Electronic devices and methods for making same using nanotube regions to assist in thermal heat-sinking

• US 6,864,571 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2003
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (f/k/a GE Lighting Solutions, LLC) (American Industrial Partners)
• Original Assignee: Gelcore (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Carnahan, James C., Arik, Mehmet, Gerstler, William D., Weaver, Stanton E. Jr., Becker, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): POTTER, ROY KARL
• Application Number:
  US10/614,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20050006754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 257/707, 257/712, 257/713, 257/720
• US Class Current: 257/712
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 13/185 Heat-exchange surfaces provided with microstructures or with porous coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0401 Bonding areas specifically adapted for bump connectors, e.g. under bump metallisation [UBM]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/06102 the bonding areas being at different heights
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/1308 being stacked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13084 Four-layer arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13144 Gold [Au] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13155 Nickel [Ni] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13166 Titanium [Ti] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/1703 Bump connectors having different sizes, e.g. different diameters, heights or widths
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/81193 wherein the bump connectors are disposed on both the semiconductor or solid-state body and another item or body to be connected to the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/81205 Ultrasonic bonding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/81801 Soldering or alloying
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/81894 Direct bonding, i.e. joining surfaces by means of intermolecular attracting interactions at their interfaces, e.g. covalent bonds, van der Waals forces
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/373 Cooling facilitated by selection of materials for the device or materials for thermal expansion adaptation, e.g. carbon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/10 Bump connectors bumps on insulating substrates, e.g. chip carriers, H01L23/49816; Manufacturing methods related thereto
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/13 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/81 : using a bump connector
• 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 2924/00013 : Fully indexed content
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 : the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 : Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 : Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 : Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01015 : Phosphorus [P]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01018 : Argon [Ar]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01022 : Titanium [Ti]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 : Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 : Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01057 : Lanthanum [La]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01074 : Tungsten [W]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01075 : Rhenium [Re]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01082 : Lead [Pb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12041 : LED
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12042 : LASER
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19042 : being an inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/62 : Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body, e.g. lead-frames, wire-bonds or solder balls
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/648 : the elements comprising fluids, e.g. heat-pipes

Abstract

A semiconductor device die (10, 116) is disposed on a heat-sinking support structure (30, 100). Nanotube regions (52, 120) contain nanotubes (54, 126) are arranged on a surface of or in the heatsinking support structure (30, 100). The nanotube regions (52, 120) are arranged to contribute to heat transfer from the semiconductor device die (10, 116) to the heat-sinking support structure (30, 100). In one embodiment, the semiconductor device die (10) includes die electrodes (20, 22), and the support structure (30) includes contact pads (40, 42) defined by at least some of the nanotube regions (52). The contact pads (40, 42) electrically and mechanically contact the die electrodes (20, 22). In another embodiment, the heat-sinking support structure (100) includes microchannels (120) arranged laterally in the support structure (100). At least some of the nanotube regions are disposed inside the microchannels (100).

Claims

1. A light emitting device including:

a light emitting die having a light-emitting principal side and a die bonding principal side opposite the light emitting principal side;

a heat-sinking support structure on which the die bonding principal side of the light emitting die is disposed, the light-emitting principal side of the light emitting die facing away from the heat-sinking support structure to emit light; and

nanotube regions containing nanotubes arranged between the heatsinking support structure and the die bonding principal side of the light emitting die, the nanotube regions arranged to contribute to heat transfer from the light emitting die to the heat-sinking support structure.

2. A semiconductor device comprising:

a semiconductor device die including die electrodes arranged on the semiconductor device die;

a heat sinking support structure on which the semiconductor device die is disposed;

nanotube regions containing nanotubes arranged on a surface of or in the heatsinking support structure or on the semiconductor device die, the nanotube regions arranged to contribute to heat transfer from the semiconductor device die to the heat-sinking support structure; and

contact pads defined by at least some of the nanotube regions, the contact pads electrically and mechanically contacting the die electrodes.

3. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 2 wherein the contact pads further include:

a conductive coating disposed over the nanotube region.

4. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the conductive coating includes:

an adhesion layer,

a barrier layer; and

a directly bondable layer disposed over the barrier layer.

5. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the conductive coating includes:

a gold layer thermosonically or thermocompression bonded with the die electrodes.

6. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the nanotubes of the contact pads are generally parallel to one another and extend away from the heat-sinking support structure.

7. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 2, wherein each contact pad includes:

a generally planar catalyst layer disposed on the heat-sinking support structure; and

generally aligned nanotubes that extend away from the catalyst layer.

8. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the semiconductor device die includes:

a light emitting diode device die having a flip-chip die electrode configuration.

9. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the nanotubes of the nanotube regions that define contact pads are predominantly nanorods.

10. A semiconductor device comprising:

a semiconductor device die;

a heat-sinking support structure on which the semiconductor device die is disposed;

nanotube regions containing nanotubes arranged on a surface of or in the heatsinking support structure or on the semiconductor device die, the nanotube regions arranged to contribute to heat transfer from the semiconductor device die to the heat-sinking support structure; and

microchannels arranged laterally in the support structure, at least some of the nanotube regions being disposed inside the microchannels.

11. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 10, further including:

a thermal transport fluid disposed in the microchannels.

12. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 11, further including:

an active cooling system that circulates the thermal transport fluid through the microchannels.

13. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 12, wherein the active cooling system is a recirculating active cooling system that includes a pump and a heat exchanger.

14. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the nanotubes disposed inside the microchannels are oriented generally perpendicular to the microchannels.

15. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 14, wherein the nanotubes are predominantly nanosprings.

16. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 10, further including:

a catalyst layer coating surfaces of the microchannels, the nanotubes disposed inside the microchannel extending generally away from the catalyst layer toward a center of the microchannel.

17. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the heat-sinking support structure further includes:

a first structure part with a first joining surface; and

a second structure part with a second joining surface parallel to the first joining surface, the first and second joining surfaces securely contacting one another, the microchannels being defined by grooves in at least one of the first and second joining surfaces.

18. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 17, wherein at least one of the first and second joining surfaces includes:

an oxide layer that anodically bonds the first and second joining surfaces together.

19. The semiconductor device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the microchannels have a cross-sectional shape selected from a group consisting of circular, rectangular, square, triangular, octagonal, and pentagonal.