Adjacent Photonic-Electrical IC Package for Heat and Latency Limits
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of photonic and electrical IC chips in system-in-package (SiP) designs faces challenges in reducing power consumption, heat generation, and latency due to increased distances for electrical signal transmission, which complicates heat dissipation and reduces overall performance.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor package structure is designed with a photonic IC chip directly adjacent to an electrical IC chip, utilizing an interposer for electrical connections and edge couplers for optical signal transmission, allowing for efficient horizontal signal transmission and enabling a heat dissipation structure to be placed over the IC chips.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If photonic IC chip and electrical IC chip are integrated in SiP design, then transmission efficiency is improved, but heat dissipation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional vertical stacking to a lateral adjacency arrangement where the photonic IC chip is positioned horizontally next to the electrical IC chip. This dimensional change enables independent heat management for each chip type while maintaining short transmission distances, resolving the contradiction between improved transmission efficiency and heat dissipation complexity.
2Ease of manufacture
If electrical signal transmission distance is increased, then device integration is facilitated, but power consumption and transmission loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating distinct functional zones: the photonic IC chip handles high-speed data transmission locally with minimal electrical signal distance, while the electrical IC chip handles control and processing functions. This localized functional distribution minimizes electrical signal transmission distance and energy loss while maintaining ease of device integration.
3Temperature
If photonic IC chip is positioned away from electrical IC chip, then heat dissipation is improved, but transmission efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary substrate that physically separates the photonic IC chip and electrical IC chip while providing integrated heat dissipation structures. This intermediary enables both chips to maintain optimal thermal conditions through dedicated heat sinks and thermal management layers, while the substrate ensures short optical coupling distances to preserve transmission efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a semiconductor package structure including a first integrated circuit (IC) chip overlying a base structure. An electrical IC chip overlies the base structure and is disposed around the first IC chip. The electrical IC chip is electrically coupled to the first IC chip. A photonic IC chip overlies the base structure and is electrically coupled to the electrical IC chip. The photonic IC chip is configured to receive an input optical signal. The photonic IC chip is adjacent to the electrical IC chip.