阅读说明：本技术 在裸片堆叠中并入毫米波天线的堆叠式存储器封装 (Stacked memory packages incorporating millimeter-wave antennas in die stacks ) 是由 J·F·克丁 O·R·费伊 于 2019-06-03 设计创作，主要内容包括：本申请案涉及在裸片堆叠中并入毫米波天线的堆叠式存储器封装。一种堆叠式半导体装置组合件可包含具有第一衬底和穿过所述第一衬底的第一组导通孔的第一半导体装置。所述第一组导通孔可界定天线结构的第一部分。所述堆叠式半导体装置组合件可另外包含具有第二衬底和穿过所述第二衬底的第二组导通孔的第二半导体装置。所述第二组导通孔可界定所述天线结构的第二部分。所述堆叠式半导体装置组合件也可包含将所述天线结构的所述第一部分电耦合到所述天线的所述第二部分的堆叠互连结构。(The application relates to stacked memory packages incorporating millimeter-wave antennas in a die stack. A stacked semiconductor device assembly may include a first semiconductor device having a first substrate and a first set of vias through the first substrate. The first set of vias may define a first portion of an antenna structure. The stacked semiconductor device assembly may additionally include a second semiconductor device having a second substrate and a second set of vias through the second substrate. The second set of vias can define a second portion of the antenna structure. The stacked semiconductor device assembly may also include a stacked interconnect structure electrically coupling the first portion of the antenna structure to the second portion of the antenna.)

1. A stacked semiconductor device assembly, comprising:

a first semiconductor device having a first substrate and a first set of vias through the first substrate, the first set of vias defining a first portion of an antenna structure;

a second semiconductor device having a second substrate and a second set of vias through the second substrate, the second set of vias defining a second portion of the antenna structure; and

a stacked interconnect structure electrically coupling the first portion of the antenna structure to the second portion of the antenna structure.

2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more additional semiconductor devices each having an additional substrate and an additional set of vias through the additional substrate, the additional set of vias defining an additional portion of the antenna structure; and

one or more additional interconnect structures electrically coupling the additional portion of the antenna structure of each of the additional semiconductor devices to the first portion of the antenna structure and the second portion of the antenna structure.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device are incorporated into a stacked three-dimensional integrated circuit, and wherein the antenna structure extends along a vertical surface of the stacked three-dimensional integrated circuit.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor device includes at least one of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver communicatively coupled to the antenna structure.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said second semiconductor device includes at least two vias electrically coupled in a daisy-chain configuration from said second set of vias.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein at least a portion of an interconnect matrix defines an exposed laser ablation zone for tuning the antenna structure.

7. The assembly of claim 5, wherein at least a portion of an interconnect matrix defines a fuse for tuning the antenna structure.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the stacked interconnect structure includes a ball grid array.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first substrate is a silicon substrate and the first set of vias are each through silicon vias, and wherein the second substrate is another silicon substrate and the second set of vias are each through silicon vias.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the antenna structure is a millimeter wave antenna.

11. A method, comprising:

forming a first set of vias through a first substrate of a first semiconductor device, the first set of vias defining a first portion of an antenna structure;

forming a second set of vias through a second substrate of a second semiconductor device, the second set of vias defining a second portion of the antenna structure; and

electrically coupling the first portion of the antenna structure to the second portion of the antenna structure through a stacked interconnect structure.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, for one or more additional semiconductor devices:

forming an additional set of vias through an additional substrate, the additional set of vias defining an additional portion of the antenna structure; and

electrically coupling the additional portion of the antenna structure to the first portion of the antenna structure and the second portion of the antenna structure through an additional stacked interconnect structure.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

communicatively coupling at least one of a transmitter, a receiver, or a transceiver to the antenna structure.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

at least two vias from the second set of vias are electrically coupled in a daisy-chain configuration through an interconnect matrix.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising tuning the antenna by at least one of a laser ablation process or a fuse blowing process.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the stacked interconnect structure includes a ball grid array.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the first substrate is a silicon substrate and the first set of vias are each through silicon vias, and wherein the second substrate is another silicon substrate and the second set of vias are each through silicon vias.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the antenna structure is a millimeter wave antenna.

19. A stacked three-dimensional integrated circuit apparatus, comprising:

a first semiconductor device having a first substrate;

a second semiconductor device having a second substrate; and

an antenna structure extending along a vertical surface of the stacked three-dimensional integrated circuit device, the antenna structure defined by at least a first set of vias through the first substrate and a second set of vias through the second substrate.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a stacked interconnect structure electrically coupling the first set of vias to the second set of vias.

Technical Field

Embodiments described herein relate to millimeter-wave antennas, and in particular, to stacked memory packages incorporating millimeter-wave antennas in a stack of dies.

