Staktek Group L.p.

Entorian Technologies LP

Enthorian Technologies, LP

David Roper

James Douglas Wehrly, Jr

James W Cady

James G Wilder

Jeff Buchle

Julian Partridge

Russell Rapport

Julian Dowden

Jeffrey Alan Buchle

Carmen D Burns

Leland Szewerenko

Ron Orris

Tim Roy

Paul Goodwin

Mark Wolfe

Douglas Wehrly

Curtis Hart

Joseph Villani

Phill Bradley

James G Cady

Flexible circuitry is populated with integrated circuitry (ICs) disposed along one or both of its major sides. The populated flexible circuitry is disposed proximal to a rigid substrate to place the integrated circuitry on one or both sides of the substrate with one or two layers of integrated circuitry on one or both sides of the substrate. The rigid substrate exhibits adhesion features that allow more advantageous use of thermoplastic adhesives with concomitant rework advantages and while providing flexibility in meeting dimensional specifications such as those promulgated by JEDEC, for example.

Modified core for circuit module system and method

The present invention stacks integrated circuit packages into circuit modules. In a preferred embodiment, solder paste and primary adhesive respectively are applied to selected locations on the flex circuitry. Supplemental adhesive is applied to additional locations on the flex circuitry, CSP, or other component. The flex circuitry and the CSP are brought into proximity with each other. During solder reflow operation, a force is applied and the CSP collapses toward the flex circuitry, displacing the primary adhesive and the supplemental adhesive. The supplemental adhesive establishes a bond providing additional support to the flex circuitry. In another embodiment, CSPs or other integrated circuit packages are bonded to each other or to other components with a combination of adhesives. A rapid bond adhesive maintains alignment of the bonded packages and/or components during assembly, and a structural bond adhesive provides additional strength and/or structural integrity to the bond.

Stacked module systems

The present invention provides a system and method that mounts integrated circuit devices onto substrates and a system and method for employing the method in stacked modules. The contact pads of a packaged integrated circuit device are substantially exposed. A solder paste that includes higher temperature solder paste alloy is applied to a substrate or to the integrated circuit device to be mounted. The integrated circuit device is positioned to contact the contacts of the substrate. Heat is applied to create high temperature joints between the contacts of the substrate and the integrated circuit device resulting in a device-substrate assembly with high temperature joints. The formed joints are less subject to re-melting in subsequent processing steps. The method may be employed in devising stacked module constructions such as those disclosed herein as preferred embodiments in accordance with the invention. Typically, the created joints are low in profile.

Low profile stacking system and method

The present invention stacks packaged integrated circuits into modules that conserve PWB or other board surface area. The present invention can be used to advantage with packages of a variety of sizes and configurations ranging from larger packaged base elements having many dozens of contacts to smaller packages such as, for example, die-sized packages such as DSBGA. In a preferred embodiment devised in accordance with the present invention, a base element CSP integrated circuit and a support element CSP integrated circuit are aggregated through a flex circuit having at least two conductive layers that are patterned to selectively connect the two CSP elements. A portion of the flex circuit connected to the support element is folded over the base element to dispose the support element above the base element while reducing the overall footprint. The flex circuit provides a thermal and electrical connection path between the module and an application environment such as a printed wiring board (PWB).

Integrated circuit stacking system

A form standard provides a physical form that allows many of the varying package sizes found in the broad family of CSP packages to be used to advantage while employing a standard connective flex circuitry design that is disposed about the form. In a preferred embodiment, the form standard will be devised of heat transference material such as copper to improve thermal performance.

Flex-based circuit module

The present invention stacks integrated circuits (ICs) into modules that conserve PWB or other board surface area. In another aspect, the invention provides a lower capacitance memory expansion addressing system and method and preferably with the CSP stacked modules provided herein. In a preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention, a form standard provides a physical form that allows many of the varying package sizes found in the broad family of CSP packages to be used to advantage while employing a standard connective flex circuitry design. In a preferred embodiment, the form standard will be devised of heat transference material such as copper to improve thermal performance. In a preferred embodiment of the memory addressing system, a high speed switching system selects a data line associated with each level of a stacked module to reduce the loading effect upon data signals in memory access.

Memory expansion and integrated circuit stacking system and method

The present invention stacks integrated circuits (ICs) into modules that conserve PWB or other board surface area. In another aspect, the invention provides a lower capacitance memory expansion addressing system and method and preferably with the CSP stacked modules provided herein. In a preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention, a form standard provides a physical form that allows many of the varying package sizes found in the broad family of CSP packages to be used to advantage while employing a standard connective flex circuitry design. In a preferred embodiment, the form standard will be devised of heat transference material such as copper to improve thermal performance. In an alternative embodiment, the form standard may include a heat spreader portion with mounting feet. In a preferred embodiment of the memory addressing system, a high speed switching system selects a data line associated with each level of a stacked module to reduce the loading effect upon data signals in memory access.

