Semiconductor device

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device.

2. Description of Related Art

Various types of semiconductor devices for carrying out specific functions in response to input/output of current from an external source have been proposed (e.g., see JP 2012-99673A). In general, multiple elements that each constitute part of an electrical circuit are provided in order to carry out the function of the semiconductor device. Metal leads are used for the purpose of supporting these elements and connecting them to each other. The number, shape, and size of the leads are determined in accordance with the function, shape, and size of the multiple elements. The multiple elements mounted on the leads are covered with sealing resin. Sealing resin is for protecting the elements and a portion of the leads. This kind of semiconductor device is used by being mounted on a circuit board of an electronic device, for example.

The leads are often formed through a punching process using a mold, for example. The method in which the mold is used is advantageous in that the leads can be formed efficiently and accurately. However, the leads commonly differ in number, size, and shape, depending on the multiple elements. For this reason, if the function required of the semiconductor device or the like is changed, the size and shape of the leads need to be changed. In order to realize this, it is required that the mold is remade. The mold is relatively expensive, and therefore in the case where a small number of the semiconductor devices are produced, the cost of the semiconductor devices is increased.

Also, since the leads are obtained by machining a metal plate, the leads commonly have a flat shape. Although it is possible to optionally carry out drawing to give the leads a three-dimensional shape, certain constraints are imposed. Year after year, semiconductor devices are required to have improved functions and more functions. In order to meet such demand, it is required that the multiple elements are mounted with higher accuracy, arranged in three dimensions instead of in a flat arrangement, or the like.

The present invention is conceived of in the above-described situation, and aims to provide a semiconductor device by which it is possible to achieve a decrease in manufacturing cost. Also, the present invention aims to provide a semiconductor device by which it is possible to mitigate restrictions on the arrangement of multiple elements and achieve a decrease in size.

A semiconductor device provided by a first aspect of the present invention includes: a semiconductor substrate that has a main surface and a recessed portion formed in the main surface; a conducting portion formed on the substrate; and a sealing resin disposed in the recessed portion. The conducting portion includes a first wiring layer and a second wiring layer both formed in the recessed portion, and the second wiring layer is closer to the main surface than is the first in the normal direction of the main surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the recessed portion has an inclined inner surface inclined with respect to the main surface, and a bottom surface connected to the inclined inner surface. The first wiring layer is formed on the bottom surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the semiconductor device further includes an insulating film covering the bottom surface. The second wiring layer is disposed between the insulating film and the sealing resin.

In a preferred embodiment, the insulating film is formed with a through-hole penetrating in the thickness direction of the insulating film. The conducting portion includes an electroconductive connection route that is formed in the through-hole and connected to both the first wiring layer and the second wiring layer.

In a preferred embodiment, the semiconductor device includes a first circuit element disposed in the recessed portion.

In a preferred embodiment, the first circuit element is supported by the bottom surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the insulating film covers at least a part of the first circuit element.

In a preferred embodiment, the first circuit element includes a first surface facing the bottom surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, where the second surface is not covered by the insulating film. The second wiring layer spans across the second surface and the insulating film.

In a preferred embodiment, the insulating film includes a flat surface parallel to the bottom surface, and an inclined surface closer to the first circuit element than is the flat surface. The second wiring layer spans across the second surface and the inclined surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the insulating film covers the entirety of the first circuit element.

In a preferred embodiment, the semiconductor device further includes a second circuit element that overlaps with at least a part of the first circuit element as viewed in the normal direction of the main surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the second wiring layer includes a plurality of second element pads for mounting the second circuit element.

In a preferred embodiment, the first circuit element includes a first surface facing the bottom surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, where the second surface is not covered by the insulating film. The second wiring layer includes a shield layer that covers the entirety of the second surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the insulating film includes a flat surface parallel to the bottom surface, and an inclined surface closer to the first circuit element than is the flat surface. The shield layer spans across the second surface and the inclined surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the conducting portion has a plurality of column-like portions for mounting the second circuit element, and each of the column-like portions has an end portion connected to the second wiring layer and extends in a depth direction of the recessed portion.

In a preferred embodiment, the insulating film covers the entirety of the first circuit element, and the second wiring layer includes a shield layer that is located between the first circuit element and the second circuit element, and that overlaps with the entirety of the first circuit element as viewed in the normal direction of the main surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the conducting portion has a plurality of external terminals formed on the main surface, and the shield layer is connected to one external terminal among the plurality of external terminals that is connected to ground.

In a preferred embodiment, the second circuit element is a wireless communication element.

In a preferred embodiment, the substrate is made of a single-crystal semiconductor material.

In a preferred embodiment, the semiconductor material is Si.

In a preferred embodiment, the main surface is a (100) surface, and the recessed portion has four inclined inner surfaces each inclined with respect to the main surface of the substrate.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing relevant parts of a semiconductor device based on a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a substrate of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing relevant parts of a step of the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 27 is a plan view showing relevant parts of a semiconductor device based on a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII in FIG. 27 .

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a semiconductor device based on the first embodiment of the present invention. A semiconductor device 1 A of the present embodiment includes a substrate 100 A, a conducting portion 200 A, a first circuit element 310 A, a second circuit element 320 A, an insulating film 400 A, and sealing resin 500 A. Note that in FIG. 1 , to facilitate understanding, the sealing resin 500 A is omitted. FIG. 2 is a cross-section in a yz plane, taken along line II-II in FIG. 1 .

