U.S. patent application number 16/422072 was filed with the patent office on 2020-11-26 for multi-chip module hybrid integrated circuit with multiple power zones that provide cold spare support.
This patent application is currently assigned to BAE SYSTEMS Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is BAE SYSTEMS Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.. Invention is credited to Jamie A. Bernard, Alan F. Dennis, Lori D. Dennis, Jane O. Gilliam, Dale A Rickard, Jason F. Ross, Keith K. Sturcken.
Application Number | 20200373286 16/422072 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004114742 |
Filed Date | 2020-11-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200373286 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dennis; Lori D. ; et
al. |
November 26, 2020 |
MULTI-CHIP MODULE HYBRID INTEGRATED CIRCUIT WITH MULTIPLE POWER
ZONES THAT PROVIDE COLD SPARE SUPPORT
Abstract
A multi-chip module hybrid integrated circuit (MCM-HIC) provides
cold spare support to an apparatus comprising a plurality of ICs
and/or other circuits that are not cold spare compliant. At least
one core IC and at least one cold spare chiplet are installed on an
interconnecting substrate having a plurality of power zones to
which power can be applied and withdrawn as needed. When powered,
the cold spare chiplets serve as mediators and interfaces between
the non cold spare compliant circuits. When the cold spare chiplets
are at least partly unpowered, they protect all interconnected
circuits, and ensure that interconnected circuits that remain
powered are not hindered by unpowered interconnected circuits. Cold
spare chiplets can extend across boundaries between power zones.
External circuits can be exclusively interfaced to a subset of the
power zones. Separate power circuits within a power zone can be
sequenced during application and withdrawal of power.
Inventors: |
Dennis; Lori D.;
(Centreville, VA) ; Bernard; Jamie A.; (Midland,
VA) ; Dennis; Alan F.; (Centreville, VA) ;
Gilliam; Jane O.; (Centreville, VA) ; Ross; Jason
F.; (Haymarket, VA) ; Sturcken; Keith K.;
(Nokesville, VA) ; Rickard; Dale A; (Manassas,
VA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BAE SYSTEMS Information and Electronic Systems Integration
Inc. |
Nashua |
NH |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
BAE SYSTEMS Information and
Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
Nashua
NH
|
Family ID: |
1000004114742 |
Appl. No.: |
16/422072 |
Filed: |
May 24, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 2224/32221
20130101; H01L 23/49811 20130101; H01L 25/50 20130101; H01L 24/16
20130101; H01L 24/32 20130101; H01L 2924/19105 20130101; H01L 23/64
20130101; H01L 2224/73253 20130101; H01L 25/165 20130101; H01L
23/3675 20130101; H01L 2224/16225 20130101; H01L 24/73 20130101;
H01L 23/5385 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 25/16 20060101
H01L025/16; H01L 23/538 20060101 H01L023/538; H01L 23/00 20060101
H01L023/00; H01L 23/64 20060101 H01L023/64; H01L 25/00 20060101
H01L025/00; H01L 23/498 20060101 H01L023/498; H01L 23/367 20060101
H01L023/367 |
Goverment Interests
STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST
[0001] The present invention was made under Contract No. 17-C-0320,
and the United States Government has certain rights in this
invention.
Claims
1. A multi-chip module hybrid integrated circuit (MCM-HIC)
configured to support cold spare of an apparatus that includes a
plurality of circuits that are not cold spare compliant, the
MCM-HIC comprising: an interconnecting substrate that is divided
into a plurality of power zones, said plurality of power zones
including a first power zone and a second power zone, wherein power
can be applied to and withdrawn from the first power zone
independently of the second power zone; at least one core IC
installed on the substrate; and at least one cold spare chiplet
installed on the substrate, at least partly on the first power
zone, the cold spare chiplet being configured, when not fully
powered, to present a defined impedance, voltage, and/or logic
level to at least one of its input or output signal lines; whereby
when power is withdrawn from the first power zone, and consequently
at least partially withdrawn from the at least one cold spare
chiplet, all circuits among the plurality of circuits that are at
least partly unpowered are protected by the at least one cold spare
chiplet from damage, while also being prevented by the at least one
cold spare chiplet from hindering operation of any other circuits
among the plurality of circuits that remain in operation.
2. The MCM-HIC of claim 1, wherein the first and second power zones
are adjacent, and wherein at least one of the cold spare chiplets
is installed such that it extends across a boundary between the
first and second power zones and draws power from both the first
power zone and the second power zone.
3. The MCM-HIC of claim 1, wherein the at least one core IC
includes a first core IC installed on the first power zone and a
second core IC installed on the second power zone.
4. The MCM-HIC of claim 3, wherein for each of the first and second
power zones, power can be applied thereto at a voltage and/or
current that is compatible with the first and second core IC,
respectively.
5. The MCM-HIC of claim 3, wherein interconnections between the
first and second core IC's are mediated by at least one mediating
chiplet that enables interoperability between the first and second
core ICs.
6. The MCM-HIC of claim 5, wherein the at least one mediating
chiplet provides at least one of impedance, voltage and current
intercompatibility of signals transmitted between the first and
second core ICs.
7. The MCM-HIC of claim 6, wherein: the mediating chiplet is one of
the cold spare chiplets, being thereby a mediating cold spare
chiplet; and when power is withdrawn from the first power zone, and
consequently from the first core IC and at least partially from the
mediating cold spare chiplet, while the second power zone and
second core IC remain powered, the first core IC is protected from
being damaged by the second core IC, and operation of the second
core IC is not hindered by the unpowered first core IC.
8. The MCM-HIC of claim 7, wherein the mediating cold spare chiplet
is installed such that it extends across a boundary between the
first and second power zones and draws power from both the first
power zone and the second power zone, and wherein when power is
withdrawn from the first power zone: power is also at least
partially withdrawn from the mediating cold spare chiplet; and the
mediating cold spare chiplet presents a specified voltages and/or
logic levels to the second core IC.
9. The MCM-HIC of claim 1, wherein a group of external signal lines
provides interconnection between an interface chiplet installed on
the substrate and an external circuit of the plurality of circuits,
the group of external signal lines being configured for
transmitting signals between the external circuit and the core
IC.
10. The MCM-HIC of claim 9, wherein the interface chiplet provides
at least one of impedance, voltage and/or current interoperability
to the signals transmitted between the external circuit and the
first core IC.
11. The MCM-HIC of claim 9, wherein: the external circuit is not
cold spare compliant; the interface chiplet is one of the cold
spare chiplets, being thereby an interface cold spare chiplet, the
interface cold spare chiplet being at least partly installed on the
first power zone; and when power is withdrawn from the first power
zone: power is also at least partially withdrawn from the interface
cold spare chiplet; and power can also be withdrawn from the
external circuit without damaging the external circuit, and without
impeding operation of any of the core ICs installed on the MCM-HIC.
