Thermal Fins for Semiconductor Package Heat Dissipation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor packages face thermal management challenges due to high heat density from increased power consumption, particularly in system-in-package (SiP) devices, where bulky heat sinks and thermal slug solutions are impractical, leading to issues like package warpage and delamination, and existing thermal interface materials (TIM) may not provide adequate heat dissipation without compromising mechanical reliability.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of thermal fins attached to the mold compound of semiconductor packages, which are designed to rise and establish direct contact with the enclosure upon temperature change, eliminating the need for additional TIM and enhancing heat conductivity between the die and the enclosure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If bulky heat sinks or heat spreaders are used in SiP-based devices, then thermal dissipation is improved, but device Z-height increases beyond acceptable limits
Solution Approach 1:
The heat sink is segmented into multiple thin fin structures rather than a single bulky component. These fins are distributed across the package surface, providing large thermal dissipation area while maintaining low profile height, thus resolving the contradiction between thermal performance and device thickness constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from vertical heat dissipation (bulky heat sinks extending in Z-direction) to horizontal heat dissipation (thin fins extending in X-Y plane). By spreading thermal dissipation across the surface area rather than building upward, the solution achieves effective cooling while maintaining minimal device height.
2Temperature
If thermal slug solutions are used in SiP-based devices, then heat conduction is improved, but package warpage and delamination occur
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a thermal slug that contacts only a localized area under the die, the fin structures are distributed across the entire package surface. This distributes the thermal management function across multiple locations, preventing localized stress concentrations that cause warpage and delamination while maintaining effective heat conduction pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The fin structures are designed to be flexible and adaptable to package deformation, allowing them to maintain thermal contact effectiveness even when the package experiences thermal cycling or mechanical stress, thus preventing delamination while maintaining heat conduction.
3Temperature
If thermal interface material (TIM) is made thinner to improve heat conduction, then thermal contact is improved, but gaps form between package and enclosure
Solution Approach 1:
The fin structures act as an intermediary between the package and enclosure, extending into the gap that would otherwise require thick TIM to bridge. The fins provide continuous thermal pathways through the air gap via direct contact with the enclosure, eliminating the need for thick TIM while maintaining effective heat conduction.
4Length of stationary object
If thermal interface material (TIM) is made thicker to fill gaps, then contact between package and enclosure is improved, but mechanical reliability decreases due to extra pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the gap-filling function from the TIM by introducing fin structures that physically bridge the gap. This removes the need for thick TIM to compensate for spacing issues, thereby eliminating the excessive pressure and mechanical stress that thick TIM imposes on the package while maintaining adequate thermal contact.
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 effectively dissipates heat through direct contact with the enclosure, improving thermal management without causing mechanical reliability issues, as the thermal fins provide efficient heat conductivity and convection, even in constrained SiP devices.
Implementation Method 1
the one or more thermal fins are disposed substantially flat on a top surface of the mold compound at a first temperature, and rise away from the top surface of the mold compound in response to a temperature change to a second temperature
Implementation Method 2
provide direct heat conductivity between the die and the enclosure
Implementation Method 3
The thermal fins may be disposed substantially flat on a top surface of the mold compound... to provide direct heat conductivity between the die and the enclosure
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques and configurations for a semiconductor package with thermal fins, in accordance with some embodiments. In embodiments, a package assembly includes a die and a mold compound disposed on the die, to encapsulate the die. The package may further include a thermal solution including one or more thermal fins attached to the mold compound at their respective ends. The thermal fins may be disposed substantially flat on a top surface of the mold compound at a first temperature, and rise away from the top surface of the mold compound in response to a change of temperature to a second temperature, to reach an enclosure that surrounds the package assembly, to provide direct heat conductivity between the die and the enclosure. The second temperature may be greater than the first temperature. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.