Texas Instruments Corporation

James A Forster

Sunil C Jha

Richard W Arnold

Lester L Wilson

Henry F Breit

Weldon Beardain

Scott A Leavitt

Mahmood A Siddiqui

Raymond F Murphy

Reynaldo M Rincon

Stephen R Nelson

Glen R Haas

Premkumar R Hingorany

Susan V Bagen

Israil M Sukonnik

Andrew Houbre

John E Barnett, Jr

Douglas J Darrow

Robert W Howard

Gary A Raphanella

A method of forming a membrane for use in conjunction with a semiconductor carrier and the membrane which includes an electrically insulating substrate and an interconnect pattern formed on the substrate. A stud is coupled to the interconnect pattern over the substrate by forming a gold ball, preferably by gold ball bonding techniques, and coating a portion of the gold ball with a compliant material, preferably an epoxy resin. The coating is filled with a material having sufficient hardness to be capable of penetrating the oxide film on the contact pads of semiconductor devices. The flakes are preferably silver or silver-based.

Stud-cone bump for probe tips used in known good die carriers

A probe card having reliable &ldquo;micro probe&rdquo; contacts which include a base and an angled probe tip fabricated as a single unit from a thin sheet of a conductive metal having high tensile and yield strength, and coated with a noble metal. The micro probes are secured into precisely dimensioned, and positioned locations on the card, and are electrically connected to traces on the card. Design of the micro probes includes not only the base and probe tip, but also locking features, a stand-off to prevent over compression, and a necked down stem feature for release from the support strap used in transporting and plating during the manufacturing processes.

Probe card with contact apparatus and method of manufacture

A socket ( ) has a cover ( ) pivotably mounted to a base ( ). The base is formed with a seat ( ) for mounting a semiconductor device on a contact mounting plate ( ). A locking mechanism ( ) for locking the cover in the closed position includes an over center linkage mechanism interacting with a locking pin ( ). In a modified embodiment, the locking mechanism is provided with a pivotable locking member ( ) to provide either manual or automated operation. The cover ( ) of socket ( ) also comprises an integrally formed heat sink. In another embodiment ( &prime;), a separate heat sink ( ) is independently mounted on the cover ( ) provided with an aperture through the cover in which the heat sink is slidably mounted.

Socket apparatus particularly adapted for LGA type semiconductor devices

A test structure that is readily and inexpensively configurable to interface with dies having different bond pad configurations is achieved by providing a blank test membrane having a conductive coating or a matrix of conductive lines formed thereon. Once a die bond pad configuration is known, the test membrane can be configured for the die bond pads by using a laser under software control to define connection pads correlating to the die bond pads and also to define interconnecting conductive traces from the connecting pads to contact pads that can be connected to test equipment. In one embodiment, the laser operates to ablate a continuous conductive coating, so as to form conductive pads and traces. In another embodiment, the laser is used to cut various lines in a matrix of conductive lines, so as to define conductive paths from the bond pads to the contact pads for connection to the test equipment.

Semiconductor test structure having a laser defined current carrying structure

Socket apparatus particularly adapted for land grid array type semiconductor devices

A package for a semiconductor die having a header with a cavity. The cavity includes a floor, sidewalls and a plurality of vertically spaced apart rows along the cavity sidewalls, each row including a plurality of spaced apart bond fingers. An electrically insulating membrane, preferably silicon, is disposed over the floor of the cavity, the membrane including a plurality of bumps, a plurality of peripherally located membrane bond pads and an interconnect from each of the bumps to a membrane bond pad. Bond wires are connected between the membrane bond pads and the bond fingers on the plurality of rows. A semiconductor die is provided having a plurality of bond pads, each bond pad contacting one of the bumps on the membrane. The header includes a plurality of alternating layers of electrically conducting material and electrically insulating material, the bond fingers on the header each being coupled to one of the layers of electrically conducting material. Each layer of electrically conducting material can include a plurality of spaced apart interconnect lines, each line coupled to one of the bond fingers. The package can include an electrical conductor interconnecting the electrically conducting material on spaced apart layers of the header.

