International Business Machines Corporation

Charles F Carey

Kenneth Michael Fallon

Voya Rista Markovich

Eric A Johnson

Douglas Oliver Powell

Richard Stuart Zarr

Gary Paul Vlasak

Wolfgang Sauter

David L Questad

Irving Memis

William E Bernier

Son K Tran

Ashwani K Malhotra

Pierre M Langevin

Robert F White

Eberhard B Gramatzki

Thomas R Homa

Bernt Julius Hansen

Charles Gerard Woychik

Rochelle Ginsburg

Alfredo Migliore

A semiconductor chip for forming the same. The semiconductor chip includes M regular solder bump structures and N monitor solder bump structures, M and N being positive integers. If a flip chip process is performed for the semiconductor chip, then the N monitor solder bump structures are more sensitive to a cool-down stress than the M regular solder bump structures. The cool-down stress results from a cool-down step of the flip chip process. Each of the M regular solder bump structures is electrically connected to either a power supply or a device of the semiconductor chip. Each of the N monitor solder bump structures is not electrically connected to a power supply or a device of the semiconductor chip.

Semiconductor chip used in flip chip process

A semiconductor chip and methods for forming the same. The semiconductor chip includes M regular solder bump structures and N monitor solder bump structures, M and N being positive integers. If a flip chip process is performed for the semiconductor chip, then the N monitor solder bump structures are more sensitive to a cool-down stress than the M regular solder bump structures. The cool-down stress results from a cool-down step of the flip chip process. Each of the M regular solder bump structures is electrically connected to either a power supply or a device of the semiconductor chip. Each of the N monitor solder bump structures is not electrically connected to a power supply or a device of the semiconductor chip.

Monitoring cool-down stress in a flip chip process using monitor solder bump structures

A method and structure for coupling a semiconductor substrate (e.g., a semiconductor chip) to an organic substrate (e.g., a chip carrier). The coupling interfaces a solder member (e.g., a solder ball) to both a conductive pad on the semiconductor substrate and a conductive pad on the organic substrate. Thermal strains on the solder member during thermal cycling may be reduced by having a surface area of the pad on the semiconductor substrate exceed a surface area of the pad on the organic substrate. Thermal strains on the solder member during thermal cycling may also be reduced by having a distance from a centerline of the solder member to a closest lateral edge of the semiconductor substrate exceed about 0.25 mm.

Extension of fatigue life for C4 solder ball to chip connection

An electronic component such as a ceramic capacitor is coupled to a dielectric substrate package. Encapsulant material substantially surrounding the sides of the component, develops cracks therein, particularly near the corners of the component where CTE stresses are greatest. The cracks propagate downward into the dielectric substrate material and sever circuit lines in the substrate causing failure. A mounting pad for the component is extended from beneath the component to substantially beyond the outer periphery of the encapsulant material to prevent cracks from propagating into the dielectric material.

Package for electronic component

Small, closely spaced deposits of solder materials may be formed with high volumetric accuracy and uniformity of shape by depositing a layer of conductive material over surfaces of a dielectric layer having apertures or recesses (e.g. blind apertures) and conductors and/or pads exposed by those apertures or recesses, masking regions of the conductive material with a further patterned dielectric layer, electroplating solder materials onto regions of the conductive material exposed by the mask, removing the mask and portions of the conductive material by selective etching and reflowing solder away from at least a portion of the surfaces of the apertured dielectric layer. Uniformity of electroplating within blind apertures is enhanced by a combination of fluid jet sparging and cathode agitation. Excess conductor material in the resulting solder deposit can be avoided by replacing conductor material with a constituent component of a solder material in an immersion bath prior to electroplating.

Process for selective application of solder to circuit packages

Electroplating apparatus

A controlled collapse chip connect method of joining an IC chip to a microelectronic circuit card. According to the method an inhomogeneous, anisotropic column of solder is deposited from a Pb/Sn alloy onto solder wettable I/O terminals of the I/C chip, without subsequent homogenizing reflow. The solder core has a Pb rich core and an Sn rich cap. The matching footprint of the solder wettable I/O terminals on the microelectronic circuit card is substantially free of deposited solder and presents a protected Cu surface to the solder columns, or, at most a surface of Cu and anti-oxidant. The chip is aligned with the corresponding footprints on the microelectronic circuit card, and the solder is reflowed to bond the chip to the microelectronic circuit card.

Low temperature controlled collapse chip attach process

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Endicott, NY, United States of America

Charles F Carey