Metal Substrate-on-Foil with Dielectric-Isolated Fine Vias
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current packaging solutions for advanced electronics face challenges such as high costs, limited resolution, mechanical weakness, and poor heat dissipation, particularly with Through Panel Vias, Through Silicon Vias, and Through Glass Vias, which restrict the ability to achieve high-resolution components and maintain performance criteria.
Innovation Solution
A substrate-on-foil is developed with a metal substrate core and patterned in-substrate metal structures made of a different metal, isolated by a dielectric material, allowing for tailored electronic properties and improved manufacturability and cost-effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If Through Panel Vias are used in printed circuit boards, then electrical connections through substrate are achieved, but wire resolution is limited to large features (4 mil or 3 mil lines and spacing)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of substrate material from organic printed circuit board to metal substrate, enabling significantly finer wire resolutions (down to 1.2 mil or 30 μm and below) while maintaining manufacturability through metal-specific fabrication processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical drilling and electroplating process used for Through Panel Vias with a laser-based direct write approach on metal substrates, eliminating the need for large drilled holes and enabling higher resolution conductive pathways
2Manufacturing precision
If Through Silicon Vias are used, then electrical connections through substrate are achieved, but mechanical strength is reduced due to thinned silicon interposers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite metal substrate structures with multiple layers and materials (copper, aluminum, nickel, tungsten) that provide both the mechanical strength of metal and the electrical conductivity needed for high-resolution via formation, eliminating the weakness of thinned silicon interposers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the substrate material parameter from thinned silicon to metal, fundamentally improving mechanical strength while maintaining the ability to form high-resolution conductive pathways through the substrate
3Manufacturing precision
If Through Glass Vias are used, then electrical connections through substrate are achieved, but heat dissipation is poor due to insulating glass material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs metal substrate materials with high thermal conductivity (copper, aluminum) that inherently provide superior heat dissipation compared to glass, while still enabling precise via formation through laser direct write and electroplating processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces glass substrate with metal substrate, substituting the insulating material that provides poor heat dissipation with a thermally conductive material that actively manages heat while maintaining via formation capabilities
4Reliability
If standard device I/O pins are used for package-to-package connections, then electrical connections are achieved, but power consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the connection path by creating direct through-substrate vias that eliminate intermediate connection points and reduce the number of I/O pins required, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining connection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from surface-mounted I/O connections to through-substrate vertical connections, adding the vertical dimension to signal paths and reducing the burden on I/O pins, which lowers power consumption in package-to-package interfaces
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 enables the creation of high-resolution components with enhanced mechanical strength and heat dissipation, addressing the limitations of existing packaging technologies by using a metal substrate with in-substrate structures formed of a different metal, isolated by a dielectric material.
Implementation Method 1
a dielectric material completely isolating the at least one in-substrate metal structure from the metal substrate core
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate-on-foil formed of a metal substrate core metal including patterned metal in-substrate structures therein which are of a different metal than the metal in which the metal substrate core is formed, with the patterned in-substrate structures being isolated from the metal substrate core by a dielectric material, and methods of making the same.