US5829128A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of mounting resilient contact structures to semiconductor devices
Assignee: FormFactor Inc
•
Filing: 1995-11-15
•
Granted: 1998-11-03
•
Expires: 2015-11-15
Abstract
Abstract Resilient contact structures are mounted directly to bond pads on semiconductor dies, prior to the dies being singulated (separated) from a semiconductor wafer. This enables the semiconductor dies to be exercised (e.g., tested and/or burned-in) by connecting to the semiconductor dies with a circuit board or the like having a plurality of terminals disposed on a surface thereof. Subsequently, the semiconductor dies may be singulated from the semiconductor wafer, whereupon the same resilient contact structures can be used to effect interconnections between the semiconductor dies and other electronic components (such as wiring substrates, semiconductor packages, etc.). Using the all-metallic composite interconnection elements of the present invention as the resilient contact structures, burn-in can be performed at temperatures of at least 150° C., and can be completed in less than 60 minutes.
Inventors
- 👤 Benjamin N. Eldridge
- 👤 Gary W. Grube
- 👤 Igor Y. Khandros
- 👤 Gaetan L. Mathieu
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 09:59
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K7/00; H05K7/02; H05K7/10; H05K7/1053; H05K7/1061; H05K7/1069; B; B23; B23K; B23K1/00; B23K1/0008; B23K20/00; B23K20/002; B23K20/004; C; C23; C23C; C23C18/00; C23C18/16; C23C18/1601; C23C18/1603; C23C18/1605; C23C18/1633; C23C18/1646; C23C18/165; C25; C25D; C25D7/00; C25D7/12; C25D7/123; G; G01; G01R; G01R1/00; G01R1/02; G01R1/06; G01R1/067; G01R1/073; G01R1/07307; G01R1/07342; G01R31/00; G01R31/28; G01R31/2851; G01R31/2884; H05K3/00; H05K3/30; H05K3/306; H05K3/308; H05K3/32; H05K3/325; H05K3/326; H05K3/34; H05K3/341; H05K3/3421; H05K3/3426; H05K3/40; H05K3/4007; H05K3/4015; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/70; H10P72/74; H10P74/00; H10P74/23; H10W; H10W70/00; H10W70/099; H10W72/00; H10W72/01; H10W72/0198; H10W72/071; H10W72/075; H10W72/20; H10W74/00; H10W74/01; H10W74/012; H10W74/10; H10W74/15; H10W90/00; H10W90/701; B23K2101/00; B23K2101/36; B23K2101/40; C25D21/00; C25D21/02; C25D5/00; C25D5/22; C25D5/60; C25D5/605; G01R31/2855; G01R31/2856; G01R31/286; G01R31/2863; G01R31/2886; H01; H01R; H01R12/00; H01R12/50; H01R12/51; H01R12/52; H05K1/00; H05K1/02; H05K1/14; H05K1/141; H05K2201/00; H05K2201/03; H05K2201/0332; H05K2201/0388; H05K2201/0397; H05K2201/06; H05K2201/068; H05K2201/10; H05K2201/10227; H05K2201/1031; H05K2201/10318; H05K2201/10378; H05K2201/10613; H05K2201/10621; H05K2201/10719; H05K2201/10734; H05K2201/10742; H05K2201/1075; H05K2201/10757; H05K2201/10878; H05K2201/10886; H05K2201/10909; H05K2201/10946; H05K3/10; H05K3/20; H05K3/36; H05K3/368; H05K3/4092; H10W46/00; H10W46/501; H10W70/01; H10W70/05; H10W72/012; H10W72/01204; H10W72/01221; H10W72/01223; H10W72/01225; H10W72/01251; H10W72/01255; H10W72/013; H10W72/01331; H10W72/019; H10W72/072; H10W72/07231; H10W72/07236; H10W72/074; H10W72/07531; H10W72/07532; H10W72/07533; H10W72/07551; H10W72/07554; H10W72/221; H10W72/222; H10W72/223; H10W72/241; H10W72/242; H10W72/251; H10W72/252; H10W72/255; H10W72/29; H10W72/30; H10W72/321; H10W72/325; H10W72/351; H10W72/352; H10W72/353; H10W72/354; H10W72/50; H10W72/521; H10W72/522; H10W72/523; H10W72/531; H10W72/533; H10W72/534; H10W72/541; H10W72/543; H10W72/547; H10W72/551; H10W72/552; H10W72/5522; H10W72/5524; H10W72/5525; H10W72/555; H10W72/59; H10W72/851; H10W72/853; H10W72/856; H10W72/90; H10W72/921; H10W72/923; H10W72/951; H10W72/952; H10W90/20; H10W90/22; H10W90/721; H10W90/722; H10W90/751; H10W90/754; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P70/00; Y02P70/50; Y10; Y10S; Y10S977/00; Y10S977/70; Y10S977/701; Y10S977/712; Y10S977/723; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/49004; Y10T29/49117; Y10T29/49124; Y10T29/4913; Y10T29/49144; Y10T29/49147; Y10T29/49149; Y10T29/49169; Y10T29/49171; Y10T29/49204; Y10T29/49208; Y10T29/4922; Y10T29/4981; Y10T29/49812; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/12; Y10T428/12389; Y10T428/12396; Y10T428/12493; Y10T428/12528
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
143 words
Method of mounting resilient contact structures directly to semiconductor devices, comprising: providing an insulating layer over a patterned metal layer on a surface of a semiconductor device; providing a plurality of openings in the insulating layer; providing a blanket conductive layer atop the insulating layer; providing a patterned layer of masking material over the blanket conductive layer, said patterned layer of masking material having a plurality of openings aligned with the plurality of openings in the insulating layer; bonding a wire to the blanket conductive layer within each of at least a portion of the openings in the patterned layer of masking material; causing each bonded wire to extend from the surface of the semiconductor device; severing each bonded wire at a distance from the surface of the semiconductor device; and overcoating each severed wire and exposed portions of the blanket conductive layer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
143 words
Method of mounting resilient contact structures directly to semiconductor devices, comprising: providing an insulating layer over a patterned metal layer on a surface of a semiconductor device; providing a plurality of openings in the insulating layer; providing a blanket conductive layer atop the insulating layer; providing a patterned layer of masking material over the blanket conductive layer, said patterned layer of masking material having a plurality of openings aligned with the plurality of openings in the insulating layer; bonding a wire to the blanket conductive layer within each of at least a portion of the openings in the patterned layer of masking material; causing each bonded wire to extend from the surface of the semiconductor device; severing each bonded wire at a distance from the surface of the semiconductor device; and overcoating each severed wire and exposed portions of the blanket conductive layer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