Background

As computing devices increasingly come into close contact with our society, data access and mobility are becoming increasingly important to typical consumers. Compact wireless computing devices, such as cellular phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, and the like, are becoming faster, smaller, and more mobile. To meet the needs of the new generation of products, processing and memory packaging within mobile devices must become faster and more compact. The 5 th generation wireless system (5G) provides high throughput, low latency, high mobility, and high connection density. Mobile data communication using millimeter wave band (24-86GHz) is advantageous to produce 5G systems.

Antennas for millimeter-wave communications typically include antenna arrays deposited on Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) within mobile devices. The area occupied by the antenna or footprint may reduce the density of devices attached to the PCB and may result in larger and less mobile devices. Further, a horizontal millimeter wave antenna may cause interference with neighboring circuitry over which the antenna may be deposited. These factors can make it difficult to incorporate millimeter-wave antennas into mobile devices. Other disadvantages may exist.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect, the present application provides a stacked semiconductor device assembly comprising: a first semiconductor device having a first substrate and a first set of vias through the first substrate, the first set of vias defining a first portion of an antenna structure; a second semiconductor device having a second substrate and a second set of vias through the second substrate, the second set of vias defining a second portion of the antenna structure; and a stacked interconnect structure electrically coupling the first portion of the antenna structure to the second portion of the antenna structure.

In another aspect, the present application provides a method comprising: forming a first set of vias through a first substrate of a first semiconductor device, the first set of vias defining a first portion of an antenna structure; forming a second set of vias through a second substrate of a second semiconductor device, the second set of vias defining a second portion of the antenna structure; and electrically coupling the first portion of the antenna structure to the second portion of the antenna structure through a stacked interconnect structure.

In another aspect, the present application additionally provides a stacked three-dimensional integrated circuit apparatus comprising: a first semiconductor device having a first substrate; a second semiconductor device having a second substrate; and an antenna structure extending along a vertical surface of the stacked three-dimensional integrated circuit device, the antenna structure defined by at least a first set of vias through the first substrate and a second set of vias through the second substrate.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram depicting an embodiment of a stacked semiconductor device assembly including a millimeter-wave antenna structure.

Fig. 2 is a diagram depicting an embodiment of a stacked semiconductor device assembly including a millimeter-wave antenna structure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram depicting an embodiment of an interconnect matrix having laser ablated portions.

FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting an embodiment of an interconnect matrix with fuses.

Figure 5 is a flow diagram depicting an embodiment of a method for forming a stacked integrated circuit package including millimeter-wave antenna structures.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have been described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Detailed Description

In the present disclosure, numerous specific details are discussed to provide a thorough and instructive description of embodiments of the present disclosure. One skilled in the art will recognize that the present disclosure may be practiced without one or more of the specific details. Well-known structures and/or operations typically associated with semiconductor devices may not be shown and/or described in detail to avoid obscuring other aspects of the disclosure. In general, it should be understood that various other devices, systems, and methods in addition to those specific embodiments disclosed herein may also be within the scope of the present disclosure.

The term "semiconductor device assembly" may refer to an assembly of one or more semiconductor devices, semiconductor device packages, and/or substrates, which may include interposers, supports, and/or other suitable substrates. The semiconductor device assembly may be fabricated in, but not limited to, discrete package form, strip or matrix form, and/or wafer panel form. The term "semiconductor device" generally refers to a solid state device comprising a semiconductor material. The semiconductor device may include a semiconductor substrate, such as from a wafer or substrate, a wafer, a panel, or a single die. The semiconductor device may additionally include one or more device layers deposited on the substrate. The semiconductor device may refer to a semiconductor die herein, but the semiconductor device is not limited to a semiconductor die.

The term "semiconductor device package" may refer to an arrangement in which one or more semiconductor devices are incorporated into a common package. A semiconductor package may include a casing or housing that partially or completely encloses at least one semiconductor device. The semiconductor package may also include a substrate carrying one or more semiconductor devices. The substrate may be attached to or otherwise incorporated within a housing or casing.

As used herein, the terms "vertical," "lateral," "upper," and "lower" may refer to the relative directions or positions of features shown in the drawings in a semiconductor device and/or semiconductor device assembly. For example, "upper" or "uppermost" may refer to a feature that is positioned closer to the top of the page than another feature. However, these terms should be broadly interpreted to include semiconductor devices and/or semiconductor device assemblies having other orientations, such as upside down or tilted orientations, where top/bottom, above/below, up/down, and left/right may be interchanged depending on the orientation.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to semiconductor devices, semiconductor device assemblies, semiconductor packages, and methods of manufacturing and/or operating semiconductor devices. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a stacked semiconductor device assembly includes a first semiconductor device having a first substrate and a first set of vias through the first substrate, the first set of vias defining a first portion of an antenna structure. The semiconductor device assembly additionally includes a second semiconductor device having a second substrate and a second set of vias through the second substrate, the second set of vias defining a second portion of the antenna structure. The semiconductor device assembly also includes a stacked interconnect structure electrically coupling the first portion of the antenna structure to the second portion of the antenna.

