiment, the carrier includes a step at the back to thereby form a retracted lateral portion surrounding a projecting central region. For example, the carrier includes a step at the back between an exposed central main heat removal region and a retracted lateral encapsulated portion surrounding the exposed main heat removal region. Such an embodiment is shown for example in Fig. 3. Illustratively, such a step may define or restrict the position of the moldflase. In such an embodiment, the exposed main heat dissipation region of the horizontal back side region may be a central region of the back side of the carrier. The retracted lateral portion may laterally surround the central region and may be retracted or displaced toward the front side with respect to the central region. While the main heat dissipation region may be exposed with respect to the encapsulant, the lateral portion may be covered by material of the encapsulant. By means of the mentioned step at the rear side of the carrier, which laterally surrounds the exposed heat dissipation region of the carrier, an anti-flash profile can be generated, which can suppress or even prevent undesired mold-fill phenomena.In one embodiment, a side wall of the carrier is provided with an outwardly oriented mandrel. Such an embodiment is shown for example in Fig. 3. Advantageously, such a mandrel may function as a mold locking feature. Illustratively, such a mold locking feature may function as a mechanical anchor between the carrier and the encapsulant. For example, such a mandrel may be formed by embossing.In particular, the aforementioned mold lock feature and / or anti-flash profile, as well as measures for controlling die-cut induced burrs, etc., may be refinements related to fine conditioning of the carrier geometry. Such measures may not have significant effects on region modification of the support. In particular, such refinement techniques may be performed by embossing.In an embodiment, the carrier includes a die pad on which the electronic component is disposed and a conductive portion (which may be separate from the die pad) electrically coupled to the die pad and / or the electronic component. Thus, the package may include one or more leads electrically coupled to the electronic component. In the context of the present application, the term "lead" may particularly denote an electrically conductive (e.g. strip-shaped) element (which may be planar or curved) that may serve to contact the electronic component with an exterior of the package. For example, a lead may be partially encapsulated and partially exposed with respect to an encapsulant. In particular, lines may extend out of one or more side walls of the encapsulation means.In an embodiment, the horizontal back side portion is partially (see, for example, FIG. 3 ) or completely (see, for example, FIG. 1 ) exposed beyond the encapsulant. Such an exposed area may function to promote heat dissipation and / or conduct electricity.In an embodiment, the horizontal backside region is fully encapsulated within the encapsulant (see, for example, FIG. 9 ). Heat can then be dissipated via the horizontal rear-side region and a thin encapsulation agent layer underneath.In an embodiment, the package includes an interposer on the horizontal back side portion of the carrier exposed beyond the encapsulant (see, for example, FIG. 10 ). For example, such an interposer may be a ceramic sheet covered on both opposing major surfaces thereof with a metal sheet (which may be continuous or patterned). Such an interposer may contribute to the dissipation of heat from the electronic component to an environment via the carrier and the interposer.In an embodiment, the horizontal back side region is configured to remove heat generated by the electronic component during operation of the package (see, for example, FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 ). In particular, when the carrier is exposed with respect to the encapsulant, this heat dissipation may be very efficient. Thus, the enlarged back surface portion may have a thermal function and allow an increased amount of heat to be dissipated.In an embodiment, the horizontal back side region is configured to electrically couple the electronic component to an exterior of the package (e.g., when the package is mounted on a PCB and an exposed carrier is electrically coupled to a pad on a surface of the PCB). Thus, the increased back side portion may have an electrical function and allow an increased amount of current or voltage to be handled.In an embodiment, a size of a portion of the horizontal back surface portion exposed beyond the encapsulant is the same as (see FIG. 3 ) or larger than (see FIG. 1 ) the size of the horizontal component side portion. In the first mentioned scenario, a retracted anti-molddflase region may be located within the encapsulant. In the second mentioned scenario, the back side may be completely exposed beyond the encapsulant.In an embodiment, the package comprises only a single electronic component. Alternatively, the package includes a plurality of electronic components mounted on at least a portion of the horizontal component-side region. For example, such electronic components may be arranged side by side on the horizontal component-side region. Different electronic components may be of the same type or of different types. Different electronic components may have the same size or different sizes. For example, the different electronic components may be semiconductor chips, in particular power semiconductor chips. For example, it is possible to provide a mixture of at least one IGBT-type electronic component and at least one silicon carbide-type electronic component.In an embodiment, the electronic device comprises a thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer between