Backside Interposer Assembly for Thin Semiconductor Heat Conduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor device assemblies face challenges in achieving thinness and thermal efficiency, particularly due to the varying sizes of components and increased heat generation as devices become more powerful, which complicates heat conduction and assembly design.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an interposer attached to the back side of a substrate, which allows a controller die to be positioned closer to the exterior surface for enhanced heat conduction, and utilizing a uniformly-spaced ball grid array by providing a subset of external contacts on the interposer, enabling effective heat dissipation without increasing assembly size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If semiconductor devices are made more powerful to increase processing capability, then performance improves, but heat generation increases making thermal management more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the controller die on the back side of the substrate opposite the memory dies, utilizing the third dimension (vertical stacking) to separate heat-generating components. This spatial arrangement allows heat to dissipate in multiple directions rather than being confined to a single plane, effectively managing thermal loads from high-power devices without increasing package footprint.
2Length of moving object
If the assembly is made thinner to reduce size, then compactness improves, but heat conduction paths become shorter and thermal management becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the assembly into distinct functional segments: memory dies on the front side and controller die on the back side, separated by the substrate. This segmentation creates independent thermal zones where heat from each component can be managed separately, allowing thin overall design while maintaining effective heat conduction paths through the substrate to external heat sinks or dissipation structures.
3Temperature
If components are arranged to optimize thermal conduction, then heat dissipation improves, but assembly complexity increases due to varying component sizes and positioning requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support for the memory and controller dies, establishes electrical connections between components through conductive structures, and acts as a thermal management pathway conducting heat from the controller die to external dissipation points. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated structures, simplifying the overall assembly despite thermal optimization requirements.
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 facilitates efficient heat dissipation from high-power components like memory controller dies, reducing the need for additional heat-conducting structures and maintaining a compact assembly design.
Implementation Method 1
positioned closer to an exterior surface of the assembly to facilitate conduction of heat away from the controller die
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device assembly comprises a substrate including internal contacts on a first side and first external contacts on a second side. The assembly further comprises one or more first dies disposed over the first side and electrically coupled to the internal contacts, and a interposer having a length and a width less than a length and a width of the substrate, having inner contacts on a first side, and having second external contacts on a second side. The interposer is coupled to the second side of the substrate by one or more of the inner contacts. The assembly further comprises a second die disposed between the substrate and the interposer. The assembly further comprises first solder balls on the first external contacts, and second solder balls on the second external contacts. The first and second solder balls are configured to bond with co-planar package contacts.