US6043563A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electronic components with terminals and spring contact elements extending from areas which are remote from the terminals
Assignee: FormFactor Inc
•
Filing: 1997-10-20
•
Granted: 2000-03-28
•
Expires: 2017-10-20
Abstract
Abstract Spring contact elements are fabricated at areas on an electronic component remote from terminals to which they are electrically connected. For example, the spring contact elements may be mounted to remote regions such as distal ends of extended tails (conductive lines) which extend from a terminal of an electronic component to positions which are remote from the terminals. In this manner, a plurality of substantially identical spring contact elements can be mounted to the component so that their free (distal) ends are disposed in a pattern and at positions which are spatially-translated from the pattern of the terminals on the component. The spring contact elements include, but are not limited to, composite interconnection elements and plated-up structures. The electronic component includes, but is not limited to, a semiconductor device, a memory chip, a portion of a semiconductor wafer, a space transformer, a probe card, a chip carrier, and a socket.
Inventors
- 👤 Benjamin N. Eldridge
- 👤 Igor Y. Khandros
- 👤 Gaetan L. Mathieu
- 👤 David V. Pedersen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 08:42
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W72/00; H10W72/20; G; G01; G01R; G01R31/00; G01R31/28; G01R31/2851; G01R31/2884; H10W20/00; H10W20/40; H10W70/00; H10W70/01; H10W70/05; H10W70/099; H10W90/00; H10W90/701; G01R1/00; G01R1/02; G01R1/06; G01R1/067; G01R1/06711; G01R31/2855; G01R31/2856; G01R31/286; G01R31/2863; H05; H05K; H05K3/00; H05K3/10; H05K3/20; H05K3/30; H05K3/32; H05K3/34; H05K3/341; H05K3/3421; H05K3/40; H05K3/4092; H10W72/50; H10W72/531; H10W72/533; H10W72/534; H10W72/551; H10W72/552; H10W72/5522; H10W72/5524; H10W72/5525; H10W72/59; H10W72/90; H10W72/941; H10W72/944; H10W72/9445; H10W72/951; H10W72/952
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 34
Claim 1
Independent Claim
98 words
An electronic component, comprising: a terminal on the electronic component; a first remote area on the component which is remote from the terminal; an electrical connection between the terminal and the first remote area; and a first spring contact element disposed at the first remote area, the spring contact element further comprising: a precursor element, of a first material, attached to and extending from the first remote area; and a second material deposited in a form determined significantly by the precursor element, wherein the precursor element without the second material is flexible, and the second material is resilient.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
98 words
An electronic component, comprising: a terminal on the electronic component; a first remote area on the component which is remote from the terminal; an electrical connection between the terminal and the first remote area; and a first spring contact element disposed at the first remote area, the spring contact element further comprising: a precursor element, of a first material, attached to and extending from the first remote area; and a second material deposited in a form determined significantly by the precursor element, wherein the precursor element without the second material is flexible, and the second material is resilient.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
The electronic component, according to claim 1, wherein: the electrical connection comprises a conductive trace having a proximal end joined to the terminal; and the first remote area comprises a position on the conductive trace which is remote from the proximal end of the conductive line.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
77 words
The electronic component, according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of terminals on the electronic component; a plurality of first remote areas on the electronic component; a plurality of electrical connections, each of the plurality of electrical connections extending between selected ones of the terminals and selected ones of the first remote areas; and a plurality of spring contact elements, each of the plurality of spring contact elements disposed at a one of the remote areas.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
82 words
The electronic component, according to claim 3, further comprising: a first layer on the electronic component having a first pattern of first conductive traces; a second layer on the electronic component having a second pattern of second conductive traces; selected portions of the first conductive traces joined to selected ones of the terminals; and selected portions of the second conductive traces electrically connected to selected ones of the first conductive traces; wherein the first remote areas are on the second conductive traces.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
53 words
The electronic component, according to claim 4, further comprising: a third layer on the electronic component having a third pattern of third conductive traces; wherein the selected portions of the second conductive traces electrically are connected to the selected ones of the first conductive traces via selected portions of the third conductive layer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
The electronic component, according to claim 3, wherein: the electrical connections comprise a plurality of conductive lines; and at least one of the plurality of conductive lines crosses over another one of the plurality of conductive lines without electrically contacting the other one of the conductive lines.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The electronic component, according to claim 3, wherein: the spring contact elements are substantially identical to one another.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
72 words
The electronic component, according to claim 3, wherein: the plurality of terminals are disposed in a first pattern on the component; each of the plurality of spring contact elements has a contact region, the contact region displaced away from the electronic component and moveable toward the electronic component; the contact regions of the spring contact elements are arranged in a second pattern; and the second pattern is different from the first pattern.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
The electronic component, according to claim 8, wherein: the first pattern comprises a peripheral pattern having a first pitch; the second pattern comprises a peripheral pattern having a second pitch; and the second pitch is different than the first pitch.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The electronic component, according to claim 8, wherein: the second pattern comprises a row.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The electronic component, according to claim 8, wherein: the first pattern comprises a row.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
