Electronic device comprising a support substrate and stacked electronic chips

Abstract

An electronic device includes a support substrate to which a first electronic chip and a second electronic chip are mounted in a position situated on top of one another. First electrical connection elements are interposed between the first electronic chip and the support substrate. Second electrical connection elements are interposed between the second electronic chip and the support substrate and are situated at a distance from a periphery of the first electronic chip. Third electrical connection elements are interposed between the first electronic chip and the second electronic chip.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: a support substrate having a front face; a first electronic chip positioned over the front face of the support substrate, said first electronic chip including a first semiconductor substrate with first electronic circuits and a first interconnection layer with a first interconnect network connected to the first electronic circuits; wherein the first interconnection layer faces the front face of the support substrate; first electrical connection elements interposed between the first interconnect network of the first interconnection layer and the front face of the support substrate; a second electronic chip positioned over the front face of the support substrate, said second electronic chip including a second semiconductor substrate with second electronic circuits and a second interconnection layer with a second interconnect network connected to the second electronic circuits; wherein a first part of the second interconnection layer includes a recess within which a portion of the first electronic chip is positioned and wherein a second part of the second interconnection layer extends beyond a peripheral edge of the first electronic chip and faces the front face of the support substrate; and second electrical connection elements interposed between the second interconnect network of the second interconnection layer and the front face of the support substrate, said second electrical connection elements situated at a distance from the peripheral edge of the first electronic chip.

2. The device of claim 1, further including third electrical connection elements interposed between the first semiconductor substrate of the first electronic chip and the second part of the second interconnection layer.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the first semiconductor substrate of the first electronic chip includes through silicon vias that are electrically connected to the third electrical connection elements.

4. An electronic device, comprising: a support substrate having a front face; a first electronic chip positioned over the front face of the support substrate, said first electronic chip including a first semiconductor substrate with first electronic circuits and a first interconnection layer with a first interconnect network connected to the first electronic circuits; wherein the first semiconductor substrate faces the front face of the support substrate; first electrical connection elements interposed between the first semiconductor substrate and the front face of the support substrate; a second electronic chip positioned over the front face of the support substrate, said second electronic chip including a second semiconductor substrate with second electronic circuits and a second interconnection layer with a second interconnect network connected to the second electronic circuits; wherein a first part of the second interconnection layer includes a recess within which a portion of the first electronic chip is positioned and wherein a second part of the second interconnection layer extends beyond a peripheral edge of the first electronic chip and faces the front face of the support substrate; and second electrical connection elements interposed between the second interconnect network of the second interconnection layer and the front face of the support substrate, said second electrical connection elements situated at a distance from the peripheral edge of the first electronic chip.

5. The device of claim 4, further including third electrical connection elements interposed between the first interconnection layer of the first electronic chip and the second part of the second interconnection layer.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the first semiconductor substrate of the first electronic chip includes through silicon vias that are electrically connected to the first electrical connection elements.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Electronic devices will now be described by way of non-limiting exemplary embodiments, illustrated by the appended drawing and in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a cross section of an electronic device;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an enlarged local cross section of the electronic device of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a cross section of another electronic device;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a cross section of another electronic device;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a cross section of another electronic device;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a cross section of a variant embodiment of the electronic device of FIG. 1;

(8) FIG. 7 shows an enlarged local cross section of the electronic device of FIG. 6;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a cross section of a variant embodiment of the electronic device of FIG. 3;

(10) FIG. 9 shows a cross section of a variant embodiment of the electronic device of FIG. 4; and

(11) FIG. 10 shows a cross section of a variant embodiment of the electronic device of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) An electronic device 1, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises a support substrate 2, in the form of a sheet, which has a front face 3, a first electronic chip 4 that is situated on top of the support substrate 2 and that has a rear face 5 facing the front face 3 of the support substrate 2 and a front face 6.

(13) The electronic device 1 comprises a second electronic chip 7 that is situated on top of the first chip 4 and that has a rear face 8, part of which rear face extends facing the front face 6 of the first chip 4 and another part of which rear face extends beyond at least part of the periphery of the first chip 4 and facing the front face 3 of the support substrate 2, so as to form a specific stack.

(14) The electronic device 1 further comprises first electrical connection elements 9, which are interposed between (that is to say situated between) the support substrate 2 and the first chip 4, and second electrical connection elements 10, which are interposed between (that is to say situated between) the support substrate 2 and the second chip 7 and which are situated at a distance from the periphery of the first chip 4.

(15) The electrical connection elements 9 may be formed, for example, by balls or soldered pillars, and the electrical connection elements 10 may be formed by balls, soldered pillars or solder points, so as to form rigid direct electrical connections.

(16) As illustrated more explicitly in FIG. 2, the support substrate 2 is provided with an array of electrical connections 12 that has front pads to which the first and second electrical connection elements 9 and 10 are electrically connected.

(17) The first chip 4 comprises a base board (substrate) 13, for example made of silicon, which has a face 14 on which electronic components (not shown) are formed, and an interconnection layer 15 that is formed over the face 14 and that includes an array of electrical connections 16.

(18) For example and advantageously, the interconnection layer 15 is situated on the side of the support substrate 2.

(19) The array of electrical connections 16 of the first chip 4 has pads to which the first electrical connection elements 9 are electrically connected.

(20) The second chip 7 comprises a base board (substrate) 18, for example made of silicon, which has a face 19 on which electronic components (not shown) are formed, and comprises an interconnection layer 20 that is formed over the face 19 and that includes an array of electrical connections 21. For example, the base board 18 is situated on the side opposite the support substrate 2. For example, the layer 19 is situated on the side with part facing the substrate 2 and part facing the first chip 4.

