EP-4740247-A1 - METHOD TO ENABLE DOUBLE-SIDE MOLDED MODULE WITH PLATED COPPER POSTS

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method of fabricating a double-side molded module, which starts with providing a laminate panel including a laminate body, pads on a bottom surface of the laminate body, and copper posts surrounding the pads and on the bottom surface of the laminate body. The copper posts with height variations are taller than each pad. Next, the laminate panel is placed on a support block, which includes cavities to accommodate the copper posts, and support mesas, each surrounded by certain ones of the cavities. A top surface of each support mesa has a vertical distance from the bottom surface of the laminate body to accommodate the pads. Vacuum holes are then formed through the support block, each of which is confined in a corresponding support mesa. The vacuum holes and the cavities are evacuated to ensure that the laminate panel sits flat on the support block.

Inventors

• KO, Yong-Jae
• MORRIS, Thomas, Scott
• CALHOUN, Brian, Howard
• ORLOWSKI, John, August
• WILLIS, DON
• CARPENTER, Charles, E.

Assignees

• Qorvo US, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240628

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A method comprising: • providing a laminate panel that includes a laminate body, first pads on a first surface of the laminate body, second pads on a second surface of the laminate body, and copper posts surrounding the second pads and on the second surface of the laminate body, wherein: • each of the second pads has a same thickness, while the copper posts are taller than each of the second pads and have height variations; • in a horizontal aspect, the laminate panel includes multiple strips, and each of the first pads, each of the second pads, and each of the copper posts are confined within a corresponding strip; and • placing the laminate panel on a support block, wherein: • the support block has a top surface in contact with the second surface of the laminate body, and includes one or more cavities underneath each of the strips of the laminate panel to accommodate one or more corresponding copper posts of the laminate panel, wherein a depth of each of the one or more cavities is no smaller than a height of any one of the copper posts; • the support block further includes a support mesa surrounded by the one or more cavities for each of the strips, wherein a top surface of the support mesa is lower than the top surface of the support block and has a vertical distance from the second surface of the laminate body to accommodate the second pads.
2. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein: • the one or more cavities have a same depth; and • the support block further includes a soft padding layer at a bottom surface of each of the one or more cavities to compensate the height variation of the copper posts, such that each of the copper posts is in contact with the soft padding layer.
3. 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, before placing the laminate panel on the support block, grinding the copper posts to have a same height, wherein: • the one or more cavities have a same depth; and • after placing the laminate panel on the support block, each of the copper posts is in contact with a bottom surface of a corresponding one of the one or more cavities.
4. 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the support block further includes support pins in each of the one or more cavities, wherein each of the support pins has a same height as the copper posts after grinding and extends directly between the second surface of the laminate body and the bottom surface of the corresponding one of the one or more cavities.
5. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the laminate panel further comprises a ring structure on the second surface of the laminate body for each of the strips, wherein • the ring structure is surrounded by corresponding ones of the copper posts for each of the strips; • the ring structure has a same thickness as each of the second pads and is located vertically between the second surface of the laminate body and the top surface of the support mesa; and • the vertical distance difference between the top surface of the support mesa and the second surface of the laminate body is substantially the same as the thickness of the ring structure.
6. 6. The method of claim 5 wherein: • the ring structure surrounds corresponding ones of the second pads for each of the strips and has a continuous loop shape; and • the ring structure is not electrically connected to the first pads, the second pads, or the copper posts.
7. 7. The method of claim 5 wherein: • the ring structure surrounds corresponding ones of the second pads for each of the strips; • the ring structure has a broken-up configuration and is composed of multiple individual segments; and • the ring structure is not electrically connected to the first pads, the second pads, or the copper posts.
8. 8. The method of claim 1 further comprising: • after placing the laminate panel on the support block, forming one vacuum hole underneath each of the strips, wherein: • the vacuum hole extends through the support block to expose certain ones of the second pads for each of the strips; and • the vacuum hole is formed and confined in the support mesa for a corresponding one of the strips and is capable of communicating with the one or more cavities underneath the corresponding one of the strips; and • performing vacuuming to evacuate the vacuum hole and the one or more cavities for each of the strips.
9. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein: • the one or more cavities of the support block have a same depth; and • the support block further includes a soft padding layer at a bottom surface of each of the one or more cavities to compensate the height variation of the copper posts, such that each of the copper posts is in contact with the soft padding layer.
10. 10. The method of claim 8 further comprising, before placing the laminate panel on the support block, grinding the copper posts to have a same height, wherein: • the one or more cavities have a same depth; and • after placing the laminate panel on the support block, each of the copper posts is in contact with a bottom surface of a corresponding one of the one or more cavities.
11. 1 1 . The method of claim 10 wherein the support block further includes support pins in each of the one or more cavities, wherein each of the support pins has a same height as the copper posts after grinding, such that each of the support pins extends between the second surface of the laminate body and the bottom surface of the corresponding one of the one or more cavities for mechanical support.
12. 12. The method of claim 8 wherein the laminate panel further comprises a ring structure on the second surface of the laminate body for each of the strips, wherein: • the ring structure is surrounded by corresponding ones of the copper posts for each of the strips; • the ring structure has a same thickness as each of the second pads and is located vertically between the second surface of the laminate body and the top surface of the support mesa; and • the vertical distance difference between the top surface of the support mesa and the second surface of the laminate body is substantially the same as the thickness of the ring structure.
13. 13. The method of claim 12 wherein: • the ring structure surrounds corresponding ones of the second pads for each of the strips and has a continuous loop shape; and • the ring structure is not electrically connected to the first pads, the second pads, or the copper posts.
14. 14. The method of claim 12 wherein: • the ring structure surrounds corresponding ones of the second pads for each of the strips; • the ring structure has a broken-up configuration and is composed of multiple individual segments; and • the ring structure is not electrically connected to the first pads, the second pads, or the copper posts.
15. 15. The method of claim 12 further comprising before placing the laminate panel on the support block, grinding the copper posts to have a same height, wherein: • the one or more cavities have a same depth; and • after placing the laminate panel on the support block, each of the copper posts is in contact with a bottom surface of a corresponding one of the one or more cavities.
16. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the support block further includes support pins in each of the one or more cavities, wherein each of the support pins has a same height as the copper posts after grinding, such that each of the support pins extends between the second surface of the laminate body and the bottom surface of the corresponding one of the one or more cavities for mechanical support.
17. 17. The method of claim 12 wherein: • the one or more cavities of the support block have a same depth; and • the support block further includes a soft padding layer at a bottom surface of each of the one or more cavities to compensate the height variation of the copper posts, such that each of the copper posts is in contact with the soft padding layer.
18. 18. The method of claim 8 further comprising, after performing the vacuuming, mounting one or more first components to the first pads on the first surface of the laminate body.
19. 19. The method of claim 18 further comprising, after mounting the one or more first components to the first pads, applying a first mold compound over the first surface of the laminate body to encapsulate the one or more first components.
20. 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising: • after applying the first mold compound, removing the support block; and • mounting one or more second components to the second pads on the second surface of the laminate body.

