Metallic Layer as Carrier For Component Embedded in Cavity of Component Carrier

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a component carrier is presented. The method includes providing a base structure having a front side and a back side, the back side being at least partially covered by a metallic layer, removing material of the base structure from the front side to thereby form a cavity which is at least partially closed by the metallic layer, inserting a component in the cavity and placing the component on the metallic layer.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a component carrier, comprising: providing a base structure having a front side and a back side, the back side being at least partially covered by a metallic layer; removing material of the base structure from the front side to thereby form a cavity which is at least partially closed by the metallic layer; inserting a component in the cavity; and placing the component on the metallic layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein inserting the component in the cavity is carried out without adhering the component to the metallic layer.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein inserting the component in the cavity is carried out by establishing a direct physical contact between the component and the metallic layer.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: attaching the metallic layer to the back side of the base structure before removing material of the base structure so that the cavity is completely closed by the metallic layer.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the method further comprises: removing at least part of the metallic layer after inserting the component in the cavity so that at least part of a surface of the component on the back side of the base structure is exposed.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: attaching the metallic layer with a through-hole to the back side of the base structure before removing material of the base structure so that the through-hole is located below the cavity.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: forming the cavity in the base structure by laser drilling.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the laser drilling is adapted so that the metallic layer serves as a stop layer for a laser beam while forming the cavity in the base structure.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the method further comprises: attaching a further metallic layer to the front side of the base structure, wherein the further metallic layer is patterned so as to form a window in the further metallic layer through which a laser beam propagates during the laser drilling for forming the cavity.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following features: wherein forming the cavity in the base structure is selected from the group consisting of mechanically removing material of the base structure, chemically removing material of the base structure, and removing material of the base structure by plasma treatment; wherein the base structure comprises fully cured electrically insulating material at the time of forming the cavity; wherein the metallic layer is copper foil; wherein at least part of the metallic layer remains part of the readily manufactured component carrier.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: connecting at least one electrically insulating layer structure and/or at least one electrically conductive layer structure to at least one of the front side and the back side of the base structure by laminating.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising at least one of the following features: wherein connecting the at least one electrically insulating layer structure by laminating is carried out so that a gap between the component and sidewalls of the cavity is at least partially filled with material of the at least one electrically insulating layer structure; wherein connecting the at least one electrically insulating layer structure by laminating adheres the component in the cavity; wherein the component is located loosely in the cavity before connecting the at least one electrically insulating layer structure and/or electrically conductive layer structure to the front side of the base structure.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following features: wherein a dimension of the cavity and a dimension of the component are adapted so that a gap between the component and a sidewall of the cavity is less than 150 m; wherein the method comprises adapting a dimension of the cavity and a dimension of the component so that a ratio between a size of a gap between the component and a sidewall of the cavity on the one hand and a thickness of the component is less than 35%; wherein the method comprises forming at least one electrically conductive through-connection extending towards the component on the back side of the base structure to thereby establish an external electric connection of the component; wherein the method comprises inserting the component in the cavity so that at least one pad of the component is located on the front side of the base structure; wherein the method comprises inserting the component in the cavity so that at least one pad of the component is located on the back side of the base structure; wherein the base structure is a core comprising a fully cured material; wherein the method comprises manufacturing a plurality of component carriers simultaneously on panel level.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: at least partially removing electric charge carriers from the component inserted in the cavity before connecting the at least one electrically insulating layer structure and/or electrically conductive layer structure to the front side of the base structure.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: at least partially removing electric charge carriers from the component before and/or after inserting the component in the cavity.

16. A component carrier, comprising: a base structure having a front side, a back side, and a cavity extending from the front side to the back side; a metallic layer on the back side of the base structure; and a component in the cavity, wherein a lower main surface of the component is at the same vertical level as an upper main surface of the metallic layer.

17. The component carrier according to claim 16, further comprising at least one of the following features: wherein the lower main surface of the component is free of adhesive material; wherein at least one pad of the component is located facing the front side of the base structure; wherein the metallic layer closes at least part of a bottom of the cavity; wherein the component is adhered within the component carrier exclusively on its side walls and on its top wall exclusively by adhesive material of an electrically insulating layer structure connected to the component and to the front side of the base structure; the component carrier comprises at least one electrically conductive layer structure of a material selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, nickel, silver, gold, palladium, and tungsten, any of the mentioned materials being optionally coated with a supra-conductive material such as graphene; the component carrier comprises at least one electrically insulating layer structure of a material selected from the group consisting of resin, reinforced or non-reinforced resin, epoxy resin or Bismaleimide-Triazine resin, FR-4, FR-5, cyanate ester, polyphenylene derivate, glass, prepreg material, polyimide, polyamide, liquid crystal polymer, epoxy-based Build-Up Film, polytetrafluoroethylene, a ceramic, and a metal oxide; wherein the component is selected from a group consisting of an electronic component, an electrically non-conductive and/or electrically conductive inlay, a heat transfer unit, an energy harvesting unit, an active electronic component, a passive electronic component, an electronic chip, a storage device, a filter, an integrated circuit, a signal processing component, a power management component, an optoelectronic interface element, a voltage converter, a cryptographic component, a transmitter and/or receiver, an electromechanical transducer, an actuator, a microelectromechanical system, a microprocessor, a capacitor, a resistor, an inductance, an accumulator, a switch, a camera, an antenna, a magnetic element, a light guiding element, a further component carrier and a logic chip; the component carrier is shaped as a plate; the component carrier is configured as a printed circuit board, or a substrate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 illustrate cross-sectional views of structures obtained while performing a method of manufacturing a component carrier with an embedded component, shown in FIG. 7, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0050] FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 illustrate cross-sectional views of structures obtained while performing methods of manufacturing a component carrier with an embedded component according to other exemplary embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

[0051] The illustrations in the drawings are schematically presented. In different drawings, similar or identical elements are provided with the same reference signs.

[0052] Before, referring to the drawings which illustrate exemplary embodiments that will be described in further detail, some basic considerations will be summarized, based on which exemplary embodiments of the invention have been developed.

[0053] According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, embedding of a component in a component carrier may be accomplished without sticky tape being conventionally used as temporary carrier. According to such an embodiment, the component may be placed very accurately into a cavity, which may be formed with a laser or the like from a top or front side into a base structure (such as a core) in which a metallic layer (for example a copper layer) on the bottom or back side of the base structure is closed. In view of the mentioned metallic layer, no sticky tape is needed to close the cavity for the described assembly and a possible subsequent lamination process.

[0054] An exemplary embodiment of the invention avoids the usage of a sticky tape for the embedding process together with its dedicated processes chain (in particular tape laminationexposure of tapesoft-laminationtape removal) and saves the resources and processing time of this consumable for high throughput manufacturing.

[0055] According to an exemplary embodiment, the following processes may be carried out:

[0056] 1. A base structure (for instance a core with 18 m copper on its backside) is preconditioned with a conformal mask only on the top or front side;

[0057] 2. A cavity is formed, preferably with a laser which stops on an inner metallic layer (for instance the copper layer) of the bottom or back side of the base structure;

[0058] 3. A cleaning process may be carried out with the cavity of the base structure (for instance a chemical desmear procedure);

[0059] 4. One or more components may be assembled into the cavity, for instance face up (i.e. with one or more pads oriented towards the front side), face down (i.e. with one or more pads oriented towards the back side) or with pads on both opposing main surfaces of the component;

[0060] 5. At least one electrically conductive layer structure (for example a copper foil) and/or at least one electrically insulating layer structure (for example a layer comprising at least partially uncured resin and optionally reinforcing particles such as glass fibers, for instance prepreg) may be applied on the top or front side; and

[0061] 6. A (for instance final) connection procedure may be carried out, for instance by lamination (in particular by pressing, optionally accompanied by heat).

[0062] The component may be placed with high accuracy into the cavity, which may be formed with a laser from top side into a base structure (like a core) in which a metallic (preferably copper) layer on the bottom side of the base structure is closed. Therefore, no sticky tape is needed to close the cavity for the assembly and lamination process.

[0063] Advantageously, the process time for cavity formation with a laser may be very short (for example, formation of 144 cavities with dimensions of 6.54.8 mm.sup.2 may be carried out in less than 20 minutes) and with a high accuracy of component position in the cavity. Although the transport of the base structure with the component loosely positioned in the cavities to a lamination device may cause vibration, carrying out the procedure showed that the respective component does not have a pronounced tendency to move out of the respective cavity before lamination. If desired, this tendency may be advantageously further reduced by charge removal of electric charge carriers of the component before applying a prepreg layer from above to which, under undesired circumstances, the component might otherwise adhere by electrostatic forces.

[0064] Applications of example embodiments of the invention include the formation of a component carrier to be used as a starter generator or as an electronic power steering, among others.