Method, according to claim 1, further comprising: after overcoating the severed wires, removing the masking material and selectively removing all but the previously exposed portions of the blanket conductive layer.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
11 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein: the masking material is photoresist.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein: the openings in the patterned layer of masking material are larger than the openings in the insulating layer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
53 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein the wire is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of: gold, aluminum, copper, and their alloys; silver, palladium, platinum; metals or alloys such as metals of the platinum group of elements; and solder constituted from lead, tin, indium, bismuth, cadmium, antimony and their alloys.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
74 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein in the overcoating step, the severed wire and exposed portions of the blanket conductive layer are overcoated with a material selected from the group consisting of: nickel, and its alloys; copper, cobalt, iron, and their alloys; gold; silver; elements of the platinum group; noble metals; semi-noble metals and their alloys, elements of the platinum group and their alloys; tungsten and molybdenum; tin, lead, bismuth, indium and their alloys.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
66 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein in the overcoating step, the severed wire and exposed portions of the blanket conductive layer are overcoated using a process selected from the group consisting of: deposition of materials out of aqueous solutions; electrolytic plating; electroless plating; chemical vapor deposition (CVD); physical vapor deposition (PVD); and processes causing the deposition of materials through induced disintegration of liquid or solid precursors.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
Method, according to claim 1, further comprising: performing the method on a plurality of semiconductor devices which are resident on a semiconductor wafer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
Method, according to claim 8, further comprising: contacting the resilient contact structures while the semiconductor devices are resident on the semiconductor wafer to perform a process selected from the group consisting of testing and burn-in.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
57 words
Method, according to claim 9, further comprising: powering up at least a portion of the semiconductor devices resident on the semiconductor wafer by making electrical connections to the resilient contact structures on the portion of the unsingulated semiconductor devices; and heating the semiconductor wafer to a temperature of at least 150° C. for less than 60 minutes.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
Method, according to claim 9, further comprising: after performing the process selected from the group consisting of testing and burn-in, singulating the plurality of semiconductor devices from the semiconductor wafer.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
37 words
Method, according to claim 11, further comprising: after singulating the semiconductor devices from the semiconductor wafer, with the resilient contact structures, effecting electrical connections between selected one or more of the semiconductor devices and a wiring substrate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
Method, according to claim 11, wherein the electrical connections are effected by: mechanically biasing the semiconductor device against the wiring substrate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
Method, according to claim 12, wherein the electrical connections are effected by: soldering or brazing the tips of the resilient contact structures to corresponding third terminals on the wiring substrate.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
Method, according to claim 1, further comprising: joining pre-fabricated contact tip structures to the tips of the resilient contact structures.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
Method, according to claim 15, wherein: the contact tip structures are pre-fabricated on a sacrificial substrate; and further comprising removing the sacrificial substrate after joining the contact tip structures to the resilient contact.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
20 words
Method, according to claim 16, wherein: the contact tip structures comprise at least one layer of a conductive metallic material.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
13 words
Method, according to claim 16, wherein: the sacrificial substrate is a silicon wafer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
20 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein: the resilient contact structures are hermetically sealed to the surface of the semiconductor device.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
35 words
Method, according to claim 1, further comprising: pre-fabricating a plurality of contact tip structures on a sacrificial substrate; joining the contact tip structures to ends of the resilient contact structures; and removing the sacrificial substrate.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-11-02 | 2002-05-04 | 2002-11-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-11-02 | 2006-05-04 | 2006-11-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-11-02 | 2010-05-04 | 2010-11-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |