Thermal Bonding Pads with Direct Substrate Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing complexity of thermal management in semiconductor components with multiple co-packaged die poses challenges in heat extraction and dissipation due to the indirect path heat must travel through numerous interfaces, leading to elevated operating temperatures and potential inoperability.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of thermal bonding pads that provide direct contact with the underlying substrate, reducing thermal resistance and enhancing heat dissipation by creating additional pathways that bypass the low-conductivity passivation layers, combined with through-via bonding pads for electrical and thermal connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If heat must travel through numerous interfaces in co-packaged die stacks, then electrical interconnection and co-packaging are achieved, but thermal resistance increases and heat dissipation efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces thermal bonding pads as intermediary structures between the die stack and substrate. These pads serve as dedicated thermal mediators that provide low-resistance heat transfer pathways, allowing heat to bypass the high-resistance interfaces encountered in electrical interconnection paths. The thermal bonding pads act as a separate thermal conduction network that does not interfere with electrical signaling while efficiently extracting heat from the co-packaged die stack.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the thermal management function from the electrical interconnection function. By creating separate thermal bonding pads distinct from electrical bonding pads, the design allows independent optimization of thermal and electrical pathways. The thermal pads are specifically designed for heat conduction with direct substrate contact, while electrical pads handle signaling, eliminating the need for heat to traverse the entire electrical interface stack.
2Loss of energy
If larger heat sinks are used to improve heat extraction, then heat dissipation capacity increases, but device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions thermal management from a horizontal/planar approach to a vertical/three-dimensional approach. Instead of expanding heat sink area laterally, the thermal bonding pads conduct heat vertically downward into the substrate. This dimensional shift allows efficient heat extraction without increasing the package footprint or requiring complex lateral heat spreading structures, thereby maintaining compact device geometry while improving thermal performance.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the number of co-packaged die increases to improve functionality, then device versatility increases, but thermal management difficulty and operating temperature increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary thermal management by establishing dedicated thermal bonding pad pathways before the heat generation problem becomes critical. These pre-configured thermal pathways are built into the package structure during manufacturing, providing immediate heat extraction capability from all die in the stack. This preliminary thermal infrastructure prevents temperature accumulation as more die are added, allowing continuous functionality enhancement without thermal penalties.
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 solution results in a 15% decrease in operating temperatures of the die stack, improving heat dissipation efficiency and preventing overheating, thus ensuring proper functionality of semiconductor components.
Implementation Method 1
thermal bonding pads that provide direct contact with the underlying substrate, reducing thermal resistance and enhancing heat dissipation
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatuses and methods for providing thermal pathways from a substrate to a thermal bonding pad. The thermal pathways may be metal extensions of the thermal bonding pad that are disposed in channels formed in a backside passivation layer underneath the thermal bonding pad, and may be in direct contact with an underlying substrate. The thermal pathways may provide improved thermal dissipation from the substrate.