U.S. patent application number 13/371663 was filed with the patent office on 2012-08-09 for single-package wireless communication device.
Invention is credited to Mohamed A. Megahed.
Application Number | 20120202436 13/371663 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38574352 |
Filed Date | 2012-08-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120202436 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Megahed; Mohamed A. |
August 9, 2012 |
SINGLE-PACKAGE WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE
Abstract
A method, apparatus and system with an autonomic, self-healing
polymer capable of slowing crack propagation within the polymer and
slowing delamination at a material interface.
Inventors: |
Megahed; Mohamed A.;
(Gilbert, AZ) |
Family ID: |
38574352 |
Appl. No.: |
13/371663 |
Filed: |
February 13, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12714718 |
Mar 1, 2010 |
8138599 |
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13371663 |
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11394831 |
Mar 31, 2006 |
7692295 |
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12714718 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/73 ;
257/E21.505; 257/E21.506; 438/26; 438/64 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 2224/32145
20130101; H01L 2223/6677 20130101; H01L 2225/06506 20130101; H01L
2924/00014 20130101; H01L 2924/181 20130101; H01L 23/49838
20130101; H01L 2224/16145 20130101; H01L 2924/01079 20130101; H01L
2924/01057 20130101; H01L 23/66 20130101; H01L 2924/14 20130101;
H01Q 1/38 20130101; H01L 25/0652 20130101; H01L 2225/06517
20130101; H01L 2224/16225 20130101; H01Q 1/2291 20130101; H01L
2224/73204 20130101; H01L 2224/73265 20130101; H01L 2924/01078
20130101; H01L 2225/06589 20130101; H01L 2224/73253 20130101; H01L
24/73 20130101; H01L 25/50 20130101; H01L 2224/48227 20130101; H01L
25/16 20130101; H01L 2225/0651 20130101; H01L 2225/06513 20130101;
H01L 25/0657 20130101; H01L 2924/19105 20130101; H01Q 1/48
20130101; H01L 24/48 20130101; H01L 2224/73265 20130101; H01L
2224/32145 20130101; H01L 2224/48227 20130101; H01L 2924/00012
20130101; H01L 2224/73204 20130101; H01L 2224/16145 20130101; H01L
2224/32145 20130101; H01L 2924/00012 20130101; H01L 2924/14
20130101; H01L 2924/00 20130101; H01L 2924/181 20130101; H01L
2924/00012 20130101; H01L 2924/00014 20130101; H01L 2224/45099
20130101; H01L 2924/00014 20130101; H01L 2224/45015 20130101; H01L
2924/207 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/73 ; 438/26;
438/64; 257/E21.505; 257/E21.506 |
International
Class: |
H04B 1/38 20060101
H04B001/38; H01L 21/60 20060101 H01L021/60; H01L 21/58 20060101
H01L021/58 |
Claims
1. A system comprising: a mass storage device coupled to an
integrated circuit package including a radio frequency transceiver,
wherein the radio frequency transceiver includes: an antenna, a
first die including a radio frequency integrated circuit
electrically coupled to the front end module, a second die
including a base band communication processor electrically coupled
to the radio frequency integrated circuit; and a third die
including a front end module for processing radio frequency
signals, coupled to the antenna, wherein the front end module
includes a low noise amplifier, a power amplifier, and a
switch.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein: the radio frequency transceiver
is capable of communicating according to a wireless standard used
substantially for a selected one of the group consisting of a
personal area network, a local area network, a metropolitan area
network, a wide area network, and a combination thereof.
3. The system of claim 1, further comprising: an application
processor coupled to the base band communication processor; a
memory coupled to the application processor; and an input/output
interface coupled to the application processor.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein: the input/output interface
comprises a user interface.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein: the radio frequency integrated
circuit can receive an input signal from a global positioning
system receiver.
6. The system of claim 4, wherein: the system is a selected one of
a group comprising a set-top box, a media-center personal computer,
a digital versatile disk player, a server, a personal computer, a
mobile personal computer, a network router, a handheld device, and
a network switching device.
7. A method comprising: soldering a first die to a substrate,
wherein the substrate includes a first layer with electrical traces
that partially form an integrated circuit on the substrate and a
second layer substantially formed of dielectric material and the
first die includes a first integrated circuit; mechanically
coupling a second die that includes a second integrated circuit to
a second side of the first die substantially parallel to the first
side of the first die, such that the first die is disposed between
the substrate and the second die; and electrically coupling the
second die through wire bonds to the integrated circuit on the
substrate.
