Slotted Substrate EMI Shielding Before Package Singulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor devices are susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and other inter-device interference, which can cause manufacturing defects due to movement and misalignment of units during processing after singulation, leading to increased failure rates.
Innovation Solution
A slotted substrate is used to form semiconductor packages with slots adjacent to encapsulated regions, allowing a shielding layer to be formed before singulation, ensuring electrical connection to conductive layers without full separation, thereby reducing post-singulation handling and defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If semiconductor devices are singulated before forming shielding layers, then individual packages can be processed separately, but manufacturing defects increase due to movement and misalignment during subsequent handling
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding layer is formed over the encapsulant before the substrate is singulated into individual packages. This preliminary action ensures that the shielding layer is applied to all packages simultaneously while they are still connected to the substrate, eliminating subsequent handling and preventing misalignment or movement that would occur if packages were separated first.
2Manufacturing precision
If shielding layers are formed before singulation, then alignment precision is maintained, but the shielding layer must extend across the entire substrate including non-package regions
Solution Approach 1:
Slots are formed through the substrate to divide it into separate package regions while maintaining physical connection. These slots allow the shielding layer to be selectively applied only over the encapsulant regions of each package, preventing material waste in non-package areas while maintaining the alignment benefits of pre-singulation processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The shielding layer is applied selectively only where needed - over the encapsulant regions of each package - rather than uniformly across the entire substrate. This local quality approach reduces material waste while maintaining EMI shielding effectiveness in the critical package regions.
3Loss of substance
If slots are formed through the substrate, then shielding layer material waste is reduced, but the substrate structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is divided into discrete package regions by forming slots through it. This segmentation creates a modular structure that simplifies the application of the shielding layer and reduces material waste, while the slots themselves are simple geometric features that do not significantly complicate the overall substrate architecture.
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 slotted substrate design reduces manufacturing defects by stabilizing package units during processing, enhancing reliability and efficiency in forming effective EMI shielding without the need for pre-singulation handling steps.
Implementation Method 1
a conductive shielding layer 224 is formed over each encapsulant 214... the conductive shielding layer 224 reduces electromagnetic interference (EMI) between the components of package 200 and other nearby electronic devices
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device has a substrate and a slot formed in the substrate. A first electrical component is disposed over the substrate adjacent to the slot. An encapsulant is deposited over the first electrical component with a surface of the encapsulant coplanar to a surface of the substrate within the slot. A shielding layer is formed over the encapsulant and physically contacting the surface of the substrate within the slot. The substrate is singulated to form a semiconductor package with the first electrical component after forming the shielding layer.