|Número de publicación||US6939474 B2|
|Tipo de publicación||Concesión|
|Número de solicitud||US 09/781,833|
|Fecha de publicación||6 Sep 2005|
|Fecha de presentación||12 Feb 2001|
|Fecha de prioridad||30 Jul 1999|
|También publicado como||CN1272234C, CN1527793A, CN100579891C, CN101024480A, DE60220022D1, DE60220022T2, EP1362005A2, EP1362005B1, EP1777194A2, EP1777194A3, US20010044225, US20060019027, WO2002064496A2, WO2002064496A3|
|Número de publicación||09781833, 781833, US 6939474 B2, US 6939474B2, US-B2-6939474, US6939474 B2, US6939474B2|
|Inventores||Benjamin N. Eldridge, Stuart W. Wenzel|
|Cesionario original||Formfactor, Inc.|
|Exportar cita||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Citas de patentes (76), Otras citas (6), Citada por (26), Clasificaciones (71), Eventos legales (5)|
|Enlaces externos: USPTO, Cesión de USPTO, Espacenet|
This application is a continuation-in-part of the co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/710,539, filed Nov. 9, 2000, entitled “LITHOGRAPHIC SCALE MICROELECTRONIC SPRING STRUCTURES WITH IMPROVED CONTOURS,” by Eldridge and Wenzel (hereinafter the “FIRST PARENT CASE”), which is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 09/364,788, filed Jul. 30, 1999, entitled “INTERCONNECT ASSEMBLIES AND METHODS,” by Eldridge and Mathieu (hereinafter, the “SECOND PARENT CASE”), which applications are incorporated herein, in their entirety, by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical contact elements for electrical devices, and more particularly to lithographic-scale, microelectronic spring contacts with improved contours.
2. Description of Related Art
Recent technological advances, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,707 to Khandros et al., have provided small, flexible and resilient microelectronic spring contacts for mounting directly to substrates, such as semiconductor chips. The '707 patent discloses microelectronic spring contacts that are made using a wire bonding process that involves bonding a very fine wire to a substrate, and subsequent electroplating of the wire to form a resilient element. These microelectronic contacts have provided substantial advantages in applications such as back-end wafer processing, and particularly for use as contact structures for probe cards, where they have replaced fine tungsten wires. It is further recognized, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,032,446 and 5,983,493 to Eldridge et al, that such substrate-mounted, microelectronic spring contacts can offer substantial advantages for making electrical connections between semiconductor devices in general, and in particular, for the purpose of performing wafer-level test and burn-in processes. Indeed, fine-pitch spring contacts offer potential advantages for any application where arrays of reliable electronic connectors are required, including for making both temporary and permanent electrical connections in almost every type of electronic device.
In practice, however, the cost of fabricating fine-pitch spring contacts has limited their range of applicability to less cost-sensitive applications. Much of the fabrication cost is associated with manufacturing equipment and process time. Contacts as described in the aforementioned patents are fabricated in a serial process (i.e., one at a time) that cannot be readily converted into a parallel, many-at-a-time process. Thus, new types of contact structures, referred to herein as lithographic-scale microelectronic spring (or contact, or spring contact) structures, have been developed, using lithographic manufacturing processes that are well suited for producing multiple spring structures in parallel, thereby greatly reducing the cost associated with each contact. Exemplary lithographic-scale spring contacts, and processes for making them, are described in the commonly owned, co-pending U.S. patent applications “LITHOGRAPHICALLY DEFINED MICROELECTRONIC CONTACT STRUCTURES, Ser. No. 09/032,473 filed Feb. 26, 1998 by Pedersen and Khandros, and “MICROELECTRONIC CONTACT STRUCTURES”, Ser. No. 60/073,679, filed Feb. 4, 1998 by Pedersen and Khandros, both of which are incorporated herein, in their entirety, by reference.
In general, lithographic processes allow for a great deal of versatility in design of spring contacts, which in turn permits numerous improvements over prior art designs. For example, although prior art lithographically formed structures in general typically have essentially flat rectangular cross-sections, contoured non-rectangular cross-sections are desirable for many spring contact applications. For a given thickness of resilient material, a lithographic type spring contact can be made stiffer and stronger by providing it with a suitably contoured, non-rectangular cross section. Other performance benefits may be realized by utilizing various other more complex shapes. However, prior art manufacturing methods are unsuitable for making lithographic type spring contacts with such suitably contoured, non-rectangular cross-sections, and other types of more complex shapes. Additionally, prior methods, for example, as disclosed in the above-referenced U.S. patent applications 09/032,473 and 60/073,679, fabricate the spring structures using a series of lithographic steps, thereby building up a z-component extension (i.e., extension of the spring tip away from the substrate surface) with several lithographic layers. However, the use of multiple layers adds undesirable cost and complexity to the manufacturing process. Layered structures are also subject to undesirable stress concentration and stress corrosion cracking, because of the discontinuities (i.e., stepped structures) that result from layering processes.
A need therefore exists for method of making microelectronic spring structures more quickly and easily by eliminating process layering steps and the associated costs, while providing springs with improved properties, such as improved strength, stiffness, resistance to stress concentration cracking, and elastic range. Additionally, a need exists for a method of making lithographically formed, microelectronic spring structures with defined contoured surfaces and more complex shapes.
The present invention provides a method for forming microelectronic spring structures and methods to address the foregoing needs, while achieving adequate z-extension without requiring the use of multiple stepped lithographic layers.
The present invention provides a method for fabricating molded microelectronic spring structures, and methods for making and using such structures, using a molded pre-cursor form. In one embodiment, a method is provided for making resilient contact structures. First, a layer of sacrificial material is formed over a substrate. Then, a contoured surface is developed in the sacrificial material, preferably by molding the sacrificial material using a mold or stamp. The contoured surface provides a mold for at least one spring form, and preferably for an array of spring forms. If necessary, the sacrificial layer is then cured or hardened. A layer of resilient material is deposited over the contoured surface of the sacrificial material, and patterned to define at least one spring form, and preferably an array of spring forms. The sacrificial material is then at least partially removed from beneath the spring form to reveal at least one free-standing spring structure. A separate conducting tip is optionally attached to each resulting spring structure, and each structure is optionally plated or covered with an additional layer or layers of material, as desired.
In another embodiment, a method for making a resilient contact structure using the properties of a fluid meniscus is disclosed. First, a layer of material is formed over a substrate. Then, a recess is developed in the material, and fluid is provided in the recess to form a meniscus. The fluid is cured or hardened to stabilize the contoured shape of the meniscus. The stabilized meniscus is then used in the method in the same manner as the molded surface in the sacrificial material.
The method according to the present invention is readily adaptable for use with lithographic manufacturing equipment and processes that are currently available to make large quantities of microelectronic spring structures in parallel. The method is particularly capable for making lithographically formed microelectronic spring contact structures that are low-aspect ratio rectangular in cross-section, and have a z-component extension along a linear or curved slope. The method also provides for shaping springs in plan view, for example, by providing springs with tapered triangular shapes. In particular, the method is capable of forming spring structures over a molded substrate formed in essentially a single process step, thereby reducing the number of processing steps required to form springs with desired shapes. The method additionally provides contoured molding substrates for forming springs with numerous performance improvements. For example, the method may be used to readily form structures having a U-shaped cross-section, a V-shaped cross-section, and/or a rib running along a length of the spring.
A more complete understanding of the method for forming microelectronic spring structures will be afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as a realization of additional advantages and objects thereof, by a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment. Reference will be made to the appended sheets of drawings which will first be described briefly.
