Offset 3D Chip Stack Cooling With a Two-Piece Lid
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic package designs face challenges in effectively managing thermal issues in 3D chip stacks, particularly in extracting heat from both the top and bottom sides of stacked chips, which can lead to overheating and reduced performance.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates an offset three-dimensional stacked chip structure with a two-piece lid configuration that includes thermal interface material between the chips and the lid surfaces, along with microchannels for enhanced cooling, and uses hybrid bonding and wirebonding to facilitate heat extraction from both sides of the chip stack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a conventional single-sided cooling lid is used for 3D chip stacks, then the structure is simple, but heat extraction from both top and bottom sides is insufficient leading to overheating
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling lid is divided into two separate pieces: a bottom cooling lid and a top cooling lid. Each piece is designed to cool specific chips in the stack from its respective side. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each cooling piece and enables simultaneous top and bottom cooling of multiple chips, resolving the contradiction between simple structure and effective heat extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling approach transitions from single-sided (one-dimensional) cooling to dual-sided (two-dimensional) cooling by adding a top cooling lid that cooling fluid can flow through. This dimensional change allows heat to be extracted from both the top and bottom surfaces of the chip stack simultaneously, dramatically improving thermal management without excessive structural complexity.
2Temperature
If chips are vertically aligned in a single column, then the bonding process is straightforward, but heat extraction from multiple sides is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The chip stack is arranged in an asymmetric, offset configuration rather than a perfectly vertical alignment. The bottom cooling lid and top cooling lid are positioned at different offsets relative to the chip stack, allowing cooling fluid to access and cool multiple chip surfaces from both sides. This asymmetric arrangement enables superior heat extraction while remaining manufacturable through standard offset bonding techniques.
3Productivity
If thermal management is insufficient in 3D chip stacks, then device density is high, but performance is reduced due to overheating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful thermal energy that would otherwise cause overheating and performance degradation into a manageable parameter by implementing dual-sided cooling. The cooling system captures and removes thermal energy from both the top and bottom surfaces of the chip stack, transforming the potential harm of heat generation into an controlled thermal management solution that maintains high device performance.
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 significantly improves cooling efficiency by allowing heat to be extracted from both the top and bottom sides of the chips, reducing temperatures and enhancing the performance of the electronic package.
Implementation Method 1
a two-piece lid structure configured to extract heat from the bottom and top of the stacked chips
Implementation Method 2
microchannels for enhanced cooling
Implementation Method 3
thermal interface material between the chips and the lid surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic structure includes offset three-dimensional stacked chips; and a two-piece lid structure configured to extract heat from the bottom and top of the stacked chips.