The semiconductor device 1 A is configured as a wireless communication module according to the configuration described below. As an example of the size of the semiconductor device 1 A, the plan-view dimensions are about 1.5 mm×2.5 mm, and the thickness is about 0.6 mm.

The substrate 100 A is the base of the semiconductor device 1 A, and is composed of a base material 103 A and an insulating layer 104 A. The substrate 100 A has a main surface 101 A, a back surface 102 A, and a recessed portion 105 A. The thickness of the substrate 100 A is about 600 μm, for example. Note that in the present embodiment, the main surface 101 A and the back surface 102 A face mutually opposite sides in the z direction, and the z direction corresponds to the thickness direction of the semiconductor device 1 A. Also, the x direction and the y direction are both perpendicular to the z direction.

The base material 103 A is made of a single-crystal semiconductor material, and is made of single-crystal Si in the present embodiment. Also, the insulating layer 104 A is made of SiO 2 in the present embodiment. Note that the material of the base material 103 A is not limited to being Si and it is sufficient that the material is such that the recessed portion 105 A, which fulfills a later-described purpose, can be formed. The insulating layer 104 A covers a portion of the base material 103 A facing from the side opposite to the back surface 102 A. The thickness of the insulating layer 104 A is about 0.1 to 1.0 μm, for example.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the substrate 100 A. In the present embodiment, a (100) surface of the base material 103 A is used as the main surface 101 A. The recessed portion 105 A is recessed toward the rear surface 102 A from the main surface 101 A. In the present embodiment, the recessed portion 105 A has a bottom surface 111 A and four inclined inner surfaces 112 A. The shape of the recessed portion 105 A depends on the fact that a (100) surface is used as the main surface 101 A.

Due to the recessed portion 105 A being formed, the main surface 101 A is in the form of a rectangular ring in plan view. More specifically, two sites on the main surface 101 A that are located apart from each other in the y direction on opposite sides of the recessed portion 105 A are significantly larger than two sites on the main surface 101 A that are located apart from each other in the x direction on opposite sides of the recessed portion 105 A.

The recessed portion 105 A has a rectangular shape in plan view. The depth of the recessed portion 105 A is about 440 μm, for example. The bottom surface 111 A has a rectangular shape in plan view. In plan view, the four inclined inner surfaces 112 A surround the bottom surface 111 A and have approximately trapezoidal shapes whose upper bases are in contact with the bottom surface 111 A. The inclined inner surfaces 112 A are inclined with respect to the bottom surface 111 A. In the present embodiment, the angle of inclination with respect to the xy plane of the inclined inner surfaces 112 A is about 55°. Note that the fact that the inclined inner surfaces 112 A have approximately trapezoidal shapes and the inclination angle thereof is 55° depends on the fact that the (100) surface is used as the main surface 101 A.

The conducting portion 200 A is for mounting the first circuit element 310 A and the second circuit element 320 A and forming a current path for performing input to and output from the first circuit element 310 A and the second circuit element 320 A. The conducting portion 200 A is formed mainly on the insulating layer 104 A, and has a structure obtained by stacking a barrier seed layer 201 A and a plating layer 202 A in the present embodiment.

The barrier seed layer 201 A is a so-called underlying layer for forming a desired plating layer 202 A, and is formed mainly on the insulating layer 104 A. The barrier seed layer 201 A is composed of a Ti layer serving as, for example, a barrier layer formed on the insulating layer 104 A, and a Cu layer serving as a seed layer stacked on the barrier layer. The barrier seed layer 201 A is formed through sputtering, for example. In the present embodiment, the barrier seed layer 201 A is formed at predetermined sites on the insulating layer 104 A, the insulating film 400 A, and the first circuit element 310 A.

The plating layer 202 A is made of Cu, for example, and is formed through electrolytic plating using the barrier seed layer 201 A. The thickness of the plating layer 202 A is about 5 μm, for example.

In the present embodiment, the conducting portion 200 A has a first wiring layer 210 A, a second wiring layer 220 A, multiple column-like portions 230 A, multiple external terminals 240 A, and a connection path 250 A.

The first wiring layer 210 A is formed on the bottom surface 111 A and has a predetermined pattern shape. The first wiring layer 210 A has multiple bottom surface pads 211 A. The multiple bottom surface pads 211 A are used to mount the first circuit element 310 A.

The second wiring layer 220 A is located toward the main surface 101 A with respect to the first wiring layer 210 A in the normal direction (z direction) of the main surface 101 A. The second wiring layer 220 A is interposed between the insulating film 400 A and the sealing resin 500 A and has a predetermined pattern shape. In the present embodiment, the second wiring layer 220 A is formed so as to span across an upper surface 312 A (surface facing the side opposite to the surface opposing the bottom surface 111 A) of the first circuit element 310 A and the insulating film 400 A (later-described inclined portions 420 A) adjacent thereto. The second wiring layer 220 A has multiple second element pads 221 A and a shield layer 222 A. The multiple second element pads 221 A are used to mount the second circuit element 320 A. The shield layer 222 A is interposed between the first circuit element 310 A and the second circuit element 320 A and covers the entirety of the upper surface 312 A of the first circuit element 310 A. In the present embodiment, the shield layer 222 A is formed so as to span across the upper surface 312 A and the inclined portions 420 A of the insulating film 400 A, which are adjacent thereto. The shield layer 222 A is electrically connected to the connection path 250 A, which will be described later, and is also electrically connected to the external terminal 240 A for the ground terminal.

