Method and apparatus for a stress relieved electronic module
First Claim
1. An electronic module comprising:
- a semiconductor structure having a substantially planar surface;
a first integrated circuit ("IC") chip having a substantially planar main surface including a cavity therein, said substantially planar main surface of said first IC chip being disposed in parallel opposing relation to said substantially planar surface of said semiconductor structure, said first IC chip having a first rate of thermal expansion;
an expandable material disposed between and mechanically coupled to said substantially planar surface of said semiconductor structure and to said substantially planar main surface of said first IC chip, said expandable material having a second rate of thermal expansion; and
wherein the first rate of thermal expansion of said first IC chip is different than the second rate of thermal expansion of said expandable material, and wherein said cavity provides a region into which said expandable material expands to relieve stress caused by said difference in thermal expansion between said expandable material and said first IC chip.
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Abstract
A fabrication method and resultant electronic module that facilitates relief of thermally induced stress within the module. The fabrication method includes providing a plurality of integrated circuit chips having grooves in substantially planar main surfaces thereof. The chips are stacked and bonded to each other using an expandable material and a flowable adhesive to form an electronic module. The bonding is such that movement of individual IC chips within the module, in a direction perpendicular to their planar surfaces, is restricted. Upon thermal expansion of the module, the expandable material and the individual chips expand at different rates. However, the expandable material flows into the grooves, relieving thermally induced stress.
82 Citations
31 Claims
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1. An electronic module comprising:
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a semiconductor structure having a substantially planar surface; a first integrated circuit ("IC") chip having a substantially planar main surface including a cavity therein, said substantially planar main surface of said first IC chip being disposed in parallel opposing relation to said substantially planar surface of said semiconductor structure, said first IC chip having a first rate of thermal expansion; an expandable material disposed between and mechanically coupled to said substantially planar surface of said semiconductor structure and to said substantially planar main surface of said first IC chip, said expandable material having a second rate of thermal expansion; and wherein the first rate of thermal expansion of said first IC chip is different than the second rate of thermal expansion of said expandable material, and wherein said cavity provides a region into which said expandable material expands to relieve stress caused by said difference in thermal expansion between said expandable material and said first IC chip. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An electronic module comprising:
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a plurality of integrated circuit ("IC") chips, each IC chip of said plurality of IC chips having a substantially planar active main surface and a substantially planar inactive main surface, a substantially planar inactive main surface of a first IC chip of said plurality of IC chips having a plurality of grooves therein, said plurality of IC chips being stacked to form an electronic module wherein said substantially planar active main surfaces are oriented in a common direction; an expandable material disposed between and mechanically coupling a substantially planar active main surface of a second IC chip of said plurality of IC chips to said substantially planar inactive main surface of the first IC chip of said plurality of IC chips, said second IC chip having a first rate of thermal expansion and said expandable material having a second rate of thermal expansion, said second rate of thermal expansion being different than the first rate of thermal expansion; and wherein said plurality of grooves in said substantially planar inactive main surface of said first IC chip provides a plurality of regions into which said expandable material can expand to relieve stress caused by said difference in thermal expansion between said expandable material and said second integrated circuit chip. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An electronic module comprising:
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a plurality of stacked integrated circuit ("IC") chips, each individual IC chip of said plurality of IC chips being a bare IC chip and having a first substantially planar main surface and a second substantially planar main surface; an advanced thermal compound disposed between and mechanically bonded to a first substantially planar main surface of a first IC chip of said plurality of IC chips and to a second substantially planar main surface of a second IC chip of said plurality of IC chips, said advanced thermal compound being thermally conductive and electrically insulative; and wherein said first substantially planar main surface of said first IC chip has at least one cavity disposed therein, said advanced thermal compound at least partially filling said cavity. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A method for forming an electronic module comprising:
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(a) providing a semiconductor structure having a substantially planar surface; (b) providing a first integrated circuit ("IC") chip having a substantially planar main surface including a cavity therein, said first IC chip having a first rate of thermal expansion; and (c) mechanically coupling said substantially planar surface of said semiconductor structure to said substantially planar main surface of said first IC chip with an expandable material, said expandable material having a second rate of thermal expansion different than said first rate of thermal expansion, wherein said cavity provides a region into which said expandable material expands to relieve stress caused by differences in thermal expansion between said expandable material and said first IC chip. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for forming an electronic module comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a plurality of stacked integrated circuit ("IC") chips, each individual IC chip of said plurality of stacked IC chips being a bare IC chip and having a first substantially planar main surface and a second substantially planar main surface; and (b) mechanically coupling a first substantially planar main surface of a first IC chip of said plurality of IC chips to a second substantially planar main surface of a second IC chip of said plurality of IC chips using an advanced thermal compound, said advanced thermal compound being thermally conductive and electrically insulative, wherein said substantially planar main surface of said first IC chip has at least one cavity disposed therein and said mechanically coupling comprises at least partially filling said at least one cavity with said advanced thermal compound. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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Specification