Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110074011 | MECHANICAL COUPLING IN A MULTI-CHIP MODULE USING MAGNETIC COMPONENTS - A multi-chip module (MCM) is described. This MCM includes at least two substrates that are remateably mechanically coupled by positive and negative features on facing surfaces of the substrates. These positive and negative features mate with each other. In particular, a positive feature may mate with a given pair of negative features, which includes negative features on each of the substrates. Furthermore, at least one of the negative features in the given pair may include a hard magnetic material, and the positive feature and the other negative feature in the given pair may include a soft magnetic material that provide a flux-return path to the hard magnetic material. In this way, the hard magnetic material may facilitate the remateable mechanical coupling of the substrates. | 03-31-2011 |
20110075380 | SELF-LOCKING FEATURES IN A MULTI-CHIP MODULE - A multi-chip module (MCM) is described. This MCM includes at least two substrates that are remateably mechanically coupled by positive and negative features on facing surfaces of the substrates. These positive and negative features may mate and self-lock with each other. For example, the positive features on one of the surfaces may include pairs of counterposed micro-springs, and the negative features may include pits or grooves on the other surface. When the substrates are mechanically coupled, a given pair of positive features may provide a force in a plane of the other surface. Furthermore, by compressing the MCM so that the surfaces of the substrates are pushed toward each other, the mechanical coupling may be released. | 03-31-2011 |
20110278718 | ASSEMBLY OF MULTI-CHIP MODULES USING REFLOWABLE FEATURES - A multi-chip module (MCM) that includes at least two substrates, having facing surfaces, which are mechanically coupled by a set of coupling elements having a reflow characteristic, is described. One of the two substrates includes another set of coupling elements having another reflow characteristic, which is different than the reflow characteristic. These different reflow characteristics of the sets of coupling elements allow different temperature profiles to be used when bonding the two substrates to each other than when bonding the one of the two substrates to a carrier. For example, the temperature profiles may have different peak temperatures and/or different durations from one another. These reflow characteristics may facilitate low-cost, high-yield assembly and alignment of the substrates in the MCM, and may allow temperature-sensitive components to be included in the MCM. | 11-17-2011 |
20120213467 | OPTICAL DEVICE WITH ENHANCED MECHANICAL STRENGTH - An optical device implemented on a substrate (such as silicon) is described. This optical device includes a wavelength-sensitive optical component with a high thermal resistance to a surrounding external environment and a low thermal resistance to a localized thermal-tuning mechanism (such as a heater), which modifies a temperature of the wavelength-sensitive optical component, thereby specifying an operating wavelength of the wavelength-sensitive optical component. In particular, the thermal resistance associated with a thermal dissipation path from the thermal-tuning mechanism to the external environment via the substrate is increased by removing a portion of the substrate to create a gap that is proximate to the thermal-tuning mechanism and the wavelength-sensitive optical component. Furthermore, the optical device includes a binder material mechanically coupled to the substrate and proximate to the gap, thereby maintaining a mechanical strength of the optical device. | 08-23-2012 |
20120220056 | MECHANICAL COUPLING IN A MULTI-CHIP MODULE USING MAGNETIC COMPONENTS - A multi-chip module (MCM) is described. This MCM includes at least two substrates that are remateably mechanically coupled by positive and negative features on facing surfaces of the substrates. These positive and negative features mate with each other. In particular, a positive feature may mate with a given pair of negative features, which includes negative features on each of the substrates. Furthermore, at least one of the negative features in the given pair may include a hard magnetic material, and the positive feature and the other negative feature in the given pair may include a soft magnetic material that provide a flux-return path to the hard magnetic material. In this way, the hard magnetic material may facilitate the remateable mechanical coupling of the substrates. | 08-30-2012 |
20130015578 | INTERCONNECTION AND ASSEMBLY OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL CHIP PACKAGESAANM Thacker; Hiren D.AACI San DiegoAAST CAAACO USAAGP Thacker; Hiren D. San Diego CA USAANM Cunningham; John E.AACI San DiegoAAST CAAACO USAAGP Cunningham; John E. San Diego CA USAANM Shubin; IvanAACI San DiegoAAST CAAACO USAAGP Shubin; Ivan San Diego CA USAANM Krishnamoorthy; Ashok V.AACI San DiegoAAST CAAACO USAAGP Krishnamoorthy; Ashok V. San Diego CA US - In a chip package, semiconductor dies in a vertical stack of semiconductor dies or chips (which is referred to as a ‘plank stack’) are aligned by positive features that are mechanically coupled to negative features recessed below the surfaces of adjacent semiconductor dies. Moreover, the chip package includes an interposer plate at approximately a right angle to the plank stack, which is electrically coupled to the semiconductor dies along an edge of the plank stack. In particular, electrical pads proximate to a surface of the interposer plate (which are along a stacking direction of the plank stack) are electrically coupled to pads that are proximate to edges of the semiconductor dies by an intervening conductive material, such as solder balls or spring connectors. Note that the chip package may facilitate high-bandwidth communication of signals between the semiconductor dies and the interposer plate. | 01-17-2013 |