12 The MCM-HIC of claim 11, wherein: the interface cold spare
chiplet is installed such that it extends across a boundary between
the first power zone and a second power zone and draws power from
both the first power zone and the second power zone; the first core
IC is installed on the second power zone; and when power is
withdrawn from the first power zone, power is also partially
withdrawn from the interface cold spare chiplet, such that the
interface cold spare chiplet presents defined impedances to the
external circuit, while presenting at least one specified voltage
and/or logic level to the first core IC.
13. The MCM-HIC of claim 1, wherein: the first power zone comprises
a plurality of independently controlled power circuits; and power
can be selectively withdrawn and applied to the first power zone
under control of a controller by withdrawing and applying power to
the plurality of power circuits according to a determined sequence
thereof.
14. The MCM-HIC of claim 1, wherein the MCM-HIC is whole device
cold spare compliant.
15. The MCM-HIC of claim 1, wherein at least one of the core ICs is
a VLSI IC.
16. The MCM-HIC of claim 1, wherein the substrate is divided into
at least five power zones.
17. The MCM-HIC of claim 1, wherein the substrate is divided into
at least ten power zones.
18. The MCM-HIC of claim 1, wherein the MCM-HIC further comprises,
installed on the substrate, at least one of a chiplet that is not a
cold spare chiplet and a passive component.
19. A method of providing cold spare support to an apparatus that
includes a plurality of circuits that are not cold spare compliant,
the method comprising: selecting at least one core IC from among
the plurality of circuits, selecting an interconnecting substrate
having a plurality of power zones including a first power zone and
a second power zone; selecting at least one cold spare chiplet, the
cold spare chiplet being configured, when not fully powered, to
present a defined impedance, voltage, and/or logic level to at
least one of its input or output signal lines; installing the core
IC on the interconnecting substrate; installing the at least one
cold spare chiplet on the interconnecting substrate, at least
partly on the first power zone; and configuring the first power
zone so that power can be applied thereto and withdrawn therefrom
independently of the second power zone, such that when power is
withdrawn from the first power zone, and consequently at least
partially withdrawn from the at least one cold spare chiplet, all
circuits among the plurality of circuits that are at least partly
unpowered are protected by the at least one cold spare chiplet from
damage, while also being prevented by the at least one cold spare
chiplet from hindering operation of any other circuits among the
plurality of circuits that remain in operation.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein selecting the at least one cold
spare chiplet includes selecting at least one chiplet from among a
group of pre-manufactured cold spare chiplets.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein selecting the at least one cold
spare chiplet includes designing and manufacturing a cold spare
chiplet.
22. The method of claim 19, wherein selecting the substrate
includes selecting the substrate from among a group of
pre-manufactured substrates.
23. The method of claim 19, wherein selecting the substrate
includes designing and manufacturing the substrate.
Description
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to electronic circuits, and
more particularly, to apparatus and methods for providing
interoperability and cold spare functionality to electronic
circuits and apparatus.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In space applications, among others, it is common to require
very low power consumption in combination with high reliability.
For either or both of these reasons, these applications typically
rely on implementation of circuits that are "cold spare compliant."
As is implied by the term "cold spare," one motivation for
implementing cold spare compliant devices can be to provide "spare"
circuits that duplicate primary circuits and that remain unpowered
when not in use, but are available to be powered and used in case
of the failure of the primary circuits. Another motivation for
implementing cold spare compliant devices can be simply to reduce
power consumption when certain components are not in use. For
example, a flash memory may be used only during initiation of a
system, such that it may be desirable to withdraw power from the
flash memory after system initiation is complete.
[0004] Accordingly, the term "cold spare compliant" refers in
general to an IC or other circuit that can be unpowered without
adverse effects while not being used, whether or not the circuit is
provided as a redundant "spare" component. In other words, the
ability to withdraw power during non-use without adverse effects
differentiates a "cold spare compliant" IC or other circuit from a
warm or hot spare circuit, which remains fully powered even while
in a standby mode.
[0005] In general, an IC or other electronic device is considered
to be cold spare tolerant, or cold spare compliant, if it satisfies
two criteria. First, when the cold spare compliant device is not
fully powered it must not be damaged by any voltages or currents
that may be applied to its input/output ports (I/O ports) due to
the activity of interconnected chips and/or other circuits that
remain powered and active. Second, while the cold spare compliant
device is not fully powered, it must present defined impedances,
voltages, and/or logic levels on its input and output ports that
will not load down or otherwise interfere with the continued
operation of any interconnected circuits.
[0006] For example, an I/O port of a cold spare compliant circuit
may be connected to a data bus that is also used by a plurality of
external circuits, whereby setting the I/O port to a high impedance
when the cold spare circuit is unpowered will protect the cold
spare circuit, while also avoiding any interference with the other
circuits on the bus that remain powered. However, setting I/O ports
to high impedances during cold spare operation is not suitable in
all cases. For example, if an output port of a cold spare compliant
circuit is directed exclusively to a write-enable input of a memory
device, then setting that output to a high impedance could place
the write-enable input into an uncontrolled and drifting logic
state, such that it could potentially drift low or high, whereby
the contents of the memory device could inadvertently be changed.
In such cases, if the write-enable is active high, then it may be
necessary for the output port of the cold spare compliant device to
be pulled low when power is withdrawn. Or if the write-enable is
active low, then it may be necessary to maintain power to some
portion of the cold spare compliant device when power is withdrawn
from the remainder of the device, so that a logic "high" can be
maintained at the write-enable input of the memory device.
[0007] As yet another example, an input port of the cold spare
compliant device might be interconnected to a circuit that
transmits high speed, serialized digital data over a coaxial cable.
In such cases, when power is removed from the cold spare compliant
device, it can be necessary for the input port to present a
specific, finite impedance that will match the impedance of the
coaxial cable, so that any signal energy that continued to be
transmitted to the input port will not be reflected back to the
transmitting device, where it might cause damage.
[0008] Therefore, in general, a device that is cold spare compliant
must be configured such that, when power is partially or fully
withdrawn therefrom, it will not be damaged due to energy that is
applied to its input/output ports by interconnected circuits that
remain powered, and such that it will present impedances, voltages,
and/or logic levels on its input/output ports that will not damage
or hinder the continued operation of other circuits that are
interconnected with the cold spare compliant device and remain
powered.
[0009] Additional information regarding cold spare operation and
cold spare support/tolerance/compliance, including off-chip drivers
that support cold spare operation when not powered, can be found
for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,117,129 and 7,239,177, which are
incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all
purposes.
