Transfer printed device repair

• US 10,438,859 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Display Company Technology Limited (Sensinnovat BVBA)
• Original Assignee: X-Celeprint Limited
• Inventors: Cok, Ronald S., Radauscher, Erich, Gomez, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Bradley
• Application Number:
  US15/845,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20180174932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/22 Connection or disconnection of sub-entities or redundant parts of a device in response to a measurement testing and repair of stores after manufacture including at wafer scale G11C29/00; fuses per se H01L23/525
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13186 with a principal constituent of the material being a non metallic, non metalloid inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13562 On the entire exposed surface of the core
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/1357 Single coating layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/136 with a principal constituent of the material being a metal or a metalloid, e.g. boron [B], silicon [Si], germanium [Ge], arsenic [As], antimony [Sb], tellurium [Te] and polonium [Po], and alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16238 the bump connector connecting to a bonding area protruding from the surface of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/7999 for disconnecting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95001 involving a temporary auxiliary member not forming part of the bonding apparatus, e.g. removable or sacrificial coating, film or substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95136 involving guiding structures, e.g. shape matching, spacers or supporting members
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/98 Methods for disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/13 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/16 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/799 Apparatus for disconnecting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/81 using a bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/98 Methods for disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0753 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/053 Oxides composed of metals from groups of the periodic table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/62 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body, e.g. lead-frames, wire-bonds or solder balls

Abstract

A repaired transfer printed system (e.g., micro-transfer printed system) includes a system substrate having two or more contact pads disposed on the system substrate. One or more transfer printed devices (e.g., micro-transfer printed devices) are disposed in contact with the system substrate, each device having two or more connection posts. Each connection post of a replacement device is in physical contact with a contact pad, the connection post forming a second imprint in the physically contacted contact pad. In certain embodiments, a first imprint is in at least one of the physically contacted contact pads and is between the replacement device and the system substrate.

Claims

1. A repaired transfer-printed system, comprising:

a system substrate;

two or more contact pads disposed on the system substrate;

one or more transfer printed devices, each device comprising two or more connection posts, wherein each connection post is in physical contact with a contact pad of the two or more contact pads and forms a second imprint in the contact pad; and

a first imprint in at least one of the physically contacted contact pads that is between the device and the system substrate.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is an electronic system, the connection posts are electrically conductive connection posts, and the device is an electronic device (i) responsive to electrical signals received through the connection posts or (ii) providing electrical signals through the connection posts.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the contact pads extend beyond each of the one or more devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the contact pads are covered by each of the one or more devices.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more devices comprises at least a portion of a tether.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the two or more connection posts of each device pierce or deform each contact pad that they physically contact.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the two or more connection posts of each device is a multi-layer connection post comprising an electrically conductive layer disposed on a dielectric core.

8. The system of claim 1, comprising a non-conductive adhesive adhering each of the one or more devices to the system substrate.

9. The system of claim 1, comprising a conductive adhesive adhering a connection post of the one or more devices to a contact pad of the two or more contact pads.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the device comprises one or more micro-transfer printed integrated circuits, each micro-transfer printed integrated circuit having a fractured, broken, or separated tether.

11. A method of making a system, comprising:

providing a system substrate with two or more contact pads disposed on the system substrate;

providing one or more source wafers each having one or more micro-transfer printable devices disposed thereon, each device comprising two or more connection posts;

micro-transfer printing one or more devices from each of the one or more source wafers to the two or more contact pads with a transfer stamp comprising a corresponding one or more transfer stamp pillars such that each connection post physically contacts a contact pad of the two or more contact pads and forms a first imprint in the physically contacted contact pad;

removing a defective device from the two or more contact pads to provide at least one exposed, imprinted contact pad comprising the first imprint; and

micro-transfer printing a replacement device from one of the one or more source wafers to the two or more contact pads such that at least one connection post physically contacts the exposed, imprinted contact pad to form a second imprint.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first imprint is covered by the replacement device.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising testing the one or more devices after micro-transfer printing to determine one or more defective devices.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein removing the defective device from the two or more contact pads comprises:

providing a removal stamp comprising a removal stamp pillar; and

dislodging the defective device from the contact pads with the removal stamp pillar by contacting the defective device with the removal stamp pillar.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the defective device is removed from the two or more contact pads by translating the removal stamp pillar over a surface of the system substrate.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the removal stamp pillar has a structured distal end comprising a cavity having a cavity size that is larger than the defective device and removing the defective device from the two or more contact pads comprises locating the defective device within the cavity.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the defective device has an edge that extends an edge length in a direction substantially parallel to the system substrate surface and wherein the removal stamp pillar has a side with a length equal to or greater than the edge length.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the defective device has a length greater than a width and removing the defective device from the two or more contact pads comprises contacting the removal stamp pillar to the defective device along at least a portion of the length of the defective device.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the removal stamp pillar has an adhesive distal end having an adhesion greater than an adhesion of a transfer stamp pillar of the transfer stamp to the defective device.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the removal stamp pillar is harder than one or more transfer stamp pillars of the transfer stamp.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the removal stamp comprises only one pillar.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the removal stamp pillar comprises a channel through which compressed gas can be expelled or through which a partial vacuum can be applied to adhere the defective device to the removal stamp pillar.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein removing the defective device comprises blowing a gas onto the defective device or sucking up the defective device with at least a partial vacuum.