3D Stacked IC Interposer Cooling via Grooves and Heat Pipes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current semiconductor technologies face limitations in enhancing computing power due to inadequate heat dissipation methods for vertically stacked semiconductor chips, particularly for high-performance processing units like CPUs and GPUs, which restricts the improvement of processing unit performance.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with interposers that create a coolant movement path through grooves and holes, allowing coolant to flow between and through stacked semiconductor chips, effectively dissipating heat without the need for a traditional cooling pipeline, and utilizing heat pipes to connect layers for efficient heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional cooling methods are used for vertically stacked semiconductor chips, then the structure is simple, but heat dissipation efficiency is insufficient and performance improvement is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional planar cooling to three-dimensional cooling by stacking semiconductor chips vertically and creating coolant flow paths that extend through multiple layers. The coolant movement paths are formed by grooves and holes penetrating through stacked interposers, enabling heat dissipation in the vertical dimension and significantly improving heat dissipation efficiency for high-performance processing units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested cooling structures where coolant movement paths are embedded within the stacked interposers themselves. The grooves and holes are formed inside the interposer layers, creating internal cooling channels that are nested within the device structure. This integrates the cooling system within the semiconductor stack, improving heat dissipation without proportionally increasing external complexity.
2Temperature
If coolant movement paths are formed through grooves and holes in interposers, then heat dissipation improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cooling system into segmented components distributed across multiple interposer layers. Each interposer contains portions of the coolant movement paths (grooves and holes), allowing the cooling system to be manufactured layer-by-layer using existing semiconductor fabrication processes. This segmentation enables incremental manufacturing and reduces overall complexity compared to creating monolithic cooling channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The interposers serve multiple functions: they provide electrical interconnection between stacked chips and simultaneously house the coolant movement paths for thermal management. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated cooling structures, simplifying manufacturing by integrating cooling capabilities into existing interposer components rather than adding separate systems.
3Temperature
If heat pipes are used to connect layers, then heat transfer efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces heat pipes as intermediary components that facilitate efficient heat transfer between stacked semiconductor layers. The heat pipes are disposed in grooves within the interposers and connect different thermal zones, acting as mediators that conduct heat from high-density processing units to cooling regions. This intermediary approach enables superior heat transfer efficiency while maintaining modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical heat transfer methods (such as direct thermal contact or heat sinks) with heat pipe technology that utilizes phase change mechanisms. The heat pipes exploit evaporative and condensative phase transitions to achieve high-efficiency heat transport without requiring complex mechanical pumping or forced convection systems, thereby improving heat transfer while controlling structural complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enables efficient heat dissipation and high-speed data communication between memory and processing units, overcoming the limitations of traditional cooling methods and allowing for improved performance without increasing power consumption or thermal resistance.
Implementation Method 1
The coolant movement path may be provided by heat pipes disposed in the grooves. The heat pipes may cross diagonally over the layers outside of the semiconductor device and connect the plurality of interposers.
Implementation Method 2
The coolant movement path may be provided by heat pipes disposed in the grooves
Implementation Method 3
The movement paths of the coolant may be formed by spaces sandwiched between the grooves respectively formed in the first interposer and the second interposer, and by holes penetrating through the integrated circuit, the first interposer, and the second interposer. The coolant may flow through a space sandwiched between the grooves and the second interposer, and through the space formed by the holes penetrating through a plurality of the integrated circuits, the first interposer, and the second interposer.
Implementation Method 4
The coolant may flow through a space sandwiched between the grooves and the second interposer
Data Source
AI summary
A three-dimensional stacked integrated circuit includes a plurality of interposers between respective integrated circuits of the three-dimensional stacked integrated circuit and below a lowermost integrated circuit, wherein a plurality of movement paths of a coolant are respectively provided in the plurality of interposers, and the plurality of movement paths of the coolant provided in the plurality of interposers are connected to each other. Alternatively, the three-dimensional stacked integrated circuit is configured by immersion and the system thereof is simplified by the coolant interacting with the outside in grooves provided to the edges of the interposers. In this case, a path for allowing the coolant to flow in the layer direction is not necessary.