The present invention satisfies the need for a method of forming microelectronic spring structures, that overcomes the limitations of previous forming methods. In the detailed description that follows, like element numerals are used to describe like elements illustrated in one or more figures.
Various terms and acronyms are used throughout the detailed description, including the following:
“Microelectronic” means pertaining to that branch of electronics dealing with components of miniature size, such as integrated circuits. A “microelectronic spring” is not limited to springs used as electrical contacts, but also includes springs used as electro-mechanical devices and as purely mechanical springs. “Sacrificial layer,” “layer of sacrificial material,” and “sacrificial material layer” means a layer of photoresist or similar material that is deposited on a substrate during formation of a desired component or structure, such as a microelectronic spring component, and later removed from the substrate.
“Sacrificial substrate” means a substrate that is used for formation of a desired component or structure, such as a microelectronic spring component, and later removed from the component or structure.
“Substrate” means a material having a supporting surface for supporting a desired structure or component. Suitable substrates upon which microelectronic spring contacts may be formed according to the present invention include, but are not limited to, semiconductor materials, such as semiconductor wafers and dice (with or without integrated circuitry), metals, ceramics, and plastics; all of the foregoing materials may be in various geometric configurations and intended for various applications.
The foregoing definitions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but rather are intended to clarify terms that are well understood by persons having ordinary skill in the art, and to introduce terms helpful for describing the present invention. It should be appreciated that the defined terms may also have other meanings to such persons having ordinary skill in the art. These and other terms are used in the detailed description below.
The present invention provides methods for forming microelectronic springs on a substrate using lithographic techniques that are readily adoptable by manufacturers of semiconductor electronic devices. The microelectronic springs structures are preferably configured as described in the FIRST PARENT CASE referenced above, although various other configurations may also be formed using the methods described herein. Various exemplary methods are disclosed herein, and it should be apparent that the choice of a preferred method will depend on factors such as the type of manufacturing equipment available, the characteristics of the substrate, the desired properties of the springs, and so forth, that will vary depending on the circumstances. In some circumstances, two or more methods may be equally preferable. Additionally, selected steps of the exemplary methods may be combined in various ways, and optional steps may be omitted, depending on these and similar variable factors.
As known in the semiconductor art, substrate 32 is typically comprised of numerous layers, such as insulating layers interposed with conducting and semiconducting layers, and a passivating layer (not shown) optionally provided on an upper surface of the substrate 32. The passivating layer may be an insulating layer, a polysilicon layer, or other layers as known in the art, and is commonly present on semiconductor devices. When a passivating layer is present, contact pad 46 is preferably exposed through an opening in the passivating layer. Prior to depositing subsequent layers, a passivating layer (if there is one present) may optionally first be roughened, such as by exposure to an oxygen plasma, to enhance adhesion of the first subsequent layer. Choice of roughening techniques and materials suitable for deposition on passivating layers is as known in the art.
In an embodiment of the invention, layer 30 comprises multiple layers, for example a soft material that is in contact with substrate 32, covered with a hard or brittle material on the top surface that will cleave or cut cleanly when impressed with molding tool 34. This type of bi-layer could be formed with successive addition and curing of wet materials by spin coating or casting, by successive lamination of dry film polymers, or by lamination of a dry film that consists of multiple layers. The brittle layer mentioned above could also be a metallic layer, that would cleave and eliminate the metal layer deposition step required to form a conducting surface, such as step 106 shown in FIG. 1. In yet another embodiment, layer 30 comprises at least one layer of photo-patternable material and at least one layer of moldable material that is not photo-patternable. This would provide, for example, the ability to photo-pattern some regions, then follow the photo-patterning step with a molding step, or vice versa.
Also, a stamping tool 34, having a molding face provided with different molding regions 36, 38, and 42, is prepared for molding sacrificial layer 30. Various methods may be used to prepare tool 34. For example, the stamping tool 34 may be formed from a relatively hard material using a computer controlled, ultraviolet (“UV”) laser ablation process, using an excimer laser, or a pulsed NdYag laser such as are available from Lambda Physik, Inc., located in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., or from Heidelberg Instruments Mikrotechnik GmbH, located in Heidelberg, Germany. In the alternative, a laser microchemical process, also called laser assisted etching, available from Revise, Inc. located in Burlington, Mass., may be used to form the stamping tool. Yet another alternative is to use a gray-scale photolithography mask, such as available from Canyon Materials, Inc., of San Diego, Calif., to form a pattern with a surface profile in a photopatternable glass or a layer of photoresist (which may be used as a mold for the stamping tool). The latter method—using a gray-scale mask to pattern a layer of photoresist—may also be used to form sacrificial layer 30 directly, but this is less preferred because it is generally slower than using a stamping tool. All of the foregoing methods for forming a stamping tool are capable of defining features with submicron resolution, and thus may be used for forming spring structures with molded features to about 0.1 micron in size. For example, a spring structure with a cantilevered beam portion as narrow as about 0.1 microns may be made using method 100. Maximally protruding molding regions, or “teeth” 36 of tool 34 are used for deforming the sacrificial layer 30 in the area of the contact pads 46, where bases of the contact structures will be formed. Contoured molding regions 38 are used for deforming layer 30 in a beam region of the contact structures to be formed. Maximally recessed molding regions 42 are used for receiving excess material, i.e., “flash,” pushed aside by teeth 36. Molding regions 42 also define spacing between adjacent spring structures on substrate 32. Depending on the choice of materials for sacrificial layer 30 and stamping tool 34, a layer of mold release material (not shown) is optionally provided on the molding face of tool 34. It should be recognized that further layers and materials may be present on substrate 32 without departing from the method described herein. For example, a metallic shorting layer (not shown) is optionally provided between layer 30 and substrate 32, to protect any integrated circuits embedded in the substrate during processing operations. In an initial phase of forming and curing step 104, the stamping tool 34 is applied against substrate 32 with sufficient pressure to bring the teeth 36 nearly to the surface of substrate 32, and to fully mold layer 30 in all contoured molding regions 48, as shown in FIG. 2B. To avoid damaging substrate 32, and particularly because the surface of substrate 32 is typically not perfectly planar, teeth 36 are preferably not brought into contact with substrate 32. Tool pressures are preferably relatively low, such as less than about 7 mega-Pascals (“MPa”, about 1000 pounds per square inch (“PSI”)), and more preferably, less than about 0.7 MPa (about 100 PSI). In a preferred embodiment, when teeth 36 have sunk into layer 30 to the desired depth, flash substantially fills the maximally recessed regions 42 forming a surface sufficiently uniform to permit later deposition of a layer of masking material between the spring structures after the stamping tool 34 is removed from layer 30. Stamping tool 34 may be heated to assist deformation of layer 30, and then cooled to harden layer 30 into place. In an alternative embodiment, layer 30 is selected of a material that is sufficiently deformable to flow under pressure without application of heat, and sufficiently viscous to hold its shape after tool 30 is removed. In yet another alternative embodiment, heat, UV light, or chemical catalysts are used to harden sacrificial layer 30 while under stamping tool 34, and then tool 34 is removed. In yet another embodiment, ultrasonic energy is applied by tool 34 to soften layer 30 for molding. Whatever molding technique is used, the cycle times are preferably relatively short to permit faster manufacturing throughput.