The column-like portions 230 A extend in the depth direction of the recessed portion 105 A as shown in FIG. 2 . In the present embodiment, the lower ends of the column-like portions 230 A are connected to the second element pads 221 A (the second wiring layer 220 A), and extend inside of the sealing resin 500 A. The second circuit element 320 A is mounted on the column-like portions 230 A via solder 351 A. The column-like portions 230 A are made of Cu, for example, and are formed through electrolytic plating using the second element pads 221 A.

The external terminal 240 A is formed on the main surface 101 A and is used to surface-mount the semiconductor device 1 A on a circuit board of an electronic device (not shown), for example. In the present embodiment, four external terminals 240 A are formed at each of the two sites on the main surface 101 A arranged apart from each other in the y direction on opposite sides of the recessed portion 105 A. Also, the external terminals 240 A each have one side in contact with the outer edge of the recessed portion 105 A. The external terminals 240 A each have a structure in which a bump obtained by further performing non-electrolytic plating with a metal such as Ni, Pd, or Au, for example, on the above-described barrier seed layer 201 A and the plating layer 202 A is formed. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2 , the external terminals 240 A each have a shape that swells in the z direction.

The connection path 250 A is formed on the inclined inner surfaces 112 A and constitutes a path that electrically connects the external terminal 240 A and the first wiring layer 210 A or second wiring layer 220 A. Note that the position at which connection path 250 A is formed is determined according to the arrangement of the external terminals 240 A, the arrangement of the terminals of the first circuit element 310 A and the second circuit element 320 , and the like. FIG. 2 shows a mode in which the connection path 250 A is formed on an inclined inner surface 112 A, but does not show the specific forming position. Also, in FIG. 1 , the connection path 250 A is omitted.

Note that in the present embodiment, the external terminal 240 A located second from the left in the upper portion of FIG. 1 is used as a so-called ground terminal. The connection path 250 A, which is electrically connected to this external terminal 240 A, and the shield layer 222 A are connected to ground.

The first circuit element 310 A is supported by the bottom surface 111 A and is mounted via the solder 351 A using the multiple bottom surface pads 211 A. The first circuit element 310 A is for controlling the second circuit element 320 A, and is, for example, an integrated circuit element.

The insulating film 400 A is formed on the bottom surface 111 A and covers a portion of the first circuit element 310 A, and the first wiring layer 210 A. The insulating film 400 A covers the lower surface 311 A (surface opposing the bottom surface 111 A) of the first circuit element 310 A, whereas it does not cover the upper surface 312 A of the first circuit element 310 A. The insulating film 400 A is configured to include a flat portion 410 A and an inclined portion 420 A that is adjacent to the first circuit element 310 A. The flat portion 410 A has a flat surface 411 A that is parallel to the bottom surface 111 A. The inclined portion 420 A has an inclined surface 421 A. The inclined surface 421 A is inclined so as to be displaced toward the main surface 101 A in the normal direction (z direction) of the main surface 101 A as the distance between the inclined surface 421 A and the first circuit element 310 A decreases. Examples of materials constituting the insulating film 400 A include polyimide resin, epoxy nitride resin, phenol resin, polybenzoxazole (PBO) resin, and silicone resin. Also, the insulating film 400 A may be configured as a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film formed through a CVD method.

The second circuit element 320 A is an element for near-field wireless data communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, and is supported by the insulating film 400 A via the multiple column-like portions 230 A. The second circuit element 320 A is mounted on the column-like portions 230 A via the solder 351 A.

The sealing resin 500 A covers the second wiring layer 220 A and the second circuit element 320 A and fills the recessed portion 105 A. In the present embodiment, the sealing resin 500 A covers the entirety of the second wiring layer 220 A, which includes the shield layer 222 A, and the entirety of the second circuit element 320 A. Examples of materials for the sealing resin 500 A include epoxy resin, phenol resin, polyimide resin, polybenzoxazole (PBO) resin, and silicone resin. The sealing resin 500 A may be either translucent resin or non-translucent resin, but in the present embodiment, non-translucent resin is preferable.

Next, a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 A will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 to 26 . Note that the drawings show cross sections in the yz plane, taken along line II-II in FIG. 1 .

First, a substrate material 100 A′ is prepared as shown in FIG. 4 . The substrate material 100 A′ is made of a single-crystal semiconductor material, and is made of single-crystal Si in the present embodiment. The thickness of the substrate material 100 A′ is about 600 μm, for example. The substrate material 100 A′ is of a size according to which a plurality of the above-described substrates 100 A of the semiconductor device 1 A can be obtained. That is to say, the following manufacturing steps are based on a method for manufacturing multiple semiconductor devices 1 A at once. It is possible to use a method for manufacturing one semiconductor device 1 A, but considering industrial efficiency, it is practical to use a method for manufacturing multiple semiconductor devices 1 A at once.