Integrated circuit stacking system and method

Flexible circuitry is populated with integrated circuitry (ICs) disposed along one or both major sides. Contacts distributed along the flexible circuitry provide connection between the module and an application environment. A rigid substrate configured with wings diverging from a central axis to create, preferably, a 'V'-shaped structure provide supportive structure for the populated flex circuitry that is wrapped about an edge of the substrate.

Split core circuit module

The present invention provides a system and method for combining a leaded package IC and a semiconductor die using a flex circuitry to reduce footprint for the combination. A leaded IC package is disposed along the obverse side of a flex circuit. In a preferred embodiment, leads of the leaded IC package are configured to allow the lower surface of the body of the leaded IC package to contact the surface of the flex circuitry either directly or indirectly through an adhesive. A semiconductor die is connected to the reverse side of the flex circuit. In one embodiment, the semiconductor die is disposed on the reverse side of the flex while, in an alternative embodiment, the semiconductor die is disposed into a window in the flex circuit to rest directly or indirectly upon the body of the leaded IC package. Module contacts are provided in a variety of configurations. In a preferred embodiment, the leaded IC package is a flash memory and the semiconductor die is a controller.

Managed memory component

The present invention stacks chip scale-packaged integrated circuits (CSPs) into modules that conserve PWB or other board surface area. In a two-high CSP stack or module devised in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, two CSPs are stacked, with one CSP disposed above the other. The two CSPs are connected with flex circuitry. A form standard is disposed between the flex circuitry and a CSP in the stack. The form standard can take many configurations and may be used where flex circuits are used to connect CSPs to one another in stacked modules having two or more constituent CSPs. For example, in stacked modules that include four CSPs, three form standards are employed in preferred embodiments, although fewer may be used. The form standard provides a thermally conductive physical form that allows many of the varying package sizes found in the broad family of CSP packages to be used to advantage while employing a standard connective flex circuitry design.

Stacking system and method

An IC die and a flexible circuit structure are integrated into a lower stack element that can be stacked with either further integrated lower stack element iterations or with pre-packaged ICs in any of a variety of package types. The present invention may be employed to stack similar or dissimilar integrated circuits and may be used to create modularized systems. In a preferred embodiment, a die is positioned above the surface of portions of a pair of flex circuits. Connection is made between the die and the flex circuitry. A protective layer such as a molded plastic, for example, is formed to protect the flex-connected die and its connection to the flex. Connective elements are placed along the flex circuitry to create an array of module contacts along the second side of the flex circuitry. The flex circuitry is positioned above the body-protected die to create an integrated lower stack element. The integrated lower stack element may be stacked either with iterations of the integrated lower stack element or with a pre-packaged IC to create a multi-element stacked circuit module.

Modularized die stacking system and method

The present invention stacks packaged integrated circuits into modules that conserve PWB or other board surface area. The invention provides techniques and structures for aggregating chip scale-packaged integrated circuits (CSPs) or leaded packages with other CSPs or with monolithic or stacked leaded packages into modules that conserve PWB or other board surface area. The present invention can be used to advantage with packages of a variety of sizes and configurations ranging from larger packaged base elements having many dozens of contacts to smaller packages such as, for example, die-sized packages such as DSBGA. In a preferred embodiment devised in accordance with the present invention, a base element CSP and a support element CSP are aggregated through a flex circuit having at least two conductive layers that are patterned to selectively connect the two CSP elements. The flex circuit connects the ICs and provides a thermal and electrical connection path between the module and an application environment such as a printed wiring board (PWB).

A combination composed from a form standard and a CSP is attached to flex circuitry. Solder paste is applied to first selected locations on the flex circuitry and adhesive is applied to second selected locations on the flex circuitry. The flex circuitry and the combination of the form standard and CSP are brought into proximity with each other. During solder reflow operation, a force is applied that tends to bring the combination and flex circuitry closer together. As the heat of solder reflow melts the contacts of the CSP, the combination collapses toward the flex circuitry displacing the adhesive as the solder paste and contacts merge into solder joints. In a preferred embodiment, the form standard will be devised of heat transference material, a metal, for example, such as copper would be preferred, to improve thermal performance. In other embodiments, the methods of the invention may be used to attach a CSP without a form standard to flex circuitry.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

David Roper