the mounting structure, when formed as a heat sink, and the horizontal back side portion, which is preferably at least partially exposed beyond the encapsulation. In an embodiment, the electrically insulating material is arranged at an interface between the heat sink-like mounting structure and the housing. In other words, the electrically insulating material may electrically decouple the carrier with respect to the heat sink. Preferably, the electrically insulating material additionally has thermally conductive properties (in particular a thermal conductivity of at least 2 W / mK) in order to efficiently contribute to a heat dissipation from the electronic component to the heat sink. In an embodiment, the electrically insulating material covering the electrically conductive material of the carrier and thereby spacing the electrically conductive material with respect to the heat sink may have a thickness in a range from 100 μm to 2 mm, in particular in a range from 100 μm to 1 mm, further in particular in a range from 100 μm to 600 μm. This may ensure proper mutual insulation while still ensuring proper thermal coupling with the heat sink.In an embodiment, forming the size of the horizontal back side portion that is greater than the size of the horizontal component side portion is performed by treating sidewalls of the carrier by embossing and / or punching. These machining technologies may allow one or more sidewall features to be precisely defined in a quick and simple manner. Other manufacturing methods may also be carried out.In an embodiment, the carrier comprises a lead frame. However, the carrier may also be a direct copper bonding (DCB) substrate or a direct aluminum bonding (DAB) substrate. However, the carrier may also be configured as an active metal brazing (AMB) substrate or an insulated metal substrate (IMS).In an embodiment, the package is configured as a power package. A power package may be a package comprising at least one power chip as an encapsulated electronic component. Thus, the package may be configured as a power module, for example as a molded power module such as a semiconductor power package. For example, an example embodiment of the package may be an intelligent power module (IPM). A smart IPM is also possible (including a microcontroller). The package may also provide connectivity features, for example, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. Another example embodiment of the package is a dual inline package (dip). Also, surface mounted device (SMD) packages, top side cooling packages, bottom side cooling packages, and double side cooling packages may be implemented according to example embodiments.Accordingly, the electronic component may be configured as a power semiconductor chip. Thus, the electronic component (such as a semiconductor chip) may be used for power applications in the automotive field, for example, and may include at least one insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) and / or at least one transistor of another type (such as a MOSFET, a JFET, a HEMT, etc.) and / or at least one integrated diode, for example. Such integrated circuit elements may be manufactured, for example, in silicon technology or may be based on wide band gap semiconductors (such as silicon carbide, gallium nitride). A semiconductor power chip may include one or more field effect transistors, diodes, inverter circuits, half bridges, full bridges, drivers, logic circuits, other devices, etc. Advantages of example embodiments related to improved thermal performance are particularly marked for power chips. Also in the context of driver technologies handling high voltages (e.g., an insulated gate driver, level shifter gate drivers, solid state relays, power switches, etc.), example embodiments may provide significant advantages.A semiconductor substrate, for example a silicon substrate, can be used as substrate or wafer for the semiconductor chips. Alternatively, a silicon oxide or other insulator substrate may be provided. It is also possible to implement a germanium substrate or a III-V semiconductor material. For example, example embodiments may be implemented in GaN or SiC technology.The above and other objects, features and advantages will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like parts or elements are denoted by like reference numerals.Brief Description of the DrawingsThe accompanying drawings, which are included herein to provide a further understanding of exemplary embodiments and form a part of the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments.In the drawings, there are shown: FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a package according to an example embodiment, wherein the carrier is configured as a die pad. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for manufacturing a carrier according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a package according to another example embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a carrier of a package according to an example embodiment, wherein the carrier is configured as a die pad. FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a carrier of a package according to a further exemplary embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device including a package according to an example embodiment and assembled with a heat sink like mounting structure. FIG. 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a carrier of a package according to a further exemplary embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a carrier of a package according to a further exemplary embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a package according to another example embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a package according to another example embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of portions of a package including a carrier configured as a clip, according to an example embodiment.Detailed DescriptionThe illustration in the drawing is schematic and not true to scale.Before exemplary embodiments are described in more detail with reference to the figures, some general considerations will be summarized, based on which exemplary embodiments have been developed.Discrete power devices are determined by heat dissipation, which in some cases (e.g., surface mounted device (SMD) top side cooling) is strongly related to the area of an exposed die pad. On the other hand, the encapsulant (e.g., a transfer-molded molding compound) is to maintain a sufficiently small gap between the die pad and the mold body to ensure proper filling and robustness. Thus, a maximum die pad size is determined by a conventional encapsulation layout design rule.In conventional packages, an exposed heat sink area is always smaller than the die pad size. This includes a significant limitation with respect to thermal reliability and performance, especially for wide bandgap semiconductor chip(s) packages formed in silicon carbide technology, for example. Particularly for wide bandgap semiconductor chips, each inch of the heat sink is important for the performance of the package. Therefore, moldflase features may occupy a significant portion of the heat sink, which affects the performance of the package related to thermal resistance.According to an exemplary embodiment, a carrier and a corresponding package are provided with such a carrier, which may be at least partially electrically conductive (e.g. may be or may comprise a metallic die pad). At least a portion of a horizontal component-side region on a front side of the carrier may be configured to receive and mount at least one electronic component thereon. A horizontal back surface portion may be formed on a back surface of the carrier opposite to the front surface. Illustratively, the horizontal component-side region and the horizontal rear-side region may form two opposing main surfaces of the carrier. One or more electronic components (for example one or more power semiconductor chips) may be mounted on the horizontal component-side region of the carrier, for example by soldering (such as diffusion soldering or soft soldering), sintering or adhesive bonding. Both the at least one electronic component and the carrier may be covered by an encapsulant. The above-mentioned horizontal back side portion of the carrier may be used for promoting thermal coupling between an interior and an exterior of the package and / or for providing an electrical coupling function. Advantageously, a size of the horizontal back side region is made larger than a size of the horizontal component side region (see, for example, FIG. 1 ). As a result, the heat dissipation capability of the package can be increased because an outer area through which heat can be directly dissipated from the package to an environment is made as large as or even larger than the horizontal component-side area having a central part on which the electronic component can be mounted. This may be achieved by a suitable design of the carrier, which may for example be provided with a side wall formation extending laterally outwards in a direction from the horizontal component side portion to the horizontal rear side portion. By taking this measure, the heat dissipation capability and, in addition, heat spreading functionality can be greatly increased. Thus, heat generated by the at least one electronic component during operation of the package may be efficiently dissipated over the enlarged horizontal backside area while at the same time achieving advantageous heat spread over a broader angular range. Additionally or alternatively, the enlarged horizontal back side region may perform a powerful electrical coupling function that enables high current values in view of the large area on the back side. A correspondingly designed package may provide a high performance, a high thermal reliability and also a high electrical reliability thanks to the proper covering of the carrier and the electronic component with encapsulation material. When a heat sink (or other suitable mounting structure) is mounted on the enlarged horizontal back side region, heat dissipation over a wide spatial region may be further improved.According to an exemplary embodiment, the heat sink related area of the package may be larger than the die pad size. This may be achieved by flexibly shaping a sidewall angle of the die pad. Advantageously, this may provide a greater margin for anti-molddflase and allow to improve or even optimize thermal resistance performance.In particular, it may be possible to provide a tapered die pad (with freely adjustable taper angle). This may allow to obtain a large heat sink size, which in turn may lead to efficient heat dissipation. For example, a carrier (such as a die pad) having a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape may be provided for this purpose. A tapered sidewall carrier may be formed, for example, by stamping, stamping, and / or embossing, or by any other suitable sidewall processing method. This may allow to achieve greater exposure of a die pad-like carrier facing an external heat sink. In particular, it may be possible to improve or even optimize a die pad heat sink interface spatially in a limited package space due to the mold wall robustness against the thermal resistance requirements of a package.A die pad / heat sink coupling region may be extended, for example, in a range of 5% to 20%. This may allow the space used for an anti-moldflase profile to be at least partially equalized.An available enlargement of an exposed heat sink area may be very advantageous as this may allow to increase the power density and / or reduce the size of the electronic component(s). A corresponding die shrinkage can be of greatest advantage in particular for components with a wide band gap (for example in SiCMOS or GaN technology). Semiconductor chips manufactured based on wide band gap semiconductors have a small size and a high power density compared to conventional silicon chips. Thus, maximizing the chip mounting surface area for wide bandgap chips may not be of greatest relevance. However, heat dissipation may be of greatest importance for wide bandgap semiconductor devices. Thus, maximizing heat dissipation by increasing the back region of a carrier may be particularly advantageous for such wide bandgap components in exemplary embodiments.An example embodiment provides a possibility of heat sink extension by increasing a horizontal back side area compared to a horizontal component side area of a carrier such as a die pad. Such an extension of the portion of the package facing a heat sink may improve the heat dissipation, thereby improving or even optimizing the thermal resistance characteristics.Advantageously, a taper in a sidewall of a die pad-like carrier may be created by stamping, embossing, or another suitable method. Further advantageously, the taper angle can be flexibly adjusted to increase the size of the heat sink, for example, to make the base of the carrier larger than its top surface.In an embodiment, the enlarged area of the heat sink may make the exposed area of the heat sink larger, resulting in better thermal resistance performance. In particular, the heat sink area may be made larger than the component-side size of the die pad. This can positively impact the conventional problem of space consuming anti-molddflash and a corresponding reduction in effective heat sink exposed area. Furthermore, it may be advantageous that the tapered heat sink provides additional space for the mold lock and / or the moldflase for build-up, thereby providing in particular a greater latitude for the anti-moldflase. Additionally, advantages of example embodiments may include greater latitude in mold design and a larger size heat sink with more exposed area providing better thermal resistance performance.Example applications of example embodiments are electric chargers, on-board chargers, solar devices, wind power devices, or trains.FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a package 100 according to an example embodiment.The package 100 comprises a carrier 102, which is embodied here as a die pad. The carrier 102 may be formed as a die pad of a leadframe structure, i.e. as a patterned metal plate. The patterning may include defining the shape of sidewalls 120 of the carrier 102, and may preferably be achieved by stamping and / or embossing. For example, the carrier 102 may be made of copper and / or aluminum or other applicable materials. Consequently, the carrier 102 may be electrically conductive and thermally conductive.As shown, the carrier 102 includes a horizontal component-side portion 104 on a front surface 106. In the illustrated embodiment, the horizontal component-side region 104 is a planar region on a continuously constant vertical plane. Thus, the horizontal component-side portion 104 corresponds to a substantially planar or flat upper main surface of the patterned plate-shaped carrier 102. Thus, the component-side region 104 is horizontally oriented and represents the side of the carrier 102 configured to support one or more electronic components 108, as described in more detail below.Further, the carrier 102 comprises a lower main surface over which heat is dissipated, wherein the heat is generated during operation of the package 100. The lower main surface of the carrier 102 is referred to as a horizontal back side region 112 and may function as a heat dissipation region in the embodiment shown. The horizontal rear side region 112 faces away from the horizontal component-side region 104. In the illustrated embodiment, the horizontal back surface region 112 is a planar region on a continuously constant vertical plane. One skilled in the art will understand that although most of the bottom surface of the die pad-like carrier 102 may be flat or planar, there may be some smaller areas of the bottom surface of the die pad with grooves, recesses, patterns, etc., for example for holding solder when soldering on a PCB or thermally conductive adhesive when attaching a heat sink.As also shown in FIG. 1, an electronic component 108 is mounted on a central portion of the horizontal component-side portion 104 of the carrier 102. For example, the electronic component 108 may be soldered or sintered on the top side of the carrier 102. For example, the electronic component 108 may be a semiconductor chip, preferably a power semiconductor chip. For example, the semiconductor chip may be manufactured in wide band gap semiconductor technology, for example in silicon carbide or gallium nitride technology. For such a type of electronic components 108, the efficient dissipation of heat generated by the electronic component 108 during operation of the package 100 is of greatest advantage to the performance of the package 100 as a whole.With continued reference to FIG. 1, an encapsulant 110 encapsulates all of the electronic component 108 and only a portion of the carrier 102. More specifically, the encapsulant 110 is provided to expose the entire horizontal back side region 112 on the back side 114 of the carrier 102 opposite the front side 106. Apart from the exposed horizontal rear side region 112, all other surface portions of the carrier 102 may be covered by the encapsulant 110 or the electronic component 108. Preferably, the encapsulant 110 is a molding compound. Such a molding compound may comprise a matrix of epoxy resin filled with filler particles (for example aluminum oxide or aluminum nitride particles) for fine tuning the properties of the encapsulant 110, in particular its thermal conductivity. In addition, the molding compound may comprise one or more additives. The molding compound-like encapsulant 110 may be electrically insulating to provide a high electrical reliability of the package 100. However, a molding compound-like encapsulant 110 may have a limited thermal conductivity, so that efficient heat dissipation from the package 100 may be a problem.In the embodiment of FIG. 1, heat generated by the electronic component 108 during operation of the package 100 is dissipated mainly via the carrier 102 and in particular via its exposed horizontal back side region 112. Most advantageously, the carrier 102, and in particular the design of its sidewalls 120, may be selected such that a size S (shown only schematically in FIG. 1 and indicating a square centimeter range) of the exposed horizontal backside portion 112 is greater than a size L (shown only schematically in FIG. 1 and indicating a square centimeter range) of the horizontal component-side portion 104. Thus, the surface area of the exposed horizontal backside area 112 may have a size S exceeding the size L of the horizontal component side area 104, i.e. S>L. In short, this may be achieved by exposing the entire bottom main surface of the carrier 102 and by a tapered design of the sidewalls 120 of the carrier 102. Consequently, the exposed surface area of the carrier 102 via which heat generated by the encapsulated electronic component 108 can be dissipated out of the package 100 to an environment thereof can be increased by adjusting the design of the carrier 102 such that S>L. By taking this measure, the amount of heat that can be dissipated via the exposed horizontal backside area 112 can thus be increased. Additionally, the propagation of heat over a certain angular range may be enhanced by tapering the sidewalls 120 from the exposed horizontal back side region 112 to the horizontal component side region 104. As a result, a package 100 having excellent thermal reliability and excellent performance can be obtained without impairing the electrical reliability. All these advantages can be achieved by a very simple measure, i.e. by an inclined design of the side walls 120 of the carrier 102.With further reference to FIG. 1, and in particular a detail 150, the carrier 102 tapers in a thickness direction 118 from the rear side 114 towards the front side 106. The thickness direction 118 also corresponds to a stacking direction along which the electronic component 108 is stacked on the carrier 102. As shown, the tapered sidewall 120 of the carrier 102 has an inclined straight shape. The detail 150 shows a taper angle β of the side wall 120 of the carrier 102 relative to the vertical direction 122 (which corresponds to the thickness direction 118 according to FIG. 1 ). Preferably, the taper angle β is in a range of 5° to 30°, for example 10°. With the mentioned angle range, it can be ensured that the enlargement of the exposed horizontal rear side region 112 is sufficiently pronounced, while at the same time production artifacts, such as burrs, can be prevented in the corner regions of the carrier 102.For example, a difference between a diameter (corresponding to the horizontal span of size S of FIG. 1 ) of the exposed horizontal back portion 112 and a diameter (corresponding to the horizontal span of size L of FIG. 1 ) of the horizontal component side portion 104 is at least 0.5 mm and not more than 5 mm. The additional amount of heat is then significant, while well-defined corners of the carrier 102 (trapezoidal in the cross-sectional view shown) may be ensured. For example, the diameter of the exposed horizontal back side portion 112 may be 14 mm, while the diameter of the horizontal component side portion 104 may be 13 mm. If the carrier 102 has a square shape, the respective diameter may be the side length of the square. If the carrier 102 has a rectangular shape, the respective diameter may be the longer side length of the square. If the carrier 102 has a circular shape, the respective diameter may be twice the radius of the circle.The carrier 102 may have a vertical thickness D in a range from 200 μm to 2 mm. A thick carrier 102, for example having a thickness of at least 1 mm, in combination with the tapered sidewalls 120 may be capable of dissipating a high amount of heat and may also assist in efficient heat propagation. In the embodiment shown, the thickness D may be 2 mm.FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram 200 of a method for manufacturing a carrier 102 according to an example embodiment. The reference numerals used for the following description of the manufacturing method refer to the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 3.Referring to a block 202, the method includes providing the carrier 102 with a front side 106 with a horizontal component side region 104.Referring to a block 204, the method includes providing the carrier 102 with a back side 114 opposite the front side 106 and having a horizontal back side region 112.Referring to a block 206, the method includes forming a size S of the back side horizontal region 112 that is greater than a size L of the component side horizontal region 104.FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a package 100 according to another example embodiment. Although not shown in FIG. 3, one or more electronic components 108 may be mounted on a horizontal component-side region 104 of the carrier 102.The embodiment of FIG. 3 differs from the embodiment of FIG. 1 in particular in that, of FIG. 3, the size H of the exposed portion of the horizontal back side region 112 is the same as the size L of the horizontal component side region 104 (H=L). In this embodiment, an