Stepped Conductive Substrate Layout for Shorter Wire Bonds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic power substrates are planar, leading to significant downsets between lead frames and die surfaces, resulting in long wire bonds that cause wire clutter, sweeping, and shorting, which affect performance and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A non-planar, stepped or terraced surface is implemented on the electronic power substrate, allowing semiconductor dies to be positioned on different height levels, reducing wire bond lengths and preventing wire sweeping and shorting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a planar substrate surface is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but wire bond length increases causing wire clutter, sweeping, and shorting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional planar substrate surface to a three-dimensional stepped surface structure. Multiple conductive layers are formed at different heights, creating vertical stratification that reduces horizontal wire bond travel distance and eliminates wire sweeping issues while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through sequential layer deposition
2Device complexity
If a planar substrate surface is used, then the device structure is simple, but wire bond length increases leading to wire clutter and shorting
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate surface is segmented into multiple stepped levels, with each conductive layer forming a distinct step. This segmentation separates previously overlapping wire bond paths into different vertical planes, eliminating wire clutter and shorting hazards while the complexity remains manageable through systematic layer formation
3Reliability
If multiple conductive layers at different heights are implemented, then wire bond length is reduced and wire sweeping is prevented, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By utilizing the vertical dimension to create stepped conductive layers at different heights, the patent reduces wire bond length and prevents wire sweeping. The manufacturing complexity is managed by forming layers sequentially, with each layer building upon the previous one, transforming a potentially complex 3D structure into a systematic multi-step fabrication process
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate includes a base plate made of an insulating material, a first electrically conductive layer disposed on a first side of the base plate, and a second electrically conductive layer disposed on a second side of the base plate. The first electrically conductive layer has a stepped surface, the stepped surface including a plurality of steps at different heights above the base plate.