The appearance of the molded sacrificial layer 30 after etching is shown in
In step 106, a seed layer is sputtered over the surface of sacrificial layer 30 and exposed base areas 50. The seed layer is typically a relatively thin layer of uniform thickness, such as about 4500 Å (Angstroms; or about 0.45 microns) thick, of sputtered metal, used for electroplating the resilient spring material. Suitable metals for seed layer 52 include copper, gold, or palladium; or potentially, titanium—tungsten (Ti—W). Less preferably, surface modifications of layer 30 and base areas 50, e.g., plasma treatment, may be used to render them conductive, thereby creating a seed layer in a surface layer of the materials.
In an alternative embodiment, an electrically conductive mold material, such as a conductive polymer, conductive composite material, or metal alloy having a low melting point, is used to form mold layer 30, thereby eliminating the need to deposit a seed layer in preparation for plating. In such an embodiment, the resilient spring material can be plated directly onto the conductive mold material. In addition, the substrate is optionally covered with a protective shorting layer, as known in the art, before the layer of conductive mold material is applied the substrate. The shorting layer, if present, protects any integrated circuit elements in the substrate, and carries the plating current.
In step 108, a patterned layer of a masking material, such as a photo-resist layer 54, is deposited, to cover areas of the seed layer where no resilient material is to be deposited. The photo-resist layer 54 may be selected from various commercially available resist materials, including wet or dry positive or negative resists, or wet positive or negative electrophoretic resist systems. The photo-resist layer may be patterned using any appropriate method, for example by exposing to UV light through a mask, except where the spring structures are to be formed, thus curing it in the exposed areas (in the case of a negative-acting resist).
The masking material 54 is preferably stable in the environment of subsequent deposition methods. For example, a typical positive photoresist masking material contains residual solvent or monomer that can outgas under the high vacuum conditions present during sputtering operations. Similar difficulties may be encountered when sputtering over a layer of sacrificial material, which typically is an organic material that may also contain residual solvent or other low-molecular-weight constituents. In preparation for a subsequent deposition step, the masking or sacrificial material is preferably pre-treated, for example by baking or by exposure to light, to drive off residual solvent or cross-link residual monomer, as the case may be, or to otherwise stabilize the material. A disadvantage of pre-treating is that the masking or sacrificial material may thereby be made more difficult to remove later in the process. A suitable sacrificial material and deposition process can be selected by one skilled in the art.
After the uncured portions of resist layer 54 are dissolved away, exposed areas 56 of seed layer 52 are revealed, as shown in FIG. 2F. Exposed areas 56 have the projected shape, in plan view, of the desired microelectronic spring structure. For example, if a triangular beam is desired, the exposed area has a generally triangular shape, in plan view. In step 110, one or more layers of resilient material 58 are then deposited onto the seed layer in the exposed areas 56, using various methods, such as electroplating, as known in the art. Where the seed layer is covered by resist layer 54, no electroplating will occur. In the alternative, a layer of resilient material may be built up using a process such as CVD or PVD selectively applied to areas 56 through a mask (such as a shadow mask), eliminating the need for the step 106 of depositing a seed layer. Using any of various deposition methods, a spring structure 60 comprising an integrally formed base and beam is formed on the exposed area 56, as shown in FIG. 2G. In step 112, the layers of sacrificial material 30 and masking material 54 are removed using a suitable solvent, such as acetone, that will not attack substrate 32 or the resilient material 58, as known in the art. Freestanding spring structures 60, as shown in
Suitable materials for the resilient material include but are not limited to: nickel, and its alloys; copper, cobalt, iron, and their alloys; gold (especially hard gold) and silver, both of which exhibit excellent current-carrying capabilities and good contact resistivity characteristics; elements of the platinum group; noble metals; semi-noble metals and their alloys, particularly elements of the palladium group and their alloys; and tungsten, molybdenum and other refractory metals and their alloys. Use of nickel and nickel alloys is particularly preferred. In cases where a solder-like finish is desired, tin, lead, bismuth, indium, gallium and their alloys can also be used. The resilient material may further be comprised of more than one layer. For example, the resilient material may be comprised of two metal layers, wherein a first metal layer, such as nickel or an alloy thereof, is selected for its resiliency properties and a second metal layer, such as gold, is selected for its electrical conductivity properties. Additionally, layers of conductive and insulating materials may be deposited to form transmission-line-like structures.
After formation of the spring structures 60, substrate 32 is optionally coated in a patterned layer with an insulating encapsulant material over its surface, as further described in the SECOND PARENT CASE referenced above. The encapsulant layer (not shown) preferably covers the base areas 50 of the contact structures, thereby mechanically reinforcing the attachment of the resilient contact structures to the surface of the substrate. In addition, spring structures 60 are optionally provided with separate tip structures. Separate tip structures may be formed on a sacrificial substrate, and transferred to structure 60, to be joined adjacent to its free tip, as is further described, for example, in the commonly owned, co-pending application Ser. No. 09/023,859, filed Feb. 13, 1998, which is incorporated herein, in its entirety, by reference.
It should be apparent that method 100, and variations thereof, may be used to readily form numerous contoured spring structures on a substrate during a single production cycle. For example, method 100 may be used to produce tens of thousands of contoured spring structures on a wafer with multiple dice. Additionally, each of the tens of thousands of structures so formed will have a precise size, shape, and location as defined during the embossing and lithographic manufacturing process. In general, dimensional errors are anticipated to be on the order of 10 microns or less. Because so many structures can be formed at the same time, the cost of forming each structure will be relatively low.
Furthermore, numerous variations of the above-described sequence of steps will become apparent to one skilled in the art, for producing integrally formed spring structures according to the present invention. For example, a spring contact structure may be fabricated at an area on a substrate that is remote from a contact pad to which it is electrically connected. Generally, the spring contact structure may be mounted to a conductive line (not shown) that extends from a contact pad of the substrate to a remote position. In this manner, a plurality of spring contact structures can be mounted to the substrate so that their tips are disposed in a pattern and at positions that are not limited to the pattern of the contact pads on the substrate. Additionally, in an embodiment of the invention, molds for both the desired spring structures and the redistribution layer are formed simultaneously, by impressing a suitably shaped stamping tool into the moldable substrate. In yet another embodiment, molds for spring contacts are formed on opposite or adjacent surfaces of substrates, which is useful, for example, for forming interposer or space-transformer components. Such molds can be formed either sequentially or simultaneously, with appropriate tooling.
For further example, method 100 may further be adapted to permit the resilient material to be permanently deposited in areas of the substrate that are not specifically intended for making interconnections. Generally, any area on the substrate that is not masked will be plated. This may be useful for, e.g., building mechanical elements on the face of the die for standoffs. For example, the edges of the substrate could be plated to provide stand-offs or stop structures for spring structures 60. Alternatively, the opposite side of the substrate can be plated with a shielding or shorting layer. Variations such as the foregoing may similarly be made in each of the alternative methods disclosed herein.
Although various adaptations may be made to the methods disclosed herein, in general, a molding or other forming process using a relatively thick layer of sacrificial material, such as layer 30, is preferred for providing adequate height of the spring structure without requiring building up of multiple layers of photo-resist. Additionally, use of a deformable (moldable) sacrificial material layer facilitates duplication and mass production of relatively complex, contoured beam shapes.
Accordingly, in the preferred embodiments of the method, the entire spring structure (with the exception of optional features such as separate tips) is definable in a layer of material deposited (such as by electroplating, CVD, or PVD) on the surface of a mold form. The resulting spring structures are thus comprised of an integral sheet, which may comprise a single layer, or multiple coextensive layers, of resilient, conductive, and/or resistive material. The integrated sheet may be folded and contoured, and is preferably essentially free of any overlapping portion in the direction that the materials are deposited (typically from above the structure towards a substrate), so it may be more readily formed by depositing a layer or layers of material over a molded layer of sacrificial material, according to the methods described herein. However, substantial overlap may be achieved using some deposition methods, such as electroplating in conjunction with a “robber” to drive electrically charged material under an overhang.
