Semiconductor Package Spacer Layout for Heat and Spacing Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for high-performance and multifunctional semiconductor devices necessitates finer patterns and higher integration, which poses challenges in manufacturing and packaging due to the need for precise spacing and thermal management.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of spacers on semiconductor chips within semiconductor packages, where the spacers are designed to extend in a horizontal direction and are covered by an encapsulant with specific edge and upper portions, ensuring coplanarity and equal cross-sectional areas to enhance thermal dissipation and structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If spacers are added to maintain precise spacing for fine-patterned devices, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The encapsulant is designed with nested portions that fit within the spaces defined by adjacent spacers, creating a compact integrated structure. This nesting approach allows the encapsulant to provide structural support and precise spacing positioning without adding excessive external complexity to the package design.
Solution Approach 2:
The encapsulant serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, maintains precise spacing between components, offers thermal management pathways, and protects the semiconductor chip. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby managing overall device complexity while achieving high manufacturing precision.
2Reliability
If encapsulant covers spacers to protect and integrate structure, then reliability is improved, but heat dissipation capability may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The encapsulant is designed with non-uniform thickness, featuring thinner regions positioned adjacent to the spacers where heat dissipation is critical. This local thinning maintains structural protection and reliability in areas where it is least needed while optimizing thermal pathways in areas requiring effective heat dissipation from the semiconductor chip and spacers.
3Manufacturing precision
If spacers extend in horizontal direction for fine patterning, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of manufacture worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The spacers are pre-formed with precise horizontal extensions before the encapsulant is applied. This preliminary formation of the spacer structure establishes the fine pattern geometry in advance, allowing the subsequent encapsulant application to simply conform to the pre-defined structure rather than requiring complex simultaneous formation processes.
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
The solution effectively dissipates heat generated by semiconductor chips and maintains precise spacing, thereby supporting higher integration and performance of semiconductor devices.
Implementation Method 1
The solution effectively dissipates heat generated by semiconductor chips
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor package includes a semiconductor chip on a substrate, first and second spacers extending in a first horizontal direction on the semiconductor chip and spaced apart from each other in a second horizontal direction, and an encapsulant at least partially covering the substrate, the semiconductor chip, the first spacer, and the second spacer. An upper portion of the encapsulant is between the first and second spacers. First and second edge portions of the encapsulant overlap the semiconductor chip in the second horizontal direction and are spaced apart from each other in the second horizontal direction with the semiconductor chip interposed therebetween. An upper surface of the first spacer is coplanar with an upper surface of the upper portion of the encapsulant. The cross-sectional area of the upper portion of the encapsulant is equal to a sum of cross-sectional areas of the first and second edge portions of the encapsulant.