[0010] Because modern integrated circuits, including very large
scale integrated circuits (VLSI ICs), provide many advantages,
including high speed, high density, and low power consumption, and
because the cost of ICs is greatly reduced when they can be
produced in large quantities, it can be desirable to implement one
or more existing IC designs as "core ICs" to provide "core"
functionalities in specialty and exotic applications, such as
deployment in space. However, many such core ICs are not cold spare
compliant.
[0011] One approach to implementing such non cold spare compliant
"core" ICs in applications that require cold spare operation is to
include the core IC in a multi-chip module ("MCM") hybrid
integrated circuit ("HIC"), as described in co-pending U.S.
application Ser. No. 16/057,204, filed Aug. 7, 2018 by the present
Applicant, which is herein incorporated by reference in its
entirety for all purposes. According to this MCM-HIC approach,
"chiplets" implemented in the MCM-HIC can provide cold spare
compliance to the MCM-HIC as a whole, even when the core IC is not
cold spare compliant. In a sense, the MCM-HIC in such cases
functions as cold spare compliant version of the core IC, whereby
the chiplets maintain the functionality of the core IC while adding
the feature of cold spare compliance that is not included in the
core IC itself.
[0012] However, when a plurality of VLSI and/or other core ICs that
are not cold spare compliant are implemented within the same
apparatus, it can be problematic to incorporate each of the core
ICs within a separate MCM-HIC, due to space, weight, and other
considerations.
[0013] It should be understood that while elements of the present
disclosure are sometimes discussed with reference to "core ICs,"
"VLSI ICs" and/or other "ICs," these terms are used generically
herein to refer to any and all active electronic devices, circuits,
and modules that lack cold spare compliance, except where the
context requires otherwise.
[0014] It is recognized that certain terms, such as "cold spare
support" and a cold spare "device," are used somewhat broadly in
the art to refer to various aspects of cold spare operation, with
the intended meaning being generally clear from context. It should
be understood that an effort is made herein to consistently use the
terms cold spare "compliant" and cold spare "tolerant" to refer to
a circuit from which power can be partly or wholly withdrawn
without negative consequences, as described above, while the term
cold spare "support" is used more broadly herein to refer to
features of circuits that support overall cold spare operation of
an apparatus. At least three aspects of cold spare "support" are
discussed herein, which are sometimes referred to as "whole device"
cold spare support, "selective internal" cold spare support, and
"external" cold spare support These three terms are defined as
follows.
[0015] A feature that enables a device to be cold spare compliant
as a whole, in that the feature enables power to be partly or fully
withdrawn from the device without negative impact to any aspect of
the apparatus, is referred to herein as providing "whole device"
cold spare support to the device.
[0016] A feature that enables a powered device to continue its
operation unhindered and unharmed when power is withdrawn from an
interconnected circuit that is not cold spare compliant, without
harm to the unpowered circuit, is referred to herein as providing
"external" cold spare support to the device.
[0017] In a device that includes a plurality of internal circuits,
a feature that enables power to be withdrawn from one or more of
the internal circuits while one or more other internal circuits
remain active without harming or hindering the operation of any
internal and/or external circuits that remain powered is referred
to herein as providing "selective internal" cold spare support to
the device.
[0018] These three aspects of cold spare support are not mutually
exclusive, in that a given feature or group of features may provide
any combination thereof.
[0019] What is needed therefore is a compact, integral device or
package that can provide cold spare support to an apparatus that
includes a plurality of internal core ICs and/or other ICs and
other circuits that are not cold spare compliant.
SUMMARY
[0020] The present disclosure is a compact, integral device or
package that can provide cold spare support to an apparatus that
includes a plurality of internal core ICs and/or other ICs and
other circuits that are not cold spare compliant. The disclosed
MCM-HIC includes an interconnecting substrate that is divided into
a plurality of power zones, including at least a first power zone
and a second power zone, wherein each power zone includes one or
more power circuits having the same and/or diverse voltages and
currents applied thereto, and wherein power can be withdrawn from
at least the first power zone while at least the second power zone
remains powered.
[0021] At least one core IC and at least one "cold spare" chiplet
are installed on the interconnecting substrate. A "cold spare"
chiplet is defined herein as a chiplet that is configured, when
powered, to serve as communication interface buffer between core
ICs included in the MCM-HIC, and/or between at least one core IC
and at least one external circuit via external signal lines. In
some embodiments, while fully powered, the cold spare chiplet
provides voltage and/or current interoperability conversions where
needed between interconnected circuits. When power is at least
partly withdrawn from the cold spare IC, it is configured to
present defined impedances, voltages, and/or logic levels on its
input and output ports, which in general can be any combination of
high impedances, selected finite impedances such as "soft"
pull-down impedances, and/or defined, powered voltages and/or logic
levels. These defined impedances, voltages, and/or logic levels are
configured so as to protect all interconnected circuits from harm,
while also preventing any unpowered interconnected circuits from
interfering with the continued operation of any other
interconnected circuits that remain powered.
[0022] In embodiments selective internal cold spare support is
provided by at least one "mediating" cold spare chiplet that
mediates intercommunication between core ICs installed on different
power zones. For example, in embodiments a first core IC is
installed on the first power zone, a second core IC is installed on
the second power zone, and intercommunication between the two core
ICs is mediated by at least one of the cold spare chiplets, where
each of the mediating cold spare chiplets is at least partly
installed on the first power zone. When power is withdrawn from the
first power zone, power is consequently withdrawn from the first IC
and at least partly from the mediating cold spare chiplets.
Selective internal cold spare support is provided by the mediating
cold spare chiplets, in that they protect the unpowered first core
IC, while presenting high impedances and/or other defined
impedances, voltages, and/or logic levels to the second core IC
that ensure that the second core IC is not damaged and is able to
continue its operation unhindered.
[0023] Similarly, in embodiments, external cold spare support is
provided by arranging for an external circuit that is not cold
spare tolerant to interconnect only with an "interface" cold spare
chiplet or chiplets that is/are installed at least partly on a
selected power zone or a selected group of power zones of the
MCM-HIC. When power is withdrawn from the external circuit, it is
also withdrawn from the selected power zone or zones, so that the
interface cold spare chiplet(s) is/are at least partly unpowered
and present defined impedances on their inputs and outputs, thereby
enabling the powered core ICs of the MCM-HIC to continue their
operation unhindered while also protecting the unpowered external
circuit from damage.
[0024] For example, in embodiments one or more interface cold spare
chiplets are at least partly installed on the first power zone, and
provide intercommunication between the second core IC, installed on
the second power zone, and an external circuit such as a flash
drive. When power is withdrawn from the external circuit, power is
also withdrawn from the first power zone, and consequently power is
at least partly withdrawn from the at least one interface cold
spare chiplet. External cold spare support is provided by the
interface cold spare chiplets, in that they protect the flash drive
or external circuit from damage, while presenting high impedances
or other defined impedances to the second core IC, which remains
powered, thereby ensuring that the second core IC is not damaged
and is able to continue its operation unhindered by the unpowered,
external circuit.
