Filter structures for integrated circuit interfaces
Granted: March 27, 2001
Patent Number:
6208225
A method of optimizing the frequency response of an interconnect system of the type which conveys high frequency signals between bond pads of separate integrated circuits (ICs) mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) through inductive conductors, such as bond wires and package legs, and a trace on the surface of the PCB. To improve the interconnect system, capacitance is added to the trace and inductance is added to the conductors, with the added trace capacitance and conductor…
Method of making microelectronic spring contact elements
Granted: February 6, 2001
Patent Number:
6184053
Spring contact elements are fabricated by depositing at least one layer of metallic material into openings defined in masking layers deposited on a surface of a substrate which may be an electronic component such as an active semiconductor device. Each spring contact element has a base end, a contact end, and a central body portion. The contact end is offset in the z-axis (at a different height) and in at least one of the x and y directions from the base end. In this manner, a plurality…
Resilient contact structures, electronic interconnection component, and method of mounting resilient contact structures to electronic components
Granted: February 6, 2001
Patent Number:
6184587
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…
Process of mounting spring contacts to semiconductor devices
Granted: January 2, 2001
Patent Number:
6168974
A process for providing a plurality free-standing resilient contact structures (spring elements) mounted to a surface of a carrier substrate. The carrier substrate is mounted to a surface of a semiconductor device, or one or more unsingulated semiconductor dies. Bond pads of the semiconductor device are connected to the spring elements by bond wires extending between the bond pads and terminals associated with the spring elements. The carrier substrate is mounted to one or more…
Method of making a product with improved material properties by moderate heat-treatment of a metal incorporating a dilute additive
Granted: November 21, 2000
Patent Number:
6150186
Deposition of metal in a preferred shape, including coatings on parts, or stand-alone materials, and subsequent heat treatment to provide improved mechanical properties. In particular, the method gives products with relatively high yield strength. The products often have relatively high elastic modulus, and are thermally stable, maintaining the high yield strength at temperatures considerably above 25.degree. C. This technique involves depositing a material in the presence of a selected…
Method of modifying the thickness of a plating on a member by creating a temperature gradient on the member, applications for employing such a method, and structures resulting from such a method
Granted: August 29, 2000
Patent Number:
6110823
Contact structures exhibiting resilience or compliance for a variety of electronic components are formed by bonding a free end of a wire to a substrate, configuring thw wire into a wire stem having a springable shape, serving thw wire stem, and overcoating the wire stem with at least one layer of a material chosen primarily for its structural (resiliency, compliance) characteristics. A variety of techniques for configuring, serving, and overcoating the wire stem are disclosed. In an…
Method and apparatus for controlling plating over a face of a substrate
Granted: July 18, 2000
Patent Number:
6090261
According to aspect of the invention, a plating system is provided which includes a tank for containing a plating solution, a shaft extending into the tank, and a substrate holder mounted to the shaft. The shaft and the tank are rotatable relative to one another. The substrate holder is configured to support a substrate in position so that at least a first face of the substrate is exposed to the plating solution in the tank.