The substrate material 100 A′ has the main surface 101 A and the back surface 102 A, which face mutually opposite sides in the z direction. In the present embodiment, a surface whose crystal orientation is (100), that is, a (100) surface, is used as the main surface 101 A. Next, a mask layer 191 A made of SiO 2 is formed through, for example, oxidation of the main surface 101 A. The thickness of the mask layer 191 A is about 0.7 to 1.0 μm, for example.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5 , patterning by means of, for example, etching is performed on the mask layer 191 A. According to this, an opening is formed in the mask layer 191 A. The shape and size of the opening is set according to the shape and size of the recessed portion 105 A that is to ultimately be obtained. The opening has a rectangular shape, for example.

Next, the recessed portion 105 A is formed as shown in FIG. 6 . The recessed portion 105 A is formed through anisotropic etching using KOH, for example. KOH is an example of an alkali etching solution by which anisotropic etching that is favorable for single-crystal Si can be realized. By performing anisotropic etching, the recessed portion 105 A having the bottom surface 111 A and the four inclined inner surfaces 112 A is formed. The angle formed by the inclined inner surfaces 112 A with respect to the xy plane is about 55°. In the present embodiment, the depth of the recessed portion 105 A is about 440 μm.

Next, the mask layer 191 A is removed as shown in FIG. 7 . The removal is performed through etching using HF, for example.

Next, the insulating layer 104 A made of SiO 2 , for example, is formed as shown in FIG. 8 . The insulating layer 104 A is formed through oxidation of the entire portion of the substrate material 100 A′ on the side opposite to the back surface 102 A. According to this, the insulating layer 104 A with a thickness of about 0.7 to 1.0 μm, for example, is obtained.

Next, the barrier seed layer 201 A is formed as shown in FIG. 9 . The barrier seed layer 201 A is formed through sputtering, for example. Specifically, a layer made of Ti is formed on the insulating layer 104 A through sputtering. The layer made of Ti functions as a barrier layer. Next, a layer made of Cu is formed on the barrier layer through sputtering. The layer made of Cu functions as a seed layer. The barrier seed layer 201 A is obtained through this kind of sputtering.

Next, a mask layer 291 A is formed as shown in FIG. 10 . The mask layer 291 A is formed by spray-coating with photosensitive resist resin, for example.

Next, patterning is carried out on the mask layer 291 A as shown in FIG. 11 . The patterning is performed by performing exposure and developing using a photolithography method, for example, on the mask layer 291 A and thereby removing predetermined sites. The shape of the mask layer 291 A obtained through the patterning corresponds to the shapes of the first wiring layer 210 A, the external terminal 240 A, and the connection path 250 A of the above-described conducting portion 200 A. Note that in correspondence with the fact that the recessed portion 105 A has a certain amount of depth, multiple instances of the exposure may be performed with different focus depths in the exposure.

Next, the plating layer 202 A is formed as shown in FIG. 12 . The plating layer 202 A is formed through electrolytic plating using the seed layer of the barrier seed layer 201 A, for example. As a result, the plating layer 202 A, which is made of Cu for example, is obtained. The thickness of the plating layer 202 A is about 5 μm, for example. The plating layer 202 A is in the shape of the above-described first wiring layer 210 A and connection path 250 A.

Next, the mask layer 291 A is removed as shown in FIG. 13 . Next, the portions of the barrier seed layer 201 A that are exposed from the plating layer 202 A is removed as shown in FIG. 14 . The barrier seed layer 201 A is removed through wet etching, for example. According to this, the first wiring layer 210 A and connection path 250 A, which are composed of the barrier seed layer 201 A and the plating layer 202 A that have both been subjected to patterning, are obtained.

Next, the first circuit element 310 A is mounted as shown in FIG. 15 . Solder balls that are to be the solder 351 A are formed on the first circuit element 310 A. Also, the solder balls are coated with flax. The first circuit element 310 A is mounted on the bottom surface 111 A using the adhesiveness of the flax. Also, the mounting of the first circuit element 310 A is completed by melting the solder balls with a reflow oven and then allowing them to solidify.

Next, the insulating film 400 A is formed as shown in FIG. 16 . The insulating film 400 A is formed through spray-coating with polyimide resin, for example. Spray-coating is performed using a mask with a predetermined pattern shape, for example. According to this, the insulating film 400 A including the flat portions 410 A and the inclined portions 420 A is formed on the bottom surface 111 A, excluding the upper surface 312 A of the first circuit element 310 A.

Next, the second wiring layer 220 A is formed. First, the barrier seed layer 201 A is formed on the insulating film 400 A as shown in FIG. 17 . The barrier seed layer 201 A is formed through a mask vapor deposition method, for example. Specifically, a layer made of Ti is formed at predetermined sites on the insulating film 400 A through mask vapor deposition. The layer made of Ti functions as a barrier layer. Next, a layer made of Cu is formed on the barrier layer through mask vapor deposition. The layer made of Cu functions as a seed layer. The barrier seed layer 201 A is obtained through this kind of sputtering.

Next, the plating layer 202 A is formed as shown in FIG. 18 . The plating layer 202 A is formed through electrolytic plating using the seed layer of the barrier seed layer 201 A, for example. As a result, the plating layer 202 A, which is made of Cu for example, is obtained. The thickness of the plating layer 202 A is about 5 μm, for example. The plating layer 202 A is in the shape of the above-described second wiring layer 220 A. Thus, the second wiring layer 220 A including the second element pads 221 A and the shield layer 222 A is formed.

Next, a resist layer 292 A is formed as shown in FIG. 19 . The resist layer 292 A is formed through spray-coating with photosensitive resist resin, for example.

