Sacrificial Material Cooling Circuit on Integrated Circuit Chip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for creating cooling channels in microelectronic devices are complex and inefficient, often requiring metal electrodeposition and lithography, which complicates the assembly phase and is not suitable for large-scale production.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a pattern with a sacrificial material on the chip's surface, followed by coating with resin and partial removal of the sacrificial material to create channels, simplifying the process and eliminating the need for complex lithography and etching steps, using the resin coating to define the channel walls and allowing fluid circulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If metal electrodeposition and lithography are used to create cooling channels, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the sacrificial material from the resin coating, leaving behind clean cooling channels. This eliminates the need for complex metal electrodeposition and lithography processes while maintaining channel precision, as the channels are formed by the negative space left after sacrificial material removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The sacrificial material acts as an intermediary element that temporarily occupies the space where cooling channels will eventually form. This mediator allows for simple resin coating and channel definition without requiring complex lithography or etching steps, resolving the contradiction between precision and complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If complex lithography and etching steps are used, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The sacrificial material is deposited in advance to define the cooling channel pattern before the resin coating is applied. This preliminary action allows the resin to be simply coated over the pattern without requiring subsequent complex lithography or etching steps, significantly improving productivity while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical lithography and etching systems with a simpler chemical deposition and removal process. The sacrificial material is deposited using straightforward techniques and then removed through dissolution or melting, eliminating the need for complex mechanical processing while maintaining channel definition precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If metal walls are used to define channels, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of manufacture worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses homogeneous resin material to form the channel walls instead of introducing heterogeneous metal walls. This simplifies the manufacturing process and assembly, as the resin coating can be applied uniformly over the sacrificial material pattern without requiring separate metal deposition or assembly steps, while still achieving adequate channel wall precision.
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 simplifies the manufacturing of cooling channels, reduces production complexity, and allows for effective heat dissipation through large-section channels with optional thermally conductive materials, facilitating efficient coolant circulation without additional packaging components.
Implementation Method 1
The opening of the cooling circuit, by removal of the sacrificial material, allows for fluid circulation within the circuit between two apertures of this circuit. This removal, which is advantageously carried out by melting or dissolution, is simple and uses the necessary apertures of the cooling circuit
Implementation Method 2
This removal, which is advantageously carried out by melting or dissolution, is simple and uses the necessary apertures of the cooling circuit, which apertures are thus used both during manufacture (to remove the sacrificial material)
Implementation Method 3
forming a coating of said pattern by at least one resin layer
Implementation Method 4
Electronic circuits generate heat energy which must be dissipated. It particularly relates to the cooling of integrated circuit chips forming or comprised within such devices. This allows for the creation of a cooling circuit, which circuit can be used in conjunction with a heat transfer fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a cooling circuit on at least one integrated circuit chip includes producing a cooling circuit on a first face of the chip. Producing the cooling circuit includes forming a definition pattern of the cooling circuit on the first face of the chip, the pattern having at least one layer of a sacrificial material; coating the pattern with at least one resin layer; and at least partially removing the sacrificial material from the pattern so as to open the cooling circuit.