Capped Pipe Structure for Clear Substrate Openings in Electronic Packaging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronic package manufacturing methods result in excessive costs, decreased reliability, and large package sizes due to inefficiencies in forming passages and removing protective material from substrate openings.
Innovation Solution
A capped pipe structure is positioned over substrate openings before encapsulation, preventing protective material from entering and allowing for a passage to be formed without subsequent mechanical intervention, thereby reducing manufacturing time and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional methods are used to form passages and remove protective material from substrate openings, then the electronic device can be manufactured, but manufacturing time and cost increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe structure is pre-formed with passages before the substrate opening is created. The pipe is then positioned and coupled to the substrate such that the pre-formed passages align with the substrate openings, eliminating the need for subsequent mechanical passage formation and protective material removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The passage formation function is extracted from the substrate processing steps and transferred to the pipe manufacturing process. The pipe is manufactured separately with its passages already formed, then integrated with the substrate, separating the passage formation operation from the encapsulation and finishing operations.
2Ease of manufacture
If mechanical intervention is used to form passages and remove protective material, then the substrate opening can be cleared, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe is pre-formed with passages during the pipe manufacturing process, before the pipe is coupled to the substrate. This preliminary formation of passages eliminates the need for costly mechanical intervention steps after substrate assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical processes of drilling, milling, or laser forming passages in the substrate, and mechanically removing protective material, are replaced by a single coupling operation that positions the pre-formed pipe structure into alignment with the substrate opening.
3Reliability
If the pipe passage is exposed from the encapsulant, then the passage remains clear for attachment structures, but the pipe top must be positioned above the encapsulant surface
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe structure has different functional zones: the lower portion is coupled to the substrate and may be embedded in or exposed from the encapsulant, while the upper portion (pipe top) extends above the encapsulant surface to provide access to the passage. This local differentiation allows the passage to be protected while maintaining access.
Solution Approach 2:
The pipe passage provides a vertical pathway through the substrate and encapsulant. By extending the pipe top above the encapsulant surface in the vertical dimension, the passage remains open and accessible while the horizontal footprint is minimized, allowing compact device design.
Data Source
AI summary
In one example, an electronic device includes a substrate, which includes a substrate first side, a substrate second side opposite to the substrate side, a conductive structure, and a substrate opening extending through substrate from the substrate first side to the substrate second side. A pipe is coupled to the substrate first side and includes a pipe wall including an exterior surface and an interior surface defining a pipe passage aligned with the substrate opening, and a pipe top distal to the substrate first side. A electronic component is coupled to the conductive structure adjacent to the substrate first side. An encapsulant is over the substrate first side, the exterior surface of the pipe wall and over at least a portion of the electronic component. The pipe passage and the substrate opening are devoid of the encapsulant. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed herein.