Substrate Alpha Shield Layout for Semiconductor Soft Error Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor packages are susceptible to soft errors due to alpha particle emissions from radioactive impurities in materials used in the substrate and solder resist, which can cause temporary malfunctions in integrated circuits, especially as devices shrink and operate at lower voltages, leading to increased sensitivity and reduced spacing between components.
Innovation Solution
An alpha particle shield, typically made of copper, is disposed between the substrate and integrated circuits to impede alpha particles, reducing the risk of penetration and subsequent soft errors, by being placed at the edge of solder mask openings or between the solder resist and semiconductor dies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If semiconductor devices are shrunk and spaced closer together to increase integration density, then productivity and device capacity improve, but sensitivity to alpha particle emissions increases leading to more soft errors
Solution Approach 1:
An alpha particle shield layer is introduced as an intermediary component between the substrate (containing radioactive impurities) and the integrated circuits. This shield layer, typically made of copper or other alpha-absorbing materials, blocks alpha particles from reaching the sensitive semiconductor devices, thereby resolving the contradiction by allowing close spacing while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The alpha particle shield is positioned and configured in advance during the packaging process, before the devices are subjected to operational conditions where soft errors would occur. This preliminary protective measure ensures that devices can be densely packed without incurring increased soft error rates during operation.
2Reliability
If alpha particle shield is added between substrate and integrated circuits to block alpha particles, then reliability improves by reducing soft errors, but device complexity and manufacturing steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The alpha particle shield function is merged with existing packaging components such as the substrate structure or underfill materials. By combining the shielding function with components that already exist in the packaging architecture, the solution improves reliability without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield layer uses parameters (material composition, thickness) that are optimized to provide adequate alpha particle blocking while minimizing the added complexity. By carefully selecting the thickness and material properties, the shield provides effective protection without requiring a complex multi-layer structure.
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 implementation of an alpha particle shield effectively reduces soft errors in semiconductor devices by blocking alpha particles, thereby decreasing the need for resource consumption in error correction processes and enhancing the reliability of memory packages.
Implementation Method 1
An alpha particle shield, typically made of copper, is disposed between the substrate and integrated circuits to impede alpha particles, reducing the risk of penetration and subsequent soft errors
Data Source
AI summary
Implementations described herein relate to various semiconductor device assemblies. In some implementations, a semiconductor device assembly may include a substrate, a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on an outer surface of the substrate, a solder resist disposed on the outer surface of the substrate and including an opening defined by a plurality of edges and exposing the plurality of electrical contacts, and an alpha particle shield disposed proximate to at least one edge, of the plurality of edges.