# US 11,308,257 B1 · Stacked via rivets in chip hotspots

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- Number: US 11,308,257 B1
- Document ID: US11308257B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 17/122,550
- Filed: 2020-12-15
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2020-12-15
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Dureseti Chidambarrao; David Wolpert; Atsushi Ogino; Matthew T. Guzowski; Steven Paul Ostrander; Tuhin Sinha; Michael Stewart Gray
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11308257B1

## CPC

- G06F 30/398: Design verification or optimisation, e.g. using design rule check [DRC], layout versus schematics [LVS] or finite element methods [FEM] (optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes G03F1/36)
- H10W 20/40: Interconnections external to wafers or substrates, e.g. back-end-of-line [BEOL] metallisations or vias connecting to gate electrodes
- G06F 30/392: Floor-planning or layout, e.g. partitioning or placement
- H10W 20/20: Interconnections within wafers or substrates, e.g. through-silicon vias [TSV]
- H10W 42/121: {protecting against mechanical damage (H10W76/00, H10W74/00 take precedence)}
- G06F 2119/14: Force analysis or force optimisation, e.g. static or dynamic forces
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A structure including a plurality of dielectric regions is described. The structure can include a rivet cell. The rivet cell can include a set of stacked vias. The rivet cell can extend through a stress hotspot of the structure. A length of the rivet cell can thread through at least one dielectric region among the plurality of dielectric regions. The rivet cell can be among a number of rivet cells inserted in the stress hotspot. The stress hotspot can be among a plurality of stress hotspots across the structure. A length of the rivet cell can be based on a model of a relationship between the length of the rivet cell and an energy release rate of the structure. The rivet cell can thread through an interface between a first dielectric region and a second dielectric region having different dielectric constants.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for determining a location of a rivet cell in a structure, the method comprising:
modeling a location of a stress hotspot in a structure;
modeling a relationship between a length of a rivet cell and an energy release rate of the structure;
identifying an optimal length of the rivet cell based on the modeled relationship;
generating rivet cell data that indicates an insertion location of the rivet cell, wherein the insertion location is based on the location of the stress hotspot; and
sending the rivet cell data to a device to instruct the device to construct the structure in accordance with the rivet cell data, such that the structure is constructed to include the rivet cell at the insertion location, and such that the rivet cell extends through the stress hotspot of the structure, and threads through at least one dielectric region among a plurality of dielectric regions of the structure.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the rivet cell data further indicates multiple insertion locations of multiple rivet cells, the multiple insertion locations being within the stress hotspot.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
modeling the relationship is being performed based on a projection of an anomaly at the location of the stress hotspot and on an interface between a first dielectric region and a second dielectric region among the plurality of dielectric regions;
upon the insertion of the rivet cell, the rivet cell threads through at least a portion the first dielectric region and at least a portion of the second dielectric region; and
the energy release rate of the structure is based on the location of the projected anomaly.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the projected anomaly is a crack at the interface between the first dielectric region and the second dielectric region.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the first dielectric region and the second dielectric region has different values of dielectric constant.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the stress hotspot is among a plurality of stress hotspots across the structure, and each stress hotspot include a respective set of rivet cells.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the rivet cell is among a number of rivet cells inserted in the stress hotspot, and the number of rivet cells is based on a size of the stress hotspot.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the optimal length of the rivet cell comprises identifying a length of the rivet cell that results in a lowest energy release rate.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein modeling the stress hotspot comprises:
generating a three-dimensional (3D) model of the structure;
executing an instruction to perform stress analysis on the 3D model; and
identifying the location of the stress hotspot from an output of the stress analysis.

### Claim 10

A computer program product for determining a location of a rivet cell in a structure, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processing element of a device to cause the device to:
model a location of a stress hotspot in a structure;
model a relationship between a length of a rivet cell and an energy release rate of the structure;
identify an optimal length of the rivet cell based on the modeled relationship;
generate rivet cell data that indicates an insertion location of the rivet cell, wherein the insertion location is based on the location of the stress hotspot; and
send the rivet cell data to a device to instruct the device to construct the structure in accordance with the rivet cell data, such that the structure is constructed to include the rivet cell at the insertion location, and such that the rivet cell extends through the stress hotspot of the structure, and threads through at least one dielectric region among a plurality of dielectric regions of the structure.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The computer program product of claim 10, wherein:
the model of the relationship is being performed based on a projection of an anomaly at the location of the stress hotspot and on an interface between a first dielectric region and a second dielectric region among the plurality of dielectric regions;
upon the insertion of the rivet cell, the rivet cell threads through at least a portion the first dielectric region and at least a portion of the second dielectric region; and
the energy release rate of the structure is based on the location of the projected anomaly.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the projected anomaly is a crack at the interface between the first dielectric region and the second dielectric region.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the first dielectric region and the second dielectric region has different values of dielectric constant.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the rivet cell is among a number of rivet cells inserted in the stress hotspot, and the number of rivet cells is based on a size of the stress hotspot.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the stress hotspot is among a plurality of stress hotspots across the structure, and each stress hotspot include a respective set of rivet cells.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processing element of the device to cause the device to identify a length of the rivet cell that results in a lowest energy release rate to identify the optimal length of the rivet cell.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processing element of the device to:
generate a three-dimensional (3D) model of the structure;
execute an instruction to perform stress analysis on the 3D model; and
identify the location of the stress hotspot from an output of the stress analysis.