Fujitsu Corporation

Oracle America, Inc.

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Semi-pac

David G Love

Larry Louis Moresco

David A Horine

Patricia R Boucher

Solomon I Beilin

William T Chou

Connie M Wong

Wen-chou Vincent Wang

Bidyut Kanti Sen

Thomas E Molinaro

John T MacKay

Richard L Wheeler

Marlin R Vogel

Carlo Grilletto

Vivek Mansingh

An apparatus for coupling an integrated circuit (IC) package to a printed circuit board. The apparatus includes an interposer an interposer having a plurality of connections suitable for surface mounting on corresponding pads of a printed circuit board (PCB). The plurality of connections is arranged in a grid array. The interposer further includes a plurality of plated through holes. The apparatus further includes a substrate having a plurality of pins. The substrate is coupled to the interposer by inserting each of the plurality of pins into a corresponding one of the plurality of plated through holes of the interposer. An IC package including an IC is mounted on the substrate.

Apparatus for electrically coupling a semiconductor package to a printed circuit board

Techniques and structures have been developed for providing lead-free column grid array interconnect structures. An exemplary interconnect has a body, a first joint, and a second joint, all having compositions off the eutectic composition in a ternary alloy system, the first joint having a ternary composition distinct from the body composition, and the second joint having a ternary composition distinct from the body composition and the first joint composition. The interconnect may be formed by solidifying a solder, having a Sn-poor ternary composition in the Sn&#x2014;Ag&#x2014;Cu alloy system, in contact with a column, having a Ag-rich Cu-deficient composition in the same system, and a bonding pad or bare substrate. A second solder, having a Sn-rich ternary composition, may be solidified in contact with the column and a second bonding pad or bare substrate. In some embodiments joints may be severed and reformed by remelting and resolidifying the lower-liquidus solder.

Ternary alloy column grid array

An integrated circuit device package is integrated with a heat dissipation member to reduce the number of junctions in a packaged integrated circuit device. For example, the integrated circuit device package may include a substrate and a thermally conductive lid coupled to a first surface of the substrate, forming a closed cavity which encloses an integrated circuit die. The thermally conductive lid may be integrated with the heat dissipation member.

Integrated circuit device package and heat dissipation device

A method of assembling thin film jumper connectors to a substrate as part of a process of manufacturing a multi-chip-module or other device having multiple components bonded to chip carrier or other substrate. An alignment plate is positioned on the chuck of a standard flip-chip bonding machine. The thin film jumper connectors are placed on the alignment plate in a face-up position after alignment to alignment marks on the plate using the machine's moveable platform and split-field viewer. The jumper connectors are held to the alignment plate by a force supplied by the vacuum system of the flip-chip bonder, with the force being transmitted to the jumpers through vacuum holes in the alignment plate. The plate's alignment marks are positioned so that when they are aligned with corresponding marks on the connectors, the bonding pads on the connectors are correctly aligned to the pads on the substrate. The substrate or chip carrier is then placed on the moveable platform and rotated to a face-down position. The substrate is moved into a coarse position over the thin film connectors, aligned with the split-field viewer, and then lowered into contact with the contacts of the connectors. The entire assembly, including the alignment plate is then placed in a reflow furnace or otherwise heated to cause the solder bumps on the thin film connector pads to make good electrical contact with the bonding pads on the substrate. Depending on the thermal relationships between the integrated circuit chips, the thin film connectors, and the substrate, the chips may be connected to the substrate either before or after the thin film jumper connectors are bonded to the substrate. If the chips are connected prior to the assembly of the thin film connectors, then a chip cavity is formed in the alignment plate to prevent contact between the chips and the bonding apparatus during the thin film connector bonding.