[0065] FIG. 1 to FIG. 7 illustrate cross-sectional views of structures obtained while manufacturing a component carrier 100 (see FIG. 7) with an embedded component 112 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 1, a planar layer-type base structure 102 is shown which has a front side 104 and a back side 106. The back side 106 is fully covered by a metallic layer 108. In the illustrated embodiment, the metallic layer 108 is a continuous copper foil. The base structure 102 is a fully cured core made of FR4 material, i.e. cured epoxy resin with reinforcing glass fibers. The base structure 102 is processed by a laser beam 180 removing dielectric material of base structure 102 from the front side 104 thereof to thereby form a cavity 110 which is closed at the bottom or back side 106 by the metallic layer 108. In other words, the metallic layer 108 has been attached to the back side 106 of the base structure 102 prior to the laser processing. Since the laser beam 180 is configured to not extend through the metallic layer 108, the cavity 110 remains completely closed by the metallic layer 108 after laser drilling. Hence, the metallic layer 108 serves as a stop layer for the laser beam 180 during formation of the cavity 110 in the base structure 102. The metallic layer 108 functions, as will be described below referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, as a carrier for a component 112 to be placed in the cavity 110 and remainscontrary to a conventionally used temporary carrier such as a sticky tapepart of the readily manufactured component carrier 100 shown in FIG. 7.

[0067] FIG. 1 therefore shows that the metallic layer 108, configured as copper foil, has been laminated to the back side 106 of the core-type base structure 102. Preferably, after laminating the metallic layer 108 to the back side 106, the through-hole type cavity 110 is formed by laser cutting in the base structure 102. During this procedure, the metallic layer 108 serves as stop layer, i.e. as structure where the material removal triggered by the laser beam 150 stops.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 2, a component 112 (such as a semiconductor chip or naked die) is inserted in the cavity 110 and is placed on the metallic layer 108. Preferably, inserting the component 112 in the cavity 110 may be carried out without adhering the component 112 to the metallic layer 108, i.e. without adhesive material between the component 112 and the metallic layer 108. By inserting the component 112 in the cavity 110, a direct physical contact may be established between the component 112 and the metallic layer 108. As a result of this procedure, the component 112 is accommodated loosely in the cavity 110.

[0069] A dimension of the cavity 110 and a dimension of the component 112 may be adapted to one another so that a size, w, of gap 124 between the component 112 and a sidewall of the cavity 110 is preferably less than 100 m, for example 70 m. More specifically, the entire width of the cavity 110 and the height, h, of the component 112 may be adjusted so that a ratio between gap width w between the component 112 and a respective sidewall of the cavity 110 on the one hand and the height h or vertical thickness of the component 112 on the other hand is less than 35%. For instance, the height h of the component 112 may be 210 m and a size of the gap 124 may be 70 m.

[0070] As shown, the component 112 is inserted in the cavity 110 so that two electrically conductive pads 126 of the semiconductor component 112 are located on the front side 104 of the base structure 102 and one electrically conductive pad 126 of the semiconductor component 112 is located on the back side 106 of the base structure 102.

[0071] Arrow 152 in FIG. 2 indicates a motion direction during placement of the component 112 in the cavity 110 to loosely position the component 112 in the cavity 110 supported on the bottom side by the continuous metallic layer 108.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 3, a build-up lamination is carried out on top of the assembly shown in FIG. 2. Hence, the method further comprises connecting an electrically insulating layer structure 116 (such as a dielectric layer comprising uncured epoxy resin with reinforcing glass fibers, for instance prepreg) and a further electrically conductive layer structure 118 (such as a further copper foil) to the front side 104 of the base structure 102. The mentioned layer structures 116, 118 may be connected with one another by laminating, i.e. the application of pressure and/or heat. The mentioned laminating procedure may be carried out so that the gaps 124 between the component 112 and sidewalls of the cavity 110 are filled with re-melting and cross-linking material of the uncured electrically insulating layer structure 116. Thereby, the previously loose component 112 is fixed in place in the cavity 110 by the re-melted and cross-linked material of the electrically insulating layer structure 116 which has an adhering function and has now become fully cured. The prepreg sheet made of uncured material serves as an adhesive during subsequent lamination, since its resin is still capable of cross-linking and thereby establishing an adhesive connection between the constituents of the component carrier 100 to be manufactured.

[0073] Before lamination, more specifically before attaching electrically insulating layer structure 116 to an upper main surface of component 112 loosely positioned in the cavity 110, it is optionally but advantageously possible to remove electric charge carriers on the component 112 inserted in the cavity 110. By taking this measure, it can be safely prevented that the in many cases electrically charged component 112 is lifted out of the cavity 110 by electrostatic forces adhering the electrically insulating layer structure 116 and the component 112 in an undesired way on one another before lamination.

[0074] FIG. 3 therefore illustrates the situation of a further build-up of further electrically conductive layer structure(s) 118 and electrically insulating layer structure(s) 116 on the front side of the assembly. Additionally, or alternatively, such a build-up may be accomplished on the back side of the assembly.