additional bottom edge region is provided with a horizontal extension B for forming an anti-flash profile in the form of a retracted lateral portion 126, as described below. As shown, the dimensions of FIG. 3 may be described by equations S=H+2B and S>L. In Figure 3, the lower major surface of the carrier 102 has a circumferential step 124 on the rear side 114 to thereby form a retracted lateral portion 126 surrounding a projecting central region 197.According to FIG. 3, the carrier 102 tapers in a thickness direction 118 from the rear side 114 towards the front side 106 with an outwardly oriented mandrel 116 in a straight, tapering side wall 120. The outwardly oriented mandrel 116 may contribute to mold locking. Thus, the mandrel 116 may mechanically anchor the carrier 102 in the encapsulant 110 to improve the structural integrity and thus the mechanical reliability of the package 100.Moreover, the embodiment according to FIG. 3 differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 1 in particular in that, according to FIG. 3, the carrier 102 has a step 124 on the rear side 114 between the exposed main heat removal region of the horizontal rear side region 112 and the retracted lateral section 126 which surrounds the exposed main heat removal region of the horizontal rear side region 112. For example, the retracted lateral portion 126 may have a horizontal extension B in a range of 0.1 μm to 0.5 μm. This is best seen in detail 152 in Figure 3. The circumferentially closed step 124 may form an anti-flash profile that handles the moldflash on the bottom of the package 100. Although only a single circumferentially closed step 124 is shown in FIG. 3, it may also be possible to form an anti-flash profile by a plurality of steps (e.g., forming a staircase shape) on the bottom major surface of the carrier 102 and thus adjacent to the exposed protruding central region 197 of the horizontal back region 112.In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the exposed bottom surface area of the carrier 102 is the same as (but may also be larger than) the top surface area of the carrier 102. Apart from an improved thermal performance of the package 100, the embodiment of FIG. 3 may also ensure that even if the bottom of the carrier 102 is covered with mold residues, good heat dissipation may still be ensured.FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a carrier 102 of a package 100 according to an example embodiment. In short, FIG. 4 shows the carrier 102 of FIG. 1 without encapsulant 110 and without electronic component 108. The heat sink enlargement can be achieved by the tapering side walls 120. A die pad top corresponds to the horizontal component side portion 104. A heat sink attachment surface corresponds to the heat dissipation surface 112 that remains exposed even after encapsulation.FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a carrier 102 of a package 100 according to a further example embodiment. FIG. 5 shows the carrier 102 of FIG. 3 without encapsulant 110.FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an electronic device 130 including a package 100 according to an example embodiment and assembled with a mounting structure 132.The package 100 according to FIG. 6 comprises a metallic carrier 102 comprising a die pad 125 on which an electronic component 108 is arranged (e.g. soldered or sintered). As a further constituent in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the metallic carrier 102 comprises a separate line portion 128 electrically coupled to the electronic component 108 by an electrically conductive connection structure 160.For example, the electrically conductive connection structure 160 may be a bond wire or a clip.A mold-type encapsulant 110 fully encapsulates the electronic component 108 and the electrically conductive interconnect structure 160 and partially encapsulates the die pad 125 and the lead portion 128. Electrical signals and / or electrical power may be conducted between an exterior of the package 100 and the electronic component 108 through an exposed portion of the lead portion 128. The die pad 125 of FIG. 6 is substantially constructed as described above for the carrier 102 with reference to FIG. 1.As shown, the mounting structure 132 is mounted below the horizontal back region 112 of the die pad 125. In the embodiment shown, the mounting structure 132 includes a heat sink attached to a thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer 134 disposed between the mounting structure 132 and the exposed horizontal back region 112 of the package 100. For example, the thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer 134 may be a thermal interface material (TIM). The heat sink forming mounting structure 132 may be made of a high thermal conductivity material such as copper or aluminum. The heat sink may include a base plate 156, which may be directly attached to the thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer 134. A plurality of mutually spaced cooling fins 158 may be fixed to the base plate 156, or may be integrally formed with the base plate 156. By this construction, heat generated by the encapsulated electronic component 108 of the package 100 may be dissipated and distributed to an environment of the electronic device 130 via the carrier 102 with its tapered sidewalls 120, the thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer 134, and the heat sink like mounting structure 132.In another embodiment (not shown), the mounting structure 132 may be a printed circuit board or an insulated metal substrate, or any other type of mounting base. In such an embodiment, the mounting structure 132 may be directly solder-bonded to the carrier 102 (without a thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer 134 