Mold-Integrated Substrate Frame for Ultrathin Package Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in microelectronic packaging is the handling and assembly of ultrathin, fragile substrates, which are prone to breakage and warpage, leading to reduced product yield and increased production costs due to the need for specialized tooling and carrier systems.
Innovation Solution
A robust Mold-Integrated Substrate (MIS) package architecture is introduced, featuring an integrated protective frame structure at both the package panel and unit levels. This frame comprises three zones: a bumper zone, a mesh zone with a lattice structure, and a clean zone with fiducial alignment marks. The protective frame is made of materials with higher fracture toughness than the substrate dielectric, such as copper, to absorb stresses and prevent crack propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If ultrathin package substrates are used to achieve smaller form factors, then packaging size is reduced, but substrate fragility and susceptibility to breakage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is segmented into a central active region and a surrounding protective frame structure. The frame acts as a separate structural element that provides mechanical support to the thin substrate, allowing the substrate to maintain its ultrathin profile while gaining enhanced strength through the integrated frame architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate combines the thin dielectric substrate material with a protective frame made of materials having higher fracture toughness (such as metals or composite materials). This composite structure integrates the electrical functionality of the thin substrate with the mechanical strength of the frame material, resolving the contradiction between thinness and strength.
2Reliability
If specialized process tooling and carrier systems are purchased to prevent substrate damage, then substrate protection is improved, but production line costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate structure is designed to be self-supporting through its integrated protective frame, eliminating the need for external carrier systems and specialized handling tooling. The frame provides inherent mechanical support that allows the substrate to be handled and processed without additional protective infrastructure, reducing both cost and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective frame is merged with the substrate to form an integrated Mold-Integrated Substrate (MIS) structure. This combination eliminates the need for separate carrier systems and specialized tooling by incorporating all protective and structural functions directly into the substrate assembly, simplifying the production line.
3Length of moving object
If the substrate thickness is reduced to achieve ultrathin packages, then packaging thickness is decreased, but handling difficulty and warpage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is divided into a thin central active region for electrical functionality and a thicker protective frame region for mechanical support. This segmentation allows the substrate to achieve ultrathin overall profile while the frame provides sufficient thickness for rigidity and ease of handling during processing and assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the substrate have different thicknesses and material properties optimized for their specific functions. The central active region is kept ultrathin for electrical performance, while the peripheral frame region has increased thickness and structural properties to provide mechanical support and ease of handling, resolving the contradiction between thinness and handleability.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, comprising an Integrated Circuit (IC) package comprising a dielectric, the IC package has a first surface and an opposing second-surface, wherein the first surface is separated from the second surface by a thickness of the IC package, wherein sidewalls extend along a perimeter and through the thickness between the first surface and the second surface, and a structure comprising a frame that extends at least partially along the perimeter of the IC package, wherein the structure extends at least through the thickness of the IC package and inwardly from the sidewalls of the IC package.