Motorola Corporation

Formfactor, Inc.

Other

Treliant Fang

Gaetan L Mathieu

Onnik Yaglioglu

Benjamin N Eldridge

Igor Y Khandros

Li Li

Lizabeth Ann Keser

Michael Harburn

Gary W Grube

Alexander H Slocum, Jr

Eric D Hobbs

Shun-Meen Kuo

William H Lytle

John K Gritters

Jong-Kai Lin

William M Williams

Lih-Tyng Hwang

Edward R Prack

Dwight L Daniels

Ravinder K Sharma

Melissa E Grupen-Shemansky

Naresh C Saha

Rodney I Martens

Frank W Fischer

Rajiv Bajaj

Jimmy Kuo Chen

Christopher C Buckholtz

Li Ann Wetz

Michael A Drush

Athena M Parmenter

Silicon carbide (SiC) etchants with a generic formula of MXO, where M is an alkali metal, X is a halogen, O is oxygen are disclosed. When mixed with an abrasive powder in an aqueous slurry form, this MXOetchant acts as tribochemical reactant in enhancing the SiC material removal rate during chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). The material removal rates can sometimes go up to a few order of magnitudes, as compared to the slurry without this MXOetchant. Typical metal in the formula MXOare K (potassium) and Na (sodium), X includes Cl (chlorine), Br (bromine) and I (iodine). The whole series of MXOcompounds belong to the chemical family of metal halites or ammonium halites. Sodium chlorite, NaClO, the simplest and most available member of the halite family, is a typical example. The enhanced polishing rate can be utilized to significantly increase the throughput of CMP operation for non-oxide wafer polishing. The polishing waste water from the CMP process can be treated with ease in the waste water treatment facilities because of the absence of toxic heavy metal ions in the polishing formulations.

Halite salts as silicon carbide etchants for enhancing CMP material removal rate for SiC wafer

Contacts of an electrical device can be made of carbon nanotube columns. Contact tips can be disposed at ends of the columns. The contact tips can be made of an electrically conductive paste applied to the ends of the columns and cured (e.g., hardened). The paste can be applied, cured, and/or otherwise treated to make the contact tips in desired shapes. The carbon nanotube columns can be encapsulated in an elastic material that can impart the dominant mechanical characteristics, such as spring characteristics, to the contacts. The contacts can be electrically conductive and can be utilized to make pressure-based electrical connections with electrical terminals or other contact structures of another device.

Elastic encapsulated carbon nanotube based electrical contacts

Carbon nanotube columns each comprising carbon nanotubes can be utilized as electrically conductive contact probes. The columns can be grown, and parameters of a process for growing the columns can be varied while the columns grow to vary mechanical characteristics of the columns along the growth length of the columns. Metal can then be deposited inside and/or on the outside of the columns, which can enhance the electrical conductivity of the columns. The metalized columns can be coupled to terminals of a wiring substrate. Contact tips can be formed at or attached to ends of the columns. The wiring substrate can be combined with other electronic components to form an electrical apparatus in which the carbon nanotube columns can function as contact probes.

Carbon nanotube columns and methods of making and using carbon nanotube columns as probes

A technique for anchoring carbon nanotube columns to a substrate can include use of a filler material placed onto the surface of the substrate into area between the columns and surrounding a base portion of each of the columns.

Anchoring carbon nanotube columns

A composite spring contact structure includes a structural component and a conduction component distinct from each other and having differing mechanical and electrical characteristics. The structural component can include a group of carbon nanotubes. A mechanical characteristic of the composite spring contact structure can be dominated by a mechanical characteristic of the structural component, and an electrical characteristic of the composite spring contact structure can be dominated by an electrical characteristic of the conduction component. Composite spring contact structures can be used in probe cards and other electronic devices. Various ways of making contact structures are also disclosed.

Carbon nanotube spring contact structures with mechanical and electrical components

Systems and methods for depositing a plurality of droplets in a three-dimensional array are disclosed. The array can comprise a first type of droplets disposed to form a support structure and a second type of droplets forming a conductive seed layer on the support structure. A structure material can be electrodeposited onto the seed layer to create a three-dimensional structure.

Three dimensional microstructures and methods for making three dimensional microstructures

SU-8 photoresist compositions are modified to improve their adhesion properties by adding 1% to 6% of an adhesion promoter selected from the group consisting of glycidoxypropanetrimethoxysilane, mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane, and aminopropyltrimethoxysilane. SU-8 photoresist compositions are modified to improve their resistance to cracking and film stress by adding 0.5% to 3% of a plasticizer selected from the group consisting of dialkylphthalates, dialkylmalonates, dialkylsebacates, dialkyladipates, and diglycidyl hexahydrophthalates. The improvements can be obtained simultaneously by adding both the adhesion promoter and the plasticizer to SU-8 photoresist compositions.

Photoresist formulation for high aspect ratio plating

A method for preparing a metal surface () for a soldering operation is provided. In accordance with the method, the metal surface is treated with a solder flux () comprising a supersaturated solution of a carboxylic acid.

Simplification of ball attach method using super-saturated fine crystal flux

A probe cleaning apparatus for cleaning a probe tip use to test semiconductors dies having an abrasive substrate layer an a tacky gel layer on top of the abrasive surface of the abrasive substrate layer. The probe tip is cleaned by passing it through the tacky gel layer so that it comes in contact with the abrasive surface of the abrasive substrate, moving the probe tip across the abrasive surface of the substrate layer, and then removing the probe tip from the successive layers of the cleaning apparatus. The probe tip emerges from the cleaning apparatus free from debris associated with testing the semiconductor dies.

Apparatus and method for cleaning test probes

A conductive paste ( ) for use in making conductive bumps ( ) and a method for using the conductive paste to make conductive bumps ( ) on a substrate ( ). The conductive paste ( ) is formed by combining a tin alloy with a flux composition containing an aromatic carboxylic acid fluxing agent and a solvent. The conductive paste ( ) is disposed on underbump metallization layers ( ) and reflowed to form the conductive bumps ( ).

Conductive paste and semiconductor component having conductive bumps made from the conductive paste

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor component having a layer ( ) comprised of polyimide includes using an etchant that is at least partially composed of aminopropanediol to etch the layer comprised of polyimide. The etchant can also include a solvent, a diluent, and water.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor component and polyimide etchant therefor

An assembly and method for connecting two substrates utilizes a nonconductive laminant that is compatible when wet with a conductive paste when wet. Thus, the curing of the nonconductive laminant and the conductive paste may be performed together. The nonconductive laminant also cures in a shorter time than those previously available, thus the stress on the semiconductor device created by exposure to the cure temperature is additionally reduced.

Nonconductive laminate for coupling substrates and method therefor

A semiconductor component ( ) having a photodefinable stress compensation layer ( ) and composition for the stress compensation material. The photodefinable stress compensation material is formed on a semiconductor wafer ( ) and openings ( ) are made photolithographically. Conductive bumps ( ) are then disposed thereon and additional conductive bumps ( ) are formed on the original conductive bumps ( ). The photodefinable stress compensation material is composed of a photoinitiator, an epoxy having a first index of refraction, a diluent, and a filler. The indices of refraction of the epoxy-diluent combination and the filler are approximately equal. Alternatively, the photodefinable stress compensation material can be formed on a semiconductor wafer ( ) having conductive bumps ( ) disposed thereon. Openings ( ) are formed in the stress compensation layer ( ) to expose the conductive bumps ( ). Additional conductive bumps ( ) are formed on the original conductive bumps ( ).

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Dublin, CA, United States of America

Treliant Fang