Component Carrier Wiring Layout for Target Current and Electrical Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing component carriers to meet target requirements, especially for powerful electronic components, is challenging due to heat removal issues and the need for mechanical robustness and electrical reliability, particularly in harsh conditions and with increasing miniaturization and density of components.
Innovation Solution
A method and component carrier design that includes a stack of electrically conductive and insulating layers with equidistant wiring elements arranged in rows to manage current distribution, optimizing the ratio of conductive material area to total area between 6% to 11% to ensure high current carrying capacity and electrical safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the number of wiring elements is increased to meet higher current requirements, then the current carrying capacity is improved, but the spacing between wiring elements decreases leading to reduced electrical safety and increased heat generation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the distribution density of wiring elements across different regions of the component carrier. Areas with higher current requirements have denser wiring element distributions, while areas with lower requirements have sparser distributions. This localized optimization allows the system to meet current carrying capacity requirements without uniformly reducing spacing everywhere, thereby maintaining electrical safety where high density is not needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the distribution parameter of wiring elements from uniform to non-uniform based on current requirements. By adjusting the density parameter locally according to power consumption maps of mounted components, the system achieves higher overall current carrying capacity while maintaining minimum spacing thresholds for electrical safety in all regions.
2Ease of manufacture
If wiring elements are arranged in a uniform grid pattern, then manufacturing is simplified, but the current distribution efficiency is reduced due to inability to optimize for specific power requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from uniform grid arrangement to locally optimized arrangement where wiring element density varies by region. This allows the current distribution system to efficiently match the power requirements of different areas of the component carrier, improving overall current distribution efficiency while still using standardized wiring element components that are easy to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary planning of wiring element distribution based on expected power requirements and component placement before manufacturing. This pre-optimization allows the manufacturing process to follow a predetermined pattern that balances manufacturing simplicity with current distribution efficiency, avoiding the need for complex real-time adjustments during production.
3Power
If the area ratio of conductive material is increased to meet target current values, then current carrying capacity is improved, but the available area for other components and heat dissipation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating higher conductive material density only in regions where current carrying is required, rather than uniformly increasing conductivity across the entire component carrier. This localized approach maximizes current carrying capacity in critical areas while preserving available area in other regions for component mounting and heat dissipation structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the component carrier into different functional zones with different conductive material requirements. Power distribution areas have higher conductivity, while areas dedicated to component mounting and thermal management have lower conductivity. This segmentation allows the system to meet target current values without unnecessarily reducing the total available area for other functions.
4Productivity
If electronic components are miniaturized to increase density, then the number of components per area is improved, but heat removal becomes increasingly difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses heat removal by transitioning from two-dimensional heat dissipation surfaces to three-dimensional heat management structures. This includes implementing heat sinks with vertical fins, thermal vias extending through multiple layers, and layered thermal pathways that conduct heat away from dense component areas in the vertical dimension, thereby maintaining high component density while improving heat removal efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of defining a distribution of wiring elements (108) in accordance with at least one target current-related value concerning an electric current to be transmitted over at least a portion of a region between a first main surface and a second main surface of a component carrier (100), wherein the component carrier (100) comprises a stack (102) comprising at least one electrically conductive layer structure (104) and at least one electrically insulating layer structure (106), wherein the at least one electrically insulating layer structure (106) comprises a plurality of wiring elements (108) arranged in a wiring plane (162) to form a first row (110) of equidistant wiring elements (108) arranged along a straight direction within the wiring plane (162) and a second row (112) of equidistant wiring elements (108) arranged along the straight direction within the wiring plane (162), the method comprising defining structural and electrical features of the wiring elements (108), defining distribution features indicative of a distribution of the wiring elements (108), defining amounts of the distributed wiring elements (108) to be provided in a respective area of the wiring plane (162), and defining the distribution of the wiring elements (108) in accordance with requirements of the at least one target current-related value in dependence of the defined structural and electrical features of the wiring elements (108), the defined distribution features, and the defined amounts of the distributed wiring elements (108).