Description

METHOD TO ENABLE DOUBLE-SIDE MOLDED MODULE WITH PLATED COPPER POSTS Related Applications [0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application serial number 63/511 ,941 , filed July 5, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Field of the Disclosure [0002] The present disclosure relates to a method of fabricating a double-side molded module with plated copper posts in a reliable manner without deformation, die cracks, or component interconnect failures, and in particular enabling surface mounting/wire bonding processes and molding processes during fabrication of the double-side molded module. Background [0003] With the popularity of portable consumer electronic products, such as smart phones, tablet computers, and so forth, double-sided assemblies are becoming more and more attractive in microelectronics devices to achieve electronics densification in a small footprint. [0004] However, a conventional double-side molded module, which utilizes Ball Grid Array (BGA), may result in a relatively large thickness of the final product and have limitations for input/output (I/O) density. It is because each solder ball of the BGA has a relatively large size (in both horizontal and vertical dimensions). In order to achieve a desired performance, a thickness of a laminate substrate of the double-side molded module typically cannot be reduced. In some applications, to improve the double-side molded module’s performance, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the laminate substrate. The conventional double-side molded module with the BGA is limited to a decreased thickness of less than 0.7mm. In addition, the BGA is not superior for thermal dissipation, especially for high frequency and high-power applications. [0005] Accordingly, to accommodate the low-profile requirements for portable products and to enhance thermal and electrical performance, it is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a fabricating method of improving a double-side molded module with a reduced thickness. It is also desirable to fabricate the improved double-side molded module in a reliable manner without deformation, die cracks, or component interconnect failures. [0006] The present disclosure relates to a method of fabricating a double-side molded module with plated copper posts in a reliable manner without deformation, die cracks, or component interconnect failures, in particular enabling surface mounting/wire bonding processes and molding processes during fabrication of the double-side molded module. The disclosed method starts with providing a laminate panel that includes a laminate body, first pads on a first surface of the laminate body, second pads on a second surface of the laminate body, and copper posts surrounding the second pads and on the second surface of the laminate body. Herein, each of the second pads has a same thickness, while the copper posts are taller than each of the second pads and have height variations. In a horizontal aspect, the laminate panel includes multiple strips, and each of the first pads, each of the second pads, and each of the copper posts are confined within a corresponding strip. Next, the laminate panel is placed on a support block. The support block has a top surface in contact with the second surface of the laminate body, and includes one or more cavities underneath each of the strips of the laminate panel to accommodate one or more corresponding copper posts of the laminate panel. A depth of each of the one or more cavities is no smaller than a height of any one of the copper posts. The support block further includes a support mesa surrounded by the one or more cavities for each of the strips. A top surface of the support mesa is lower than the top surface of the support block and has a vertical distance from the second surface of the laminate body to accommodate the second pads. [0007] In one embodiment of the method, the one or more cavities have a same depth. The support block further includes a soft padding layer at a bottom surface of each of the one or more cavities to compensate the height variation of the copper posts, such that each of the copper posts is in contact with the soft padding. [0008] According to one embodiment, the method further includes, before placing the laminate panel on the support block, grinding the copper posts to have a same height. Herein, the one or more cavities have a same depth. After placing the laminate panel on the support block, each of the copper posts is in contact with a bottom surface of a corresponding one of the one or more cavities. [0009] In one embodiment of the method, the support block further includes support pins in each of the one or more cavities. Each of the support pins has a same height as the copper posts after grinding, and extends directly between the second surface of the laminate body and the bottom surface of the corresponding one of the one