Next, patterning is carried out on the resist layer 292 A as shown in FIG. 20 . The patterning is performed by performing exposure and developing using a photolithography method, for example, on the resist layer 292 A and thereby removing predetermined sites. The shape of the resist layer 292 A obtained through the patterning corresponds to the shape of the above-described column-like portions 230 A. Here, openings 293 A corresponding to the shape of the column-like portions 230 A are formed in the resist layer, and portions of the second element pads 221 A are exposed. Note that in correspondence with the fact that the recessed portion 105 A has a certain amount of depth, multiple instances of the exposure may be performed with different focus depths in the exposure.

Next, the column-like portions 230 A are formed as shown in FIG. 21 . The column-like portions 230 A are formed through electrolytic plating using the second element pads 221 A, for example. As a result, the column-like portions 230 A, which are made of Cu for example, are obtained.

Next, the resist layer 292 A is removed as shown in FIG. 22 . The removal is performed through etching using HF, for example.

Next, the second circuit element 320 A is mounted as shown in FIG. 23 . Solder balls that are to be the solder 351 A are formed on the second circuit element 320 A. Also, the solder balls are coated with flax. The second circuit element 320 A is mounted on the column-like portions 230 A using the adhesiveness of the flax. Also, the mounting of the second circuit element 320 A is completed by melting the solder balls with a reflow oven and then allowing them to solidify.

Next, the sealing resin 500 A is formed as shown in FIG. 24 . The sealing resin 500 A is formed by filling mainly the recessed portion 105 A with a resin material that has excellent permeability and is cured through light exposure, and curing the resin material. In this case, the entirety of the second circuit element 320 A is covered by the resin material. Meanwhile, a portion of the plating layer 202 A on the main surface 101 A is reliably exposed. Also, the sealing resin 500 A is formed such that it does not overlap with a later-described cutting region. Note that examples of resin materials for forming the sealing resin 500 A include epoxy resin, phenol resin, polyimide resin, polybenzoxazole (PBO) resin, and silicone resin. The sealing resin 500 A may be either translucent resin or non-translucent resin, but in the present embodiment, non-translucent resin is preferable.

Next, as shown in FIG. 25 , bumps that swell in the z direction are formed by performing non-electrolytic plating on the external terminals 240 A with a metal such as Ni, Pd, or Au, for example.

Next, the substrate material 100 ′ is cut with a dicer Dc, for example, as shown in FIG. 26 . In this case, only the substrate material 100 A′ is cut with the dicer Dc, and the sealing resin 500 A is not cut, for example. With this cutting, the semiconductor device 1 A shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is obtained.

Next, effects of the semiconductor device 1 A will be described.

According to the present embodiment, the first circuit element 310 A and the second circuit element 320 A are accommodated by being arranged in a stacked form in the recessed portion 105 A of the substrate 100 A made of the semiconductor material. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide leads for supporting the first circuit element 310 A and the second circuit element 320 A. Compared with the case of molding the leads using a mold, it costs less to remake the shape of the substrate 100 A made of the semiconductor material. Accordingly, the cost of the semiconductor device 1 A can be reduced. The cost-reduction effect is particularly significant in the case where a small number of the semiconductor devices 1 A are produced.

The conducting portion 200 A includes the first wiring layer 210 A formed on the bottom surface 111 A of the recessed portion 105 A, and the second wiring layer 220 A that is located toward the main surface 101 A with respect to the first wiring layer 210 A in the normal direction (z direction) of the main surface 101 A. With the configuration in which the first wiring layer 210 A and the second wiring layer 220 A are thus arranged in a stacked form in the z direction, a degree of freedom in the arrangement according to the position of the terminals of the first circuit element 310 A and the second circuit element 320 A mounted on the first wiring layer 210 and the second wiring layer 220 A is ensured. Accordingly, this configuration is suitable for achieving a smaller size of the semiconductor device 1 A and causing multiple elements, namely the first circuit element 310 A and second circuit element 320 A accommodated in the recessed portion 105 A to function appropriately.

The first wiring layer 210 A formed on the bottom surface 111 A is covered by the insulating film 400 A, and the second wiring layer 220 A is formed on the insulating film 400 A or on the first circuit element 310 A. According to this, the insulating film 400 A or the first circuit element 310 A is interposed between the first wiring layer 210 A and the second wiring layer 220 A, whereby it is possible to suitably avoid a case in which and the first wiring layer 210 A and the second wiring layer 220 A are inappropriately electrically connected.

The second wiring layer 220 A is formed so as to span across the upper surface 312 A (surface facing the side opposite to the surface opposing the bottom surface 111 A) of the first circuit element 310 A and the insulating film 400 A adjacent thereto. More specifically, the insulating film 400 A includes the flat portion 410 A having the flat surface 411 A that is parallel to the bottom surface 111 A, and the inclined portion 420 A that is adjacent to the first circuit element 310 A and has the inclined surface 421 A that is inclined so as to be displaced toward the main surface 101 A in the z direction as the distance between the inclined surface 421 A and the first circuit element 310 A decreases. Also, the second wiring layer 220 A is formed so as to span across the upper surface 312 A of the first circuit element 310 A and the inclined portion 420 A. With this kind of configuration, it is possible to suitably form the second wiring layer 220 A for the upper surface 312 A of the first circuit element 310 A, which is not covered by the insulating film 400 A, as well.

The second wiring layer 220 A has the shield layer 222 A interposed between the first circuit element 310 A and the second circuit element 320 A, and the shield layer 222 A covers the entirety of the upper surface 312 A of the first circuit element 310 A. When mounting the semiconductor device 1 A, the shield layer 222 A is connected to ground via the connection path 250 A and the external terminals 240 A. The first circuit element 310 A covered by the second circuit element 320 A, which is a wireless communication element, is easily influenced by radio waves. In the present embodiment, by equipping the shield layer 222 A with the above-described configuration, it is possible to prevent the influence of radio waves and prevent malfunction of the first circuit element 310 A.

Due to the substrate 100 A being made of a single-crystal semiconductor material represented by Si, the inclined inner surfaces 112 A can be finished as surfaces that are accurately inclined by a known predetermined angle with respect to the bottom surface 111 A. In particular, due to the substrate 100 A being made of Si and a (100) surface being used as the main surface 101 A, the angles of the four inclined inner surfaces 112 A with respect to the bottom surface 111 A can all be set to around 55°. Accordingly, the semiconductor device 1 A can be given a well-balanced shape configuration.

The insulating film 400 A is formed on the bottom surface 111 A in the recessed portion 105 A so as to cover at least a part of the first circuit element 310 A. By mounting the first circuit element 310 A on the bottom surface 111 A and mounting the second circuit element 320 A on the insulating film 400 A, it is possible to three-dimensionally arrange the first circuit element 310 A and the second circuit element 320 A at different locations in the z direction. Accordingly, it is possible to achieve both a smaller size and improved function of the semiconductor device 1 A.

The conducting portion 200 A has the multiple column-like portions 230 A. The column-like portions 230 A have end portions that are connected to the second wiring layer 220 A and extend in the depth direction of the recessed portion 105 A inside of the sealing resin 500 A. Also, the second circuit element 320 A is mounted on the upper ends of the column-like portions 230 A. With this kind of configuration, three-dimensional arrangement of the first circuit element 310 A and the second circuit element 320 A in a small space is achieved while interference therebetween is avoided.

FIGS. 27 and 28 show a semiconductor device based on a second embodiment of the present invention. A semiconductor device 1 B of the present embodiment includes a substrate 100 B, a conducting portion 200 B, a first circuit element 310 B, a second circuit element 320 B, an insulating film 400 B, and sealing resin 500 B. Note that in FIG. 27 , to facilitate understanding, the sealing resin 500 B is omitted. The semiconductor device 1 B is configured as a wireless communication module, for example. As an example of the size of the semiconductor device 1 B, the plan-view dimensions are about 1.5 mm×2.5 mm, and the thickness is about 0.6 mm.

The substrate 100 B is to be the base of the semiconductor device 1 B and is composed of a base material 103 B and an insulating layer 104 B. The substrate 100 B has a main surface 101 B, a back surface 102 B, and a recessed portion 105 B. The thickness of the substrate 100 B is about 600 μm, for example. Note that in the present embodiment, the main surface 101 B and the back surface 102 B face mutually opposite sides in the z direction, and the z direction corresponds to the thickness direction of the semiconductor device 1 B. Also, the x direction and the y direction are both orthogonal to the z direction.

The base material 103 B is made of a single-crystal semiconductor material, and is made of single-crystal Si in the present embodiment. Also, the insulating layer 104 B is made of SiO 2 in the present embodiment. Note that the material of the base material 103 B is not limited to being Si and it is sufficient that the material can form the recessed portion 105 B, which fulfills a later-described purpose. The insulating layer 104 B covers a portion of the base material 103 B that faces the side opposite to the back surface 102 B. The thickness of the insulating layer 104 B is about 0.1 to 1.0 μm, for example.

In the present embodiment, a (100) surface of the substrate 103 B is used as the main surface 101 B. The recessed portion 105 B is recessed toward the back surface 102 B from the main surface 101 B. In the present embodiment, the recessed portion 105 B has a bottom surface 111 B and four inclined inner surfaces 112 B. The shape of the recessed portion 105 B depends on the fact that the (100) surface is used as the main surface 101 B.

Due to the recessed portion 105 B being formed, the main surface 101 B has a rectangular ring shape in plan view. More specifically, the two sites on the main surface 101 B that are located apart from each other in the y direction on opposite sides of the recessed portion 105 B are significantly larger than the two sites on the main surface 101 B that are located apart from each other in the x direction on opposite sides of the recessed portion 105 B.

The recessed portion 105 B has a rectangular shape in plan view. The depth of the recessed portion 105 B is about 440 μm, for example. The bottom surface 111 B has a rectangular shape in plan view. In plan view, the four inclined inner surfaces 112 B surround the bottom surface 111 B and have approximately trapezoidal shapes whose upper bases are in contact with the bottom surface 111 B. The inclined inner surfaces 112 B are inclined with respect to the bottom surface 111 B. In the present embodiment, the angle of inclination with respect to the xy plane of the inclined inner surfaces 112 B is about 55°. Note that the fact that the inclined inner surfaces 112 B have an approximately trapezoidal shape and the inclination angle thereof is 55° depends on the fact that the (100) surface is used as the main surface 101 B.

The conducting portion 200 B is for mounting the first circuit element 310 B and the second circuit element 320 B and forming a current path for performing input to and output from the first circuit element 310 B and the second circuit element 320 B. The conducting portion 200 B is formed mainly on the insulating layer 104 B, and has a structure obtained by stacking a barrier seed layer 201 B and a plating layer 202 B in the present embodiment.

The barrier seed layer 201 B is a so-called underlying layer for forming a desired plating layer 202 B, and is formed mainly on the insulating layer 104 B. The barrier seed layer 201 B is composed of a Ti layer serving as, for example, a barrier layer formed on the insulating layer 104 B, and a Cu layer serving as a seed layer stacked on the barrier layer. The barrier seed layer 201 B is formed by sputtering, for example. In the present embodiment, the barrier seed layer 201 B is formed at predetermined sites on the insulating layer 104 B, the insulating film 400 B, and the first circuit element 310 B.

The plating layer 202 B is made of Cu, for example, and is formed through electrolytic plating using the barrier seed layer 201 B. The thickness of the plating layer 202 B is about 5 μm, for example.

In the present embodiment, the conducting portion 200 B has a first wiring layer 210 B, a second wiring layer 220 B, multiple column-like portions 230 B, multiple external terminals 240 B, a connection path 250 B, and a connection route 260 B.

The first wiring layer 210 B is formed on the bottom surface 111 B and has a predetermined pattern shape. The first wiring layer 210 B has multiple bottom surface pads 211 B. The multiple bottom surface pads 211 B are used to mount the first circuit element 310 B.

The second wiring layer 220 B is located toward the main surface 101 B with respect to the first wiring layer 210 B in the normal direction (z direction) of the main surface 101 B. The second wiring layer 220 B is interposed between the insulating film 400 B and the sealing resin 500 B and has a predetermined pattern shape. In the present embodiment, the second wiring layer 220 B is formed on the insulating film 400 B. The second wiring layer 220 B has multiple second element pads 221 B and a shield layer 222 B. The multiple second element pads 221 B are used to mount the second circuit element 320 B. The shield layer 222 B is interposed between the first circuit element 310 B and the second circuit element 320 B and overlaps with the entirety of the first circuit element 310 B as viewed in the normal direction (z direction) of the main surface 101 B. The shield layer 222 B is electrically connected to the connection path 250 B, which will be described later, and is also electrically connected to the external terminal 240 B for the ground terminal.

The column-like portions 230 B extend in the depth direction of the recessed portion 105 B, as shown in FIG. 28 . In the present embodiment, the lower ends of the column-like portions 230 B are connected to the second element pads 221 B (second wiring layer 220 B) and extend inside of the sealing resin 500 B. The second circuit element 320 B is mounted on the upper ends of the column-like portions 230 B via solder 351 B. The column-like portions 230 B are made of Cu, for example, and are formed by electrolytic plating using the second element pads 221 B.

The external terminals 240 B are formed on the main surface 101 B and are used to surface-mount the semiconductor device 1 B on a circuit board of an electronic device (not shown), for example. In the present embodiment, four external terminals 240 B are formed at each of two sites on the main surface 101 B arranged apart from each other in the y direction, on opposite sides of the recessed portion 105 B. Also, the external terminals 240 B each have one side in contact with the outer edge of the recessed portion 105 B. The external terminals 240 B each have a structure in which a bump obtained by further performing non-electrolytic plating with a metal such as Ni, Pd, or Au, for example, on the above-described barrier seed layer 201 B and the plating layer 202 B is formed. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 28 , the external terminals 240 B each have a shape that swells in the z direction.

The connection path 250 B is formed on an inclined inner surface 112 B and constitutes a path through which the external terminals 240 B, and the first wiring layer 210 B or second wiring layer 220 B are electrically connected. Note that the position at which the connection path 250 B is formed is determined as appropriate according to the arrangement of the external terminals 240 B, the arrangement of the terminals of the first circuit element 310 B and the second circuit element 320 B, and the like. FIG. 28 shows a mode in which the connection path 250 B is formed on the inclined inner surface 112 B, but does not show the specific forming position. Also, in FIG. 27 , the connection path 250 B is omitted.

Note that in the present embodiment, the external terminal 240 B located second from the left in the upper portion of FIG. 27 is used as the so-called ground terminal. The connection path 250 B, which is electrically connected to this external terminal 240 B, and the shield layer 222 B are connected to ground.

The connection route 260 B penetrates the insulating film 400 B in the thickness direction (depth direction of the recessed portion 105 B), as shown in FIG. 28 . The connection route 260 B electrically connects the first wiring layer 210 B and the second wiring layer 220 B, and is made of a metal filling a through-hole 401 B provided at a suitable location on the insulating film 400 B. The lower end of the connection route 260 B is connected to the first wiring layer 210 B, and the upper end of the connection route 260 B is connected to the second wiring layer 220 B. The connection route 260 B is made of Cu, for example, and is formed through electrolytic plating using the first wiring layer 210 B.

The first circuit element 310 B is supported by the bottom surface 111 B and is mounted via the solder 351 B using the multiple bottom surface pads 211 B. The first circuit element 310 B is for controlling the second circuit element 320 B, and is, for example, an integrated circuit element.

The insulating film 400 B is formed on the bottom surface 111 B and covers the first circuit element 310 B and the first wiring layer 210 B. In the present embodiment, the insulating film 400 B covers the entirety of the first circuit element 310 B. Examples of materials constituting the insulating film 400 B include polyimide resin, epoxy nitride resin, phenol resin, polybenzoxazole (PBO) resin, and silicone resin. Also, the insulating film 400 B may be formed as a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film using a CVD method. In the present embodiment, the through-hole 401 B for the connection route 260 B is formed at the time of forming the insulating film 400 B. The through-hole 401 B is formed using a method such as etching, for example.

