Actel Corporation, Inc.

Prolinx Labs Corporation

Texas Instruments Corporation

Reflectivity, Inc.

Other

Steve S Chiang

James J Lan

Andrew Gerrit Huibers

Satyadev R Patel

Paul Y Wu

Wenn-Jei Chen

William H Shepherd

Richard J Nathan

John Y Xie

Abbas A El Gamal

Shih-Ou Chen

John L McCollum

Chenming Hu

Guobiao Zhang

Abdul R Forouhi

Esmat Z Hamdy

Esam Elashmawi

Frank W Hawley

Amr M Mohsen

Hang Jiang

Peter W Richards

Robert Osann, Jr

Gregory William Bakker

Theodore M Speers

Robert M Duboc

Dietrich A Dehlinger

Hongqin Shi

Abdelshafy A Eltoukhy

Douglas C Galbraith

Yeouchung Yen

Shih-Oh Chen

John L McCullum

Yeochung Yen

LeRoy Winemberg

Hung Nan Chen

Yeouchung Yan

Satayadev R Patel

Thomas J Grobelny

Anthony Sun

A method for forming a MEMS device is disclosed, where a final release step is performed just prior to a wafer bonding step to protect the MEMS device from contamination, physical contact, or other deleterious external events. Without additional changes to the MEMS structure between release and wafer bonding and singulation, except for an optional stiction treatment, the MEMS device is best protected and overall process flow is improved. The method is applicable to the production of any MEMS device and is particularly beneficial in the making of fragile micromirrors.

Methods for depositing, releasing and packaging micro-electromechanical devices on wafer substrates

A projection system, a spatial light modulator, and a method for forming a MEMS device is disclosed. The spatial light modulator can have two substrates bonded together with one of the substrates comprising a micromirror array. The two substrates can be bonded at the wafer level after depositing a getter material andlor solid or liquid lubricant on one or both of the wafers. The wafers can be bonded together hermetically if desired, and the pressure between the two substrates can be below atmosphere.

The present invention relates to a high performance, high reliability antifuse using conductive electrodes. According to first and second embodiments, the problem of switch-off in conductor-to-conductor antifuses is solved by utilizing conductive electrode materials having a relatively lower thermal conductivity than prior art electrode materials and by utilizing relatively thin electrodes, thus increasing their thermal resistance. According to a third embodiment, a relatively thin barrier layer is placed between one or both of the low thermal conductivity electrodes and the antifuse material to prevent reaction between the conductive electrodes and the antifuse material, or the materials used in manufacturing. According to a fourth embodiment, low thermal conductivity conductors are used for both electrodes in the conductor-to-conductor antifuse to achieve enhanced reliability and freedom from switch-off. According to a fifth embodiment, switch-off is cured in conductor-to-conductor antifuses without compromising low on-state resistance of the antifuse.

Antifuse structure suitable for VLSI application

The present invention relates to a high performance, high reliability antifuse using conductive electrodes. The problem of switch-off of the programmed antifuses is solved by reducing the thermal conductivity of the conductive electrodes. This is achieved by using lower thermal conductivity conductors for the electrodes or by using thinner electrodes to increase thermal resistance. According to a first aspect of the present invention, the problem of switch-off in conductor-to-conductor antifuses is solved by utilizing conductive electrode materials having a relatively lower thermal conductivity than prior art electrode materials. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the problem of switch-off in conductor-to-conductor antifuses is solved by utilizing relatively thin electrodes, thus increasing their thermal resistance. According to a third aspect of the present invention, a relatively thin barrier layer is placed between one or both of the low thermal conductivity electrodes and the antifuse material in order to prevent reaction between the conductive electrodes and the antifuse material or the materials used in manufacturing such as the etch gas. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention low thermal conductivity conductors are used for both electrodes in the conductor-to-conductor antifuse in order to achieve enhanced reliability and freedom from switch-off. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention switch-off is cured in conductor-to-conductor antifuses without compromising low on-state resistance of the antifuse.

An integrated circuit (IC) package substrate has a dielectric layer and a micro filled via formed substantially in the center of a hole in the dielectric layer. The IC package substrate has at least one chip bonding pad and one ball attach pad that are electrically coupled to each other by the micro filled via. The micro filled via is formed of a material called a 'micro filled via material' that includes a binding material and optionally includes a number of particles (between 0%-90% by volume) dispersed in the binding material. The binding material can be any material, such as a polymer that is either conductive or nonconductive. The particles can be formed of any conductive material, such as a conductive polymer or a conductive metal (e.g. copper or gold). An electrical conductor can be originally formed simply by contact between conductive particles located adjacent to each other. In an optional step, the micro filled via is subjected to a programming current (in a step called 'programming') to lower the resistance of an originally formed electrical conductor, or to originally form an electrical conductor by break down of a dielectric material. The IC package substrate can be formed in either a cavity up or a cavity down configuration.

Ball grid array structure and method for packaging an integrated circuit

A structure includes a support layer formed of a conductive material, such as a sheet of copper. The support layer has a number of conductive islands isolated from other portions of the support layer by isolation gaps. The support layer is sandwiched between two compound layers each of which is formed of a dielectric layer having a number of via holes and conductive elements located in the via holes. The conductive elements are formed at predetermined locations such that a conductive element in each compound layer contacts a conductive island in the support layer. The structure also includes two conductive layers formed on the two respective compound layers such that a trace in a first conductive layer is coupled to a trace in a second conductive layer through two conductive elements in the respective two compound layers and an island in the support layer. Such a structure can be formed by a number of processes. For example, the support layer can be formed by etching a sheet of conductive material, the compound layers can be formed by placing a conductive paste in via holes in a dielectric layer, and the conductive layers can be formed by lamination followed by etching to form traces.

Method for supporting one or more electronic components

A multilayered structure, such as a printed circuit board, includes a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer that are separated from each other by a dielectric layer. The dielectric layer is formed of a first material, such as a photoimagible polyimide and epoxy resin. The dielectric layer has a number of via holes that extend from the first conductive layer to the second conductive layer. The via holes are filled with a second material having a breakdown voltage less than a breakdown voltage of the first material included in the dielectric layer to form an antifuse. The second material in the via holes can be, for example, a conductive epoxy resin or a polymer loaded with conductive particles (also referred to as 'conductive paste').

Antifuse interconnect between two conducting layers of a printed circuit

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Steve S Chiang