Conformal Power Planes for 3D Die Stack Heat and Power Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
3D stacked die assemblies face thermal management challenges due to mold compound with low thermal conductivity, leading to poor heat transfer and inefficient power delivery through mold vias or through silicon vias.
Innovation Solution
Replace mold compound with a thermally and electrically conductive material using high throughput additive manufacturing (HTAM) to create a conformal power delivery structure with multiple power planes, enhancing thermal management and power delivery efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mold compound is used to encapsulate dies in 3D stacked die assemblies, then the dies are protected and encapsulated, but thermal conductivity is low (less than 1 W/m-K) causing poor heat transfer from the dies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thermal parameter of the encapsulation material by replacing mold compound with a material having thermally conductive particles dispersed therein. This increases the thermal conductivity parameter from less than 1 W/m-K to a higher value, enabling efficient heat transfer from the dies while maintaining die encapsulation protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite encapsulation material consisting of a base material with thermally conductive particles dispersed throughout. This composite structure combines the protective properties of the base material with the high thermal conductivity of the conductive particles, achieving both die protection and improved heat transfer.
2Ease of operation
If through mold vias (TMVs) are used for power delivery connections to top dies, then power delivery is enabled, but the structure is complex and thermal management is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the power delivery function with the encapsulation structure by forming conductive traces directly within the thermally conductive encapsulation material. This eliminates the need for separate through mold vias, reducing structural complexity while maintaining power delivery capability and improving thermal management.
Solution Approach 2:
The encapsulation material serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides die protection, enables heat transfer, and delivers power to the dies. By embedding conductive traces within the thermally conductive material, the same structure performs both thermal management and power delivery functions, reducing overall device complexity.
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
Improves thermal conductivity and reduces the need for through mold vias, enabling better heat spreading and power delivery to top dies, with improved electrical performance and reduced lateral inductance.
Implementation Method 1
Some embodiments propose replacing some or all of the mold compound in a 3D stacked die assembly (or '3D die stack' or '3D stack') with a thermally and electrically conductive material (e.g. copper), which is manufactured using high throughput additive manufacturing (HTAM), such as cold spray. The HTAM material thus provided improves thermal management of 3D stacks
Implementation Method 2
The HTAM material thus provided improves thermal management of 3D stacks while enabling power delivery between the package substrate of the 3D stack and the dies thereof at Levels 2 and above (top dies)
Data Source
AI summary
A conformal power delivery structure, a three-dimensional (3D) stacked die assembly, a system including the 3D stacked die assembly, and a method of forming the conformal power delivery structure. The power delivery structure includes a package substrate, a die adjacent to and electrically coupled to the package substrate; a first power plane adjacent the upper surface of the package substrate and electrically coupled thereto; a second power plane at least partially within recesses defined by the first power plane and having a lower surface that conforms with the upper surface of the first power plane; and a dielectric material between the first power plane and the second power plane.