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising: forming an antenna
electrically coupled to the integrated circuit on the substrate;
and soldering a third die, including a third integrated circuit, to
the integrated circuit on the substrate by means of an array of
solder bumps, wherein the antenna and first, second, and third
integrated circuits substantially form a radio transceiver.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein: the second integrated circuit
further comprises a base band communication processor.
10. The method of claim 7 further comprising: coupling a third die
that includes a third integrated circuit forming a memory device to
the second die prior to mechanically coupling the second die to the
first die.
11. The method of claim 7 further comprising: forming an electrical
connection upon reflow of two or more solder balls that collapse
and coalesce, wherein the electrical connection has a larger
cross-sectional area than a single constituent solder ball.
12. The method of claim 8 wherein: the radio frequency transceiver
is capable of communicating according to a wireless standard used
substantially for a selected one of the group consisting of a
personal area network, a local area network, a metropolitan area
network, a wide area network, and a combination thereof.
13. The method of claim 8, wherein: the third die is formed
substantially of a selected one chosen from the group consisting of
gallium arsenide, silicon on sapphire, and silicon germanium.
Description
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/714,718, now U.S. Pat. No. ______, which was filed on
Mar. 1, 2010 and which is a divisional of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/394,831, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,692,295, which was filed
on Mar. 31, 2006.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The invention relates to the field of microelectronics and
more particularly, but not exclusively, to packaging wireless
communications devices.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The evolution of integrated circuit designs has resulted in
higher operating frequency, increased numbers of transistors, and
physically smaller devices. This continuing trend has generated
ever increasing area densities of integrated circuits and
electrical connections. The trend has also resulted in higher
packing densities of components on printed circuit boards and a
constrained design space within which system designers may find
suitable solutions. Physically smaller devices have also become
increasingly mobile.
[0004] At the same time, wireless communication standards have
proliferated as has the requirement that mobile devices remain
networked. Consequently, many mobile devices include a radio
transceiver capable of communicating according to one or more of a
multitude of communication standards. Each different wireless
communication standard serves a different type of network. For
example, a personal area network (PAN), such as Blue Tooth (BT),
wirelessly maintains device connectivity over a range of several
feet. A separate wireless standard, such as IEEE 802.11a/b/g
(Wi-Fi), maintains device connectivity over a local area network
(LAN) that ranges from several feet to several tens of feet.
[0005] A typical radio transceiver includes several functional
blocks spread among several integrated circuit packages. Further,
separate packages often each contain an integrated circuit designed
for a separate purpose and fabricated using a different process
than that for the integrated circuit of neighboring packages. For
example, one integrated circuit may be largely for processing an
analog signal while another may largely be for computationally
intense processing of a digital signal. The fabrication process of
each integrated circuit usually depends on the desired
functionality of the integrated circuit, for example, an analog
circuit generally is formed from a process that differs from that
used to fabricate a computationally intense digital circuit.
Further, isolating the various circuits from one another to prevent
electromagnetic interference may often be a goal of the designer.
Thus, the various functional blocks of a typical radio transceiver
are often spread among several die packaged separately.
[0006] Each package has a multitude of power, ground, and signal
connections which affects package placement relative to one
another. Generally, increasing the number of electrical connections
on a package increases the area surrounding the package where trace
routing density does not allow for placement of other packages.
Thus, spreading functional blocks among several packages limits the
diminishment in physical size of the radio transceiver, which in
turn limits the physical size of the device in which the radio
transceiver is integrated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a prior art radio
transceiver application.
[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary single
package radio transceiver application.
[0009] FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary
single package radio transceiver.
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates (1) an exemplary array of solder balls
for coupling a single package radio transceiver to a printed
circuit board and (2) an exemplary array of solder pads on a
printed circuit board to which a single package radio transceiver
may be coupled.
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a method of packaging a
single package radio transceiver.
[0012] FIG. 6 illustrates a system schematic that incorporates an
embodiment of a single package radio transceiver.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Herein disclosed are a package, a method of packaging, and a
system including the package for an integrated, multi-die radio
transceiver.
