Complex cavity formation in molded packaging structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9824901-B2
Application number	US-201615085538-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2016
Priority date	Mar 30, 2016
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

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 a sacrificial material on an electronic component, the electronic component disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB);
disposing an overmold on the sacrificial material; and
removing the sacrificial material.

2. 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.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial material includes a channel.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the channel is nonlinear.

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

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
the 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.

7. An apparatus comprising:
an electronic component disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB);
an overmold disposed on the electronic component; and
a cavity adjacent to at least a portion of the electronic component, the cavity formed from the removal of a sacrificial material previously disposed on the electronic component.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the electronic component includes an optical electronic component.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the overmold includes a material selected to provide a desired optical property to the optical electronic component.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the overmold includes a material selected to provide a desired structural property.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , 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.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the cavity includes a channel structure.

13. The apparatus of claim 7 , 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.

14. An apparatus comprising:
an electronic component disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB);
a sacrificial material disposed on the electronic component, the sacrificial material being removable to provide a cavity; and
an overmold disposed on the sacrificial material.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the electronic component includes an optical electronic component.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the overmold includes a material selected to provide a desired optical property to the optical electronic component.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the overmold includes a material selected to provide a desired structural property.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein:
the sacrificial material includes a first portion proximate to substrate and a second portion proximate to the overmold; and
the first portion is wider than the second portion.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the sacrificial material includes a channel structure.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the sacrificial material includes a preformed sacrificial object.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein:
the sacrificial object 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