Thermal improvement for hotspots on dies in integrated circuit packages

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for improved integrated circuit (IC) packages are described herein. In an aspect, an IC device package includes an IC die having a contact pad, where the contact pad is located on a hotspot of the IC die. The hotspot is thermally coupled to a thermal interconnect member. In an aspect, the package is encapsulated in a mold compound. In a further aspect, a heat spreader is attached to the mold compound, and is thermally coupled to the thermal interconnect member. In another aspect, a thermal interconnect member thermally is coupled between the heat spreader and the substrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit (IC) package, the method comprising:
 attaching an IC die to a substrate, the IC die having a contact pad located at a hotspot on a surface of the IC die that radiates more heat relative to a second location on the surface of the IC die during operation of the IC die;   coupling at least one wire bond between the IC die and the substrate;   coupling a thermal interconnect member to the contact pad; and   encapsulating the IC die, the at least one wire bond, and at least a portion of the thermal interconnect member in a mold compound.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising exposing the thermal interconnect member. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the exposing the thermal interconnect member comprises removing a layer of the mold compound. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the exposing the thermal interconnect member comprises removing a portion of a layer of the mold compound. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising coupling a heat spreader to the thermal interconnect member. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the heat spreader has a plated area, and wherein the coupling the heat spreader to the thermal interconnect member comprises:
 attaching the plated area to a surface of the thermal interconnect member.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the coupling the thermal interconnect member to the contact pad comprises:
 coupling at least one additional thermal interconnect member to at least one additional contact pad on the surface of the IC die, the at least one additional contact pad being located on at least one additional hotspot on the surface of the IC die.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising coupling a heat spreader to the thermal interconnect member and the at least one additional thermal interconnect member. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising forming a cavity in a surface of the mold compound. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising mounting a heat spreader in the cavity of the surface of the mold compound. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the thermal interconnect member is a solder ball, and wherein the coupling the thermal interconnect member to the contact pad comprises mounting the solder ball to the contact pad. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the thermal interconnect member is a solder ball, and wherein the coupling the thermal interconnect member to the contact pad comprises truncating the solder ball. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising performing a thermal analysis of the IC die to determine at least one hotspot of the IC die. 
     
     
         14 . A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit (IC) package, comprising:
 attaching an IC die to a substrate;   coupling a thermal interconnect member to the substrate;   encapsulating the IC die and at least a portion of the thermal interconnect member in a mold compound; and   coupling the thermal interconnect member to a heat spreader.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the coupling the thermal interconnect member to the substrate comprises:
 attaching a second thermal interconnect member to a contact pad located on a surface of the IC die at a hotspot that radiates more heat relative to a second location on the surface of the IC die during operation of the IC die.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the thermal interconnect member is a solder ball, wherein the coupling the thermal interconnect member to the substrate comprises coupling the solder ball to the substrate. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein:
 the coupling the thermal interconnect member to the substrate comprises coupling a plurality of thermal interconnect members to the substrate; and   the coupling the thermal interconnect member to the heat spreader comprises coupling the plurality of thermal interconnect members to the heat spreader.   
     
     
         18 . An integrated circuit (IC) package, comprising:
 an IC die having a surface; and   a set of thermal interconnect members, wherein each thermal interconnect member of the set of thermal interconnect members is:
 coupled to a respective one of a plurality of hotspots located on the surface of the IC die; and 
 configured to conduct heat from the respective hotspot of the plurality of hotspots to uniformly distribute heat throughout the IC die during operation. 
   
     
     
         19 . The IC package of  claim 18 , wherein each thermal interconnect member of the set of thermal interconnect members is further configured to cause a temperature of a respective location on the IC die to decrease towards a temperature of another location on the IC die during operation of the IC die. 
     
     
         20 . The IC package of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a mold compound that encapsulates the IC die and at least a portion of each thermal interconnect member of the set of thermal interconnect members.   
     
     
         21 . The IC package of  claim 20 , wherein a surface of the mold compound has a cavity formed therein. 
     
     
         22 . The IC package of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a heat spreader coupled to each thermal interconnect member of the set of thermal interconnect members, wherein the heat spreader is mounted in the cavity.   
     
     
         23 . The IC package of  claim 20 , wherein a portion of each thermal interconnect member of the set of thermal interconnect members is exposed at a surface of the mold compound.