It should be apparent that the open molding method 100 according to the present invention may be adapted to form contoured beams for spring structures in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. For the purpose of microelectronic spring contact structures, certain sizes and structural properties are preferred, as further described in the FIRST PARENT CASE referenced above. However, method 100 is capable of forming structures both smaller and larger than in the preferred ranges. Current available techniques for forming stamping tools place a lower limit on feature size at about 0.1 micron. While there is no clearly defined upper limit on feature size, above a certain feature size, for example, features that require forming the sacrificial layer 30 to depths of greater than about 10,000 microns (about 1 cm or 400 mils), prior art fabrication methods, such as sheet metal forming, are likely to be more economically feasible.
A perspective view of an exemplary impression formed by a stamping tool is shown in
As shown in
Furthermore, although a specific configuration of stamping tool 34 is shown in
In many cases, the upper surface of the silicon substrate will have substantial irregularities (non-planarities) that will transfer to the upper surface of a uniform layer of sacrificial material, such as a spin-coated layer. The tips of the spring structures formed by the foregoing molding method will accordingly not be in substantially the same plane. If the irregularities are larger than about 10% of the tip height of the spring structures above the substrate, an array of spring structures on the substrate will be unsuitable for making contact with another planar substrate. Also, because mating substrates will also have non-planar surfaces, it is desirable to reduce non-planarities in the tips of the spring structures to avoid errors from tolerance build-up. Accordingly, the present invention provides a method 400 for making spring structures with tips in substantially the same plane, relative to surface irregularities in a substrate.
Exemplary steps of the method 400 are shown in
In step 404, a moldable material (for forming sacrificial layer 30) is injected through port 72 to fill the interior of mold 71. The moldable material may be any suitable moldable material, including the materials previously described for forming a coated sacrificial layer. In step 406, the material is cooled or cured to the desired hardness. In step 408, the cover plate 68 is removed from the substrate 32 with the adhered layer 30, as shown in FIG. 5C. After the molding process, the upper surface 78 of layer 30 is substantially planar relative to the irregular upper surface 33 of substrate 32. In step 410, contoured molding surfaces are formed in sacrificial layer 30, using a stamping tool 34, as shown in FIG. 5D. Details of step 410 are essentially the same as step 104 of method 100, described above. In the alternative, features for forming the contoured molding surfaces 48 can be machined directly into inner surface 77 of cover plate 68, and step 410 may be omitted. The appearance of the molded sacrificial layer after forming the molding surfaces 48 is shown in FIG. 5E. The upper surface of residue 51 over base areas 50 are located at a uniform depth h from the reference plane defined by the inner surface 77 of cover plate 68. The reference plane is itself located a distance d1 from the mounting plane 82 of substrate 32, where d1 is longer than h.
In step 412, the substrate is exposed at the base areas 50, preferably by etching the sacrificial layer 30 using an anisotropic etch 76, as previously described. The etch 76 is continued until all substrate areas are exposed, as shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 5E. Conventional end-point detection techniques can be used to determine the ending point for the etching process. After etching, the base areas 50 are disposed on the irregular upper surface 33, and thus are no longer disposed at an equal depth from the reference surface. However, the upper surface of layer 30 is still within essentially the same plane, disposed at a distance d2 from the mounting plane 82 of substrate 32, where d2 is less than d1. A layer of resilient material is then deposited over the sacrificial layer and patterned, and the sacrificial layer is removed from the substrate 32, as previously described in connection with method 100. The resulting spring structures 60 have their tips 80 disposed in substantially the same plane, located a distance d2 from the mounting plane 82 of substrate 32. The distance d2 is preferably constant, but may vary in a regular fashion across any straight section of the substrate (that is, the plane of the spring structure tips need not be exactly parallel to the mounting plane of substrate 32), within limits of about 20% of the average tip height of the spring structures 60 above substrate 32.
Similar results may be obtained using an alternative method 600, exemplary steps of which are shown in FIG. 6. In step 602, a sacrificial layer is deposited on the substrate as previously described in connection with step 102 of method 100. In step 604, a molding surface is formed in the sacrificial material layer, as previously described in connection with step 104. Then, at step 606, the upper surface of the sacrificial material layer is made planar, using a process known in the art, such as chemical-mechanical polishing. As previously described in connection with method 400, the upper surface of the sacrificial layer is thus made to be disposed within a plane that is substantially parallel to, or slightly inclined to, the mounting plane of substrate 32. The remaining steps of method 600 are essentially the same as previously described in connection with steps 106-112 of method 100.
In some circumstances it may be advantageous to avoid forming the molding surfaces on a sacrificial layer by a method that requires a stamping tool and ancillary equipment. The present invention provides a method 700 for forming contoured molding surfaces in a sacrificial layer without the need for a stamping tool. Exemplary steps of method 700 are shown in FIG. 7. Related views of a substrate with layered materials during steps of the method 700, and a view of an exemplary resulting spring structure, are shown in
In step 706, the surfaces of the recess 86, and in particular, the sidewalls, are preferably treated to alter their wetting properties as desired. The wetting properties can be modified by various techniques as known in the art, such as silanization. For further example, exposure to plasmas of oxygen, nitrogen/hydrogen, and other gases can change surface wetting properties. Further, increasing the surface roughness will generally increase the wetability of the surface. The sidewalls of the recess 86 are treated to alter the surface energy, which determines wetability, relative to the chosen wetting fluid. If a concave meniscus is desired, the surface energy of the sidewalls is decreased (if necessary) such that the chosen wetting fluid will cling to the sidewalls and form a concave meniscus in the recess 86. Conversely, if a convex meniscus is desired, the sidewalls are treated to repel the wetting fluid, thereby causing the fluid to form a bead having a convex meniscus. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the selection of the sacrificial material, wetting fluid, and recess shape are such that no surface treatment of the recess 86 is needed to achieve the desired meniscus shape. In general, it is preferred that the surface of the recesses 86 be easily wetted, to avoid difficulties with filling multiple recesses with a uniform quantity of fluid.
In step 708, recess 86 is partially filled with a suitable wetting fluid 84. A suitable fluid is one with a low enough viscosity and surface tension to wet recess 86, which may be solidified without significant shrinkage or otherwise distorting the desired meniscus shape, and which may be later removed from the substrate 32 dissolution along with layer 30. In an embodiment of the present invention, fluid 84 is a photo patternable material such as photoresist (e.g., SU8-25 or SU8-2). Several methods may be used to get a specified volume of fluid 84 into the recess 86. Generally the recesses 86 are small, for example about 250 microns wide, 250 microns deep, and 1000 microns long. The volume of a “Manhattan” (rectangular) cavity with these dimensions is 62.5 nanoliters, and special techniques must be used to accurately deposit a specified volume of liquid, which is preferably less than the recess volume. In one embodiment, a substrate having recesses 86 with a volume of less than about 100 nanoliters is spin coated with a fluid 84. The spin-coating process leaves a small amount of fluid 84 in each cavity, the volume of which depends on the fluid viscosity, surface wetting properties of the fluid 84 and recess 86, the shape of recess 86, and spin process parameters such as rotational velocity and acceleration, and radial distance from the axis of rotation. Fluid 84 may be applied by directing (such as by spraying) a fluid mist onto a rotating substrate, or by immersion. A portion of the fluid 84 is also removed by the spin coating process from recess 86, so that the fluid 84 only partially fills the recess 86, as shown in cross-section in FIG. 8C.