Method of assembling thin film jumper connectors to a substrate

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for forming solder bumps on integrated circuit chips (and other similar circuitized units) and apparatuses. A screening stencil is laid over the surface of the substrate and solder paste material is deposited into the stencil's apertures with a screening blade. The stencil is placed in such a manner that each of its apertures is positioned over a substrate pad, upon which a solder bump is to be formed. Next, a flat pressure plate is laid over the exposed top surface of the stencil, which creates a fully enclosed, or 'captured', cell of solder paste within each stencil aperture. Then, with the stencil and plate remaining in place on top of the substrate, the substrate is heated to a temperature sufficient to reflow the solder paste material. After reflow, the substrate is cooled, and the pressure plate and stencil are thereafter removed, leaving solder bumps on the substrate. The use of the pressure plate ensures the proper formation of the solder bumps at high densities of solder bumps (i.e., high densities corresponding to small solder bump sizes and small pitch distances between solder bumps).

Captured-cell solder printing and reflow methods and apparatuses

Methods for forming solder bumps on integrated circuit chips (and other similar circuitized units). A screening stencil is laid over the surface of the substrate and solder paste material is deposited into the stencil's apertures with a screening blade. The stencil is placed in such a manner that each of its apertures is positioned over a substrate pad, upon which a solder bump is to be formed. Next, a flat pressure plate is laid over the exposed top surface of the stencil, which creates a fully enclosed or 'captured', cell of solder paste within each stencil aperture. Then, with the stencil and plate remaining in place on top of the substrate, the substrate is heated to a temperature sufficient to reflow the solder paste material. After reflow, the substrate is cooled, and the pressure plate and stencil are thereafter removed, leaving solder bumps on the substrate. The use of the pressure plate ensures the proper formation of the solder bumps at high densities of solder bumps (i.e., high densities corresponding to small solder bump sizes and small pitch distances between solder bumps).

Captured-cell solder printing and reflow methods

A method of interconnecting integrated circuit chips to a substrate during the assembly of a multi-chip module. Instead of forming an electrical and physical bond by reflowing solder bumps attached to the pads of the chips and the substrate, as in flip-chip bonding, thin pads of specially selected dissimilar metals placed on the chips and substrate are connected by a solid-state diffusion bonding process. In one embodiment, the I/O pads on a chip are formed from aluminum or an aluminum alloy and are aligned and placed into physical contact with corresponding metal pads or metal layered pads on a substrate, where the metal is capable of being diffusion bonded to aluminum. The combination of chip(s) and substrate are then heated in a controlled atmosphere at a temperature and for a time sufficient to cause solid-state diffusion bonding to occur.

Diffusion bonded interconnect

An interconnect structure for connecting an integrated circuit (IC) chip to a supporting substrate is described. The supporting substrate serves to communicate signals between the IC chip and the 'outside world,' such as other IC chips. In one embodiment, the interconnect structure comprises an interconnect substrate having a first post disposed on one of its surfaces and a second post disposed on another of its surfaces. One post is for contacting the IC chip and the other is for contacting the major substrate. Each post comprising an elongated body having top and bottom ends, with the bottom end being mounted to one of the substrate surfaces and the top end having a substantially flat surface which is substantially co-planer with the substrate surface. The interconnect substrate further comprises a means for de-concentrating the mechanical stain present at one or both of the top and bottom ends of each post. The first and second posts are electrically coupled to one anther so that an electrical signal may pass from IC chip to the supporting substrate, and vice-versa.

Wire interconnect structures for connecting an integrated circuit to a

A method and apparatus for filling small diameter, high aspect ratio via openings with a plating solution are disclosed. An apparatus according to the invention comprises a sealable chamber for receiving one or more a multichip module substrate comprising via openings to be plated. A vacuum pump is used to evacuate the chamber after the substrate(s) are positioned therein and the chamber has been sealed. Plating solution is then introduced into the chamber to immerse the substrate(s), and the solution is pressurized, forcing the liquid into the via openings. In one preferred embodiment, the chamber comprises two subchambers separated by a flexible wall. After the subchamber holding the substrate(s) has been evacuated and filled with plating solution, the other subchamber is pressurized, as with compressed air, such that a force is applied to the flexible wall creating hydrostatic pressure within the first subchamber.