Wafer-level burn-in and test
Granted: May 16, 2000
Patent Number:
6064213
Wafer-level burn-in and test of semiconductor devices under test (DUTs) includes a test substrate having active electronic components (e.g. ASICs) secured to an interconnection substrate, spring contact elements effecting interconnections between the ASICs and the DUTs. This is advantageously performed in a vacuum vessel so that the ASICs can be operated at temperatures independent from and significantly lower than the burn-in temperature of the DUTs. The spring contact elements may be…
Method of mounting free-standing resilient electrical contact structures to electronic components
Granted: April 18, 2000
Patent Number:
6049976
A method for manufacturing raised contacts on the surface of an electronic component includes bonding one end of a wire to an area, such as a terminal, of the electronic component, and shaping the wire into a wire stem configuration (including straight, bent two-dimensionally, bent three-dimensionally). A coating, having one or more layers, is deposited on the wire stem to (i) impart resilient mechanical characteristics to the shaped wire stem and (ii) more securely attach ("anchor") the…
Making discrete power connections to a space transformer of a probe card assembly
Granted: April 18, 2000
Patent Number:
6050829
By segregating at least a substantial portion of the power connections to the space transformer component (506, 700, 800) from the signal connections thereto, constraints on the interposer component (504) may be relaxed. This is particularly advantageous in the context of probing one or more high power semiconductor components. The technique of the present invention provides for a plurality of signals (including power and ground) to be inserted into an electronic component such as a…
Apparatus for controlling plating over a face of a substrate
Granted: March 28, 2000
Patent Number:
6042712
According to one aspect of the invention, a plating system is provided which includes a tank for containing a plating solution, a substrate holder, and a temperature control device. The substrate holder is configured to support a substrate in position so that at least a first face of the substrate is exposed to the plating solution in the tank. The temperature control device provides selective control of temperature in various regions of the substrate during plating so as to control…
Electronic components with terminals and spring contact elements extending from areas which are remote from the terminals
Granted: March 28, 2000
Patent Number:
6043563
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…
Wafer-level test and burn-in, and semiconductor process
Granted: March 7, 2000
Patent Number:
6032356
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) 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…
Sockets for "springed" semiconductor devices
Granted: March 7, 2000
Patent Number:
6033935
Temporary connections to spring contact elements extending from an electronic component such as a semiconductor device are made by urging the electronic component, consequently the ends of the spring contact elements, vertically against terminals of an interconnection substrate, or by horizontally urging terminals of an interconnection substrate against end portions of the spring contact elements. A variety of terminal configurations are disclosed.
Composite interconnection element for microelectronic components, and method of making same
Granted: February 29, 2000
Patent Number:
6029344
Interconnection elements for electronic components, exhibiting desirable mechanical characteristics (such as resiliency, for making pressure contacts) are formed by shaping an elongate element (core) of a soft material (such as gold) to have a springable shape (including cantilever beam, S-shape, U-shape), and overcoating the shaped elongate element with a hard material (such as nickel and its alloys), to impart a desired spring (resilient) characteristic to the resulting composite…
Chip-scale carrier for semiconductor devices including mounted spring contacts
Granted: February 8, 2000
Patent Number:
6023103
A plurality of free-standing resilient contact structures (spring elements) are mounted to a surface of a carrier substrate. The carrier substrate is mounted to a surface of a semiconductor device, or one or more unsingulated semiconductor dies. Bond pads of the semiconductor device are connected to the spring elements by bond wires extending between the bond pads and terminals associated with the spring elements. The carrier substrate is mounted to one or more semiconductor devices…
Stacking semiconductor devices, particularly memory chips
Granted: December 7, 1999
Patent Number:
5998864
High density packaging of semiconductor devices on an interconnection substrate is achieved by stacking bare semiconductor devices atop one another so that an edge portion of a semiconductor device extends beyond the semiconductor device that it is stacked atop. Elongate interconnection elements extend from the bottommost one of the semiconductor devices, and from the exposed edge portions of the semiconductor devices stacked atop the bottommost semiconductor device. Free-ends of the…
Fabricating interconnects and tips using sacrificial substrates
Granted: November 30, 1999
Patent Number:
5994152
Interconnection elements and/or tip structures for interconnection elements may first be fabricated upon sacrificial substrates for subsequent mounting to electronic components. In this manner, the electronic components are not `at risk` during the fabrication process. The sacrificial substrate establishes a predetermined spatial relationship between the interconnection elements which may be composite interconnection elements having a relatively soft elongate element as a core and a…
Method of temporarily, then permanently, connecting to a semiconductor device
Granted: November 16, 1999
Patent Number:
5983493
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…
Method of planarizing tips of probe elements of a probe card assembly
Granted: November 2, 1999
Patent Number:
5974662
A probe card assembly includes a probe card, a space transformer having resilient contact structures (probe elements) mounted directly to (i.e., without the need for additional connecting wires or the like) and extending from terminals on a surface thereof, and an interposer disposed between the space transformer and the probe card. The space transformer and interposer are "stacked up" so that the orientation of the space transformer, hence the orientation of the tips of the probe…