[0025] Embodiments include both mediating cold spare chiplets and
interface cold spare chiplets. For example, embodiments include a
first core IC installed on the first power zone, a second core IC
installed on the second power zone, mediating cold spare chiplets
at least partly installed on the first power zone that mediate
intercommunication between the first and second core ICs, and
interface cold spare chiplets that provide intercommunication
between the second core IC and an external circuit that is not cold
spare compliant.
[0026] In embodiments at least some of the cold spare chiplets
implement circuits that are similar or identical to the circuits
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,129.
[0027] In some embodiments wherein one or more of the power zones
includes a plurality of power circuits, the power circuits can be
powered and unpowered in sequence under control of a controller, so
that voltages are applied to and/or removed from the core ICs
and/or other circuits installed on that power zone in a specified
order and sequence.
[0028] Some embodiments include additional chiplets that are not
cold spare chiplets, which provide voltage and/or current buffering
and translation, and/or other features as needed.
[0029] In embodiments, the MCM-HIC is "whole device" cold spare
compliant, in that all of its input/output signal lines are
directed to interface cold spare chiplets, so that when power is
withdrawn from all of the power zones, all of the core ICs are
protected from damage, and the MCM-HIC does not interfere with the
operation of any interconnected external circuits.
[0030] The one or more core ICs and any included cold spare
chiplets are installed on the interconnecting substrate of the
MCM-HIC together with any other chiplets that may be required, as
well as any discrete components such as capacitors or resistors and
any I/O pins or pads that are needed for connecting the device to
an underlying circuit board and/or directly to external signal
lines. In embodiments, the multi-power-zone interconnecting
substrate includes a multi-layer ceramic with wiring embedded in
the layers. One or more of the power zones can be included as
"interposers" that are flush in level with one or more adjoining
zones. In some of these embodiments, a cold spare chiplet can
straddle the boundary between two adjacent power zones, so that
when power is withdrawn from one but not both of the adjacent power
zones, the cold spare chiplet is partially powered, such that it
presents defined, unpowered impedances to circuits installed on or
interconnected with the unpowered zone, while presenting selected,
powered voltage and logic levels as needed to circuits that are
installed on or interconnected to the powered zone.
[0031] The present disclosure simplifies the implementation of cold
spare operation in an apparatus that includes a plurality of ICs
and other circuits that are not cold spare noncompliant. Instead of
implementing each of the non cold spare compliant core ICs and/or
other circuits in a separate MCM-HIC, it is only necessary,
according to the present disclosure, to select or design an
appropriate interconnecting substrate with multiple power zones,
and to select and/or design one or more appropriate cold spare
chiplets.
[0032] In particular, embodiments provide external cold spare
support to a plurality of external circuits that are not otherwise
cold spare compliant by arranging for each of the external circuits
to interconnect with a separate power zone or group of power zones
of the MCM-HIC through corresponding interface cold spare chiplets,
so that the power can be separately and independently applied and
withdrawn from each external circuit and corresponding power zone.
Similarly, in embodiments a plurality of core ICs that are not
individually cold spare compliant are included on separate power
zones within an MCM-HIC and are interconnected through mediating
cold spare chiplets, so that selective internal cold spare support
is provided by separately controlling of the power circuits to each
of the core ICs.
[0033] In some embodiments, the interconnecting substrate is
selected from among a plurality of pre-defined interconnecting
substrates, each of which includes a plurality of power zones
having mounting areas supporting one or more core IC footprints and
one or more cold spare chiplet mounting positions that are
compatible with certain defined cold spare chiplet footprints.
[0034] In embodiments, the MCM-HIC can include a surrounding seal
ring, and in embodiments the MCM-HIC also includes a lid. According
to the embodiment, the interconnecting substrate can either be a
unitary part of the MCM-HIC with multiple power zones embedded in
its multiple layers of circuit metallization, or it can be a
separate component that is installed in or on the MCM-HIC, or a
combination of both.
[0035] In various embodiments, the cold spare chiplets and/or other
chiplets and passive components that are included in the MCM-HIC
are premanufactured in cost-effective quantities, and can then be
selected from an inventory and used on demand as needed when
specific requirements arise. In some of these embodiments, the
multi-power-zone interconnecting substrate is the only element that
requires custom manufacture for a new cold spare application, so as
to provide the interconnections that are needed between the core
IC(s), cold spare chiplet(s), other chiplet(s) and discrete
components (if any), package, and I/O pins or pads.
[0036] A disclosed method thereby allows an MCM-HIC that can
provide cold spare support to a plurality of otherwise non cold
spare compliant ICs and other devices to be readily and flexibly
configured and manufactured for a specific application in a
cost-effective manner, even when the required production quantities
are modest or low.
[0037] In embodiments, at least one of the core ICs, cold spare
chiplet(s), and/or other chiplets is a "flip-chip" having
connection points provided on its top surface and configured for
inverted mounting to the interconnecting substrate. In other
embodiments, at least one of the core IC(s), cold spare chiplet(s),
and/or other chiplets is configured for non-inverted mounting, with
top surface signals wire-bonded to the substrate. In embodiments,
at least one of the core IC(s), cold spare chiplet(s), and/or other
chiplets is configured with through-silicon via interconnections
for 2.5D or 3D packaging. In embodiments, the MCM-HIC can be
hermetic or non-hermetic, can be radiation hardened, and/or can
include electrostatic discharge (ESD) mitigation.
[0038] Note that in general, the term "core" IC refers to any
active electronic circuit that is not cold spare compliant, and
that is included in an MCM-HIC together with one or more cold spare
chiplets according to the present disclosure, wherein the multiple
power zones, cold spare chiplets provide cold spare support to the
MCM-HIC.
[0039] One general aspect of the present disclosure is a multi-chip
module hybrid integrated circuit (MCM-HIC) configured to support
cold spare of an apparatus that includes a plurality of circuits
that are not cold spare compliant. The MCM-HIC includes an
interconnecting substrate that is divided into a plurality of power
zones, said plurality of power zones including a first power zone
and a second power zone, wherein power can be applied to and
withdrawn from the first power zone independently of the second
power zone, at least one core IC installed on the substrate, and at
least one cold spare chiplet installed on the substrate, at least
partly on the first power zone, the cold spare chiplet being
configured, when not fully powered, to present a defined impedance,
voltage, and/or logic level to at least one of its input or output
signal lines, whereby when power is withdrawn from the first power
zone, and consequently at least partially withdrawn from the at
least one cold spare chiplet, all circuits among the plurality of
circuits that are at least partly unpowered are protected by the at
least one cold spare chiplet from damage, while also being
prevented by the at least one cold spare chiplet from hindering
operation of any other circuits among the plurality of circuits
that remain in operation.
