US5897326A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of exercising semiconductor devices
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1997-04-15
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Granted: 1999-04-27
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Expires: 2017-04-15
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
2026-11-08 16:36
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; C25D5/60; 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: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
114 words
The method of exercising selected from the group consisting of test and burn-in on at least one semiconductor device, comprising: permanently mounting resilient contact structures directly to at least one semiconductor device; urging the at least one semiconductor device against a test board, said test board having contact areas, so that tips of the resilient contact structures are electrically connected to the contact areas on the test board; exercising the at least one semiconductor device; and subsequently mounting the at least one semiconductor device to a system board, said system board having contact areas, so that the tips of the resilient contact structures are electrically connected to the contact areas on the system board.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
114 words
The method of exercising selected from the group consisting of test and burn-in on at least one semiconductor device, comprising: permanently mounting resilient contact structures directly to at least one semiconductor device; urging the at least one semiconductor device against a test board, said test board having contact areas, so that tips of the resilient contact structures are electrically connected to the contact areas on the test board; exercising the at least one semiconductor device; and subsequently mounting the at least one semiconductor device to a system board, said system board having contact areas, so that the tips of the resilient contact structures are electrically connected to the contact areas on the system board.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method, according to claim 1, further comprising: permanently connecting the at least one semiconductor device to the system board.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method, according to claim 1, further comprising: mounting the resilient contact structures to a plurality of semiconductor devices prior to singulating the semiconductor devices from a semiconductor wafer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method, according to claim 1, further comprising: mounting the resilient contact structures to a plurality of semiconductor devices after singulating the semiconductor devices from a semiconductor wafer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method, according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one semiconductor device is tested while urged against the test board.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method, according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one semiconductor device is burned-in while urged against the test board.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method, according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one semiconductor device is tested and burned-in while urged against the test board.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method, according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one semiconductor device is mechanically biased against the system board.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method, according to claim 1, wherein: the resilient contact structures are joined to the contact areas on the system board by soldering or brazing.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method, according to claim 1, further comprising: joining contact tip structures to the tips of the resilient contact structures.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method, according to claim 10, 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 structures.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method, according to claim 11, wherein: the contact tip structures comprise at least one layer of a conductive material.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method, according to claim 11, wherein: the sacrificial substrate is a silicon wafer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method, according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one semiconductor device is burned-in at a temperature of at least 150° C. for less than 60 minutes.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method, according to claim 1, wherein: the resilient contact structures are hermetically sealed to the at least one semiconductor device.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
149 words
The method, according to claim 1, wherein the resilient contact structures are formed by: providing an insulating layer over a patterned metal layer on a surface of the at least one semiconductor die; 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 die; severing each bonded wire at a distance from the surface of the semiconductor die; and overcoating each severed wire and exposed portions of the blanket conductive layer.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method, according to claim 16, 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 19
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method, according to claim 16, wherein: the masking material is photoresist.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method, according to claim 16, wherein: the openings in the patterned layer of masking material are larger than the openings in the insulating layer.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 wherein: a plurality of the resilient contact structures are free-standing.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
145 words
The method of exercising at least one semiconductor device, comprising: permanently mounting a plurality of resilient contact structures directly to at least one semiconductor device, substantially each of the resilient contact structures being mounted to an electrical connection point on a corresponding semiconductor device, and free-standing away from a surface of the semiconductor device; urging the at least one semiconductor device against a test board, said test board having first contact areas, so that tips of the resilient contact structures are electrically connected to the first contact areas on the test board; exercising the at least one semiconductor device by activating the semiconductor device; and subsequently mounting the at least one semiconductor device to a system board, said system board having second contact areas, so that the tips of the resilient contact structures are electrically connected to the second contact areas on the system board.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
145 words
The method of exercising at least one semiconductor device, comprising: permanently mounting a plurality of resilient contact structures directly to at least one semiconductor device, substantially each of the resilient contact structures being mounted to an electrical connection point on a corresponding semiconductor device, and free-standing away from a surface of the semiconductor device; urging the at least one semiconductor device against a test board, said test board having first contact areas, so that tips of the resilient contact structures are electrically connected to the first contact areas on the test board; exercising the at least one semiconductor device by activating the semiconductor device; and subsequently mounting the at least one semiconductor device to a system board, said system board having second contact areas, so that the tips of the resilient contact structures are electrically connected to the second contact areas on the system board.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 21 further comprising: in mounting the at least one semiconductor device to the system board, permanently connecting the at least one semiconductor device to the system board.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 22 further comprising: joining by soldering or brazing selected ones of the resilient contact structures of at least one semiconductor device to selected ones of corresponding second contact areas on the system board.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 22 further comprising: exercising the at least one semiconductor device by testing the at least one semiconductor device while it is activated.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 22 further comprising: burning in the at least one semiconductor device while it is activated.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-04-26 | 2002-10-26 | 2003-04-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-04-26 | 2006-10-26 | 2007-04-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-04-26 | 2010-10-26 | 2011-04-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |