Through-Mold Contact Blocks for Power and Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic packaging technologies face challenges in improving through-mold interconnections and functionality, particularly in achieving greater power transmission and heat transfer while minimizing space and reducing fabrication complexities and costs.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a contact block with a larger cross-sectional area and complex geometry, fabricated from conductive materials like copper or silver, which is coupled to the electronic package assembly using a joint and covered by an overmold, allowing for increased thermal and electrical conductivity and reduced voids and cracks, along with the use of a carrier with interstices to accommodate multiple contact blocks for redundancy and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional laser drilling and electroplating processes are used to create through-mold vias, then electrical connectivity is achieved, but fabrication complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Contact blocks are pre-formed with conductive material and mounting features before being integrated into the overmold. This preliminary preparation simplifies the overall fabrication process by eliminating the need for complex laser drilling and electroplating operations during assembly, while ensuring reliable electrical connections are already established in the contact blocks themselves
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive interconnection function is extracted from the overmold structure itself and placed into separate, pre-formed contact blocks. This separation allows the contact blocks to be manufactured independently with optimized conductive pathways, reducing the complexity of modifying the overmold while maintaining reliable electrical connectivity
2Power
If larger cross-sectional area contact blocks are used, then power transmission and heat dissipation improve, but space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Contact blocks are designed with complex three-dimensional geometries that extend vertically through the overmold, utilizing the depth dimension to achieve large effective cross-sectional areas for power and heat transfer without increasing the horizontal footprint. The contact blocks can include conductive fins, layered structures, or varying cross-sections along their length to maximize thermal and electrical conductivity within limited space
3Temperature
If complex geometry contact blocks are fabricated, then thermal and electrical conductivity improve, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into the contact block design: electrical conduction, thermal dissipation, mechanical support, and structural anchoring are all integrated into a single component. This consolidation simplifies manufacturing by reducing the number of separate parts and assembly steps, while the contact block's complex geometry is optimized to perform all these functions simultaneously through processes like die-casting or precision molding
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 approach enhances power transmission and heat dissipation capabilities, reduces fabrication complexities and costs, and improves the robustness and flexibility of electronic packages by using prefabricated contact blocks and carriers, resulting in more efficient electronic devices.
Implementation Method 1
The contact block can include a conductive material and the first contact surface can be coupled to the package assembly
Implementation Method 2
enhances power transmission and heat dissipation capabilities
Data Source
AI summary
Examples of an electronic package include a package assembly. The package assembly can include a substrate having a first substrate surface that includes a conductive layer attached to the first substrate surface. The package assembly includes a die communicatively coupled to the conductive layer and a contact block that includes a first contact surface on one end of the contact block, a second contact surface on an opposing side of the contact block, and a contact block wall extended therebetween. The contact block can include a conductive material. The first contact surface can be coupled to the package assembly with a joint extended partially up the contact block wall. The electronic package can further include an overmold covering portions of the substrate, conductive layer, and die. The second contact surface of the contact block can be exposed through the overmold.