65 words
The electronic component, according to claim 3, wherein: each of the plurality of spring contact elements has a contact region, the contact region displaced away from the electronic component and moveable toward the electronic component; the plurality of terminals are disposed in a peripheral pattern on the component; and the plurality of contact regions of the spring contact elements are arranged in an area array.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
The electronic component, according to claim 1, further comprising: a second remote area on the electronic component, the second remote area electrically connected to the terminal; and a second spring contact element disposed at the second remote area.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
18 words
The electronic component, according to claim 1, wherein: the first spring contact element is a composite interconnection element.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
17 words
The electronic component, according to claim 1, wherein: the first spring contact element is a plated-up structure.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
42 words
The electronic component, according to claim 1, wherein: the electronic component is selected from the group consisting of a semiconductor device, a memory chip, a portion of a semiconductor wafer, a space transformer, a probe card, a chip carrier, and a socket.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
136 words
A semiconductor device with an integral contact element, comprising: a semiconductor device; a bond pad on the semiconductor device; a conductive trace on the semiconductor device extending from the bond pad to a position which is remote from the terminal; a spring contact element having a base end at a region of the conductive trace which is remote from the bond pad, the spring contact element having a contact region disposed above the surface of the substrate and offset from the base end, the spring contact element further comprising: a precursor element, of a first material, attached to and extending from the first remote area; and a second material deposited in a form determined significantly by the precursor element, wherein the precursor element without the second material is flexible, and the second material forms a spring.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
136 words
A semiconductor device with an integral contact element, comprising: a semiconductor device; a bond pad on the semiconductor device; a conductive trace on the semiconductor device extending from the bond pad to a position which is remote from the terminal; a spring contact element having a base end at a region of the conductive trace which is remote from the bond pad, the spring contact element having a contact region disposed above the surface of the substrate and offset from the base end, the spring contact element further comprising: a precursor element, of a first material, attached to and extending from the first remote area; and a second material deposited in a form determined significantly by the precursor element, wherein the precursor element without the second material is flexible, and the second material forms a spring.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
17 words
The semiconductor device, according to claim 17, wherein: the spring contact element comprises a composite interconnection element.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
16 words
The semiconductor device, according to claim 17, wherein: the spring contact element comprises a plated-up structure.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
15 words
The semiconductor device, according to claim 17, wherein: the semiconductor device is a memory chip.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
24 words
The electronic component, according to claim 1, wherein the first material includes a material selected from the group consisting of gold, aluminum and copper.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
26 words
The electronic component, according to claim 1, wherein the spring contact element is resilient and the second material dominates the resiliency of the spring contact element.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
17 words
The electronic component, according to claim 1, wherein the second material is stronger than the precursor element.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
19 words
The electronic component, according to claim 1, wherein the second material is a coating which envelops the precursor element.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
24 words
The electronic component, according to claim 1, wherein the second material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and iron.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
18 words
The electronic component, according to claim 1, wherein the second material is deposited directly on the precursor element.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
24 words
The semiconductor device, according to claim 17, wherein the first material includes a material selected from the group consisting of gold, aluminum and copper.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
26 words
The semiconductor device, according to claim 17, wherein the spring contact element is resilient and the second material dominates the resiliency of the spring contact element.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
17 words
The semiconductor device, according to claim 17, wherein the second material is stronger than the precursor element.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
19 words
The semiconductor device, according to claim 17, wherein the second material is a coating which envelops the precursor element.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
24 words
The semiconductor device, according to claim 17, wherein the second material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and iron.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
18 words
The semiconductor device, according to claim 17, wherein the second material is deposited directly on the precursor element.
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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) | 2003-03-28 | 2003-09-27 | 2004-03-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-03-28 | 2007-09-27 | 2008-03-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-03-28 | 2011-09-27 | 2012-03-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |