Tesla Filed a Patent for ‘Voltage regulating module design for the use of underfill’ to Improve VRM for Dojo

FIGs. 2A and 2B illustrate a processing system in accordance with aspects of this disclosure / Tesla patent

Tesla has filed a patent for “Voltage regulating module design for the use of underfill” to improve VRM for Dojo. The manufacturer's constant, painstaking work is unmatched in the industry, making its products the best in the industry.

Tesla is building its own supercomputer—Dojo—which will be the training ground for achieving Full Self-Driving. Dojo is based on a custom computing chip, the D1 chip, which is the building block of a large multi-chip module (MCM)-based compute plane. These MCMs will be tiled to create the final supercomputer used for training autonomous driving AI networks.

On January 20, 2022, Tesla filed a patent for “Voltage regulating module design for the use of underfill,” which was published on July 28, 2022. The invention generally relates to electronics and, more specifically, to voltage regulation modules (VRMs) and describes a solution to the problem of saving physical spaces in the VRM layout which is critical to Dojo.

Tesla writes that multi-chip modules can include multiple application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and multiple VRMs configured to power each of the ASICs. The VRMs can be electrically connected to one of the ASIC devices via a Ball Grid Array (BGA). The BGA may be encapsulated using underfill in order to protect the BGA. VRM comprises many different components, which affect its size.

In some implementations, the mechanical architecture of the system on the substrate includes a high-density VRM on the substrate in addition to multiple ASICs. There are a number of design tradeoffs and/or issues that affect size, layout, density, spacing, and the like of the VRMs on the substrate. One particular challenge relates to allocating space within the VRM internal layers for active and passive components, shoulder bolts for fastening the VRM to the substrate, and underfill. Tesla's invention provides technical solutions to such a challenge.

In fact, Tesla intends to change the design of the VRM, which now has recessed areas on the bottom BGA attaching layer of the VRM. Certain advantages to this design include helping to save physical space within the VRM layout so that the VRM can meet underfill and bolt clearance specifications, which are significant factors that enable backend assembly processes. In addition, aspects of this disclosure can also maintain the VRM internal layer space specifications, particularly for the active components, and the overall VRM packing density on the substrate is not significantly affected.

The designs that Tesla proposes in this disclosure are unique and have not previously been used to solve the aforementioned problems. Aspects of this patent relate to a VRM architecture that can be integrated into products that involve backend assembly with relatively high packaging densities.

© 2022, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.

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