[0075] FIG. 4 shows the result obtained after interconnecting the constituents shown in FIG. 3 by lamination, i.e. the application of heat and pressure. The curable material of the electrically insulating layer structure 116 thereby temporarily melts or becomes liquid, flows into gaps 124 between the component 112 and the recessed base structure 102 and finally resolidifies to keep all the constituents together.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 5, the metallic layer 108 may be removed selectively in a region corresponding to the cavity 110 after lamination so that at least part of the lower main surface of the component 112 on the back side 106, in particular the pad 126 on the back side 106, of the base structure 102 is exposed. More specifically, FIG. 5 shows the result of a patterning procedure carried out on the back side of the structure shown in FIG. 4, see arrow 193. Thereby, a window 160aligned with the cavity 110is formed in the metallic layer 108 to expose the pad 126 on the bottom side of the component 112. On the front side, a patterning procedure (see arrows 191) patterns the electrically conductive layer structure 118. As a result, a pattern of electrically conductive structures 164 is formed on the front side of the structure shown in FIG. 5.

[0077] As can be taken from FIG. 6, compare arrows 166, part of the material of the now fully cured electrically insulating layer structure 116 is removed so as to expose the pads 126 of the component 112 on its upper main surface.

[0078] In order to obtain the component carrier 100 shown in FIG. 7, both the front side and the back side of the structure of FIG. 6 is covered with electrically conductive material 168 by plating. Inter alia, an electrically conductive through-connection 122 may be formed extending towards the component 112 on the back side 106 of the base structure 102 to thereby complete an external electric connection of the component 112. Preferably, the electrically conductive material 168 comprises or consists of copper. Thereby, the pads 126 of the component 112 are electrically connected to a surface of the component carrier 100 shown in FIG. 7, here embodied as printed circuit board. In the component carrier 100, the lower main surface of the component 112 is free of adhesive material.

[0079] FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 illustrate cross-sectional views of structures obtained during performance of methods of manufacturing a component carrier 100 with an embedded component 112 according to other exemplary embodiments of the invention.

[0080] According to FIG. 8, a further metallic layer 108 (such as a further copper foil) is attached to the front side 104 of the base structure 102 prior to cavity formation, wherein the further metallic layer 108 is patterned so as to form a window 116 in the further metallic layer 108 through which a laser beam (see reference numeral 180 in FIG. 1) propagates during laser drilling for forming the cavity 110. FIG. 8 shows a semifinished product obtained during manufacturing a component carrier 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. In order to precisely define the shape, dimension and position of the cavity 110 to be formed, the structure shown in FIG. 8, in addition to the structure shown in FIG. 1, additionally comprises the patterned further metallic layer 108 covering the front side 104 of the base structure 102, to expose window 116. When a laser beam (not shown in FIG. 8) is subsequently irradiated on the upper main surface of the structure shown in FIG. 8, cavity 110 is formed precisely in the region corresponding to the window 116. The metallic layer 108 again serves as stop layer for the laser beam 180.

[0081] Referring to FIG. 9, the method comprises the procedure of attaching the metallic layer 108 with a through-hole 114 to the back side 106 of the base structure 102 so that the through-hole 114 is located below the cavity 110. FIG. 9 relates to the scenario according to which the metallic layer 108 attached to the back side 106 of the base structure 102 is already in a patterned state when being attached to the back side 106. Thus, a window or through-hole 114 is provided at the position of the cavity 110 and keeps the latter partially open even prior to inserting the component 112 in the cavity 110. By taking this measure, still sufficient mechanical support is provided by the patterned metallic layer 108 for holding the component 112 in the cavity 110, and at the same time the back side opening patterning procedure shown above in FIG. 5 can be omitted. Hence, the metallic layer 108 closes part of a bottom of the cavity 110 of the readily manufactured component carrier 100. FIG. 9 shows that a pad 126 is arranged at a position corresponding to the through-hole 114 of the metallic layer 108 in the region of the cavity 110. When the component 112 is configured as an embedded MOSFET, the pad 126 at the lower main surface may relate to a drain terminal or may relate to cooling only. The pads 126 on the upper main surface of the component 112 can then be terminals for gate, source and optional drain (for instance in the case of horizontal MOSFETs such as a GaN MOSFET).

[0082] It should be noted that the term comprising does not exclude other elements or steps and the article a or an does not exclude a plurality. Also, elements described in association with different embodiments may be combined.

[0083] Implementation of the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments shown in the figures and described above. Instead, a multiplicity of variants is possible which use the solutions shown and the principles according to the invention even in the case of fundamentally different embodiments.