The second circuit element 320 B is an element for near-field wireless data communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, and is supported by the insulating film 400 B via the multiple column-like portions 230 B. The second circuit element 320 B is mounted on the column-like portions 230 B via the solder 351 B.

The sealing resin 500 B covers the second wiring layer 220 B and the second circuit element 320 B and fills the recessed portion 105 B. In the present embodiment, the sealing resin 500 B covers the entirety of the second wiring layer including the shield layer 222 B, and the entirety of the second circuit element 320 B. Examples of materials for the sealing resin 500 B include epoxy resin, phenol resin, polyimide resin, polybenzoxazole (PBO) resin, and silicone resin. The sealing resin 500 B may be either translucent resin or non-translucent resin, but in the present embodiment, non-translucent resin is preferable.

Next, effects of the semiconductor device 1 B will be described.

According to the present embodiment, the first circuit element 310 B and the second circuit element 320 B are accommodated by being arranged in a stacked form in the recessed portion 105 B of the substrate 100 B made of a semiconductor material. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide leads for supporting the first circuit element 310 B and the second circuit element 320 B. In comparison to the case of molding the leads using a mold, it costs less to remake the shape of the substrate 100 B made of the semiconductor material. Accordingly, the cost of the semiconductor device 1 B can be reduced. In particular, in the case where a small number of the semiconductor devices 1 B are produced, the cost-reduction effect is significant.

The conducting portion 200 B includes the first wiring layer 210 B formed on the bottom surface 111 B of the recessed portion 105 B, and the second wiring layer 220 B that is located toward the main surface 101 B with respect to the first wiring layer 210 B in the normal direction (z direction) of the main surface 101 B. With the configuration in which the first wiring layer 210 B and the second wiring layer 220 B are thus arranged in a stacked form in the z direction, a degree of freedom in the arrangement according to the positions of the terminals of the first circuit element 310 B and the second circuit element 320 B mounted on the first wiring layer 210 B and the second wiring layer 220 B is ensured. Accordingly, this configuration is suitable for achieving a smaller size of the semiconductor device 1 B and causing multiple elements, namely the first circuit element 310 B and second circuit element 320 B accommodated in the recessed portion 105 B to function appropriately.

The first wiring layer 210 B formed on the bottom surface 111 B is covered by the insulating film 400 B, and the second wiring layer 220 B is formed on the insulating film 400 B. According to this, the insulating film 400 B is interposed between the first wiring layer 210 B and the second wiring layer 220 B, whereby it is possible to suitably prevent a case in which the first wiring layer 210 B and the second wiring layer 220 B are inappropriately electrically connected.

The conducting portion 200 B has the connection route 260 B that is formed inside of the through-hole 401 B of the insulating film 400 B and connects to the first wiring layer 210 B and the second wiring layer 220 B. With this kind of configuration, it is possible to connect suitable locations of the first wiring layer 210 B and the second wiring layer 220 B, which is suitable for raising the degree of freedom in the arrangement.

The second wiring layer 220 B has the shield layer 222 B interposed between the first circuit element 310 B and the second circuit element 320 B, and the shield layer 222 B overlaps with the entirety of the first circuit element 310 B as viewed in the normal direction (z direction) of the main surface 101 B. When mounting the semiconductor device 1 B, the shield layer 222 B is connected to ground via the connection path 250 B and the external terminals 240 B. The first circuit element 310 B covered by the second circuit element 320 B, which is a wireless communication element, is easily influenced by radio waves. In the present embodiment, by equipping the shield layer 222 B with the above-described configuration, it is possible to prevent the influence of radio waves and prevent malfunction of the first circuit element 310 B.

Due to the substrate 100 B being made of a single-crystal semiconductor material represented by Si, the inclined inner surface 112 B can be finished as a surface that is accurately inclined by a known predetermined angle with respect to the bottom surface 111 B. In particular, due to the substrate 100 B being made of Si and a (100) surface being used as the main surface 101 B, the angles of the four inclined inner surfaces 112 B with respect to the bottom surface 111 B can all be set to around 55°. Accordingly, the semiconductor device 1 B can be given a well-balanced shape configuration.

The insulating film 400 B is formed on the bottom surface 111 B in the recessed portion 105 B so as to cover the first circuit element 310 B. Due to the first circuit element 310 B being mounted on the bottom surface 111 B and the second circuit element 320 B being mounted on the insulating film 400 B, the first circuit element 310 B and the second circuit element 320 B can be arranged three-dimensionally at different locations in the z direction. Accordingly, it is possible to achieve both a smaller size and improved function of the semiconductor device 1 B.

The semiconductor device according to the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments. The specific configuration of the semiconductor device according to the present invention can be designed and modified in various ways.

In the embodiments above, a case was described in which the conducting portion 200 A ( 200 B) has a two-layer structure in which the first wiring layer 210 A ( 210 B) and the second wiring layer 220 A ( 220 B) are formed in the recessed portion 105 A ( 105 B) and are at different positions in the depth direction of the recessed portion 105 A ( 105 B). However, a layer structure may be used in which there are three or more wiring layers formed in the recessed portion.