Qualcomm Incorporated

Burroughs, Inc.

Brian Matthew Henderson

Shiqun Gu

Matthew Michael Nowak

Jonghae Kim

Arvind Chandrasekaran

Thomas R Toms

Reza Jalilizeinali

Chiew-Guan Tan

Jung Pill Kim

Vidhya Ramachandran

Taehyun Kim

Lew G Chua-Eoan

Seyfollah Seyfollahi Bazarjani

Seung Hyuk Kang

Xia Li

Eugene Robert Worley

Dong Wook Kim

Gregory Ameriada Uvieghara

Homyar C Mogul

Mark M Nakamoto

Ronnie A Lindley

Jiayu Xu

Chandra Sekhar Nimmagadda

Alan M Gundlach

Anthony J Walton

Gregory A Uvieghara

Arvind Chandreaskaran

A method includes thinning a back-side of a substrate to expose a portion of a first via that is formed in the substrate. The method also includes forming a first diode at the back-side of the substrate. The first diode is coupled to the first via.

Electrostatic discharge diodes and methods of forming electrostatic discharge diodes

An integrated magnetic film enhanced inductor and a method of forming an integrated magnetic film enhanced inductor are disclosed. The integrated magnetic film enhanced inductor includes an inductor metal having a first portion and a second portion, a top metal or bottom metal coupled to the inductor metal, and an isolation film disposed one of in, on, and adjacent to at least one of the first portion and the second portion of the inductor metal. The isolation film includes a magnetic material, such as a magnetic film.

Magnetic film enhanced inductor

One feature pertains to a multi-chip module that comprises at least a first integrated circuit (IC) die and a second IC die. The second IC die has an input/output (I/O) node electrically coupled to the first IC die by a through substrate via. The second die's active surface also includes a fuse that is electrically coupled to the I/O node and adapted to protect the second IC die from damage caused by an electrostatic discharge (ESD). In particular, the fuse protects the second IC die from ESD that may be generated as a result of electrically coupling the first die to the second die during the manufacturing of the multi-chip module. Upon coupling the first die to the second die, the fuse may bypass the ESD current generated by the ESD to ground. After packaging of the multi-chip module is complete, the fuse may be blown open.

Electrostatic protection for stacked multi-chip integrated circuits

A semiconductor device includes a die coupled to a substrate, a first memory device coupled to a surface of the die opposite the substrate and a coupling device coupled between the surface of the die opposite the substrate and a second memory device such that the second memory device at least partially overlaps the first memory device. Also disclosed is method of mounting first and second memory devices on a die in an at least partially overlapping manner.

Semiconductor device having stacked memory elements and method of stacking memory elements on a semiconductor device

Electrostatic discharge diode

A stacked integrated circuit (IC) may be manufactured with a second tier wafer bonded to a double-sided first tier wafer. The double-sided first tier wafer includes back-end-of-line (BEOL) layers on a front and a back side of the wafer. Extended contacts within the first tier wafer connect the front side and the back side BEOL layers. The extended contact extends through a junction of the first tier wafer. The second tier wafer couples to the front side of the first tier wafer through the extended contacts. Additional contacts couple devices within the first tier wafer to the front side BEOL layers. When double-sided wafers are used in stacked ICs, the height of the stacked ICs may be reduced. The stacked ICs may include wafers of identical functions or wafers of different functions.

Dual-side interconnected CMOS for stacked integrated circuits

An interconnect sensor for detecting delamination due to coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch and/or mechanical stress. The sensor comprises a conductive path that includes a via disposed between two back end of line metal layers separated by a dielectric. The via is coupled between a first probe structure and a second probe structure and mechanically coupled to a stress inducing structure. The via is configured to alter the conductive path in response to mechanical stress caused by the stress inducing structure. The stress inducing structure can be a through silicon via or a solder ball. The dielectric material can be a low-k dielectric material. In another embodiment, a method of forming an interconnect sensor is provided for detecting delamination.

Interconnect sensor for detecting delamination

Electrostatic discharge susceptibility is reduced when assembling a stacked IC device by coupling a ground plane of a first semiconductor device and a ground plane of a second semiconductor device to place the ground plane at substantially a same electrical potential. Active circuitry on the first semiconductor device and active circuitry on the second semiconductor device are electrically coupled after the ground planes are coupled. Electrically coupling the ground planes of the first and the second semiconductor device creates a preferred electrostatic discharge path to ground, thus reducing potential damage to sensitive circuit elements.

Reduced susceptibility to electrostatic discharge during 3D semiconductor device bonding and assembly

A process for wafer-to-wafer bonding of a first wafer having a first set of dies of a first die size to a reconstituted wafer of a second set of dies having a second die size different than the first die size. The process includes aligning the second set of dies such that a second set of interconnects on the second set of dies aligns with a first set of interconnects on the first set of dies. The second set of dies includes a spacing between the second set of dies based on parameters of the first set of dies. The process also includes coupling the reconstituted wafer with the first wafer to create a wafer stack.

Semiconductor wafer-to-wafer bonding for dissimilar semiconductor dies and/or wafers

A circuit for recording a magnitude of an ESD event during semiconductor assembly includes a voltage divider connected between an input and a ground. The circuit also includes a measurement block having a recorder device. Each measurement block receives current from a segment of the voltage divider. The magnitude of the ESD event is determined based upon a read-out of the measurement devices after the ESD event. The recorder device may be a capacitor that would be damaged during the ESD event. During the ESD event the capacitor may be damaged. Reading out the recorder device determines if the magnitude of the ESD event exceeded a threshold magnitude that damages the capacitor.

Circuit for measuring magnitude of electrostatic discharge (ESD) events for semiconductor chip bonding

A three dimensional on-chip radio frequency amplifier is disclosed that includes first and second transformers and a first transistor. The first transformer includes first and second inductively coupled inductors. The second transformer includes third and fourth inductively coupled inductors. Each inductor includes multiple first segments in a first metal layer; multiple second segments in a second metal layer; first and second inputs, and multiple through vias coupling the first and second segments to form a continuous path between the first and second inputs. The first input of the first inductor is coupled to an amplifier input; the first input of the second inductor is coupled to the first transistor gate; the first input of the third inductor is coupled to the first transistor drain, the first input of the fourth inductor is coupled to an amplifier output. The second inductor inputs and the first transistor source are coupled to ground.

Three dimensional inductor, transformer and radio frequency amplifier

Method of forming a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) is provided. The RFIC comprises one or more electronic devices formed in a semiconductor substrate and one or more passive devices on a dielectric substrate, arranged in a stacking manner. Electrical shield structure is formed in between to shield electronic devices in the semiconductor substrate from the passive devices in the dielectric substrate. Vertical through-silicon-vias (TSVs) are formed to provide electrical connections between the passive devices in the dielectric substrate and the electronic devices in the semiconductor substrate.

Forming radio frequency integrated circuits

Mitigating electrostatic discharge damage when fabricating a 3-D integrated circuit package, wherein in one embodiment when a second tier die is placed in contact with a first tier die, conductive bumps near the perimeter of the second tier die that are electrically coupled to the substrate of the second tier die make contact with corresponding conductive bumps on the first tier die that are electrically coupled to the substrate of first tier die before other signal conductive bumps and power conductive bumps on the second tier and first tier dice make electrical contact.

Growing community of inventors

Escondido, CA, United States of America

Brian Matthew Henderson