[0040] In embodiments, the first and second power zones are
adjacent, and wherein at least one of the cold spare chiplets is
installed such that it extends across a boundary between the first
and second power zones and draws power from both the first power
zone and the second power zone.
[0041] In any of the above embodiments, the at least one core IC
can include a first core IC installed on the first power zone and a
second core IC installed on the second power zone. In some of these
embodiments, for each of the first and second power zones, power
can be applied thereto at a voltage and/or current that is
compatible with the first and second core IC, respectively. In any
of these embodiments, interconnections between the first and second
core IC's can be mediated by at least one mediating chiplet that
enables interoperability between the first and second core ICs. In
some of these embodiments the at least one mediating chiplet
provides at least one of impedance, voltage, and current
intercompatibility of signals transmitted between the first and
second core ICs. And in some of these embodiments the mediating
chiplet is one of the cold spare chiplets, being thereby a
mediating cold spare chiplet, and when power is withdrawn from the
first power zone, and consequently from the first core IC and at
least partially from the mediating cold spare chiplet, while the
second power zone and second core IC remain powered, the first core
IC is protected from being damaged by the second core IC, and
operation of the second core IC is not hindered by the unpowered
first core IC. In some of these embodiments, the mediating cold
spare chiplet is installed such that it extends across a boundary
between the first and second power zones and draws power from both
the first power zone and the second power zone, such that when
power is withdrawn from the first power zone power is also at least
partially withdrawn from the mediating cold spare chiplet, and such
that the mediating cold spare chiplet presents a specified voltages
and/or logic levels to the second core IC.
[0042] In any of the above embodiments, a group of external signal
lines can provide interconnection between an interface chiplet
installed on the substrate and an external circuit of the plurality
of circuits, the group of external signal lines being configured
for transmitting signals between the external circuit and the core
IC. In some of these embodiments, the interface chiplet provides at
least one of impedance, voltage and/or current interoperability to
the signals transmitted between the external circuit and the first
core IC. In any of these embodiments, it can be that the external
circuit is not cold spare compliant, and the interface chiplet is
one of the cold spare chiplets, being thereby an interface cold
spare chiplet, the interface cold spare chiplet being at least
partly installed on the first power zone, and it can further be
that when power is withdrawn from the first power zone, power is
also at least partially withdrawn from the interface cold spare
chiplet, and power can also be withdrawn from the external circuit
without damaging the external circuit and without impeding
operation of any of the core ICs installed on the MCM-HIC. In some
of these embodiments, the interface cold spare chiplet is installed
such that it extends across a boundary between the first power zone
and a second power zone and draws power from both the first power
zone and the second power zone, the first core IC is installed on
the second power zone, and when power is withdrawn from the first
power zone, power is also partially withdrawn from the interface
cold spare chiplet, such that the interface cold spare chiplet
presents defined impedances to the external circuit, while
presenting at least one specified voltage and/or logic level to the
first core IC.
[0043] In any of the above embodiments, the first power zone can
include a plurality of independently controlled power circuits, and
power can be selectively withdrawn and applied to the first power
zone under control of a controller by withdrawing and applying
power to the plurality of power circuits according to a determined
sequence thereof.
[0044] In any of the above embodiments, the MCM-HIC can be whole
device cold spare compliant.
[0045] In any of the above embodiments, at least one of the core
ICs can be a VLSI IC.
[0046] In any of the above embodiments, the substrate can be
divided into at least five power zones.
[0047] In any of the above embodiments, the substrate can be
divided into at least ten power zones.
[0048] In any of the above embodiments, the MCM-HIC can further
include, installed on the substrate, at least one of a chiplet that
is not a cold spare chiplet and a passive component.
[0049] A second general aspect of the present disclosure is a
method of providing cold spare support to an apparatus that
includes a plurality of circuits that are not cold spare compliant.
The method includes selecting at least one core IC from among the
plurality of circuits, selecting an interconnecting substrate
having a plurality of power zones including a first power zone and
a second power zone, selecting at least one cold spare chiplet, the
cold spare chiplet being configured, when not fully powered, to
present a defined impedance, voltage, and/or logic level to at
least one of its input or output signal lines, installing the core
IC on the interconnecting substrate, installing the at least one
cold spare chiplet on the interconnecting substrate, at least
partly on the first power zone, and configuring the first power
zone so that power can be applied thereto and withdrawn therefrom
independently of the second power zone, such that when power is
withdrawn from the first power zone, and consequently at least
partially withdrawn from the at least one cold spare chiplet, all
circuits among the plurality of circuits that are at least partly
unpowered are protected by the at least one cold spare chiplet from
damage, while also being prevented by the at least one cold spare
chiplet from hindering operation of any other circuits among the
plurality of circuits that remain in operation.
[0050] In embodiments, selecting the at least one cold spare
chiplet includes selecting at least one chiplet from among a group
of pre-manufactured cold spare chiplets.
[0051] In any of the above embodiments, selecting the at least one
cold spare chiplet can include designing and manufacturing a cold
spare chiplet.
[0052] In any of the above embodiments, selecting the substrate can
include selecting the substrate from among a group of
pre-manufactured substrates.
[0053] And in any of the above embodiments, selecting the substrate
can include designing and manufacturing the substrate.
[0054] The features and advantages described herein are not
all-inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and
advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in
view of the drawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it
should be noted that the language used in the specification has
been principally selected for readability and instructional
purposes, and not to limit the scope of the inventive subject
matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0055] FIG. 1 is a top view of an embodiment of the present
disclosure that includes power zones and mounting areas configured
for installing 3 interface cold spare chiplets, 2 core ICs, one
mediating cold spare chiplet, and two other ICs distributed over 3
power zones;
[0056] FIG. 2 is a top view of an embodiment of the present
disclosure that includes mounting areas configured for installing a
single core IC in a dedicated core IC power zone supported by 3
cold spare chiplets in three interface power zones and 6 other
chiplets distributed in a separate power zone, and also including a
plurality of capacitors as discrete passive components;
[0057] FIG. 3A is a side view of an embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0058] FIG. 3B is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG.
3A;
[0059] FIG. 3C is a top view of an embodiment of the present
disclosure that includes four interface cold spare chiplets
installed in four power zones, a core IC installed on an interposer
power zone, and five mitigating chiplets that bridge between the
interposer power zone and the other power zones;
[0060] FIG. 3D is a cross sectional view of the right side of the
embodiment of FIG. 3C;
[0061] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method embodiment of
the present disclosure; and
[0062] FIG. 5 is a top view of an interconnecting substrate having
7 power zones according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0063] With reference to FIG. 1, the present disclosure is a
compact, multi-chip module ("MCM") hybrid integrated circuit
("HIC") 200 that can provide cold spare support to an apparatus
that includes a plurality of core ICs 202, 206 and/or other
circuits that are not cold spare compliant. The disclosed MCM-HIC
includes an interconnecting substrate 210 that is divided into a
plurality of separately controlled power zones 100, 102, 108,
wherein each of the power zones 100, 102, 108 includes one or more
power circuits, and wherein the power circuits in separate power
zones 100, 102, 108 are separately maintained and/or
controlled.