The relative surface energies of fluid 84 and the sidewalls of recess 86 are such that the fluid 84 has a meniscus having a first contoured shape 88 in the length direction of the recess 86, and a second contoured shape 89 in the width direction, as shown in
In step 710, after the fluid 84 partially fills recess 86, the fluid is solidified, for example, by curing with a chemical catalyst or UV light, by heating to drive out solvents, or by cooling below its melting point. The solidified fluid 92 may then be further patterned to define a mold for the spring structure. For example, as shown in
Each of the foregoing fabrication methods may be used to define a spring structure having a defined contoured shape. In general, one of the advantages of contouring the beam of a spring structure is that a contour can be used to reduce the thickness of material that is needed to achieve a beam of adequate stiffness for use as a microelectronic spring contact. Accordingly, alternative deposition techniques, such as physical vapor deposition (“PVD”) or chemical vapor deposition (“CVD”), can be used to deposit the resilient spring material over the molding surface. For example, PVD and CVD are generally less suitable than electroplating for depositing layers more than 5 microns thick, which is a suitable range of thickness for contoured springs. The present invention accordingly provides a method 900 for forming a microelectronic spring structure using an alternative material deposition technique, as shown in FIG. 9. Views of a substrate and materials layered thereon during exemplary steps of method 900 are shown in
Steps 902 and 904 of method 900, for depositing a sacrificial layer 30 on substrate 32, and forming the molding surfaces, are substantially the same as corresponding steps 102 and 104 of method 100, as previously described. Other methods, such as method 400 also described herein, may also be used to form a molding surface in the sacrificial material. At step 906, the surface of the sacrificial layer 30 is coated with a layer of resilient material 58 using a process such as CVD or PVD, to a uniform thickness of at least about one micron, and preferably about five microns. To achieve a thickness greater than about 5 microns, it is preferred to deposit the resilient material 58 by electroplating, after first depositing a seed layer, as described in connection with method 100. A cross-section of the substrate after the deposition process is shown in FIG. 10A. In step 908, a patterned layer of masking material, such as a photo-resist layer 54, is applied to cover the resilient material in areas where spring structures are to be formed, as shown in FIG. 10B. At step 910, the excess (unmasked) resilient material is removed using a etching process as previously described, resulting in the layered materials as shown in FIG. 10C. At step 912, the sacrificial layer 30 and masking layer 54 are removed in a suitable solvent, leaving the spring structure 60, comprised of resilient material 58, adhered to substrate 32. Spring structure 60 is then typically post-processed, for example, by plating with gold and/or by adhering a separate tip structure (not shown), as further described herein and in the co-pending applications referenced herein.
The steps required to pattern layers of resilient materials and/or seed layers may be reduced or eliminated by providing at least a portion of the molding surfaces and base areas with an overhanging lip. Such techniques may be generally applied to the methods previously described to reduce manufacturing costs. An overhanging lip may be provided using a mold tooth of suitable form, such as the re-entrant tooth 98 provided on tool 34 and shown in FIG. 11A. When re-entrant tooth 98 is pressed into a layer of sacrificial material, the recess formed thereby is provided with an overhanging lip 96. It should be apparent that, to remove tooth 98 from layer 30 after being fully impressed therein without damaging lip 96, it is helpful for the layer of sacrificial material 30 to be a visco-elastic material. A visco-elastic material will deform sufficiently to permit removal of tooth 98 without damaging lip 96, but will recover its shape after the tooth is removed. Similar benefits may be realized if layer 30 is formed from a soft, elastic material that does not adhere to tool 34. Generally, layer 30 should comprise a solid material with a low shear modulus, i.e., a gel. The gel may have a viscous component, making it visco-elastic, or it may be more purely elastic, e.g., a soft elastic material.
As an alternative to using a re-entrant tooth, progressive stamping tools may be used to form an overhanging lip.
The resulting impressions formed by sequential impression of the primary and secondary teeth are shown in
A fully enclosing overhanging lip, as shown in
At step 1304, the sacrificial material layer 30 is deposited according to a method previously described. At step 1306, a molding surface 48 with an overhanging lip 96 is formed in the layer of sacrificial material, preferably using a re-entrant tooth or progressive stamping tool, as previously described. At step 1308, a seed layer 52 and 55 is deposited on the surface of the sacrificial layer, using a process such as sputtering (especially ionized physical-vapor deposition (I-PVD)), or similar line-of-sight deposition process. It will be apparent that the overhanging lip 96 shields the perimeter of the molding surface from deposition of the seed layer, resulting in a first portion 52 of the seed layer disposed over the molding surface 48 and base area in recess 86, and a second portion 55 of the seed layer over the surrounding area of the sacrificial material layer, as shown in FIG. 14A. If will further be apparent that, so long as the overhanging lip 96 fully encloses the recess 86, the first portion 52 of the seed layer will be connected to the shorting layer 53, and the second portion 55 will be isolated from the shorting layer 53 and from the first portion 52.
Then, in step 1310, the substrate is electroplated with a resilient material using shorting layer 53 to apply a plating potential to the first portion 52. The resilient material 58 thus is selectively plated on the first portion 52 of the seed layer, and does not cover the second portion 55. Then, at step 1312, the sacrificial material layer and second portion 55 of the seed layer are removed by dissolving the sacrificial material in a suitable solvent, as previously described. It should be noted, however, that even if the resilient material 58 is incidentally plated over the second portion 55, this unwanted plated material can later readily be removed without harming the desired spring structures, so long as it is not continuous with the resilient material 58 plated over the first portion 52. In either case, a separate, free-standing spring structure results from application of the method 1300, an exemplary one of which is shown in
A similar process may be used, utilizing a partially enclosing overhanging lip, according to the method 1500 shown in FIG. 15. No shorting layer is needed for method 1500, however, an additional step is needed to separate the resilient material of the spring structures from the surrounding material. A plan view of the substrate during a step of the method is shown in
The appearance of the substrate after deposition of the resilient material layer is shown in FIG. 16B. As is also clear from
In some cases it may be advantageous to form a plurality of microelectronic spring contacts by replicating a single mold tooth (or a relatively small group of teeth), instead of by using a stamping or molding tool having a plurality of teeth covering a relatively large area, such as the area of an die or wafer. The present invention provides a “one-up” method 1700, exemplary steps of which are shown in
A process loop, comprising steps 1704 through 1708, is then performed. In a first cycle of the loop, a single contoured molding surface is formed using tooth 36, at step 1704.