[0014] In the following detailed description, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like
numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown, by
way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention
may be practiced. Other embodiments may be utilized, and structural
or logical changes may be made, without departing from the intended
scope of the embodiments presented. It should also be noted that
directions and references (e.g., up, down, top, bottom, primary
side, backside, etc.) may be used to facilitate the discussion of
the drawings and are not intended to restrict the application of
the embodiments of this invention. Therefore, the following
detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense and the
scope of the embodiments of the present invention is defined by the
appended claims and their equivalents.
Descriptiono of a Radio Transceiver
[0015] Please refer to FIG. 1 for a functional block diagram of a
typical prior art radio transceiver application.
[0016] A typical radio transceiver usually includes several
separate functional blocks, including a Front End Module (FEM) 106,
a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) 108, and a Base
Band/Communication Processor 112, that electrically couple to
application specific circuitry 118. The typical radio transceiver
spreads the several functional blocks among different die and
integrated circuit packages. The FEM 106 generally processes a
radio frequency (RF) signal collected from an antenna 104. The FEM
106 may include a low noise amplifier for small signal receiver
gain larger than about 90 dB or a power amplifier for output power
in excess of about 17 dBm or about 50 mW, and passive frequency
selection circuits. The FEM 106 processes the RF signal before
communicating a signal to the RFIC 108 for mixed signal processing.
The RFIC 108 usually converts the RF signal from the FEM 106 to a
digital signal and passes the digital signal to a Base
Band/Communication Processor 112. The Base Band/Communication
Processor 112 generally communicates with application specific
circuitry 118 that often includes an application processor 122
coupled to user interface peripherals 126 and a system memory 120.
In some instances, the Base Band/Communication Processor 112 is
coupled to a memory 110 which may be on a separate die, or
integrated into the die of the Base Band/Communication Processor
112. Power consumption for the application processor may be managed
by power management circuitry 124. The RFIC 108 may also receive a
signal input gathered from a Global Positioning System Receiver
(GPS Receiver) 114.
[0017] The FEM 106 and RFIC 108 are often on different die because
of functional differences between the circuits that may not be
easily achieved through the same die fabrication process. The Base
Band/Communication Processor 112 may typically perform
computationally intensive operations and therefore be fabricated
using yet another process that differs from either of those used to
fabricate the FEM 106 or the RFIC 108. Further, the different die
will often be packaged separately, although some prior art radio
transceivers have integrated the FEM 106 and RFIC 108 within the
same package, as indicated by the Prior Art Wireless Integration
block 102. Usually, the GPS Receiver 114 will also be packaged
separately from other die. Further, the reference oscillator
(crystal) 116 will generally be in a different package due to its
sensitivity to temperature variance.
[0018] Current packages that integrate the FEM 106 and RFIC 108 use
arrays of solder bumps on the individual die to couple the die to a
package substrate. Further, the die are each disposed on the
substrate in a substantially two-dimensional layout. A radio
frequency transceiver integrated in a single package may address
many shortcomings of present radio frequency transceivers. Because
the different die will often be packaged separately, current system
costs will often be higher than if the various die could be
included in a single package. Further, because present systems
continue to evolve to smaller form factors, a radio frequency
transceiver integrated into a single package may help a system
designer to achieve a desired overall system size that by itself is
smaller than a radio frequency transceiver spread among several
packages.
Integration of a Radio Transceiver in a Single Package
[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates a functional block diagram of a system
200 using a radio frequency transceiver 202 wherein the radio
frequency transceiver 202 is integrated into a single integrated
circuit package, shown as 300 in FIG. 3 and further described
below. The radio frequency transceiver 202 includes an antenna 204,
an FEM (analog) 206, an RFIC (mixed analog/digital) 208, and a Base
Band/Communication Processor (digital) 212. The reference
oscillator (crystal) 216 resides outside the integrated circuit
package 300 because of its sensitivity to temperature and
mechanical stress, both of which are often unavoidable during
package assembly. Some embodiments of the radio frequency
transceiver 202 also include a memory 210 coupled to the Base
Band/Communication Processor 212. Other embodiments of the radio
frequency transceiver 202 may be capable of receiving input from
other types of receivers, for example, a global positioning system
receiver 214. The signal collected by the alternative receiver 214
is transmitted to the RFIC 208. The digital output of the Base
Band/Communication Processor 212 couples to an application specific
integrated circuit 218 that includes an application processor 222.