therebetween).FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a carrier 102 of a package 100 according to a further example embodiment.The embodiment of FIG. 7 differs from the embodiment of FIG. 4 in particular in that, according to FIG. 7, the side walls 120 of the carrier 102 have a stepped profile 136 which narrows from the rear side 114 toward the front side 106. Illustratively, the plurality of steps of the stepped profile 136 form a staircase structure that results in an enlargement of the horizontal rear region 112. Further, the plurality of stages may interlock with encapsulation material, thereby improving the mechanical integrity of a package 100 formed on the basis of the carrier 102 of FIG. 7.FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a carrier 102 of a package 100 according to a further example embodiment.The embodiment of FIG. 8 differs from the embodiment of FIG. 4 in particular in that, according to FIG. 8, a first part 138 of the side wall 120 tapers in the thickness direction 118 and a connected second part 140 of the side wall 120 extends vertically along the thickness direction 118. The first portion 138 may result in an increase in the horizontal back region 112. The second portion 140 may suppress the formation of undesirable burrs on a bottom surface of the carrier 102.FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a package 100 according to another example embodiment. In this embodiment, the horizontal backside region 112 is fully encapsulated within the encapsulant 110.The embodiment according to FIG. 9 differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 1 in particular in that, according to FIG. 9, the horizontal rear side region 112 is arranged within the encapsulation means 110. The package type of FIG. 9 may be referred to as a full pack. The carrier 102 is completely embedded within the encapsulant 110 according to FIG. 9.FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a package 100 according to another example embodiment. In this embodiment, an interposer 199 is provided on the horizontal back side region 112 of the carrier 102 and is exposed beyond the encapsulant 110.The embodiment according to FIG. 10 differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 9 in particular in that, according to FIG. 10, an interposer 199 is arranged between the horizontal rear side region 112 and a bottom-side exterior of the package 100. In other words, the interposer 199 may be exposed from the encapsulant 110 to promote heat dissipation out of the package 100. For example, the interposer 199 may be a DAB substrate, an IMS substrate, etc. Although not shown in FIG. 10, the interposer 199 may include a central ceramic sheet covered on both opposing major surfaces thereof by continuous or patterned metal layers, for example, made of copper or aluminum.FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of portions of a package 100 according to an example embodiment, wherein a carrier 102' (for example, but not necessarily, an additional carrier) is configured as a clip.In particular, the portion of the package 100 shown in FIG. 11 comprises a bottom side carrier 102 configured as a die pad on which the electronic component 108 of the semiconductor die type is mounted. The floor-side carrier 102 can be designed as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10, wherein a configuration according to FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 11. On an opposite other main surface of the electronic component 108, a further carrier 102' is mounted, which is embodied as a clip.As shown, the further carrier 102' comprises a horizontal component side portion 104' on a main surface facing the electronic component 108 and designated as front side of the further carrier 102'. Further, the further carrier 102' comprises an opposite other main surface, referred to as a back side, via which heat is dissipated, wherein the heat is generated by the electronic component 108 during operation of the package 100. The opposite other main surface of the further carrier 102' is referred to as a horizontal rear side region 112'. The horizontal rear side region 112' is remote from the horizontal component side region 104'. As shown in FIG. 11, sidewalls of the further carrier 102' which extend from the horizontal component-side region 104' to the horizontal rear-side region 112' taper towards the electronic component 108. Accordingly, a size of the horizontal back side portion 112' is larger than a size of the clip horizontal component side portion 104'. Thus, the inclined sidewall shape of the clip contributes to heat dissipation away from the electronic component 108.Thus, the die pad (see reference numeral 102) and / or the clip (see reference numeral 102') may have the feature of an inclined sidewall. The manufacture of a die pad (for example from a leadframe) or a clip (for example from a clip frame) may be performed accordingly. The heat paths of the die pad and the clip may be identical, i.e., from the heat source in the form of the electronic component 108 to a heat sink (not shown in FIG. 11 ).Although the die pad type carrier 102 and the clip type further carrier 102' are both shown in FIG. 11, embodiments are also possible in which only the clip and not the die pad with inclined side walls is produced according to the above-described embodiments. In particular, a clip-like carrier 102' may be formed with the geometry of one of the die pad-like carriers 102, as described in any of the embodiments described above.It should be noted that the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or features and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Also, elements described in connection with different embodiments may be combined. It should also be noted that reference numerals should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods, and steps described in the specification. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to embrace such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods or steps.