A similar “one-up” method may be used to form molding surfaces for spring contacts, using plunge electrical discharge machining (“EDM”). According to a plunge EDM method, a suitable plunge EDM tool is shaped like, and replaces, the transparent stamping tooth 36 discussed above with respect to method 1700. Instead of embossing a deformable substrate, the plunge EDM tool is used to form molding surfaces in a substantially non-deformable, electrically conductive substrate. Candidates for molding surfaces include metals and polymers filled with conductive particles or fibers. The surface so formed may be used as a mold form for spring contacts, or as a multi-toothed forming tool, depending on the characteristics of the conductive substrate and the desired objective.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, a spring structure is formed on a molded substrate utilizing the properties of a line-of-sight material deposition technique, such as sputtering or evaporation, so as to eliminate certain process steps. Exemplary steps of a method 1900 using a line-of-sight deposition technique are shown in FIG. 19. Exemplary views of a substrate and layered materials during method 1900 are shown in
Exemplary views of a substrate and layered materials after completion of step 1912 are shown in
At step 1914, if present on sidewalls 87, layer 52 is etched isotropically to remove all of layer 52 adhering to sidewalls 87 while leaving it substantially intact on molding surface 48 and top surface 57. That is, the etching step 1914 preferably is halted as soon as sidewalls 87 are free of deposited metallic material, at which point layer 52 on molding surface 48 will preferably be of a desired thickness. After step 1914, layer 52 on molding surface 48 will remain electrically connected to shorting layer 53. An isolated portion 55 of layer 52, on the upper surface 57 of layer 30, will be physically isolated from layer 52 on molding surface 48, and preferably, also electrically isolated from shorting layer 53. Layer 52 is thus patterned to define a spring structure, by separation of the molding surface 48 from upper surface 57 by sidewalls 87, and elimination of metallic (or resilient) material from the sidewalls. It should be apparent that if there is no metallic layer 52 on sidewalls 87 after deposition step 1912 (such as if sidewalls 87 are vertical or overhanging) step 1914 will be unnecessary and may be omitted.
At optional step 1916, a layer of resilient material 58 is electroplated onto the portion of layer 52 on molding surface 48. Preferably, no additional material will be plated onto the isolated portion 55, because it is preferably not connected to shorting layer 53, through which the plating current flows. A view of the substrate and layered materials after completion of step 1916 is shown in FIG. 20D. Note that resilient layer 58 does not contact the isolated portion 55. Hence, isolated portion 55 and sacrificial moldable layer 30 are readily removed at step 1918, such as by dissolution in an etchant, without damaging the resilient material 58 deposited on molding surface 48. It should further be apparent that if metallic layer 52 is sufficiently thick to provide the desired strength and stiffness, plating step 1916 may be omitted. In particular, where the spring structure is to be provided with stiffening features, such as a contoured or ribbed cantilevered portion, plated layer 58 (which may be used to provide strength and stiffness) is less likely to be necessary.
Other structures may be formed on the surface of a substrate at the same time as, and using the same processes as used for forming a microelectronic spring. In particular, redistribution traces, bridges, and bumps may be formed with a spring structure according to the present invention.
Residue 51 is typically present on the substrate 32 after the tool 34 is removed. Such residue is removed to reveal the contact pad 46 and dielectric layer 43 at the bottom of recess 86 in the area of the redistribution race and base for the spring structure. By suitable design of tool 34, recess 86 is surrounded by steep sidewalls 87 which separate molding surface 48 and the bottom of recess 86 from the upper surface 57 of moldable layer 30, as previously described herein. A layer of resilient material is deposited generally on the substrate, including over the bottom of recess 86 and over molding surface 48, using a line-of-sight deposition technique.
Moldable layer 30 is then removed, revealing a spring structure 60 with an integral redistribution trace, as shown in FIG. 21D. In this example, spring structure 60 has a contoured beam for enhanced stiffness. Bridges 59 correspond to bumps 61 formed by tool 34. Bridges 59 may serve to provide stress relief to trace 45, particularly if trace 45 is relatively lengthy. Bridges 59 may also serve as stop structures for spring structure 60. Additional bridges (not shown) may additionally be provided, that are electrically isolated from any contact element, and therefore perform a purely mechanical function, such as a mechanical stop. Thus, a complete contact system, including a plurality of spring contacts, associated redistribution traces, and stop structures, can be made using relatively few process steps. To further illustrate an application of the method,
In an alternative embodiment, a separately formed stop structure, as further described in the co-pending application Ser. No. 09/364,855, filed Jul. 30, 1999, entitled “INTERCONNECT ASSEMBLIES AND METHODS,” by Eldridge and Mathieu, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, is provided to prevent over-compression of the microelectronic spring structures under application of a contact force, according to methods described therein. Perspective views of a substrate 32 with an array of contoured, microelectronic spring contacts 60, and provided with stop structures 47, are shown in
It should be appreciated that the contoured microelectronic spring structures 60 described herein, such as shown in
The methods of the present invention are further illustrated by the following example:
A silicon wafer with a 0.5 micron surface oxide layer was selected for a prototype substrate. A layer of chrome was sputtered on a surface of the substrate, followed by a layer of gold, to provide a shorting layer. A 4.0 mil (100 micron) thick layer of negative dry-film photoresist was applied to the sputtered gold layer using a vacuum laminator. A second 3.0 mil (75 micron) thick layer of the same type of photoresist was applied over the first layer. The substrate was placed on a hot plate and heated until the photoresist was soft. An embossing tool with protruding triangular teeth contoured to produce the desired spring shape was pressed into the photoresist laminate while the laminate was soft. The substrate was cooled and the embossing tool was removed. A photolithography mask and UV light were used to expose (and thus cross link) the photoresist laminate everywhere except in the area of the spring base contact. The photoresist was developed using a spray developer with standard sodium carbonate developer solution, which removed the unexposed photoresist from the spring-base contact. The spring-base contacts were then cleaned using an oxygen plasma descum for ten minutes. A seed layer of metal (palladium/gold) for a subsequent electroplating step was sputtered over the entire surface of the photoresist laminate and exposed base area. A 4.0 mil layer of dry-film photoresist was applied over the sputtered layer using a vacuum laminator at 80° C. The photoresist was exposed with UV light using a photolithography mask to shield the resist over the molding surface, where the spring was to be formed. The photoresist was then developed to remove in the area of the molding surface, and then a plasma descum was used to clean the molding surface as before. A resilient spring metal (nickel) was deposited in the mold form by electroplating for 20 minutes at about 50 ASF current density. The substrate was removed from the electroplating solution and immersed in a solution of RD87 negative resist stripper to remove all layers of photoresist. A free-standing spring structure remained on the substrate having a thickness of 12 microns (about 0.5 mil), a cantilevered beam that was triangular in plan view and that extended about 180 microns (7 mils) from the surface of the substrate.
Having thus described a preferred embodiment of a method for forming microelectronic spring structures, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain advantages of the invention have been achieved. It should also be appreciated that various modifications, adaptations, and alternative embodiments thereof may be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention. For example, a method for forming microelectronic spring contact structures has been illustrated, but it should be apparent that the inventive concepts described above would be equally applicable to form similar structures for other purposes. For example, electro-mechanical spring contacts, such as relays, or purely mechanical springs could be formed on a variety of substrates for various applications using the methods described herein. Additionally, other lithographic type structures comprising open contoured sheets of materials, such as channels, funnels and blades, may be made at microscopic scales by suitably adapting the methods herein. The invention is further defined by the following claims.
