Embedded Voltage Regulators in Layered Semiconductor Packages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor devices face challenges in reducing power consumption and cost due to the distance large currents need to travel from voltage regulators to processing cores, as well as the demand for cutting-edge lithographic technology in voltage conversion transistors, which can be costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
Embedding voltage regulators within the package of semiconductor devices, using relatively large lithographic features and old technology for voltage conversion transistors, and integrating them with gallium nitride or silicon carbide technology to handle higher voltages and temperatures, while avoiding redesign and interference with electrical contact arrays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If voltage regulators are placed close to processing cores, then power consumption is reduced by minimizing current travel distance, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage regulator is embedded within the package structure, nesting the power conversion components inside the layered package that electrically connects to the cores. This nesting approach minimizes current travel distance and reduces power consumption while maintaining a compact integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The voltage regulator is positioned in a different spatial dimension (within the package layers) rather than on the same plane as the cores. This three-dimensional arrangement reduces current travel distance through vertical or diagonal routing through conductive vias, thereby reducing power consumption without significantly increasing footprint complexity.
2Reliability
If cutting-edge lithographic technology is used for voltage conversion transistors, then voltage regulation performance is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different lithographic technologies are used for different components: cutting-edge lithography for the processing cores requiring high performance, and older, less expensive lithographic technology for the voltage conversion transistors where maximum performance is less critical. This local differentiation optimizes overall system performance while reducing manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the lithographic parameter (feature size precision) for different components based on their functional requirements. The voltage conversion transistors use larger, less precise features made with older lithography, while cores use smaller, more precise features with cutting-edge lithography, thereby reducing manufacturing cost without significantly compromising voltage regulation performance.
3Loss of energy
If voltage regulators are embedded within the package, then current travel distance is minimized reducing power consumption, but manufacturing complexity and testing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage regulator is tested and validated before the compute silicon is added to the package. This preliminary testing allows defects to be identified and addressed early in the manufacturing process, preventing waste of expensive compute silicon and improving overall manufacturing efficiency despite the embedded complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process is segmented into distinct stages: first embedding and testing the voltage regulator in the package, then adding the compute silicon separately. This segmentation allows independent optimization and testing of each component, improving manufacturing efficiency by isolating testing requirements and enabling parallel processing of different modules.
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
This approach reduces power consumption by minimizing current travel distances, lowers production costs through the use of less expensive technology, and increases yield and reliability by testing voltage regulators before adding compute silicon, while allowing direct access to all cores and using 'air core' inductors for efficient voltage regulation.
Implementation Method 1
a voltage regulator embedded within the package, the voltage regulator configured to accept a first voltage from the electrical connection, reduce the first voltage to a second voltage, and deliver the second voltage to the semiconductor die
Data Source
AI summary
A computing chip can include one or more voltage regulators to decrease a standard voltage, such as twelve volts, to a relatively low operating voltage of its processing cores, typically around one volt. Because the power consumed by the cores can be substantial, such as three hundred watts or more, it is desirable to locate the voltage regulators as close as possible to the cores, to reduce the distances that relatively large currents have to travel in the chip circuitry. The voltage regulators can be embedded within the package, such as in a layered structure, in a layer that electrically connects to the cores. While the cores are typically manufactured using the smallest possible lithographic features, the voltage regulators are less demanding and can instead use relatively large lithographic features, which can be formed using relatively old technology, and can therefore be relatively inexpensive.