# US 7,612,444 B2 · Semiconductor package with flow controller

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- Number: US 7,612,444 B2
- Document ID: US7612444B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/620,553
- Filed: 2007-01-05
- Published: 2008-07-10
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2007-01-05
- Assignees: STATS ChipPAC, Ltd.
- Inventors: Seng Guan Chow; Oh Sug Kim; Byung Tai Do
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7612444B2

## CPC

- H10W 90/00: Package configurations
- H10W 74/114: {by a substrate and the encapsulations}
- 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 72/0198: {batch processes}
- H10W 72/073: {of die-attach connectors}
- H10W 72/075: {of bond wires}
- H10W 72/5522: {comprising gold [Au]}
- H10W 72/5524: {comprising aluminium [Al]}
- H10W 72/884: {Die-attach connectors and bond wires}
- H10W 74/00: Encapsulations, e.g. protective coatings
- H10W 90/732: {between stacked chips}
- H10W 90/734: {between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL}
- H10W 90/754: {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 semiconductor package can comprise a die stack attached to a substrate, with bond wires electrically connecting the two. Often multiple die stacks are adhered to a single substrate so that several semiconductor packages can be manufactured at once. A molding compound flow controller is optimally associated with the substrate or semiconductor package at one or more various locations. Flow controllers can control or direct the flow of the molding compound during the encapsulation process. Flow controllers can be sized, shaped, and positioned in order to smooth out the flow of the molding compound, such that the speed of the flow is substantially equivalent over areas of the substrate containing dies and over areas of the substrate without dies. In this manner, defects such as voids in the encapsulation, wire sweeping, and wire shorts can be substantially avoided during encapsulation.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor package, comprising:
a substrate;
a die electrically coupled to the substrate by a plurality of bond wires; and
a flow controller effectively sized and positioned to control flow of a molding compound over and/or around at least a portion of the substrate and/or the die, wherein the flow controller is located adjacent to and outside a perimeter defined by the plurality of bond wires.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, where the flow controller is positioned to control molding compound flow over all active components coupled to the substrate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, further comprising plural dies, where at least a portion of the flow controller is positioned between adjacent dies.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, where the flow controller comprises die adhesive, die coating material, polymeric material, screen printing material, solder paste, or combinations thereof.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, where the flow controller comprises a non-insulating material.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, where the flow controller comprises:
an adhesive layer coupled to a surface within the semiconductor package; and
a dummy block coupled to the adhesive layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, further comprising plural dies.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, further comprising a passive component.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, where the flow controller is substantially cubic, rectangular, spherical, cylindrical, pyramidal, conical, amorphous, or combinations thereof.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, further comprising a molding compound, wherein the volume of the flow controller is from about 1×10−3 cc to about a volume equal to a difference between molding compound volume and die volume.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, further comprising a molding compound, where flow controller volume is from about 1×10−2 cc to about a volume equal to a difference between the molding compound volume and die volume.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a semiconductor material, an insulating layer, a conducting material, or combinations thereof.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, further comprising a molding compound, where the semiconductor package is substantially devoid of sweeps, wire shorts, and internal and external voids in the molding compound.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, further comprising plural flow controllers.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The semiconductor package of claim 14, further comprising plural dies electrically coupled to the substrate.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The semiconductor package of claim 14, where at least a first flow controller is a different size, shape, and/or composition from at least a second flow controller.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The semiconductor package of claim 14, where a first flow controller is positioned independently of a second flow controller.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor package of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of dies arrayed on the substrate.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor package of claim 18, where the plurality of dies each comprises a single stack.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor package of claim 18, where at least one of the dies comprises a multiple stack.

### Claim 21 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor package of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of bond wires electrically coupling the dies to the substrate, where a flow controller comprises:
an adhesive layer coupled to a surface within the semiconductor package; and
a dummy block coupled to the adhesive layer.

### Claim 22 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor package of claim 18, where a flow controller is located adjacent to and outside a perimeter defined by the array of dies.

### Claim 23 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor package of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of bond wires electrically coupling the dies to the substrate, where the flow controller is a single integrated body contrasting the substrate, bond wires, and dies.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The semiconductor package of claim 23, further comprising:
plural flow controllers; and
at least one saw line indicating where the individual semiconductor packages are to be singulated;
wherein each flow controller is located adjacent to, but does not continue over, the saw line.

### Claim 25 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor package of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of bond wires electrically coupling the dies to the substrate, where a flow controller is located adjacent to a die stack, and does not contact the bond wires or the dies.

### Claim 26 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor package of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of flow controllers, where each flow controller is positioned between adjacent die attach areas.

### Claim 27 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor package of claim 18, where the flow controller has a height substantially the same as the die height.

### Claim 28 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor package of claim 18, further comprising a molding compound, where the flow controller height is selected to optimize control of molding compound flow.

### Claim 29 (depends on 18)

The semiconductor package of claim 18, further comprising a molding compound, where flow controller height is from greater than 0.0 microns to about the thickness of the molding compound.

### Claim 30

A semiconductor package, comprising:
a substrate;
a die electrically coupled to the substrate;
a flow controller effectively sized and positioned to control flow of a molding compound over at least a portion of at least one of the substrate and the die, and wherein the flow controller comprises an adhesive layer coupled to the substrate and a dummy block coupled to the adhesive layer; and
a molding compound layer having a thickness at least as great as combined thicknesses of the adhesive layer and the dummy block.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

The semiconductor package of claim 30, wherein the molding compound layer covers the flow controller.

### Claim 32

A semiconductor package, comprising:
a substrate comprising a planar substrate surface;
a die electrically coupled to the planar substrate surface through a plurality of bond wires, the die comprising at least first and second opposing die edges;
a first flow controller coupled to a first section of the planar substrate surface and located opposite the first opposing die edge; and
a second flow controller coupled to a second section of the planar substrate surface and located opposite the second opposing die edge, wherein the first and second flow controllers are located outside a perimeter defined by the plurality of bond wires, and wherein the first and second flow controllers are configured to cause a mold compound to flow laterally around their respective sections of the planar substrate surface at substantially the same rate that the mold compound flows laterally over the die.