|Patente citada||Fecha de presentación||Fecha de publicación||Solicitante||Título|
|US3173737||5 Ago 1963||16 Mar 1965||Amp Inc||Connector with tab terminal latching means|
|US3519890||1 Abr 1968||7 Jul 1970||North American Rockwell||Low stress lead|
|US3842189||8 Ene 1973||15 Oct 1974||Rca Corp||Contact array and method of making the same|
|US4553192||25 Ago 1983||12 Nov 1985||International Business Machines Corporation||High density planar interconnected integrated circuit package|
|US4615573||1 Nov 1985||7 Oct 1986||Honeywell Inc.||Spring finger interconnect for IC chip carrier|
|US4772228||20 Oct 1987||20 Sep 1988||Gte Products Corporation||Electrical contact|
|US4893172||13 Ene 1988||9 Ene 1990||Hitachi, Ltd.||Connecting structure for electronic part and method of manufacturing the same|
|US5152695||10 Oct 1991||6 Oct 1992||Amp Incorporated||Surface mount electrical connector|
|US5173055||8 Ago 1991||22 Dic 1992||Amp Incorporated||Area array connector|
|US5210939||17 Abr 1992||18 May 1993||Intel Corporation||Lead grid array integrated circuit|
|US5228861||12 Jun 1992||20 Jul 1993||Amp Incorporated||High density electrical connector system|
|US5286208||4 Feb 1992||15 Feb 1994||Yamaichi Electric Co., Ltd.||Contact in electric part socket|
|US5462440||11 Mar 1994||31 Oct 1995||Rothenberger; Richard E.||Micro-power connector|
|US5513430||19 Ago 1994||7 May 1996||Motorola, Inc.||Method for manufacturing a probe|
|US5534784||2 May 1994||9 Jul 1996||Motorola, Inc.||Method for probing a semiconductor wafer|
|US5555422||24 Oct 1995||10 Sep 1996||Co-Operative Facility For Aging Tester Development||Prober for semiconductor integrated circuit element wafer|
|US5576630||16 Jun 1994||19 Nov 1996||Nitto Denko Corporation||Probe structure for measuring electric characteristics of a semiconductor element|
|US5599194||3 Mar 1994||4 Feb 1997||Enplas Corporation||IC socket and its contact pin|
|US5613861||7 Jun 1995||25 Mar 1997||Xerox Corporation||Photolithographically patterned spring contact|
|US5632631||14 Sep 1994||27 May 1997||Tessera, Inc.||Microelectronic contacts with asperities and methods of making same|
|US5666190||4 Dic 1995||9 Sep 1997||The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford, Jr. University||Method of performing lithography using cantilever array|
|US5688699 *||16 Ene 1996||18 Nov 1997||Raytheon Company||Microbolometer|
|US5701085||5 Jul 1995||23 Dic 1997||Sun Microsystems, Inc.||Apparatus for testing flip chip or wire bond integrated circuits|
|US5772905 *||15 Nov 1995||30 Jun 1998||Regents Of The University Of Minnesota||Nanoimprint lithography|
|US5810609||28 Ago 1995||22 Sep 1998||Tessera, Inc.||Socket for engaging bump leads on a microelectronic device and methods therefor|
|US5821763||22 Nov 1996||13 Oct 1998||International Business Machines Corporation||Test probe for high density integrated circuits, methods of fabrication thereof and methods of use thereof|
|US5829128||15 Nov 1995||3 Nov 1998||Formfactor, Inc.||Method of mounting resilient contact structures to semiconductor devices|
|US5914614||7 Oct 1997||22 Jun 1999||International Business Machines Corporation||High density cantilevered probe for electronic devices|
|US5944537 *||15 Dic 1997||31 Ago 1999||Xerox Corporation||Photolithographically patterned spring contact and apparatus and methods for electrically contacting devices|
|US5974662||9 Nov 1995||2 Nov 1999||Formfactor, Inc.||Method of planarizing tips of probe elements of a probe card assembly|
|US5994152||24 Ene 1997||30 Nov 1999||Formfactor, Inc.||Fabricating interconnects and tips using sacrificial substrates|
|US6014032||30 Sep 1997||11 Ene 2000||International Business Machines Corporation||Micro probe ring assembly and method of fabrication|
|US6016061||27 Ene 1998||18 Ene 2000||Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha||Cantilever type probe needle for probe card and method of fabrication and control thereof|
|US6029344||12 Ago 1998||29 Feb 2000||Formfactor, Inc.||Composite interconnection element for microelectronic components, and method of making same|
|US6031282||27 Ago 1998||29 Feb 2000||Advantest Corp.||High performance integrated circuit chip package|
|US6059982||30 Sep 1997||9 May 2000||International Business Machines Corporation||Micro probe assembly and method of fabrication|
|US6064213||15 Ene 1997||16 May 2000||Formfactor, Inc.||Wafer-level burn-in and test|
|US6072190||18 Nov 1996||6 Jun 2000||Advantest Corp.||Micro contact pin structure with a piezoelectric element and probe card using the same|
|US6117344 *||20 Mar 1998||12 Sep 2000||Borealis Technical Limited||Method for manufacturing low work function surfaces|
|US6136243 *||4 Jun 1998||24 Oct 2000||Case Western Reserve University||Method for molding high precision components|
|US6183267||11 Mar 1999||6 Feb 2001||Murray Hill Devices||Ultra-miniature electrical contacts and method of manufacture|
|US6184053||6 May 1997||6 Feb 2001||Formfactor, Inc.||Method of making microelectronic spring contact elements|
|US6184576||21 Sep 1998||6 Feb 2001||Advantest Corp.||Packaging and interconnection of contact structure|
|US6214631||30 Oct 1998||10 Abr 2001||The Trustees Of Princeton University||Method for patterning light emitting devices incorporating a movable mask|
|US6255126||2 Dic 1998||3 Jul 2001||Formfactor, Inc.||Lithographic contact elements|
|US6255727||3 Ago 1999||3 Jul 2001||Advantest Corp.||Contact structure formed by microfabrication process|
|US6289583||9 Abr 1998||18 Sep 2001||Mesatronic||Method for making cards with multiple contact tips for testing semiconductor chips|
|US6307392||28 Oct 1998||23 Oct 2001||Nec Corporation||Probe card and method of forming a probe card|
|US6344752||29 Jul 1999||5 Feb 2002||Tokyo Electron Limited||Contactor and production method for contractor|
|US6359455||23 Feb 2000||19 Mar 2002||Tokyo Electron Limited||Probing card|
|US6406636 *||2 Jun 1999||18 Jun 2002||Megasense, Inc.||Methods for wafer to wafer bonding using microstructures|
|US6452407||18 Dic 2000||17 Sep 2002||Advantest Corp.||Probe contactor and production method thereof|
|US6713374||29 Dic 2000||30 Mar 2004||Formfactor, Inc.||Interconnect assemblies and methods|
|US20010040145 *||19 Jul 2001||15 Nov 2001||Willson Carlton Grant||Step and flash imprint lithography|
|US20020055282||13 Jun 2001||9 May 2002||Eldridge Benjamin N.||Electronic components with plurality of contoured microelectronic spring contacts|
|US20030099737||27 Feb 2001||29 May 2003||Formfactor, Inc.||Forming tool for forming a contoured microelectronic spring mold|
|USH842||30 Jun 1989||6 Nov 1990||American Telephone And Telegraph Company||Metal conductor structure having low electro-migration at high currents for semiconductor devices|
|EP0632281A2||16 Jun 1994||4 Ene 1995||Plessey Semiconductors Limited||Bare die testing|
