# US 10,770,405 B2 · Thermal interface material having different thicknesses in packages

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- Number: US 10,770,405 B2
- Document ID: US10770405B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/609,206
- Filed: 2017-05-31
- Published: 2018-12-06
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-05-31
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Inventors: Sung-Hui Huang; Da-Cyuan Yu; Kuan-Yu Huang; Pai Yuan Li; Hsiang-Fan Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10770405B2

## CPC

- H10W 42/121: {protecting against mechanical damage (H10W76/00, H10W74/00 take precedence)}
- H10W 40/037: {Assembling together parts thereof}
- H10W 40/22: characterised by their shape, e.g. having conical or cylindrical projections
- H10W 40/251: {Organics}
- H10W 40/257: {having a heterogeneous or anisotropic structure, e.g. powder or fibres in a matrix, wire mesh or porous structures (H10W40/254, H10W40/251 take precedence)}
- H10W 40/258: {Metallic materials (H10W40/254, H10W40/257, H10W40/255, H10W40/251, H10W40/253 take precedence)}
- H10W 70/05: of insulating or insulated package substrates, or of interposers, or of redistribution layers (manufacture or treatment of leadframes H10W70/04)
- H10W 70/095: {of vias therein}
- H10W 70/099: {Connecting interconnections to insulating or insulated package substrates, interposers or redistribution layers}
- H10W 70/635: {Through-vias}
- H10W 70/65: Shapes or dispositions of interconnections
- H10W 70/685: comprising multiple insulating layers
- H10W 74/012: {of encapsulations on active surfaces of flip-chip devices, e.g. forming underfills}
- H10W 74/016: {using moulds}
- H10W 74/117: {the substrate having spherical bumps for external connection}
- H10W 74/121: {by multiple encapsulations, e.g. by a thin protective coating and a thick encapsulation}
- H10W 74/129: {forming a chip-scale package [CSP]}
- H10W 74/15: on active surfaces of flip-chip devices, e.g. underfills
- H10W 90/00: Package configurations
- H10W 70/655: Fan-out layouts
- H10W 72/0198: {batch processes}
- H10W 72/072: {of bump connectors}
- H10W 72/073: {of die-attach connectors}
- H10W 72/07331: {Connecting techniques}
- H10W 72/252: {comprising solid metals or solid metalloids, e.g. PbSn, Ag or Cu}
- H10W 72/387: {Flow barriers}
- H10W 72/877: {Bump connectors and die-attach connectors}
- H10W 72/931: {Shapes of bond pads}
- H10W 74/00: Encapsulations, e.g. protective coatings
- H10W 74/142: {the encapsulations exposing the passive side of the semiconductor body}
- H10W 76/67: characterised by their materials
- H10W 90/724: {between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL}
- H10W 90/734: {between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL}
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A package includes a package component, a device die over and bonded to the package component, a metal cap having a top portion over the device die, and a thermal interface material between and contacting the device die and the metal cap. The thermal interface material includes a first portion directly over an inner portion of the device die, and a second portion extending directly over a corner region of the device die. The first portion has a first thickness. The second portion has a second thickness greater than the first thickness.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A package comprising:
a first package component;
a device die over and bonded to the first package component;
a metal cap comprising a top portion over the device die;
a thermal interface material between and contacting the device die and the metal cap, wherein the thermal interface material comprises:
a first portion directly over an inner portion of the device die, wherein the first portion has a first thickness; and
a second portion, wherein an entirety of the second portion is directly over, and overlaps, an outer portion of the device die, wherein the second portion has a second thickness greater than the first thickness, and the first thickness and the second thickness are measured in a direction orthogonal to a major top surface of the device die; and
an encapsulating material encircling the device die, wherein the second portion of the thermal interface material having the second thickness further extends directly over an additional portion of the encapsulating material.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The package of claim 1, wherein the metal cap comprises a recess extending from a bottom surface of the top portion of the metal cap into the top portion of the metal cap, wherein an upper part of the second portion of the thermal interface material is in the recess.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The package of claim 2, wherein the metal cap further comprises a ring portion under and connected to the top portion, wherein the recess extends laterally to the ring portion.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The package of claim 2, wherein the metal cap further comprises a ring portion under and connected to the top portion, wherein the recess is laterally spaced apart from the ring portion.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The package of claim 1, wherein the device die comprises a substrate, and a corner area of the substrate is recessed as a recess, and wherein a lower part of the second portion of the thermal interface material is in the recess.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The package of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the thermal interface material contacts the device die to form an interface, and at least a portion of the interface is parallel to or in a same plane as the major top surface of the device die.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The package of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the thermal interface material having the second thickness has a continuously curved inner edge.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The package of claim 1, wherein the second portion has continuously varying thicknesses, with portions of the thermal interface material closer to a center of the top portion of the metal cap being thinner than portions farther away from the center.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The package of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the thermal interface material comprises a part higher than the first portion.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The package of claim 1, wherein the first portion and the second portion of the thermal interface material have planar surfaces that are parallel to each other.

### Claim 11

A package comprising:
a stack comprising:
an interposer;
a first device die and a second device die over and bonded to the interposer;
a package substrate underlying and bonded to the interposer; and
an encapsulating material encircling each of the first device die and the second device die;
a metal cap comprising:
a top portion; and
a skirt portion underlying and connected to the top portion;
an adhesive adhering the skirt portion to the package substrate; and
a thermal interface material comprising:
a planar portion having a substantially uniform thickness; and
a protruding portion protruding up or down from the planar portion, wherein the protruding portion overlaps a corner portion of the stack.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The package of claim 11, wherein the thermal interface material comprises four protruding portions, each overlapping a corner of the stack, wherein the four protruding portions are discrete from each other.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The package of claim 11, wherein the protruding portion protrudes up to extend into a recess of the top portion of the metal cap.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The package of claim 11, wherein the protruding portion protrudes down to extend into a recess of the stack.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The package of claim 11, wherein the protruding portion overlaps a peripheral portion of the stack, and the peripheral portion forms a full ring.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The package of claim 11 further comprising an additional protruding portion protruding up or down, wherein the additional protruding portion overlaps a gap between the first device die and the second device die.

### Claim 17

A package comprising:
a package substrate;
an interposer over and bonded to the package substrate;
a device die over and bonded to the interposer;
a metal cap comprising:
a top portion over the device die, wherein the top portion comprises a plurality of recesses, each recessing from a bottom surface of the top portion into the top portion; and
a skirt portion encircling the device die and the interposer therein, wherein the skirt portion is adhered to the package substrate, and the skirt portion comprises four side portions; and
a thermal interface material between and contacting the device die and the metal cap, wherein the thermal interface material extends into the plurality of recesses of the top portion of the metal cap.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The package of claim 17, wherein substantially an entirety of a bottom surface of the top portion of the metal cap other than the plurality of recesses is planar.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The package of claim 17, wherein the plurality of recesses has depths greater than about 10 μm.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The package of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of recesses has an inner edge facing a center of the top portion of the metal cap, and the inner edge is curved.