Chip Packaging with Internal and External Contact Members
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional IC packaging methods, such as QFP, QFN, COL, FOL, and BGA, face limitations including large size, restricted external contacts, and increased cost due to the need for a circuit board in BGA packages, necessitating an improved design for electronic device packaging.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an electronic device package with a block of insulating material housing an IC and electrically conductive contact members that extend between external and internal contact points, with at least one type of contact member partially within and another wholly outside the footprint, allowing for a dense array of external contacts without a circuit board, using etched metal or differential etching techniques to form leads of varying thickness and configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If leads extend outside the footprint of the insulating block (QFP package), then external contacts are accessible, but the package size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from peripheral lead arrangement (2D perimeter) to a 3D configuration where leads extend both inside and outside the device footprint through the insulating block, utilizing vertical and lateral spatial dimensions to achieve contact density without proportional footprint increase
2Area of stationary object
If external contacts are arranged in a row around the periphery (QFN, COL, FOL packages), then package size is reduced, but the number of external contacts is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent breaks the 1D peripheral arrangement constraint by allowing contacts to be distributed in a 2D matrix pattern across the package footprint, with leads extending internally to connect die pads to external contact points both inside and outside the device footprint
Solution Approach 2:
The contact array is segmented into multiple types: contacts outside the footprint for I/O functions, contacts inside the footprint for various purposes, enabling independent optimization of each segment's function and position
3Quantity of substance
If a circuit board is used to spread external contacts (BGA package), then contact density is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the circuit board intermediary component by implementing direct lead connections from the die through the insulating block, removing the unnecessary layer while maintaining high contact density
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating block merges multiple functions: structural support, electrical insulation, and lead routing pathway, consolidating what previously required separate components (circuit board, adhesive layers, etc.) into a single integrated element
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device package comprising: a block of insulating material; an electronic device housed within the insulating material and having a set of contact pads thereon; and a set of electrically conductive contact members at least partially housed within the insulating material, each contact member extending between a respective external contact point at which it is exposed at the surface of the block and an internal contact point from which it is electrically coupled to a respective contact pad on the electronic device, each internal contact point being outside the footprint of the electronic device, the set of contact members including: at least one contact member of a first type whose external contact point is located at least partially within the footprint of the electronic device; and at least one contact member of a second type that is wholly outside the footprint of the device.