|EP0899538A1||27 Ago 1997||3 Mar 1999||IMEC vzw||A probe tip configuration, a method of fabricating probe tips and use thereof|
|JPH0518741A||Título no disponible|
|JPH0721968A||Título no disponible|
|JPH05198716A||Título no disponible|
|JPH06267408A||Título no disponible|
|JPH07333232A||Título no disponible|
|JPH08306708A||Título no disponible|
|JPS58191453A||Título no disponible|
|TW341747B||Título no disponible|
|WO1991012706A1||14 Feb 1991||22 Ago 1991||Leedy Glenn J||Making and testing an integrated circuit using high density probe points|
|WO1996016440A1||13 Nov 1995||30 May 1996||Formfactor, Inc.||Interconnection elements for microelectronic components|
|WO1997044676A1||15 May 1997||27 Nov 1997||Formfactor, Inc.||Microelectronic contact structure and method of making same|
|WO1998021597A1||11 Nov 1997||22 May 1998||Charmant Beheer B.V.||Method for the manufacture of a test adapter as well as test adapter and a method for the testing of printed circuit-boards|
|WO1998052224A1 *||14 May 1998||19 Nov 1998||Formfactor, Inc.||Lithographically defined microelectronic contact structures|
|WO1999038229A1||22 Ene 1999||29 Jul 1999||Kinetrix, Inc.||Robust, small scale electrical contactor|
|WO2000033089A2||1 Dic 1999||8 Jun 2000||Formfactor, Inc.||Lithographic contact elements|
|WO2000033096A1||2 Dic 1999||8 Jun 2000||Formfactor, Inc.||Probe card for probing wafers with raised contact elements|
|WO2001009952A2||28 Jul 2000||8 Feb 2001||Formfactor, Inc.||Interconnect assemblies and methods|
|1||"A New Wafer Probe Interface Technology Using Compliant Microsprings, A Joint Study by Teradyne, Inc. and FormFactor, Inc.," Teradyne Formfactor White Paper (Teradyne, Inc. and FormFactor, Inc., Jan. 30, 1998), pp. 1-18.|
|2||Khandros et al., "New Methods For Reducing Costs In Semiconductor Back-End," (FormFactor, Inc., Jan. 30, 1998), 9 pages.|
|3||Novitsky et al., "FormFactor Introduces An Integrated Process For Wafer-Level Packaging, Burn-in Testing, And Module Level Assembly" (FormFactor, Inc., Mar. 1999), 6 pages.|
|4||U.S. Appl. No. 09/364,788, filed Jul. 30, 1999, Eldridge et al.|
|5||U.S. Appl. No. 09/364,855, filed Jul. 30, 1999, Eldridge et al.|
|6||U.S. Appl. No. 09/710,539, filed Nov. 9, 2000, Eldridge et al.|
|Patente citante||Fecha de presentación||Fecha de publicación||Solicitante||Título|
|US7061262 *||2 Sep 2005||13 Jun 2006||Jem America Corporation||Highly resilient cantilever spring probe for testing ICs|
|US7117592 *||15 Nov 2004||10 Oct 2006||Alps Electric Co., Ltd.||Method of manufacturing a connector|
|US7227371||14 Nov 2005||5 Jun 2007||Formfactor, Inc.||High performance probe system|
|US7312102 *||10 Nov 2004||25 Dic 2007||Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc.||Bridge connection type of chip package and fabricating method thereof|
|US7443181||5 Jun 2007||28 Oct 2008||Formfactor, Inc.||High performance probe system|
|US7524194||20 Oct 2006||28 Abr 2009||Formfactor, Inc.||Lithographic type microelectronic spring structures with improved contours|
|US7675301||17 Jul 2007||9 Mar 2010||Formfactor, Inc.||Electronic components with plurality of contoured microelectronic spring contacts|
|US7764075||28 Oct 2008||27 Jul 2010||Formfactor, Inc.||High performance probe system|
|US7862733 *||19 Dic 2007||4 Ene 2011||Kabushiki Kaisha Nihon Micronics||Method for manufacturing a probe|
|US7884006 *||2 Dic 2008||8 Feb 2011||Formfactor, Inc.||Method to build a wirebond probe card in a many at a time fashion|
|US8614590||27 Jul 2010||24 Dic 2013||Charles A. Miller||High performance probe system|
|US8921954||22 Ago 2013||30 Dic 2014||Infineon Technologies Ag||Method of providing a semiconductor structure with forming a sacrificial structure|
|US20050016251 *||16 Ago 2004||27 Ene 2005||Formfactor, Inc.||Forming tool for forming a contoured microelectronic spring mold|
|US20050062171 *||10 Nov 2004||24 Mar 2005||Chih-Pin Hung||Bridge connection type of chip package and fabricating method thereof|
|US20050106904 *||15 Nov 2004||19 May 2005||Alps Electric Co., Ltd.||Connector and method of manufacturing the same|
|US20060019027 *||25 Jul 2005||26 Ene 2006||Formfactor, Inc.||Method for forming microelectronic spring structures on a substrate|
|US20060033520 *||2 Sep 2005||16 Feb 2006||Jem America Corporation||A highly resilient cantilever spring probe for testing ics|
|US20060066332 *||14 Nov 2005||30 Mar 2006||Formfactor, Inc.||High performance probe system|
|US20070229100 *||5 Jun 2007||4 Oct 2007||Formfactor, Inc.||High Performance Probe System|
|US20070269997 *||17 Jul 2007||22 Nov 2007||Formfactor, Inc.||Electronic components with plurality of contoured microelectronic spring contacts|
|US20080210663 *||19 Dic 2007||4 Sep 2008||Kabushiki Kaisha Nihon Micronics||Method for manufacturing a probe|
|US20090035959 *||14 Oct 2008||5 Feb 2009||Formfactor, Inc.||Interconnect assemblies and methods|
|US20090134895 *||28 Oct 2008||28 May 2009||Formfactor, Inc.||High performance probe system|
|US20090142707 *||2 Dic 2008||4 Jun 2009||Formfactor, Inc.||Method to build a wirebond probe card in a many at a time fashion|
|US20100104678 *||28 Oct 2008||29 Abr 2010||Formfactor, Inc.||Apparatus and method for making and using a tooling die|
|US20110025361 *||3 Feb 2011||Formfactor, Inc.||High performance probe system|
|Clasificación de EE.UU.||216/11, 257/E21.582, 216/18, 257/E23.078, 216/38, 216/53, 257/E23.014, 216/52, 216/13|
|Clasificación internacional||B81B3/00, B81C1/00, H01H11/04, G01R1/067, G01R1/073, H05K3/40, H05K7/10, H01L21/768, H01L23/482, H01L23/48, G01R3/00, G01R1/04, H01R13/24|
|Clasificación cooperativa||H01L2924/12036, H01L2924/12042, H01L2924/181, Y10T29/49147, G01R1/06727, H01L2924/10253, H01L2924/01047, H01L2924/3025, H01L2924/01029, G01R1/06716, H01L2924/01023, H05K7/1069, H01L2924/01024, H01L2924/01075, H01L2924/01027, H01L2924/01082, H01L2924/01033, H01L2924/01079, H01L2924/01042, G01R3/00, H01L2924/01046, H01L2924/01015, H05K3/4092, H01L24/72, H01L23/4822, G01R1/0483, H01R13/24, H01L2924/01004, H01L2924/01049, H01L2924/01006, H01R12/52, H01L2924/01013, H01R13/2407, H01L2924/01002, G01R1/07342, G01R1/06733, H01L2924/01078, H01L2924/01005, H01L2924/14, H01L2924/01074, H01L2924/01011|
|Clasificación europea||H01L24/72, H01R13/24A, G01R1/067C2, H05K7/10F2B, G01R3/00, H01L23/482B, G01R1/067C, H01R9/09F|
|6 Jul 2001||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: FORMFACTOR, INC., CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ELDRIDGE, BENJAMIN N.;WENZEL, STUART W.;REEL/FRAME:011960/0814;SIGNING DATES FROM 20010615 TO 20010618
|6 Mar 2009||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|19 Abr 2013||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|6 Sep 2013||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|29 Oct 2013||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 20130906