Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation on the Influence of Heat Spreader Topography and Thermal Interface Material Properties on Thermal Performance of High-Power Computing (HPC) Semiconductor Packaging

In first-level semiconductor packaging, heat extraction from the semiconductor is crucial to ensure good performance of the package within the system. In a semiconductor assembly manufacturing environment, package thermal performance can be assured by monitoring attributes such as the incoming properties and specifications of the thermal interface material and heat spreaders, along with post-module assembly inspections of the thermal interface material integrity by CSAM (Confocal Scanning Acoustic Microscopy) and module warpage. In this study, a controlled experiment on heat spreader topography and thermal interface material properties was conducted that shows their impacts to the outgoing quality of the thermal interface in a semiconductor package. Thermal performance measurements were conducted that demonstrated the impact using specially designed thermal test vehicle modules. Characterization data reveals the influence of incoming material specifications, in conjunction with physical package attributes, on the thermal performance and reliability of high-power computing applications.