Double-Sided IC Package Substrate for Interposer-Free Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional testing and debugging techniques for integrated circuit packages with backside power delivery configurations are limited, often requiring complex and costly interposers, and cannot be performed efficiently without risking damage to the IC package.
Innovation Solution
A double-sided package substrate that allows the IC package to be oriented in either a right-side up or upside-down configuration without interposers, enabling testing and debugging from both sides by using electrical pads on both the top and bottom surfaces of the package substrate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional testing techniques are used for IC packages with backside power delivery configurations, then testing can be performed, but complex and costly interposers are required and the process is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the testing functionality from the complex interposer structure and integrates it directly into the package substrate. The package substrate itself is designed with test access features that allow direct testing of the IC die without requiring separate interposer components, thereby eliminating the need for complex and costly interposers while maintaining reliable testing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The package substrate is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides mechanical support, electrical connections, and integrated testing capabilities. By incorporating test pads and access structures directly into the substrate, it becomes a multi-functional component that eliminates the need for dedicated interposer structures, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining testing reliability.
2Reliability
If interposers are used for testing IC packages, then testing can be performed, but hardware costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the testing functionality with the package substrate by integrating test pads, access structures, and electrical connections directly into the substrate design. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate interposer components, reducing hardware costs while maintaining the ability to perform comprehensive testing of the IC die.
Solution Approach 2:
The testing functionality is extracted from the expensive interposer component and embedded directly into the package substrate. This extraction eliminates the need for costly interposer materials and manufacturing processes, significantly reducing hardware costs while preserving full testing capability.
3Ease of operation
If traditional single-sided package substrates are used, then assembly is straightforward, but testing and debugging from both sides is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The package substrate is designed with asymmetric features on each side: one side has test pads and access structures optimized for top-side testing, while the other side has corresponding features for bottom-side testing. This asymmetric design allows the substrate to be oriented in different directions during testing and debugging, providing versatility while maintaining assembly simplicity through standardized connection interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the testing capability from a single dimension (one-sided testing) to three dimensions by incorporating test access features on both the top and bottom surfaces of the package substrate. This allows testing to be performed from multiple orientations and angles, greatly enhancing adaptability while maintaining straightforward assembly through standardized connection protocols.
4Ease of operation
If IC packages are tested in fixed orientations, then assembly is simple, but debugging access is limited and risk of damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The package substrate is designed with dynamic reorientability, allowing it to be rotated and positioned in different orientations during testing and debugging. The substrate incorporates flexible connection interfaces and multi-sided test access that enable technicians to access different areas of the IC die from various angles without requiring complex reassembly, thereby reducing the risk of damage while maintaining assembly simplicity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Double-sided integrated circuit package apparatus and related methods are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes an integrated circuit package including a die, and a package substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the die coupled to the first surface, the first surface including a plurality of first contact pads and the second surface including a plurality of second contact pads, the first contact pads spaced apart from the die, the first contact pads and the second contact pads being electrically coupled with the die.