Anisotropic conductor techniques

Abstract

A first conductor array (24, FIG. 5) of an electronic device (21) such as an integrated circuit is interconnected to a second conductor array (25) of a first substrate (22) by, first, using photolithographic masking and etching to make an array of substantially uniformly spaced apertures (15, FIG. 2) in a mask (11). The mask is located over a second substrate (12), and the apertures are used to form an array of substantially uniformly spaced metal particles (19). The metal particles are joined with insulative material (11) to form a layer of anisotropic conductive material (20), and the anisotropic conductive material layer is removed from the second substrate. The conductors (24) in the first conductor array of the electronic device are registered with conductors (25) of the second conductor array of the first substrate (22), and the layer of anisotropic conductive materials is compressed between the first and second conductor arrays. This causes individual particles of the layer of anisotropic conductive material to make simultaneous contact with conductors of the first (24) and second (25) conductor arrays so as to interconnect the electronic device to the conductors of the first substrate. The insulative material (11) may be an adhesive, in which case it permanently bonds the device (21) to the substrate (22), or alternatively, the anisotropic conductive material (20) may only temporarily interconnect the electronic device with the first substrate as is required for testing of the device.