Apparatus for forcing plating solution into via openings

Methods of constructing a wire interconnect structure on a substrate are described. The methods broadly comprise the steps of depositing a spacer layer on a surface of the substrate, depositing a mask layer on the spacer layer, and removing a first portion of the mask layer overlying a desired area on the substrate surface to expose the spacer layer underlying the first portion of the mask layer. The methods further comprise the step of etching the structure such that a first portion of the spacer layer overlaying the desired area is removed and such that a portion of the desired area is exposed, and the step of depositing a first conductive material on the exposed portion of the desired area such that a conductive post is formed on the substrate surface and mounted to the desired area. Some of the disclosed methods comprise additional steps for forming an interconnect structure on the opposite surface of the substrate and providing an electrical interconnect means between the two interconnect structures. Additionally, some of the disclosed methods comprise steps for forming fillets around the conductive post at the substrate surface.

A high-density laminated connector having a plurality of rigid dielectric layers laminated together is described. The rigid construction of the connector permits precise dimensions of the connector and, thus, accurate attachment of adjacent interconnect substrates. The dielectric layers include traces which have contact pads or bumps formed at the surfaces of the connector for connection to the traces of one or more adjacent interconnect substrates. The contact pads may comprise soft gold, solder, or various elastomeric materials. The use of soft gold contacts enables the connector to be easily removed from an adjacent interconnect substrate. In other embodiments, the rigid dielectric layers may comprise recesses where the contact pads are placed. This ensures physical alignment of the interconnect substrate and the connector, so that dimensional integrity is maintained when pressure is applied to the connector. The traces within the connector can be of a varied width, pitch, and direction. Thus, right-angle interconnections can be made. Cross-traces can be placed on each individual layer of dielectric and vias made through the dielectric layers to interconnect traces. The trace width can be economically and accurately narrowed to produce high aspect ratios and thus provide high signal density.

Methods for making high-density/long-via laminated connectors

A compact, reliable, and efficient cooling system for semiconductor chips is disclosed. In one embodiment, a plurality of semiconductor chips have their active surfaces mounted to a major substrate which provides electrical connections among the chips, and a cooling channel is formed above the major substrate and each chip for conducting a cooling fluid over the back surface of the chips. To increase cooling efficiency, heat sink arrays are formed on the back surfaces of the chips, each array including a plurality of heat conducting elements attached to the back surface. The arrays may be readily and inexpensively constructed with photo-lithography or wire bonding techniques. To control the flow of cooling fluid around the chip edges and to prevent cavitation of the cooling fluid a cavitation and flow control plate disposed at the bottom surface of the cooling channel and formed around the edges of the chips is included. With the increased cooling efficiency, the height of each cooling channel may be substantially reduced to allow close stacking of interconnect substrates for three-dimensional packages and to shorten the vertical communication time between the interconnect substrates.

Apparatus for cooling semiconductor chips in multichip modules

Manufacturing of semiconductor devices is facilitated when the device chip carriers of the devices are tested, prior to population of chips thereon, by a module test card. The module test card is formed by a test substrate and a plurality of test chips mounted on the test substrate. Connections are provided on the test substrate for connecting to a tester. Through the module test card, the device chip carriers are tested under simulation of their operating conditions.

Module test card

A bypass capacitor for use with an integrated circuit module, and method of making the same, are shown. The integrated circuit module comprises an integrated circuit 'chip' mounted in opposing relationship to a carrier substrate and having a plurality of interconnects, such as solder bumps or wire interconnects, for providing signal lines and supplying power to the chip. Some of the interconnects are, instead, used to form capacitors such that bypass capitance is placed in close proximity to the chip, while not using up valuable real estate on the chip or on the carrier substrate. Various embodiments of such bypass capacitors are shown.

Growing community of inventors

Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

David G Love