Surface profiling in electronic packages for reducing thermally induced interfacial stresses

Abstract

A method and structure for coupling a heat conductor (e.g., heat spreader, heat sink) to a semiconductor chip. In a first embodiment, a thermally conductive shape is formed on the heat conductor, a material in an uncured or partially cured state is dispensed on the chip and on peripheral portions of the chip, and the heat conductor is applied to the material to push the thermally conductive shape into the material such that the material is redistributed to contact both the thermally conductive shape and the chip. The material is then cured (e.g., by pressurization at elevated temperature). In a second embodiment, a thermally conductive shape is formed on the chip, a material (e.g., epoxy) in an uncured or partially cured state is dispensed on the thermally conductive shape and on peripheral portions of the chip, and the heat conductor is pushed into the material to make the material contact both the thermally conductive shape and the heat conductor. The material is then cured (e.g., by pressurization at elevated temperature). For both the first embodiment and the second embodiment, an average thickness of a peripheral portion of the cured material exceeds an average thickness of a central portion of the cured material.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.