Porous alumina templates for electronic packages
View Patent ↗Interposers and methods of making the same are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an interposer includes a region having first and second oppositely facing surfaces and a plurality of pores, each pore extending in a first direction from the first surface towards the second surface, wherein alumina extends along a wall of each pore; a plurality of electrically conductive connection elements extending in the first direction, consisting essentially of aluminum and being electrically isolated from one another by at least the alumina; a first conductive path provided at the first surface for connection with a first component external to the interposer; and a second conductive path provided at the second surface for connection with a second component external to the interposer, wherein the first and second conductive paths are electrically connected through at least some of the connection elements.
1. An interposer, comprising:
a region having first and second oppositely facing surfaces and a plurality of pores, each pore extending in a first direction from the first surface towards the second surface, wherein alumina extends along a wall of each pore;
a plurality of electrically conductive connection elements extending in the first direction, the connection elements consisting essentially of aluminum and being electrically isolated from one another by at least the alumina extending along the walls of the pores;
a first conductive path provided at the first surface for connection with a first component external to the interposer; and
a second conductive path provided at the second surface for connection with a second component external to the interposer,
wherein the first and second conductive paths are electrically connected through at least some of the connection elements, and
wherein at least some of the pores are disposed adjacent one another in annular patterns, and at least some of the annular patterns encompass connection elements of the plurality of connection elements and the alumina extending along the walls of the pores of the at least some annular patterns electrically isolates respective connection elements from one another.
2. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein each pore has a diameter of less than about 2 micrometers.
3. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein the first and second conductive paths are at least one of a plurality of contacts or a redistribution layer (RDL).
4. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive path further comprises: a plurality of first contacts adjacent to the first surface for connection with a first component external to the interposer; and
wherein the second conductive path further comprises:
a plurality of second contacts adjacent to the second surface for connection with a second component external to the interposer,
wherein at least some of the first contacts are electrically connected with at least some corresponding second contacts through the connection elements.
5. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the interposer has a heat spreader function.
6. The interposer of claim 1 ,
wherein the aluminum region surrounding the at least some of the connection elements is configured to provide a heat spreader function.
7. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first conductive path overlies some of the pores.
8. The interposer of claim 7 , wherein no part of the at least a portion of the first conductive path overlies the connection elements.
9. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first conductive path is aligned with the connection elements.
10. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the pores incorporate voids.
11. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein at least one connection element occupies an area of the first surface which encompasses areas occupied by others of the connection elements, the at least one connection element configured as a heat spreader of the interposer.
12. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the pores are at least partially filled with a dielectric material overlying the alumina.
13. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the pores are at least partially filled with an electrically conductive material.
14. The interposer of claim 1 , further comprising:
second connection elements extending in the first direction, each second connection element comprising an electrically conductive material extending within some of the plurality of pores, at least some of the first contacts being electrically connected with corresponding second contacts through the second connection elements.
15. A method of fabricating an interposer, comprising: forming a plurality of pores in a region consisting of aluminum, each pore extending in a first direction from a first surface of the region towards a second surface opposite the first surface, and having alumina extending along a wall of each pore, the forming performed such that portions of the region remain as a plurality of electrically conductive connection elements extending in the first direction, the connection elements consisting essentially of aluminum and being electrically isolated from one another by at least the alumina extending along the walls of the pores; wherein at least some of the pores are disposed adjacent one another in annular patterns, and at least some of the annular patterns encompass connection elements of the plurality of connection elements; forming a first conductive path at the first surface for connection with a first component external to the interposer; and forming a second conductive path at the second surface for connection with a second component external to the interposer, wherein the first and second conductive paths are electrically connected through at least some of the connection elements.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first and second conductive paths are at least one of a plurality of contacts or a redistribution layer (RDL).
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein each pore has a diameter of less than 2 micrometers.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein forming the first conductive path further comprises:
forming a plurality of first contacts adjacent to the first surface for connection with a first component external to the interposer; and
wherein forming the second conductive path further comprises:
forming a plurality of second contacts adjacent to the second surface for connection with a second component external to the interposer,
wherein at least some of the first contacts are electrically connected with at least some corresponding second contacts through the connection elements.
19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
partially or fully filling at least some of the pores with a material.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the material used to partially or fully fill the at least some pores is at least one of a conductive or dielectric material.
21. An interposer, comprising:
a region having first and second oppositely facing surfaces and a plurality of pores, each pore extending in a first direction from the first surface towards the second surface, wherein alumina extends along a wall of each pore;
a plurality of electrically conductive connection elements extending in the first direction, the connection elements consisting essentially of aluminum and having at least a portion disposed outside of the interior volume of any individual pore, the connection elements electrically isolated from one another by at least the alumina extending along the walls of the pores;
a first conductive path provided at the first surface for connection with a first component external to the interposer; and
a second conductive path provided at the second surface for connection with a second component external to the interposer,
wherein the first and second conductive paths are electrically connected through at least some of the connection elements, and
at least some of the pores are disposed adjacent one another such that regions of the alumina which extend along the walls of directly adjacent pores are merged together in a common electrically isolating region surrounding and electrically isolating each of a plurality of the electrically conductive connection elements from one another.
22. The interposer of claim 21 , wherein at least some of the electrically conductive connection elements are disposed entirely outside of internal volumes defined by the alumina extending along the walls of the pores.
23. The interposer of claim 21 , wherein each pore has a diameter of less than about 2 micrometers.
24. The interposer of claim 21 , wherein the first and second conductive paths are at least one of a plurality of contacts or a redistribution layer (RDL).
25. The interposer of claim 21 , wherein the first conductive path further comprises: a plurality of first contacts adjacent to the first surface for connection with a first component external to the interposer; and
wherein the second conductive path further comprises:
a plurality of second contacts adjacent to the second surface for connection with a second component external to the interposer,
wherein at least some of the first contacts are electrically connected with at least some corresponding second contacts through the connection elements.
26. The interposer of claim 21 , wherein at least a portion of the interposer has a heat spreader function.
27. The interposer of claim 21 , wherein the aluminum region surrounding the at least some of the connection elements is configured to provide a heat spreader function.
28. The interposer of claim 21 , wherein at least one connection element occupies an area of the first surface which encompasses areas occupied by others of the connection elements, the at least one connection element configured as a heat spreader of the interposer.
29. The interposer of claim 21 , wherein at least some of the pores are at least partially filled with a dielectric material overlying the alumina.
30. The interposer of claim 21 , wherein at least some of the pores are at least partially filled with an electrically conductive material.