Through Silicon Via Cooling Channels for Stacked Substrate Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
As semiconductor devices become smaller and denser, traditional external heat dissipation methods, such as fan-cooled heat sinks, are inadequate for effectively managing heat dissipation within the chip, leading to thermal challenges in densely packed and stacked substrates.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of through silicon via structures with hollow and solid pillars and channels within substrates allows for internal cooling by enabling the flow of a fluid medium through the substrates, reducing the need for external heat sinks and accommodating stacked substrates with active circuitry, where pillars can also serve as electrical connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If external heat sinks are used for heat dissipation, then heat can be transferred away from the die, but the device size increases and cooling efficiency is insufficient for dense substrates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling channels are embedded within the substrate itself, nesting the cooling function inside the existing device structure. The hollow pillars and channels are integrated into the substrate layers, allowing cooling fluid to flow through the substrate interior rather than requiring external heat sinks.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from two-dimensional external cooling (heat sinks on the surface) to three-dimensional internal cooling by creating vertical channels and hollow pillars that extend through the substrate thickness, enabling heat dissipation from the interior volume of the substrate.
2Productivity
If substrates are stacked to increase density, then device integration is improved, but heat dissipation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is segmented into multiple channels and hollow pillars that are distributed throughout the substrate volume. This segmentation allows heat to be dissipated from multiple locations simultaneously, improving overall heat dissipation efficiency while maintaining high device density through stacking.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses fluid flow through the channels and hollow pillars to transfer heat away from the substrate. The cooling fluid circulates through the integrated channels, providing active thermal management that enables dense substrate stacking by efficiently removing heat from each layer.
3Temperature
If hollow pillars are used for cooling, then internal cooling is enabled, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow pillars and channels are formed during the substrate manufacturing process itself, before the substrate is assembled into the final device. This preliminary formation of cooling structures integrates the cooling function into the base manufacturing flow, reducing the need for additional post-assembly steps.
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 provides efficient in-situ cooling for stacked substrates, reducing size constraints and thermal demands by utilizing fluid flow and conductive pillars to dissipate heat internally, while maintaining electrical connectivity and flexibility in substrate arrangement.
Implementation Method 1
a first plurality of channels in the first substrate coupled to the first plurality of hollow pillars... allow a fluid medium to move through the substrate to cool the first substrate and the second substrate
Implementation Method 2
Heat sinks transfer heat from a higher temperature to a lower temperature fluid medium
Implementation Method 3
Heat sinks transfer heat from a higher temperature to a lower temperature fluid medium... copper, which has a high thermal conductivity that moves the heat away from the die
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to a device that includes a first substrate having a first plurality of hollow pillars on the first substrate and a first plurality of channels in the first substrate coupled to the first plurality of hollow pillars. The device includes a second substrate attached to the first substrate, the second substrate having a second plurality of hollow pillars on the second substrate and a second plurality of channels in the second substrate coupled to the second plurality of hollow pillars, the first plurality of hollow pillars being coupled to the second plurality of hollow pillars to allow a fluid medium to move through the substrate to cool the first substrate and the second substrate.