Referring to fig. 1, a stacked semiconductor device assembly 100 is depicted. The assembly 100 may include a first semiconductor device 102 and a second semiconductor device 112. The semiconductor devices 102, 112 may be coupled in a stacked configuration and may include circuitry to perform respective operations. In a non-limiting example, the first semiconductor device 102 may perform an application processor type of function and the second semiconductor device 112 may perform a memory operation.

The first semiconductor device 102 may include a first substrate 104 having one or more device layers 105 formed thereon. The first substrate 104 may include a first set of vias 106 through the first substrate 104. The first set of vias 106 may define a first portion 110 of the antenna structure. The first substrate 104 may be a silicon substrate and the first set of vias 106 may be through silicon vias. Other types of semiconductive substrates may also be used.

The second semiconductor device 112 may include a second substrate 114. Although not depicted in fig. 1, the second semiconductor device 112 may also include one or more device layers formed thereon. The second substrate 114 may include a second set of vias 116 through the second substrate 114. The second set of vias 116 may define a second portion 120 of the antenna structure. The antenna structure may be suitable for millimeter wave antenna applications. For example, the antenna structure may facilitate the semiconductor device assembly 100 for 5G communication protocol use. However, the present disclosure is not limited to 5G and millimeter wave communications.

The assembly 100 may additionally include a stacked interconnect structure 118 that couples the first portion 110 of the antenna structure with the second portion 120 of the antenna structure, thereby forming a complete antenna. The interconnect structure 118 may comprise a ball grid array. For example, the first semiconductor device 102 may correspond to a first package and the second semiconductor device 112 may correspond to a second package. The two packages may be bonded by a ball grid array (e.g., in a stacked package configuration). Other configurations are also possible.

The first semiconductor device 102 may use an antenna structure for radio communication. For example, the first semiconductor device 102 may include a radio communication device 142, such as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, or another type of wireless communication device, coupled to the first portion 110 of the antenna structure. Radio communication device 142 may be configured for millimeter wave communication and may incorporate a 5G system.

The assembly 100 can include an interconnect matrix 144 electrically coupling at least two vias from the second set of vias 116. In practice, more than two vias may be coupled to form a complete antenna, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. By coupling vias from the second set of vias 116, columns of antenna structures can be daisy-chained to create a complete antenna. Additional interconnect circuitry 146 may also be located within the first semiconductor device 102. The interconnect matrix 144 may include a severable portion 148 (e.g., a fuse or laser ablated area) that enables tuning the antenna structure for a particular desired application. For example, by severing the severable portion 148, the area of the first and second antenna portions 110, 120 of the antenna structure may be modified, thereby changing the electrical characteristics exhibited by the antenna. The severable portion 148 may enable the second semiconductor device 112 to be used with a number of different chip models and stacking configurations each having different radio antenna requirements. Thus, depending on the requirements of the radio communication device 142, the antenna may be tuned.

The first semiconductor device 102 and the second semiconductor device may form, or be incorporated into, a stacked three-dimensional integrated circuit. As depicted in fig. 1, the first portion 110 and the second portion 120 of the antenna structure may be positioned vertically along the surface of the stack. By being positioned along the outer surface of the stack, interference between the antenna structure and the device layer (e.g., device layer 105) may be reduced.

A benefit of the assembly 100 is that antenna structures can be formed along the vertical edges of the semiconductor device stack rather than occupying valuable horizontal footprint on the chip or printed circuit board. Furthermore, by being located along the edge of the stacked chip assembly, the antenna may generate less interference to the semiconductor device. Other advantages may exist.

Referring to fig. 2, an embodiment of a stacked semiconductor device assembly 200 is depicted. The assembly 200 may include a first semiconductor device 102 and a second semiconductor device 112. The first semiconductor device 102 may include a first substrate 104 and one or more device layers 105. The device layer 105 may include a radio communication device 142 and/or other types of device circuitry. Further, the assembly 100 may include a first set of vias 106 through the first substrate 104 and a second set of vias 116 through the second substrate 112. The assembly 200 may also include an interconnect matrix 144 having a severable portion 148 and additional interconnect circuitry 146.

The assembly 200 may include one or more additional semiconductor devices 122. The additional semiconductor device 122 may be positioned between the first semiconductor device and the second semiconductor device 112. Although fig. 2 depicts three additional semiconductor devices, the exact number of additional semiconductor devices 122 and functions associated with each of the additional semiconductor devices 122 may vary depending on the application of the assembly 200. The additional semiconductor device 122 may include an additional substrate 124.