Further, the application processor 222 couples to a memory 220,
power management circuitry 224, and any peripherals 226. The
peripherals 226 often include one or more of the following: an
input/output interface, a user interface, an audio, a video, and an
audio/video interface.
[0020] The application processor 222 often defines the standard
used by the radio frequency transceiver 202. Exemplary standards
may include, by way of example and not limitation, a definition for
a personal area network (PAN), such as Blue Tooth (BT), that
wirelessly maintains device connectivity over a range of several
feet, a local area network (LAN) that ranges from several feet to
several tens of feet such as IEEE 802.11a/b/g (Wi-Fi), a
metropolitan area network (MAN) such as (Wi-Max), and a wide area
network (WAN), for example a cellular network.
[0021] An exemplary embodiment of a package 300 that integrates a
radio frequency transceiver 202 is illustrated by FIG. 3 and
utilizes die stacking, or packaging in a third dimension, to
alleviate many of the aforementioned problems, such as limited
diminishment in size and increased packaging costs, associated with
prior art two-dimensional layouts. The integrated radio frequency
transceiver 202 in a single package 300 includes an antenna 204
formed by a copper stud 322 and a stack of a first die 306 and a
second die 310 coupled to the package substrate 328, to which is
also coupled a third die 302.
[0022] In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the third die 302 forms a front
end module 206 and is coupled to the substrate 328 though solder
bumps 304. The third die may be formed substantially of gallium
arsenide, silicon on sapphire, or silicon germanium. The second die
310 forms a Base Band/Communication Processor 210 and mechanically
couples to the first die 306 that includes a radio frequency
integrated circuit (RFIC) 208. The first die 306 is electrically
coupled to the substrate 328, often through solder bumps 308. For
first die 306 sizes less than approximately 3.5 mm.times.3.5 mm
underfill may often not be used. Larger first die 306 may utilize
underfill. The second die 310 is electrically coupled to the
substrate 328 through wire bonds 312. One method of mechanically
coupling the first die 306 and second die 310 includes using an
interface bonding agent 314, for example an epoxy. Many interface
bonding agents 314 other than epoxy are known, e.g., RTV rubbers.
The package 300 includes an antenna 204 formed of a copper stud 322
that couples to a package cover 334 that may act also as a heat
spreader. Also included in the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 3 is
a fourth die 316 on which is formed memory 210. The fourth die 316
couples to the circuitry of the second die 310 through a direct
chip attach formed of solder bumps 318 and underfill 320. Some
embodiments of underfill 320 may include an adhesive tape or epoxy.
Passive components 330 and 332, such as inductor based components
used for tuning, may be located at convenient locations on the
substrate 328 if they are not included in the die 306 including the
RFIC 208. The passive components 330 and 332 may include high speed
switching components formed on depleted CMOS devices, thereby
enabling reconfigurable adaptive passive circuits. The package
substrate 328 may have solder mask defined pads for surface mount
components, and immersion gold plating may be used on the pads.
[0023] The embodiment of the package 300 shown includes an array of
solder balls 326 that may be used to electrically and mechanically
couple the package 300 to a printed circuit board (not shown). Some
of the solder balls 326 may be arranged in groups 324 that will
collapse and coalesce during reflow, and form a large area
connection convenient for grounding the package 300. FIG. 4
illustrates a substrate 402 of a package 400 with an array of
signal solder balls 404 and an array of ground solder balls 408.
The signal solder balls are distributed using a ball to ball pitch
406 that maintains the integrity of each solder ball 404. The
solder balls 408 used for grounding are distributed with a narrower
pitch 410 such that on reflow the balls coalesce to form a larger
area connection. The embodiment shown by FIG. 4 includes solder
balls 412 that may be used for power, ground, additional signals,
or merely additional structural support without any electrical
connectivity. A printed circuit board 414 may include arrays of
exposed pads 416 and 418 similar to the arrays of solder balls. For
example, the pitch 420 between exposed pads for the signals may be
substantially similar to the pitch 406 for the signal solder balls
404. Ground pads 418 may be a single large area of exposed metal,
or an array of large exposed areas, similar to those shown. The
substrate 414 may have outer metal layer thicknesses of
approximately 35 .mu.m and inner metal layer thickness ranging from
approximately 60 .mu.m to 150 .mu.m.
A Single Package Radio Transceiver Assembly Method
[0024] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary method of integrating a
multiple die in a single integrated circuit package. The method
illustrated may be used to package a combination of die wherein
some of the die forming the radio transceiver are stacked and form
a three dimensional integration. For example, the method of FIG. 5
includes soldering a first die to a package substrate having a
layer of electrical traces and another layer of dielectric material
502. A method similar to one illustrated by FIG. 5 also includes
mechanically coupling a second die to the first 504. To achieve a
functional die stack, wire bonds electrically couple the second die
to the package substrate 506.
[0025] As mentioned, the method illustrated by FIG. 5 results in a
substantially integrated radio frequency transceiver. The method
illustrated by FIG. 5 may be used to form a radio frequency
transceiver capable of communicating according to any of a
multitude of wireless standards that cover operation of networks
ranging from personal area networks or local area networks to
metropolitan area networks or wide area networks. Consequently,
FIG. 5 illustrates forming an antenna electrically coupled to the
substrate 508 and soldering a third die to the substrate, wherein
the antenna, first, second, and third die substantially form a
radio transceiver 510. The third die will often be substantially
formed of gallium arsenide, silicon on sapphire, or silicon
germanium, although other materials may often work as well.
[0026] In a radio frequency transceiver of the type whose assembly
process is illustrated by FIG. 5, the second die substantially
forms the often heavily computational, digital circuits of a base
band communication processor. Some embodiments of a radio frequency
transceiver couple memory to the digital circuits of the base band
communication processor. Some of those embodiments may use a
separate die for the memory and couple the memory die to the second
die that substantially includes the digital circuits of the base
band communications processor. A method of assembly, as illustrated
by FIG. 5, may couple the memory die to the second die prior to
mechanically coupling the second die to the first die 512.
[0027] Further, radio frequency transceivers may often benefit from
grounding through large area electrical ground connections. As
described above, such connections may form when two or more solder
balls collapse and coalesce during reflow and form an electrical
connection with larger cross-sectional area than a single
constituent solder ball 514.
A System Embodiment that Includes a Single Package Radio
Transceiver
[0028] FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic representation of one of many
possible systems 60 that incorporate an embodiment of a single
package radio transceiver 600. In an embodiment, the package
containing a radio frequency transceiver 600 may be an embodiment
similar to that described in relation to FIG. 3. In another
embodiment, the package 600 may also be coupled to a sub assembly
that includes a microprocessor. In a further alternate embodiment,
the integrated circuit package may be coupled to a subassembly that
includes an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).
Integrated circuits found in chipsets (e.g., graphics, sound, and
control chipsets) or memory may also be packaged in accordance with
embodiments described in relation to a microprocessor and ASIC,
above.
[0029] For an embodiment similar to that depicted in FIG. 6, the
system 60 may also include a main memory 602, a graphics processor
604, a mass storage device 606, and an input/output module 608
coupled to each other by way of a bus 610, as shown. Examples of
the memory 602 include but are not limited to static random access
memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Examples of
the mass storage device 606 include but are not limited to a hard
disk drive, a flash drive, a compact disk drive (CD), a digital
versatile disk drive (DVD), and so forth. Examples of the
input/output modules 608 include but are not limited to a keyboard,
cursor control devices, a display, a network interface, and so
forth. Examples of the bus 610 include but are not limited to a
peripheral control interface (PCI) bus, PCI Express bus, Industry
Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, and so forth. In various
embodiments, the system 60 may be a wireless mobile phone, a
personal digital assistant, a pocket PC, a tablet PC, a notebook
PC, a desktop computer, a set-top box, an audio/video controller, a
DVD player, a network router, a network switching device, a
hand-held device, or a server.
[0030] Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and
described herein for purposes of description of an embodiment, it
will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a
wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations
calculated to achieve similar purposes may be substituted for the
specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the
scope of the present disclosure. For example, a processor and
chipset may be integrated within a single package according to the
package embodiments illustrated by the figures and described above,
and claimed below. Alternatively, chipsets and memory may similarly
be integrated, as may be graphics components and memory
components.
[0031] Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that the
description above and claims below may be implemented using a very
wide variety of embodiments. This detailed description is intended
to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed
herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that this invention be
limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.
* * * * *