Thermal Analysis for Tiered Semiconductor Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
In tiered semiconductor structures, the bonding material with high thermal resistance and low thermal conductance creates temperature differentials between tiers, restricting heat transfer and leading to reliability issues, which existing technologies fail to adequately address.
Innovation Solution
Implementing thermal analysis, electrical analysis, and reliability analysis during simulation, along with the insertion of thermal release structures like in-tier vias, to mitigate temperature issues and improve design and simulation for tiered semiconductor structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If bonding material with high thermal resistance is used to bond tiers together, then mechanical bonding strength is improved, but temperature differentials between tiers increase causing reliability issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the bonding interface by introducing separate bonding regions and thermal release regions. The bonding material is selectively placed in bonding regions to provide mechanical strength, while thermal release regions allow heat to escape, reducing temperature differentials and improving thermal reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces thermal release structures as intermediary elements between tiers. These structures act as thermal pathways that mediate heat transfer across the bonding interface, allowing the bonding material to maintain mechanical strength while the thermal release structures manage thermal stress and reduce temperature differentials.
2Reliability
If thermal release structures are inserted into tiers, then temperature differentials are reduced improving reliability, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing thermal release structures only in specific regions where thermal management is needed, rather than uniformly across the entire device. This localized approach improves thermal reliability in critical areas while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent addresses thermal issues by adding vertical dimensionality through multi-tier stacking with selective bonding. Instead of expanding the horizontal footprint, the solution uses the vertical dimension to create thermal release pathways between tiers, improving heat dissipation without significantly increasing lateral device complexity.
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 effectively identifies and addresses thermal and reliability issues by facilitating heat dissipation and reducing temperature differentials between tiers, thereby enhancing the reliability and performance of tiered semiconductor structures.
Implementation Method 1
The bonding material has relatively high thermal resistance and relatively low thermal conductance, and thus the bonding material induces temperature differentiations between tiers
Data Source
AI summary
Among other things, one or more systems and techniques for analyzing a tiered semiconductor structure are provided. One or more segments are defined for the tiered semiconductor structure. The one or more segments are iteratively evaluated during electrical simulation while taking into account thermal properties to determine power metrics for the segments. The power metrics are used to determine temperatures generated by integrated circuitry within the segments. Responsive to a segment having a temperature above a temperature threshold, a temperature action plan, such as providing an alert or inserting one or more thermal release structures into the segment, is implemented. In this way, the one or more segments are iteratively evaluated to identify and resolve thermal and reliability issues.