Scb Technologies, Inc.

The Ensign-bickford Company

Ensign-bickford Aerospace & Defense Company

Bernardo Martinez-Tovar

John A Montoya

Martin C Foster

Craig Boucher

David B Novotney

A semiconductor bridge die may have an 'H-design' or 'trapezoidal' configuration in which a center bridge segment is flanked by one or more angled walls on each side of the bridge segment. Each wall is plated with a conductive material, thereby providing a continuous conductive path across the top surface of the die. A bottom surface of the die may be connected to a top surface of a header by epoxy in various configurations. The plated angled walls facilitate the solderable connection of the walls to a plated top surface of each of several pins on a top surface of the header, thereby providing a continuous electrical connection between the pins and the die. Also, a method is provided for manufacturing a semiconductor bridge die in accordance with the various embodiments of the die.

Surface mountable semiconductor bridge die

This invention relates to a solid-state or integrated circuit-type igniter die () having a bridge () that is formed on a non-planar surface of a substrate (), and which therefore has a non-planar configuration. Igniter die (), according to this invention therefore has a three-dimensional configuration and, preferably, a configuration that can enclose a reactive material () therein. In a typical embodiment, the bridge () of an igniter element of this invention has a tubular configuration. Reactive material () is disposed within the interior of the tube () and a charge of electric current is flowed through the tube () from o the other to form a plasma that initiates the remaining reactive material ().

Tubular igniter bridge

A semiconductor bridge igniter device (,) having integral voltage anti-fuse protection provides an electric circuit including a first firing leg and, optionally, a monitor leg. The first firing leg includes a first semiconductor bridge having semiconductor pads (,) separated and connected by a bridge (,) and having metallized lands (,) disposed over the pads (,) so that an electrical potential applied across the metallized lands (,) will cause sufficient current to flow through the firing leg of the electric circuit to release energy at the bridge (14,). A dielectric layer (,) is interposed within the first firing leg and has a breakdown voltage equal to a selected threshold voltage (V,) and therefore provides protection against the device functioning at voltages below the threshold voltage (V,). A continuity monitor leg of the electric circuit is comprised of either a fusible link (,) or a resistor (,) disposed in parallel to the first firing leg. A second firing leg may be provided which includes a second semiconductor bridge formed similar to the first semiconductor bridge although being mounted to receive a reverse polarity voltage from that of the first semiconductor bridge in order to reduce variations in firing voltage. A capacitor may be employed in parallel with the first firing leg in order to, e.g., reduce the effects of static electricity.

Voltage-protected semiconductor bridge igniter elements

A device, e.g., an explosive-initiation device (24) includes a semiconductor bridge device (10) comprising semiconductor pads (14a, 14b) separated by an initiator bridge (14c) and having metallized lands (16a, 16b) disposed over the pads (14a, 14b). The metallized lands (16a, 16b) each comprise a titanium base layer (18), a titanium-tungsten intermediate layer (20) and a tungsten top layer (22). This multilayer construction is simple to apply, provides good adhesion to the semiconductor (14) and enhanced semiconductor bridge characteristics, and avoids the electromigration problems attendant upon use of aluminum metallized lands under severe conditions of no-fire tests and very low firing voltage or current levels. The semiconductor (14) may optionally be covered by a cap or cover (117) of a stratified metal layer similar or identical to the metallized lands (16a, 16b). A method of making the semiconductor bridge devices includes metal sputtering of titanium, then titanium plus tungsten and then tungsten onto an appropriately masked semiconductor surface to attain the multilayer metallized lands (16a, 16b) and/or cover (117) of the invention.

Semiconductor bridge device and method of making the same

A semiconductor element, e.g., a semiconductor bridge element (30), is surface mountable as it has thereon a metal layer comprised of metal lands (44) and electrical connectors 45a, 45b and 45c) which terminate in flat electrical contacts (47) on the back surface (35) of the element. Optionally, the element may also contain back-to-back zener diodes (46a, 46b) to provide unbiased protection against electrostatic discharge. When configured as a semiconductor bridge element (30), the element, among other uses, finds use as an igniter (13) for an explosive element. The elements may be made by a method including a cross-cut technique in which grooves (60) cut in the front surface (58) of a silicon wafer substrate (56) intersect grooves (64) cut in the back surface (62) of the wafer. The intersecting grooves (60,64) form a plurality of apertures in the wafer (56), the apertures and grooves helping to define a plurality of dies having side surfaces. A dielectric layer (48) is deposited on the wafer (56) and a polysilicon film (52) is deposited over the dielectric layer (48). A metal layer (44, 45a-45c, and 47) is then deposited on the wafer while it is still intact to provide an electrical connection from the top surface (34) of element (30) along the side surfaces (66a, 66b and 66c, and 68a, 68b and 66c) to the bottom surface (35) to constitute the dies as the semiconductor elements (30). The elements (30) are separated and the electrical contacts (47) of a given element can be mounted directly to a header (36) or the like by soldering, without need for connector wires (14).

Surface-connectable semiconductor bridge elements and devices including

A semiconductor bridge igniter device (10) having integral voltage anti-fuse protection provides an electric circuit including a firing leg and, optionally, a monitor leg. The firing leg comprises semiconductor pads (14a, 14b) separated and connected by a bridge (14c) and having metallized lands (16a, 16b) disposed over the pads (14a, 14b) so that an electrical potential applied across the metallized lands (16a, 16b) will cause sufficient current to flow through the firing leg of the electric circuit to release energy at the bridge (14c). A dielectric layer (15) is interposed within the firing leg and has a breakdown voltage equal to a selected threshold voltage (V.sub.th) and therefore provides protection against the device functioning at voltages below the threshold voltage (V.sub.th). A continuity monitor leg of the electric circuit is comprised of either a fusible link (34) or a resistor (36) disposed in parallel to the firing leg.

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Bernardo Martinez-Tovar