[0064] At least one core IC and at least one "cold spare" chiplet
are installed on the interconnecting substrate. For example, the
embodiment of FIG. 1 includes a first power zone 108 and a second
power zone 102, on which are installed a corresponding first core
IC 202 and a second core IC 206, which are interconnected by a
mediating cold spare chiplet 222. At least one of the core ICs 202
also communicates with one or more external circuits (not shown)
via three interface cold spare chiplets 208 that intercommunicate
with external signal lines 110.
[0065] A "cold spare" chiplet is defined herein as a chiplet that
is configured, when powered, to serve as communication interface
buffer between core ICs included in the MCM-HIC, and/or between at
least one core IC and at least one external circuit via external
signal lines. In some embodiments, while fully powered, the cold
spare chiplet provides voltage and/or current interoperability
conversions where needed between interconnected circuits. When
power is at least partly withdrawn from the cold spare IC, it is
configured to present defined impedances, voltages, and/or logic
levels on its input and output ports, which in general can be any
combination of high impedances, selected finite impedances such as
"soft" pull-down impedances, and/or defined, powered voltages
and/or logic levels. These defined impedances, voltages, and/or
logic levels are configured so as to protect all interconnected
circuits from harm, while also preventing any unpowered
interconnected circuits from interfering with the continued
operation of any other interconnected circuits that remain
powered.
[0066] For example, if an "interface" cold spare chiplet or
chiplets 208 provide interconnection between a core IC 202 and a
data bus 110 over which a plurality of other external circuits
intercommunicate, and if it is desirable to withdraw power from the
core IC 202 while the other external circuits remain active, then
in embodiments power will also be withdrawn from the interface cold
spare chiplet(s) 208, and in this example the interface cold spare
chiplet(s) may present high impedances to all of its/their inputs
and outputs, thereby essentially isolating the core IC 202 from the
data bus 110 so that the core IC 202 will not be harmed, and so
that the unpowered core IC 202 will not interfere with the
continued operation of the other circuits and signal lines 110 that
are on the bus 110 and remain active.
[0067] In other cases cold spare chiplet is configured to present a
pre-defined logic level or specified, finite impedance on at least
one of its input and/or output ports. For example, if an output
port of the cold spare chiplet is connected exclusively to a
write-enable input of an external memory device, then if that
output port were to present a high impedance when power was at
least partly withdrawn from the cold spare chiplet, then the write
enable input of the memory device would be placed in an
uncontrolled and drifting logic state, such that it could
potentially drift high or low, leading to a risk that the contents
of the external memory device might be inadvertently changed.
Instead, if the write enable input is active high, then the output
port might be configured with a "soft" pull down resistor so that
it presents a logic low when not powered. Or, if the write-enable
input is active low, then it may be necessary to withdraw power
only partially from the cold spare chiplet, so that an active logic
high could be maintained on the output port.
[0068] As another example, a signal input of the cold spare chiplet
might be AC-coupled to an external device that transmits high speed
serialized digital data to the signal input over a coaxial cable.
In such cases, when power is removed from the cold spare chiplet,
it might be necessary for the signal input to present a specified
impedance that is matched to the impedance of the coaxial cable, so
that any signal energy that continues to be transmitted to the
signal input is not reflected back to the transmitting device,
where it might cause damage.
[0069] In embodiments selective internal cold spare operation is
provided by at least one "mediating" cold spare chiplet 222 that
mediates intercommunication between core ICs 202, 206 installed on
different power zones 108, 102. For example, in the embodiment of
FIG. 1, a first core IC 202 is installed on the first power zone
108, a second core IC 206 is installed on the second power zone
102, and intercommunication between the two core ICs 202, 206 is
mediated by the cold spare chiplet 222, which is partly installed
on the first power zone 102 and partly on the second power zone
108. When power is withdrawn from the first power zone 108, power
is consequently withdrawn from the first IC 202 and partly from the
mediating cold spare chiplet 222. Selective internal cold spare
support is provided by the mediating cold spare chiplet 222, in
that it protects the unpowered first core IC 202, while presenting
high impedances or other defined impedances to the second core IC
206 that ensure that the second core IC 206 is not damaged and is
able to continue its operation unhindered.
[0070] Similarly, in embodiments, external cold spare support is
provided by arranging for an external circuit that is not cold
spare compliant to interconnect only with an "interface" cold spare
chiplet or chiplets 208 that is/are installed at least partly on a
selected power zone 100 or a selected group of power zones of the
MCM-HIC 200. When power is withdrawn from the external circuit, it
is also withdrawn from the selected power zone or zones 100, so
that the interface cold spare chiplet(s) 208 is/are at least partly
unpowered and present defined impedances on their inputs and
outputs, thereby enabling the powered core ICs 202, 206 of the
MCM-HIC 200 to continue their operation unhindered while also
protecting the unpowered external circuit from damage.
[0071] For example, in embodiments one or more interface cold spare
chiplets 208 are at least partly installed on a "first" power zone
100, and provide intercommunication between a core IC 202 installed
on a "second" power zone 108, and an external circuit such as a
flash drive. When power is withdrawn from the external circuit,
power is also withdrawn from the first power zone 100, and
consequently power is at least partly withdrawn from the at least
one interface cold spare chiplet 208. External cold spare support
is provided by the interface cold spare chiplets 208, in that they
protect the flash drive or external circuit from damage, while
presenting high impedances or other defined impedances to the core
IC 202, which remains powered, thereby ensuring that the core IC
202 is not damaged, and is able to continue its operation
unhindered by the unpowered, external circuit.
[0072] Embodiments include both mediating cold spare chiplets 222
and interface cold spare chiplets 208. For example, embodiments
include a first core IC 202 installed on a first power zone 100, a
second core IC 206 installed on a second power zone 100, at least
one mediating cold spare chiplet 222 at least partly installed on
the first power zone 108 that mediate intercommunication between
the first and second core ICs 202, 206, and interface cold spare
chiplets 208 that provide intercommunication between at least one
of the core ICs 202 and an external circuit that is not cold spare
compliant.
[0073] In embodiments at least some of the cold spare chiplets 208,
222 implement circuits that are similar or identical to the
circuits described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,129.
[0074] In some embodiments wherein one or more power zones 100,
102, 108 include a plurality of power circuits (not shown), the
power circuits can be powered and unpowered in sequence under
control of a controller (not shown), so that voltages are applied
to and/or removed from the circuits included in that power zone in
a specified order and sequence.
[0075] With reference to FIG. 2, in addition to one or more core
ICs 202, cold spare chiplets 208 and any other chiplets 204, the
MCM-HIC 200 can also include passive components 212 as needed.
[0076] In embodiments, each of a plurality of external circuits is
interconnected via one or more interface cold spare chiplets 208,
220 exclusively with one power zone 100, 104, or only with a
certain subset of the power zones. In some of these embodiments,
external cold spare support is separately provided to each of the
external circuits by withdrawing power from the corresponding power
zone (or group of zones) when the external devices that
interconnect thereto are unpowered.
[0077] For example, with continuing reference to FIG. 2, in
embodiments if a first group of external signal lines 110 is routed
to a first interface cold spare chiplet 208 at least partly
installed on a first power zone 100 through which a core IC 202
installed on a second power zone 108 within the MCM-HIC 200 is able
to communicate with an external flash memory that is not cold spare
compliant (not shown) during initialization of the core IC 202, and
if a second group of external signal lines 112 is routed to a
second interface cold spare chiplet 220 installed on the second
power zone 108, or as shown in FIG. 2 on a third power zone 104,
through which the core IC 202 is able to communicate with other
external circuitry (not shown) after the initialization is
complete, then embodiments of the present disclosure allow power to
be withdrawn from the flash memory and from the first power zone
100 after initialization is complete, while continuing to provide
power to the other power zones 102, 104, 108 on which the core IC
202 and the second interface cold spare chiplet 220 are installed,
as well as any other circuits that remain powered, thereby
providing external cold spare support to the flash memory.
[0078] Similarly, in the same example, if an external circuit that
communicates with the core IC 202 via the interface cold spare
chiplet 220 installed on the third power zone 104 remains powered
when power is withdrawn from the second power zone 108 on which the
core IC 202 is installed, then power can also be withdrawn from the
third power zone 104, while continuing to provide power to the
other power zones 102, 106. The interface cold spare chiplet 220
thereby provides selective internal cold spare support to the core
IC 202. The two interface cold spare chiplets 208, 220 and
associated power zones 100, 104 in this example can thereby provide
both external cold spare support to the flash memory and internal
cold spare support to the core IC 202.
[0079] In the same example, the MCM-HIC 200 is whole device cold
spare compliant, in that when power is withdrawn from all of the
power zones 100, 102, 104, 108 then whole device cold spare support
is provided to the MCM-HIC 200 by the cold spare chiplets 208,
220.
[0080] In embodiments, at least one of the cold spare chiplets 208,
220 further serves as a signal buffer/driver, thereby allowing the
core IC 202 to operate at an optimal, low voltage and/or current,
while driving external signal lines at a higher voltage and/or
current. Embodiments include cold spare chiplets that incorporate
circuits similar to those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,239,177,
which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all
purposes, so as to provide buffering and driving of signal voltages
and currents between I/O ports of the core IC 202 and connected
signal lines 110,112.
[0081] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the core IC 202 and cold spare
chiplets 208, 220 are installed on the interconnecting substrate
210 together with other chiplets 204 and with capacitors 212 as
discrete components.
[0082] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the core ICs 202, 206 and
chiplets 204, 208 are mounted to the interconnecting substrate 210
but are otherwise exposed, or are covered by epoxy or similar
substance, i.e. "glob top", whereas in the embodiment of FIGS. 2,
the core IC 202 and the chiplets 204, 208, 220 are surrounded by a
"seal ring" 214, which can be under-filled e.g. with an epoxy or
similar substance to encapsulate the surrounded components, or
covered by a lid to form a containing enclosure, as described in
more detail below.
[0083] In some embodiments that include a surrounding seal ring
214, the seal ring 214 is unitary with the interconnecting
substrate 210. In other embodiments, the seal ring 214 is a
separate element that is installed on or surrounds the
interconnecting substrate 210.
[0084] FIG. 3A is a side view of an embodiment that includes a seal
ring 214 installed on top of a multi-zone interconnecting substrate
210, wherein the interconnections between the interconnecting
substrate 210 and an underlying circuit board (not shown) are
formed by a ceramic column grid array (CCGA) 218, as is typically
used for space applications.
[0085] FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG.
3A. In this embodiment, the surrounding seal ring 214 is
hermetically sealed by a cover 304 soldered to a ring 300 affixed
to the top of the seal ring 214, so that the cover 304, seal ring
214, and interconnecting substrate 210 together form a hermetically
sealed chamber 302 that contains the core ICs 202, 206 cold spare
chiplets 208, other chiplets 204, and any supporting components
such as capacitors 212 or resistors. The interconnecting substrate
210 in the example of FIG. 3B includes a plurality of power zones
100, 102, 104, 106, 108 that are constructed using multiple layers
of ceramic with wiring traces on each layer and vias providing
interconnection between layers. The core ICs 202, 206 cold spare
chiplets 208, any other chiplets 204, and any other components 212
are soldered to metal pads provided on the surface of the
interconnecting substrate 210.
[0086] According to the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 3A and 3B,
vertical solder columns 218 extend from a bottom surface of the
interconnecting substrate 210 for electrical connection to an
underlying circuit board (not shown) with flexing, so as to
accommodate differences in thermal expansion between the
interconnecting substrate 210 and the underlying board, as might be
experienced in extreme environments such as space applications.
Similar embodiments are configured with a "ball grid" array whereby
solder balls are provided or a "land grid" array, whereby pads are
provided on the bottom of the interconnecting substrate 210 or
package bottom 216, instead of the illustrated columns 218.
[0087] With reference to FIG. 3C, at least one of the power zones
can be included as a power switchable "interposer" zone 306 that is
flush in level with one or more adjoining zones 100, 102, 104, 106.
In FIG. 3C, the interposer zone 306 upon which the core IC 202 is
mounted is flush with adjacent power zones 100 102, 104, 106. In
the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of chiplets 204, which can
be cold spare or other chiplets, straddle the boundaries between
the interposer 306 and one or more of the surrounding power zones
100, 102, 104, 106, so that the chiplets 204 are able to access the
voltages and currents of both zones. FIG. 3D is a cross sectional
view of the right side of the embodiment of FIG. 3C.
[0088] In particular, a cold spare chiplet 204 can straddle the
boundary between two adjacent power zones 104, 306, so that when
power is withdrawn from one 104 but not the other 306 of the
adjacent power zones 104, 306, the cold spare chiplet 204 remains
partially powered, thereby enabling it to present selected voltage
and logic levels as needed to interconnected circuits that remain
powered.
[0089] In the embodiment of FIGS. 3A-3D, the core IC 202 is
connected to the underlying power zone 306 of the substrate 210
using through-silicon vias and/or solder balls 308. Embodiments
further include thermal fill materials 310 as are known in the art
between the core IC 202 and/or chiplets 204, 208 and the lid 304 so
as to manage heat dissipation to the lid. Although not illustrated
in the figure, under-fill materials as are known in the art can
also be included between the core IC 202 and/or chiplets 204, 208
and the top surface of the substrate to mitigate thermal stress,
shock and vibration.
[0090] With reference to FIG. 4 in combination with FIG. 1, in
embodiments the disclosed method of configuring and manufacturing
an MCM-HIC device 200 for cold spare support of an apparatus that
includes a plurality of core ICs 202, 206 and other circuits that
are not cold spare compliant includes selecting 402 at least one
core IC 202, 206 that is not cold spare compliant, as well as
selecting 404 at least one cold spare chiplet 208, 222 and/or other
components 204 that may be needed. Depending on the application,
only one or only a subset of the circuits that are not cold spare
compliant may be installed as core ICs 202, 206 within the MCM-HIC
200, while the other circuits, if any, are included as external
circuits that interconnect exclusively with respective, assigned
power zones 100 or groups of power zones of the MCM-HIC 200, as
described above.
[0091] If a suitable pre-defined cold spare (and/or other) chiplet
is not available, a new cold spare (or other) chiplet can be
designed and manufactured. In some of these embodiments, at least
some of the ICs have a die size or "footprint" (i.e. a
two-dimensional shape and I/O locations) that is selected from
among a group of defined footprints.
[0092] In embodiments, an interconnecting substrate design is
selected 406 from among a plurality of pre-defined substrate
designs that specify die layouts, power zone layouts, numbers of
layers, material of construction, etc., or else is created for the
specific application. In particular, each of the substrate designs
includes at least one core IC die configured for compatibility with
at least one standard core IC footprint, and one or more chiplet
dies that are compatible with one or more of the defined cold spare
chiplet footprints. For example, the substrate 210 illustrated in
FIG. 1 includes three cold spare chiplet sites 208 prepared for
interface cold spare chiplets, one cold spare chiplet site prepared
for a mediating cold spare chiplet 222, two "other" chiplet sites
204 prepared for other chiplets, and two sites for installation of
"core" ICs 202, 206. In embodiments, at least some of the
interconnecting substrate designs include additional sites
configured for installing discrete components 212, as shown in FIG.
2.
[0093] A substrate is then manufactured 408 according to the
selected substrate design that provides the required power zones
and interconnections for the selected core ICs 202, 206 cold spare
chiplets 208, other chiplets 204 and ICs (if any), and discrete
components 212 (if any), as well as required pins or pads for
connection to an underlying circuit board. Finally, the MCM-HIC is
assembled 410 from the selected and prepared components.
[0094] FIG. 5 is a top view of an internal wiring layer of an
interconnecting substrate 210 that includes seven power zones 108,
500-510, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Embodiments can include 10 power zones or more. In the embodiment
of FIG. 5, the power zone 108 on which the core IC 202 is mounted
extends to one edge of the substrate 210, and also abuts six other
power zones 500-510, each of which extends to a side of the
substrate 210. This arrangement enables each of the power zones
108, 500-510 to include interface cold spare chiplets that provide
interconnection to external circuits. According to the application,
at least one cold spare chiplet 208 and at least one core IC can be
installed in each of these abutting zones 108, 500-510, and power
can be applied and withdrawn selectively from any combination of
the power zones 108, 500-510 as needed. In embodiments, the
external signal lines that require intercommunication with the core
ICs 202, 206 are grouped according to their cold spare
requirements, and are directed to the interface cold spare chiplets
208 mounted in the corresponding power zones 108, 500-510, so that
external cold spare support can be provided to selected external
devices or circuits to which the signal lines interconnect by
withdrawing power from the associated power zone(s).
[0095] In embodiments, at least some cold spare chiplets 208 and/or
other chiplets are pre-manufactured in cost-effective quantities,
so that they can be selected and assembled from an inventory as
needed. In some of these embodiments, the interconnecting substrate
210 is the only element that requires custom manufacture for a new
application, so as to provide the cold spare tolerance that is
required by a specific application.
[0096] The disclosed method thereby allows an MCM-HIC with multiple
power zones to be readily and flexibly configured and manufactured
for a specific application in a cost-effective manner, even where
the required quantities are modest or low.
[0097] In embodiments, at least one of the core ICs 202, 206 and
chiplets 204, 208, 222 is a "flip-chip" having connection points
provided on its top surface and configured for inverted mounting in
the package. In embodiments, at least one of the core IC(s) 202,
206, and/or chiplets 204, 208, 222 is radiation hardened, and/or a
surrounding seal ring and lid are configured to enclose and protect
the components from radiation. Various embodiments include
electrostatic discharge (ESD) mitigation.
[0098] While the presently disclosed MCM-HIC is sometimes described
herein as being a "package" having a "cavity," or "compartment"
within which the core IC(s) 202, 206 chiplet(s) 204, 208, 222 and
other components 212 are mounted, other mounting configurations are
included within the scope of the present disclosure, including
configurations that do not include a surrounding seal ring or lid,
such as packages having a flat interconnecting substrate presenting
a mounting surface with exposed dies, as well as configurations
with "glob top" encapsulation: i.e. where the components are
covered by a protective material such as an epoxy, with or without
a surrounding seal ring. Embodiments having a plurality of
compartments, for example separate compartments for one or more of
the power zones, are also included within the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0099] Furthermore, while the disclosed MCM-HIC is described herein
as having columns, pins, or pads on a bottom surface of the
interconnecting substrate or package bottom that are configured for
connecting to an underlying circuit board or wiring board, other
types of I/O connection are included within the scope of the
present disclosure, such as cables extending from the device that
terminate in wired single or multi-pin connectors.
[0100] The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present
disclosure has been presented for the purposes of illustration and
description. Each and every page of this submission, and all
contents thereon, however characterized, identified, or numbered,
is considered a substantive part of this application for all
purposes, irrespective of form or placement within the application.
This specification is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and
variations are possible in light of this disclosure.
[0101] Although the present application is shown in a limited
number of forms, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited
to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and
modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. The
disclosure presented herein does not explicitly disclose all
possible combinations of features that fall within the scope of the
present disclosure. The features disclosed herein for the various
embodiments can generally be interchanged and combined into any
combinations that are not self-contradictory without departing from
the scope of the present disclosure. In particular, the limitations
presented in dependent claims below can be combined with their
corresponding independent claims in any number and in any order
without departing from the scope of this disclosure, unless the
dependent claims are logically incompatible with each other.
* * * * *