(21) The array of electrical connections 21 has rear pads to which the second electrical connection elements 10 are electrically connected.

(22) The first and second electrical connection elements 9 and 10 are sized such that the front and rear faces 6 and 8 of the chips 4 and 7 are in contact or a small distance apart from one another. A paste or an adhesive, made from a heat-conducting material, may optionally be inserted between the front and rear faces 6 and 8 of the chips 4 and 7.

(23) By virtue of the assembly described above, the chips 4 and 7 are electrically connected to the array of electrical connections 12 of the support substrate 2, by way of the first and second electrical connection elements 9 and 10, respectively, and are able to be connected to one another by way of this array of electrical connections 12.

(24) An electronic device 22 illustrated in FIG. 3 is distinguished from the electronic device 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 in that it comprises a plurality of first electronic chips 4 situated between the support substrate 2 and the second chip 7 and at a distance from one another, for example.

(25) The first chips 4 are electrically connected to the support substrate 2 in a manner equivalent to the mounting of the first chip 4 of the electronic device 1 described above, by first and second electrical connection elements 9 and 10.

(26) In this case, for example, some of the second electrical connection elements 10 connecting the support substrate 2 and the second chip 7 may advantageously be situated in the spaces between the first chips 4.

(27) An electronic device 23 illustrated in FIG. 4 comprises the electronic device 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and furthermore comprises a third electronic chip 24 that is situated on top of the second chip 7 and that has a rear face 25, part of which rear face extends facing a front face 26 of the second chip 7 and another part of which rear face extends beyond at least part of the periphery of the first and second chips 4 and 7 and facing the front face 3 of the support substrate 2, so as to form another specific stack.

(28) Furthermore, the electronic device 22 comprises additional electrical connection elements 27 that are interposed between (that is to say situated between) the support substrate 2 and the third chip 7 and that are situated at a distance from the periphery of the first and second chips 4 and 7. The electrical connection elements 27 connect the electrical connection array of the support substrate 2 and an electrical connection array of the third chip 24.

(29) An electronic device 29 illustrated in FIG. 5 is distinguished from the electronic device 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 in that the rear face 8 of the second electronic chip 7 comprises a recess 30 in which the first chip 4 is at least partly held.

(30) Advantageously, the recess 30 is formed in the layer 20 of the second chip 7.

(31) The front face 6 of the chip 4 may be in contact or at a small distance from the bottom 31 of the recess 30. A layer made of a heat-conducting material may optionally be inserted between the front face 6 of the chip 4 and the bottom 31 of the recess 30.

(32) The thickness of the stack formed by the chips 4 and 7 is thus able to be reduced.

(33) Of course, a plurality of first chips may be installed in a recess of the second chip, and a plurality of recesses of the second chip may be provided in order to receive at least one first chip.

(34) An electronic device 101 of FIGS. 6-7 is distinguished from the electronic device 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 in that it further comprises third electrical connection elements 11 that are interposed between (that is to say situated between) the first chip 4 and the second chip 7.

(35) The third electrical connection elements 11 may be formed by balls, pillars or solder points.

(36) As illustrated in FIG. 7, the chip 4 is flipped with respect to its layout illustrated in FIG. 2, such that the base board 13 is on the side of the support substrate 2 and that the interconnection layer 15, including the array of electrical connections 16, is on the side of the second chip 7.

(37) Moreover, the base board 13 of the first chip 4 is provided, in through-holes, with electrical connection vias 17 (TSV) that are connected to the electronic components of the first chip 4 and/or to the array of electrical connections 16, on the one hand, and have rear pads to which the first electrical connection elements 9 are electrically connected, on the other hand.

(38) Furthermore, the array of electrical connections 16 of the first chip 4 has front pads to which the third electrical connection elements 11 are electrically connected, on the one hand, and the array of electrical connections 21 of the second chip 7 has rear pads to which the second electrical connection elements 11 are electrically connected, on the other hand.

(39) Thus, in addition to the electrical links by way of the first and second electrical connection elements 9 and 10 described above, the chips 4 and 7 are also connected directly to one another by way of the third electrical connection elements 11.

(40) An electronic device 122 illustrated in FIG. 8 is distinguished from the electronic device 22 described above with reference to FIG. 3 in that it further comprises third electrical connection elements 11 interposed between the first chips 4 and the second chip 7 and electrically connected to the first chips 4 and to the second chip 7 in a manner equivalent to what has just been described with reference to FIG. 7.

(41) An electronic device 123 illustrated in FIG. 9 is distinguished from the electronic device 23 described above with reference to FIG. 4 in that it further comprises third electrical connection elements 11 interposed between the first chip 4 and the second chip 7 and additional electrical connection elements 28 interposed between the second chip 7 and the third chip 24.

(42) The third electrical connection elements 11 electrically connect the first chip 4 and the second chip 7 in a manner equivalent to what has just been described with reference to FIG. 7.

(43) Moreover, the second chip 7 is provided with an array of electrical connections and of electrical connection vias, in a manner equivalent to the chip 4, so as to form direct electrical connections between the second chip 7 and the third chip 24.

(44) An electronic device 129 illustrated in FIG. 10 is distinguished from the electronic device 29 described above with reference to FIG. 5 in that it further comprises third electrical connection elements 11 interposed between the first chip 4 and the bottom 31 of the recess 30.

(45) The array of electrical connections 21 contained in the layer 20 of the second chip 7 has pads arranged on the bottom 31 of the recess 30 and to which the third electrical connection elements 11 are electrically connected so as to form direct links between the first chip 4 and the second chip 7.