Semiconductor Package Corner Structures for Warpage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor packages experience warpage due to mismatched thermal expansion coefficients of materials, leading to structural integrity issues, compromised electrical connections, and impaired thermal management, with diagnostic challenges exacerbated by inaccessible interconnect interfaces.
Innovation Solution
Designing package structures with encapsulant materials matching the substrate's thermal expansion properties, incorporating high-strength supporting structures at corners and edges, and enhancing interconnect density through similar materials for improved mechanical and thermal performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If encapsulant materials with mismatched thermal expansion coefficients are used, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but warpage occurs leading to structural integrity issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully selecting encapsulant materials with thermal expansion coefficients that match the substrate material. This parameter matching prevents differential thermal expansion during temperature cycling, thereby eliminating warpage and maintaining structural integrity while still allowing manufacturing flexibility through controlled material selection within specified parameter ranges.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by specifying that corner structures should be made of the same material as the substrate or materials with similar electrical insulation resistivity and thermal expansion coefficient. This localized material matching at critical corner regions prevents warpage initiation at these vulnerable areas while allowing different material properties in other package regions to optimize other performance characteristics.
2Strength
If corner structures are reinforced with high-strength materials, then structural integrity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by integrating the corner structures directly into the substrate using the same material or similar materials. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate reinforcement components, achieving high corner strength through material continuity while reducing overall device complexity by removing unnecessary structural elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies homogeneity by making corner structures from the same material as the substrate or materials with matched properties. This material uniformity ensures consistent mechanical strength throughout the package while simplifying manufacturing processes and reducing structural complexity compared to using heterogeneous high-strength reinforcement materials.
3Reliability
If encapsulation structure covers extended substrate area, then chip protection is improved, but access to interconnect interfaces is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by strategically positioning corner structures at the package periphery, outside the encapsulation structure boundaries. This spatial segmentation allows the encapsulation to provide comprehensive chip protection while leaving corner regions accessible for interconnect interface exposure, enabling diagnostic access without compromising chip protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the intermediary principle by using corner structures as mediator elements that serve dual functions: they maintain structural integrity and prevent warpage while also serving as access points for interconnect interfaces. These corner regions act as intermediaries between the protected chip area and the external diagnostic environment.
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
Mitigates warpage, enhances structural integrity, ensures reliable electrical connections, improves thermal management, and facilitates easier diagnostic access without damaging the device.
Implementation Method 1
an encapsulation structure encapsulating the chip, where the encapsulation structure covers a surface of the chip and a first area of the first surface of the substrate that extends beyond the chip
Implementation Method 2
The substrate includes a first material, and the corner structures include a second material. The first material is the same as the second material, or the first material is similar to the second material in that a difference in at least one of electrical insulation resistivity or thermal expansion coefficient between the first material and the second material is below a threshold
Implementation Method 3
The substrate includes first contact structures and first solder bumps coupled to the first contact structures, and the first solder bumps are placed on a second surface of the substrate opposing the first surface of the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
Package structures and methods for manufacturing package structures are described. An example package structure includes a substrate, a chip disposed on a first surface of the substrate, corner structures disposed on corner areas of the first surface, and an encapsulation structure encapsulating the chip, where the encapsulation structure covers a surface of the chip and a first area of the first surface of the substrate that extends beyond the chip. The substrate includes a first material, and the corner structures include a second material. The first material is the same as the second material, or the first material is similar to the second material in that a difference in at least one of electrical insulation resistivity or thermal expansion coefficient between the first material and the second material is below a threshold.