20130121635 | DIRECT INTERLAYER OPTICAL COUPLER - In an MCM, an optical signal is conveyed by an optical waveguide disposed on a surface of a first substrate to an optical coupler having a vertical facet. This optical coupler has an optical mode that is different than the optical mode of the optical waveguide. For example, the spatial extent of the optical mode associated with the optical coupler may be larger, thereby reducing optical losses and sensitivity to alignment errors. Then, the optical signal is directly coupled from the vertical facet to a facing vertical facet of an identical optical coupler on another substrate, and the optical signal is conveyed in another optical waveguide disposed on the other substrate. | 05-16-2013 |
20130156366 | EFFICIENT INTER-CHIP OPTICAL COUPLING - In an MCM, an optical signal is conveyed by an optical waveguide disposed on a surface of a first substrate to a first optical coupler. This first optical coupler redirects the optical signal out of the plane of the optical waveguide. Then, an optical interposer guides the optical signal between the first optical coupler and a second optical coupler on a surface of a second substrate, thereby reducing spatial expansion of the optical signal between the optical couplers. Moreover, the second optical coupler redirects the optical signal into a plane of an optical waveguide disposed on a surface of the second substrate, which then conveys the optical signal. | 06-20-2013 |
20130207261 | MAINTAINING ALIGNMENT IN A MULTI-CHIP MODULE USING A COMPRESSIBLE STRUCTURE - An MCM includes a two-dimensional array of facing chips, including island chips and bridge chips that communicate with each other using overlapping connectors. In order to maintain the relative vertical spacing of these connectors, compressible structures are in cavities in a substrate, which house the bridge chips, provide a compressive force on back surfaces of the bridge chips. These compressible structures include a compliant material with shape and volume compression. In this way, the MCM may ensure that facing surfaces of the island chips and the bridge chips, as well as connectors on these surfaces, are approximately coplanar without bending the bridge chips. | 08-15-2013 |
20130320567 | BATCH PROCESS FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL INTEGRATION - A chip package is described which includes a first chip having a first surface and first sides having a first side-wall angle, and a second chip having a second surface and second sides having a second side-wall angle, which faces and is mechanically coupled to the first chip. The chip package is fabricated using a batch process, and the chips in the chip package were singulated from their respective wafers after the chip package is assembled. This is accomplished by etching the first and second side-wall angles and thinning the wafer thicknesses prior to assembling the chip package. For example, the first and/or the second side walls can be fabricated using wet etching or dry etching. Therefore, the first and/or the second side-wall angles may be other than vertical or approximately vertical. | 12-05-2013 |
20140264854 | MULTI-CHIP MODULE WITH SELF-POPULATING POSITIVE FEATURES - A multi-chip module (MCM) is described. This MCM includes at least two substrates that are mechanically coupled and aligned by positive and negative features on facing surfaces of the substrates. These positive and negative features may mate and self-lock with each other. The positive features may be self-populated into the negative features on at least one of the substrates using a hydrophilic layer in the negative feature. This hydrophilic layer may be used in conjunction with a hydrophobic layer surrounding the negative features on a top surface of at least one of the substrates. | 09-18-2014 |
20140270784 | STACKABLE PHOTONIC INTERCONNECT MODULE - An interconnect module for communicating electrical signals and optical signals is described. In particular, an integrated circuit in the interconnect module receives and transmits the electrical signals with other components in a system that includes the interconnect module via an electrical connector. In addition, the integrated circuit receives and transmits electrical signals to a hybrid silicon-photonic bridge chip that performs electrical-to-optical and optical-to-electrical conversion. In turn, this bridge chip receives and transmits optical signals via an optical fiber. The interconnect module can be remateably connected to a backplane in the system, and can be arranged in a stacked configuration with other instances of the interconnect module. In these ways, the interconnect module facilitates dense, modular or scalable, and compact electrical and optical communication in the system. | 09-18-2014 |
20140321803 | HYBRID-INTEGRATED PHOTONIC CHIP PACKAGE WITH AN INTERPOSER - A chip package includes an optical integrated circuit (such as a hybrid integrated circuit) and an integrated circuit that are adjacent to each in the chip package. The integrated circuit includes electrical circuits, such as memory or a processor, and the optical integrated circuit communicates optical signals with very high bandwidth. Moreover, a front surface of the integrated circuit is electrically coupled to a front surface of the optical integrated circuit by a top surface of the interposer, where the top surface faces the front surface of the integrated circuit and the front surface of the optical integrated circuit. Furthermore, the integrated circuit and the optical integrated circuit may be on a same side of the interposer. By integrating the optical integrated circuit and the integrated circuit in close proximity, the chip package may facilitate improved performance compared to chip packages with electrical interconnects. | 10-30-2014 |
20140321804 | HYBRID-INTEGRATED PHOTONIC CHIP PACKAGE WITH AN INTERPOSER - A chip package includes an optical integrated circuit (such as a hybrid integrated circuit) and an integrated circuit that are proximate to each other in the chip package. The integrated circuit includes electrical circuits, such as memory or a processor, and the optical integrated circuit communicates optical signals with very high bandwidth. Moreover, a front surface of the integrated circuit is electrically coupled to a top surface of an interposer, and this top surface is in turn electrically coupled to a front surface of an input/output (I/O) integrated circuit that faces the top surface. Furthermore, the front surface of the I/O integrated circuit is electrically coupled to a top surface of the optical integrated circuit, where the top surface of the optical integrated circuit faces the front surface of the I/O integrated circuit. | 10-30-2014 |