Claims

A carrier (102) for supporting an electronic component (108) of a package (100), the carrier (102) comprising: • a front side (106) provided with a horizontal component side area (104); and • a back side (114) opposite the front side (106) and provided with a horizontal back side area (112); • wherein a size (S) of the horizontal back side area (112) is larger than a size (L) of the horizontal component side area (104).The carrier (102) of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of a sidewall (120) of the carrier (102) tapers in a thickness direction (118) from the back side (114) towards the front side (106).The carrier (102) of claim 2, wherein the at least partially tapered sidewall (120) of the carrier (102) has a straight shape.The carrier (102) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a taper angle (β) of the side wall (120) of the carrier (102) relative to a vertical direction (122) is at least 5°.The carrier (102) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a taper angle (β) of the side wall (120) of the carrier (102) relative to a vertical direction (122) is not more than 45°.The carrier (102) of any of claims 2 to 5, wherein a first part (138) of the side wall (120) tapers in the thickness direction (118) and a connected second part (140) of the side wall (120) extends vertically along the thickness direction (118).The carrier (102) of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least a portion of a sidewall (120) of the carrier (102) has a stepped profile (136) that narrows from the rear side (114) toward the front side (106).The carrier (102) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the carrier (102) is formed as a die pad (125).The carrier (102) of claim 8, wherein the carrier (102) additionally comprises at least one line portion (128) separate from the die pad (125).The carrier (102') according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the carrier (102') is configured as a clip.The carrier (102) of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the carrier (102) includes a step (124) at the back side (114) to thereby form a retracted lateral portion (126) surrounding a protruding central region (197).The carrier (102) of any of claims 1 to 11, wherein a sidewall (120) of the carrier (102) is provided with an outwardly oriented mandrel (116).The carrier (102) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising at least one of the following features: wherein the horizontal component-side region (104) is a planar region; wherein the horizontal rear-side region (112) is a planar region or is a stepped region; wherein the carrier (102) comprises or consists of a structured metal plate.A package (100) comprising: • a carrier (102) according to any of claims 1 to 13; • an electronic component (108) mounted on at least a part of the horizontal component side region (104) of the carrier (102); and • an encapsulant (110) encapsulating at least a part of the electronic component (108) and at least a part of the carrier (102).The package (100) of claim 14, comprising one of the following features: wherein the horizontal back side region (112) is partially or completely exposed beyond the encapsulant (110); wherein the horizontal back side region (112) is completely encapsulated within the encapsulant (110); comprising an interposer (199) on the horizontal back side region (112) of the carrier (102) and exposed beyond the encapsulant (110).The package (100) of claim 14 or 15, comprising at least one of the following features: wherein the horizontal back side region (112) is configured to dissipate heat generated by the electronic component (108) during operation of the package (100); wherein the horizontal back side region (112) is configured to electrically couple the electronic component (108) to an exterior of the package (100); wherein a size (H) of a region of the horizontal back side region (112) exposed beyond the encapsulant (110) is the same as or greater than the size (L) of the horizontal component side region (104); wherein the electronic component (108) is a semiconductor power chip.An electronic device (130) comprising: • a package (100) according to any of claims 14 to 16; and • a mounting structure (132) mounted on, under or over the horizontal back side region (112).The electronic device (130) of claim 17, comprising at least one of the following features: wherein the mounting structure (132) comprises a heat sink or a mounting base, for example a printed circuit board or an insulated metal substrate; comprising a thermally conductive and electrically insulating layer (134) between the mounting structure (132), which is formed as a heat sink, and the horizontal back side region (112), which is at least partially exposed beyond the encapsulant (110).A method of manufacturing a carrier (102) for carrying an electronic component (108) of a package (100), the method comprising: • providing the carrier (102) with a front side (106) having a horizontal component-side region (104); • providing the carrier (102) with a back side (114) opposite the front side (106) and having a horizontal back side region (112); and • forming a size (S) of the horizontal back side region (112) that is larger than a size (L) of the horizontal component-side region (104).The method of claim 19, wherein forming the size (S) of the horizontal back side portion (112) greater than the size (L) of the horizontal component side portion (104) is performed by treating sidewalls (120) of the carrier (102) by embossing and / or punching.

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