The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 08, 2025
Filed:
Oct. 30, 2020
Set North America, Llc, Chester, NH (US);
Eric Frank Schulte, Santa Barbara, CA (US);
SET NORTH AMERICA, LLC, Chester, NH (US);
Abstract
Methods and systems for low-force, low-temperature thermocompression bonding. The present application teaches new methods and structures for three-dimensional integrated circuits, in which cold thermocompression bonding is used to provide reliable bonding. To achieve this, reduction and passivation steps are preferably both used to reduce native oxide on the contact metals and to prevent reformation of native oxide, preferably using atmospheric plasma treatments. Preferably the physical compression height of the elements is set to be only enough to reliably achieve at least some compression of each bonding element pair, compensating for any lack of flatness. Preferably the thermocompression bonding is performed well below the melting point. This not only avoids the deformation of lower levels which is induced by reflow techniques, but also provides a steep relation of force versus z-axis travel, so that a drastically-increasing resistance to compression helps to regulate the degree of thermocompression.