SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE TEMPERATURE MANAGEMENT

• US 20090302461A1
• Filed: 06/08/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coolsilicon, LLC
• Original Assignee: Coolsilicon, LLC
• Inventors: Zeyen, Benedikt, Winter, Bradley J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,022,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/713
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/34 Arrangements for cooling, heating, ventilating or temperature compensation ; Temperature sensing arrangements thermal treatment apparatus H01L21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0211 adapted for requirements of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for semiconductor die temperature management are described and discussed herein. An IC device is described that includes at least one intra-die cooling structure. In an embodiment, the IC device includes a semiconductor die formed of integral device layers and further includes at least one coolant reservoir and at least one coolant channel. In an embodiment, the at least one coolant reservoir and at least one coolant channel are disposed wholly within the semiconductor die. In various embodiments, at least one coolant reservoir and at least one coolant channel are constructed and arranged to circulate coolant fluid in proximity to at least one IC device structure in order to decrease and or normalize an operating temperature of the IC device. In other embodiments, systems and methods for designing and/or fabricating IC die that include at least one intra-die cooling structure are provided herein.

Claims

1. An Integrated Circuit (IC) device, comprising:

a semiconductor die that includes a plurality of integral device layers and a plurality of semiconductor device structures embedded within the plurality of integral device layers;

at least one coolant reservoir constructed to hold a coolant fluid;

at least one coolant channel in fluid communication with said coolant reservoir and constructed to locally interface with at least one of said plurality of semiconductor device structures; and

wherein said coolant reservoir and said coolant channel are disposed wholly within said semiconductor die and are constructed and arranged to permit a fluid disposed within said at least one coolant reservoir to circulate through said at least one coolant channel to manage an operating temperature of said IC.

2. The IC device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one heat sink thermally coupled to said at least one coolant reservoir to dissipate heat from said coolant.

3. The IC device of claim 1, wherein said at least one semiconductor die includes at least two semiconductor substrates and a sacrificial layer disposed between said at least two semiconductor substrates, and wherein said coolant reservoir is disposed within said sacrificial layer.

4. The IC device of claim 1, wherein said at least one coolant channel is constructed to enable coolant flow between at least one hot operating region of said IC and at least one cool operating region of said IC.

5. The IC device of claim 1, wherein at least one portion of said at least one coolant channel is formed in at least one of said plurality of integral semiconductor device layers.

6. The IC device of claim 1, wherein at least one portion of said at least one coolant 10 channel is formed in at least one layer of said IC device formed without integrated circuits in said at least one layer.

7. The IC device of claim 1, wherein said coolant reservoir is formed is formed in at least one layer of said IC device formed without integrated circuits in said at least one layer.

8. The IC device of claim 1, wherein at least one portion of said at least one coolant reservoir is formed in at least one of said plurality of integral semiconductor device layers.

10. The IC device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one heat sink thermally coupled to said at least one coolant reservoir to dissipate heat from said coolant.

11. The IC device of claim 1, wherein said at least one semiconductor die includes at least two semiconductor substrates and a sacrificial layer disposed between said at least two semiconductor substrates, and wherein said coolant reservoir is disposed within said sacrificial layer.

16. The IC device of claim 1, wherein at least one portion of said at least one coolant reservoir is formed in at least one of said plurality of integral semiconductor device layers.

9. An Integrated Circuit (IC) device, comprising:

a semiconductor die that includes a plurality of integral semiconductor device layers and a plurality of semiconductor device structures embedded within said plurality of integral semiconductor device layers;

at least one coolant reservoir constructed to hold a coolant fluid;

at least one inter-die cooling channel and at least one intra-die cooling channel in fluid communication with said coolant reservoir and at least one of said inter-die cooling channel and said intra-die cooling channel is constructed to locally interface with at least one of said plurality of semiconductor device structures; and

wherein said coolant reservoir and said coolant channel are disposed wholly within said semiconductor die and are constructed and arranged to permit a fluid disposed within said at least one coolant reservoir to circulate through said at least one coolant channel to manage an operating temperature of said IC.

12. The IC device of claim 9, wherein said at least one coolant channel is constructed to enable coolant flow between at least one hot operating region of said IC and at least one cool operating region of said IC.

13. The IC device of claim 9, wherein at least one portion of said at least one coolant channel is formed in at least one of said plurality of integral semiconductor device layers.

14. The IC device of claim 9, wherein at least one portion of said at least one intra-layer coolant channel is formed in at least one layer of said IC device that does not include circuits of said IC device.

15. The IC device of claim 9, wherein said at least one coolant reservoir is formed in at least one layer of said IC device that does not include circuits of said IC device.

17. A integrated circuit (IC) device including at least one fluid cooling structure, at least a portion of which is disposed wholly within said IC device, prepared by:

acquiring at least one electronic representation of a physical layout of said IC device that includes at least one representation of a plurality of integral device layers and at least one indication of a physical placement of at least one semiconductor device structure embedded in said plurality of integral device layers;

acquiring at least one electronic representation of a thermal model of said physical IC device;

identifying, based on said at least one electronic representation of said IC device, at least one routing region adapted to receive at least one portion of at least one fluid cooling structure disposed wholly within said at least one semiconductor substrate of said IC device;

automatically determining a physical layout of said at least one fluid cooling structure such that at least one portion of said at least one fluid cooling structure is disposed in said at least one routing region;

automatically creating at least one electronic representation of said physical layout of said at least one fluid cooling structure;

using said at least one electronic representation of said physical layout of said IC device to fabricate said IC device; and

using said at least one electronic representation of said physical layout of said at least one fluid cooling structure to fabricate said at least one fluid cooling structure, at least a portion of which is disposed wholly within said IC device.

18. An Integrated Circuit (IC) device, comprising:

a semiconductor die that includes a plurality of integral semiconductor device layers and a plurality of semiconductor device structures embedded within said plurality of integral semiconductor device layers;

means for housing a coolant fluid disposed wholly within said semiconductor die;

means for circulating coolant fluid proximal to at least one of said plurality of semiconductor device structures, wherein the means for circulating are disposed wholly within said semiconductor die.