US5900738A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Contact structure device for interconnections, interposer, semiconductor assembly and package using the same and method
Assignee: FormFactor Inc
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Filing: 1996-10-21
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Granted: 1999-05-04
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Expires: 2016-10-21
Abstract
Abstract An interconnection contact structure assembly including an electronic component having a surface and a conductive contact carried by the electronic component and accessible at the surface. The contact structure includes an internal flexible elongate member having first and second ends and with the first end forming a first intimate bond to the surface of said conductive contact terminal without the use of a separate bonding material. An electrically conductive shell is provided and is formed of at least one layer of a conductive material enveloping the elongate member and forming a second intimate bond with at least a portion of the conductive contact terminal immediately adjacent the first intimate bond.
Inventors
- 👤 Igor Y. Khandros
- 👤 Gaetar L. Mathieu
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 15:35
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K7/00; H05K7/02; H05K7/10; H05K7/1053; H05K7/1061; H05K7/1069; G; G01; G01R; G01R1/00; G01R1/02; G01R1/04; G01R1/0408; G01R1/0433; G01R1/0441; G01R1/0466; G01R1/0483; G01R1/06; G01R1/067; G01R1/06711; G01R1/06716; G01R1/073; G01R1/07307; G01R1/07314; G01R1/07342; G01R1/07357; 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; H10P72/04; H10P72/0444; H10P72/0448; H10P74/00; H10P74/23; H10W; H10W70/00; H10W70/099; H10W70/60; H10W70/62; H10W70/63; H10W70/635; H10W72/00; H10W72/20; H10W74/00; H10W74/01; H10W74/012; H10W74/10; H10W74/15; H10W90/00; H10W90/701; B; B23; B23K; B23K2101/00; B23K2101/36; B23K2101/40; G01R1/06755; G01R1/06761; G01R3/00; 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; H05K3/36; H05K3/368; H05K3/4092; H10W70/67; H10W70/68; H10W70/682; H10W70/685; H10W72/01; H10W72/012; H10W72/01221; H10W72/01225; H10W72/015; H10W72/01551; H10W72/071; H10W72/0711; H10W72/07141; H10W72/072; H10W72/07231; H10W72/07236; H10W72/075; H10W72/07511; H10W72/07531; H10W72/07532; H10W72/07533; H10W72/07551; H10W72/07554; H10W72/221; H10W72/222; H10W72/251; H10W72/252; H10W72/255; H10W72/29; H10W72/50; H10W72/521; H10W72/522; H10W72/541; H10W72/547; H10W72/551; H10W72/552; H10W72/5522; H10W72/5524; H10W72/5525; H10W72/851; H10W72/853; H10W72/856; H10W72/90; H10W72/941; H10W72/944; H10W72/9445; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P70/00; Y02P70/50; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/49117; Y10T29/49124; Y10T29/4913; Y10T29/49144; Y10T29/49147; Y10T29/49149; Y10T29/49155; Y10T29/49162; Y10T29/49169; Y10T29/49204; Y10T29/49208; Y10T29/49217; Y10T29/49224
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
125 words
Method of testing semiconductor devices, comprising: mounting a plurality of resilient contact structures to one or more semiconductor devices, each semiconductor device having a surface which is covered by a passivation layer having holes therethrough whereby terminals of the semiconductor device are accessible through the holes, and a plurality of conductive material elements extending through the holes to contact the terminals, and each resilient contact structure having a tip and is formed by mounting an elongate flexible core element to a respective conductive material element of said plurality of conductive material elements, and forming a conductive shell over the elongate flexible core element; and yieldably urging the tips of the resilient contact structures into compressive engagement with matching contact terminals provided on a test substrate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
125 words
Method of testing semiconductor devices, comprising: mounting a plurality of resilient contact structures to one or more semiconductor devices, each semiconductor device having a surface which is covered by a passivation layer having holes therethrough whereby terminals of the semiconductor device are accessible through the holes, and a plurality of conductive material elements extending through the holes to contact the terminals, and each resilient contact structure having a tip and is formed by mounting an elongate flexible core element to a respective conductive material element of said plurality of conductive material elements, and forming a conductive shell over the elongate flexible core element; and yieldably urging the tips of the resilient contact structures into compressive engagement with matching contact terminals provided on a test substrate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
Method, as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: prior to yieldably urging, providing the resilient contact structures with an outer layer of a noble metal selected from the group consisting of gold, rhodium or silver.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
Method, as claimed in claim 2, further comprising: providing a material selected from the group consisting of gold, rhodium or silver on the contact terminals.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
Method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the testing includes burn-in testing.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
Method, as claimed in claim 4, further comprising: during testing, exposing the semiconductor device to alternately high and low temperatures.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
Method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein: resilient contact structures of multiple semiconductor devices are yieldably urged against a single test substrate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
43 words
Method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the resilient contact structures are mounted to contact pads on the semiconductor devices, said contact pads being at a relatively fine pitch; and the contact terminals on the test substrate are at a relatively coarser pitch.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
51 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein: the elongate flexible core element is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of: (a) gold, aluminum and copper with small amounts of beryllium, cadmium, silicon and magnesium, and (b) metals of the platinum group, and (c) lead, tin, indium and their alloys.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
46 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein: at least one layer of the shell is formed of a material which is selected for its ability to provide mechanical properties selected from the group consisting of spring properties, resiliency yield strength and compliance for the resilient contact structure.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein: at least one layer of the shell is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of nickel, iron, cobalt and their alloys.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
46 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein: at least one layer of the shell is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of copper, nickel, cobalt, tin, boron, phosphorous, chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, bismuth, indium, cesium, antimony, gold, silver, rhodium, palladium, platinum, ruthenium, and their alloys.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
40 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein: at least one layer of the shell is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt, iron, phosphorous, boron, copper, tungsten, molybdenum, rhodium, chromium, ruthenium, lead, tin and their alloys.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
40 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein: a top layer of the shell is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, metals of the platinum group, alloys of metals of the platinum group and solder alloys.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein: an inner layer of the shell is in the form of a coating selected from the group consisting of nickel and its alloys.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
Method, according to claim 1, wherein: the holes have a first diameter; the conductive material elements have a second diameter; and the second diameter is 0.5 to 5 mils greater than the first diameter.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
Method, according to claim 15, wherein: the second diameter is 1-3 mils greater than the first diameter.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
20 words
Method, according to claim 1, further comprising: metallization covering the resilient contact structures and the plurality of conductive material elements.
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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) | 2002-05-03 | 2002-11-02 | 2003-05-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-05-03 | 2006-11-02 | 2007-05-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-05-03 | 2010-11-02 | 2011-05-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |