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US 10,475,720 B2Granted
S-contact thermal structure with active circuitry
AssigneepSemi Corporation
InventorsTero Tapio Ranta, Simon Edward Willard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An integrated circuit architecture that provides a path having relatively low thermal resistance between one or more electronic devices and one or more thermal structures formed on an insulator layer on a substrate. Independent parallel thermal conduction paths are provided through the insulator layer, such as a buried oxide (“BOX”) layer, to allow heat to flow from the substrate layer to a collector column having a portion in common with a thermal structure disposed upon the BOX layer. In some cases, the substrate is a silicon substrate layer supporting the thermal structure and the collector column and a heat source, such as an electronic device (e.g., power amplifier, transistor, diode, resistor, etc.).
Claims30
A semiconductor device comprising:
- a substrate;
- an insulator layer on the substrate;
- a plurality of heat sources fabricated on top of the insulating layer, such that the insulating layer resides between the heat sources and the substrate;
- a plurality of thermal structures on the insulator layer, each having a plurality of layers stacked one upon another to form the thermal structures between the insulating layer and a heat sink, each of the thermal structures having a first portion and a second portion, each of the layers of the second portion of each thermal structure formed of the same layer as one of the layers of the first portion of that thermal structure;
- a collector column having a plurality of layers stacked one upon another to form the collector column, such that the insulating layer resides between the collector column and the substrate, the collector column having a plurality of first portions and a second portion, each of the layers of the second portion formed of the same layer as a corresponding one of the layers of each first portion, one of the first portions of the collector column being in common with the first portion of one of the thermal structures, and another of the first portions of the collector column being in common with the first portion of another one of the thermal structures, the second portion of the collector column not in common with the thermal structures;
- and
- a plurality of substrate contacts (“S-contacts”) penetrating the insulator layer to thermally connect the substrate with the collector column.
4 more elements
A method for forming a semiconductor device, including:
- providing a substrate;
- forming an insulator layer on the substrate;
- a plurality of heat sources fabricated on top of the insulating layer, such that the insulating layer resides between heat sources and the substrate;
- forming a plurality of thermal structures on the insulator layer, each thermal structure having a plurality of layers stacked one upon another to form the thermal structures between the insulating layer and a heat sink, each of the thermal structures having a first portion and a second portion, each of the layers of the second portion formed of the same layer as one of the layers of the first portion of that thermal structure;
- forming a collector column having a plurality of layers stacked one upon another to form the collector column, such that the insulating layer resides between the collector column and the substrate, the collector column having at least a plurality of first portions and a second portion, each of the layers of the second portion formed of the same layer as a corresponding one of the layers of the each first portion, the one of the first portions of the collector column being in common with the first portion of one of the thermal structures, and another of the first portions of the collector column being in common with the first portion of another of the thermal structures, the second portion of the collector column not in common with the thermal structures;
- and
- forming a plurality of S-contacts penetrating the insulator layer to thermally connect the substrate with the collector column and spaced over an area that underlies the collector column.
4 more elements
An RF mobile device having a semiconductor device comprising:
- a substrate;
- an insulator layer on the substrate;
- a plurality of heat sources fabricated on top of the insulating layer, such that the insulating layer resides between the heat sources and the substrate;
- a plurality of thermal structures on the insulator layer, each having a plurality of layers stacked one upon another to form the thermal structures between the insulating layer and a heat sink, each of the thermal structures having a first portion and a second portion, each of the layers of the second portion of each thermal structure formed of the same layer as one of the layers of the first portion of that thermal structure;
- a collector column having a plurality of layers stacked one upon another to form the collector column, such that the insulating layer resides between the collector column and the substrate, the collector column having a plurality of first portions and a second portion, each of the layers of the second portion formed of the layers of each first portion, one of the first portions of the collector column being in common with the first portion of one of the thermal structures, and another of the first portions of the collector column being in common with the first portion of another one of the thermal structures, the second portion of the collector column not in common with the thermal structures;
- and
- a plurality of substrate contacts (“S-contacts”) penetrating the insulator layer to thermally connect the substrate with the collector column and spaced over an area that underlies the collector column.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.