Digital signal processor/known good die packaging using rerouted existing package for test and burn-in carriers

Ceramic to metal stock or substrates having a relatively large and thick metal core and a relatively thin ceramic layer or layers are bonded to the metal core or a selected portion thereof by providing a metal core material having a temperature coefficient of expansion which is tailored to the temperature coefficient of expansion of the ceramic layer to be bonded thereto. The typical core materials include multilayer composite metal laminates embodying Cu/Mo/Cu, Cu/Kovar/Cu, Cu/Invar/Cu and the like and including powdered metal composites embodying Cu-W, Ag-Mo, Ag-W, Al-Si, Cu/Mo/Cu, Cu/Kovar/Cu, SiC-Cu, Ni-Fe alloys having from about 20% Ni to about 80% Ni, etc. The ceramic layer is chosen primarily for the properties of dielectric strength and isolation properties and typically include such ceramics as alumina, beryllium oxide, aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, etc. Where the core composite includes copper outer surface materials or is plated to have copper outer surface materials, the core and ceramic materials and particularly multiple sections of the ceramic materials are provided in spaced relation on the metal cores of relatively large area and are preferably bonded to the core using a copper oxide eutectic formed on the core surface.

Clad metal substrate

A self-brazing material 10 for use in a heat exchanger 50 using a corrosive heat exchanger fluid is manufactured by providing a first substrate layer 10 and a second layer 12 metallurgically bonding the two layers together to form a composite material 22. This second layer 12 is made of a material chosen from a group consisting of materials capable of having good high temperature and corrosive properties, and melting at a temperature well below that of the first material 10. The bonded material 22 is then reacted so as to render the second layer 12 a brazing layer for the first substitute layer 10 with excellent high temperature and corrosive properties.

Heat exchanger assemblies-material for use therin, and a method of

In one form of the invention, a package for integrated circuits and devices (42), (46) is disclosed, the package including: a package base (44), the base having a first top surface; a layer of material (43) on the first top surface of the base (44) wherein the material (43) is patterned to cover a portion of the base, and wherein the layer of material (43) forms a substrate having a second top surface; a microstrip transmission line (45) on the second top surface; and a plastic encapsulant (50), wherein the encapsulant covers the first top surface of the base.

Package for integrated circuits

A metal foil substrate material 50 for catalytic converters 54 and method of making the material in which layers (10, 12, 14) of ferritic stainless steel and aluminum are solid state metallurgically bonded together forming a composite material 24. Such composite material 24 is further rolled to the final foil gauge with no heat treatment and then subjected to a thermal in situ reaction to form a resulting uniform solid solution foil material 50 with superior high temperature corrosion resistance.

Method of making metal foil material for catalytic converters

A high strength titanium alloy or titanium aluminide metal foil having improved strength and density is produced, preferably in coilable strip form, by plasma-depositing the selected titanium-based material on a receiving surface, separating the deposited material from the receiving surface to provide two metal foil preforms each having a relatively smooth side as cast against the receiving surface and a relatively rough, opposite side as deposited from the plasma, disposing the two metal preforms together with the relatively rough sides of the two metal preforms in facing engagement with each other, and squeezing the two preforms together between pressure bonding rolls to metallurgically bond the preforms to each other and to consolidate the materials of the preforms to form a fully dense metal foil.

Titanium metal foils and method of making

A metal foil substrate material for catalytic converters and method of making the material in which layers of ferritic stainless steel and aluminum are solid state metallurgically bonded together forming a composite material. Such composite material is further rolled to the final foil gauge with no heat treatment and then subjected to a thermal in situ reaction to form a resulting uniform solid solution foil material with superior high temperature corrosion resistance.

Growing community of inventors

Barrington, RI, United States of America

James A Forster