The additional substrate 124 may include an additional set of vias 126 through the additional substrate 124. The first set of vias 106 can define a first portion 110 of the antenna structure, the second set of vias 116 can define a second portion 120 of the antenna structure, and the additional set of vias 126 can define an additional portion 130 of the antenna structure. Each of the portions 110, 120, 130 of the antenna structure may be joined by additional interconnect structures. For example, the second portion 120 of the antenna structure may be bonded with additional portions of the antenna structure via the first stacked interconnect structure 118, and each of the additional portions 130 may be bonded together and to the first portion 110 by an additional interconnect structure 128. The additional interconnect structures 128 may be ball grid arrays and may be used in a package-on-package configuration.

As shown in fig. 2, the vertical surfaces of the semiconductor device assembly 200 may provide sufficient area to form an antenna structure that may be used with millimeter wave technology and 5G protocols. Furthermore, by stacking the antennas vertically, extremely important space may be saved along the horizontal plane of the semiconductor devices 102, 112, 122 and on the associated PCB. Other benefits may exist.

Referring to fig. 3, an embodiment of an interconnect matrix 300 having laser ablated portions 348 is depicted. The interconnect matrix 300 may correspond to the interconnect matrix 144, or any portion thereof that may be used with the semiconductor device assemblies 100, 200. It should be noted that interconnect matrix 300 is simplified to include only a single connection between electrodes. In practice, the interconnect matrix 300 may contain a plurality of connections depending on the number of vias to be connected, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

The interconnect matrix 300 may include a first electrode 302 and a second electrode 304. The laser ablated portion 348 can be exposed on a surface, such as the top surface of the assembly 100. By exposing laser-ablated portion 348, laser-ablated portion 348 can be eliminated using a laser, thereby severing the electrical connection between first electrode 302 and second electrode 304. This may enable shortening of the antenna structure, thereby reducing the amount of area of the antenna structure. Different types of radio circuits may require antennas having different sizes. By including the laser ablation portion 134, the antenna structure of fig. 1 and 2 can be tuned for a particular application. As such, the design of the semiconductor device (e.g., the second semiconductor device 112) may not need to be changed or customized for use with a different lower chip in the stack.

Referring to fig. 4, an embodiment of an interconnect matrix 400 having fuses 448 is depicted. The interconnect matrix 400 may correspond to the interconnect matrix 144 and may be used with the semiconductor device assemblies 100, 200. As with fig. 3, while fig. 4 depicts only a single connection between two electrodes, one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will appreciate that multiple connections may be made to electrically couple the antennas.

The interconnect matrix 400 may include a first electrode 402 and a second electrode 404 connected by a fuse 448. The interconnect matrix 400 may additionally include pins 408 and connectors 406. By applying current to the pin 408, the fuse 448 may blow and the first electrode 402 may be disconnected from the second electrode 404. The connector 406 may be robust enough to limit breakdown to only the fuse 448, thereby ensuring severing of the electrical connection between the first electrode 402 and the second electrode 404.

Blowing the fuse 448 may enable shortening of the antenna structure (e.g., defined by the portions 110, 120), thereby reducing an amount of area associated with the antenna structure. Different types of radio circuits may require antennas having different sizes. By including the fuse 448, the antenna structure can be tuned for a particular application.

Referring to fig. 5, an embodiment of a method 500 for forming a stacked integrated circuit package including millimeter-wave antenna structures is depicted. The method 500 may include, at 502, forming a first set of vias through a substrate of a first semiconductor device, the first set of vias defining a first portion of an antenna structure. For example, a first set of vias 106 may be formed through the first substrate 104 to form a first portion 110 of the antenna structure.

The method 500 may additionally include forming a second set of vias through the substrate of the second semiconductor device at 504, the second set of vias defining a second portion of the antenna structure. For example, a second set of vias 116 may be formed through the second substrate 114 to form a second portion 120 of the antenna structure.

The method 500 may also include electrically coupling a first portion of an antenna structure to a second portion of an antenna through a stacked interconnect structure, at 506. For example, the first portion 110 may be electrically coupled to the second portion 120 using the stacked interconnect structure 118 to form a complete antenna structure.

A benefit of the method 500 is that the antenna structures can be formed along the vertical edges of the semiconductor device stack rather than occupying valuable horizontal real estate on a chip or printed circuit board. Other advantages may exist.

Although the present disclosure has been described with respect to certain embodiments, other embodiments (including embodiments that do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein) that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art are also within the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure may encompass other embodiments not explicitly shown or described herein. Accordingly, the scope of the disclosure is defined only by reference to the appended claims and equivalents thereof.