Complex cavity formation in molded packaging structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10446461-B2
Application number	US-201715816681-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2017
Priority date	Mar 30, 2016
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

Molded electronics package cavities are formed by placing a sacrificial material in the mold and then decomposing, washing, or etching away this sacrificial material. The electronics package that includes this sacrificial material is then overmolded, with little or no change needed in the overmolding process. Following overmolding, the sacrificial material is removed such as using a thermal, chemical, optical, or other decomposing process. This proposed use of sacrificial material allows for formation of complex 3-D cavities, and reduces or eliminates the need for precise material removal tolerances. Multiple instances of the sacrificial material may be removed simultaneously, replacing a serial drilling process with a parallel material removal manufacturing process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
disposing an electronic component on a printed circuit board (PCB);
disposing an overmold on at least a portion of a sacrificial material disposed on the electronic component; and
forming a cavity by removing the sacrificial material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic component includes an optical electronic component.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the overmold includes a material selected to provide a desired optical property to the optical electronic component.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the electronic component includes a thermogenic electronic component;
the sacrificial material includes a thermally decomposable material; and
removing the sacrificial material includes generating heat at the thermogenic electronic component to dissolve the thermally decomposable material.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the thermogenic electronic component includes a processor.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the sacrificial material includes a first portion proximate to the electronic component and a second portion proximate to the overmold; and
the first portion is wider than the second portion.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial material includes a preformed sacrificial object.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein:
the preformed sacrificial object is formed in the shape of a device to be installed in the overmold; and
the removal of the sacrificial material creates a receptacle for the device.

9. An apparatus comprising:
an electronic component disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB); and
an overmold disposed over at least a portion of a cavity formed over at least a portion of the electronic component.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the cavity is formed by disposing the overmold over at least a portion of a sacrificial material disposed on the electronic component and removing the sacrificial material.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the electronic component includes an optical electronic component.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the overmold includes a material selected to provide a desired optical property to the optical electronic component.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the overmold includes a material selected to provide a desired structural property.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the desired structural property includes avoiding warping following formation of the cavity.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the electronic component includes a thermogenic electronic component;
the sacrificial material includes a thermally decomposable material; and
the removal of the sacrificial material includes the thermogenic electronic component generating heat to dissolve the thermally decomposable material.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the thermogenic electronic component includes a processor.

17. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the cavity includes a first portion proximate to the substrate and a second portion proximate to the overmold; and
the first portion is wider than the second portion.

18. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the cavity includes a channel structure.

19. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the sacrificial material includes a preformed sacrificial object.

20. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the cavity is formed in the shape of a device to be installed in the overmold; and
the cavity formed from the removal of the sacrificial material forms a receptacle for the device.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Oster Sasha
• Elsherbini Adel A
• Heppner Joshua D
• Liff Shawna M

Classifications

• H10W90/724

  between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL · CPC title

• H10W74/10

  characterised by their shape or disposition · CPC title

• H10W72/0198

  batch processes · CPC title

• H10W40/778

  in encapsulations · CPC title

• H10W40/70

  Fillings or auxiliary members in containers or in encapsulations for thermal protection or control · CPC title