Microelectronic spring contact elements
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Spring contact elements are fabricated by depositing at least one layer of metallic material into openings defined in masking layers deposited on a surface of a substrate which may be an electronic component such as an active semiconductor device. Each spring contact element has a base end, a contact end, and a central body portion. The contact end is offset in the z-axis (at a different height) and in at least one of the x and y directions from the base end. In this manner a plurality of spring contact elements are fabricated in a prescribed spatial relationship with one another on the substrate. The spring contact elements make temporary (i.e., pressure) or permanent (e.g., joined by soldering or brazing or with a conductive adhesive) connections with terminals of another electronic component to effect electrical connections therebetween. In an exemplary application, the spring contact elements are disposed on a semiconductor devices resident on a semiconductor wafer so that temporary connections can-be made with the semiconductor devices to burn-in and/or test the semiconductor devices.
97 Citations
28 Claims
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1-25. -25. (Canceled)
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26. A method of making electrical connections between at least one first electronic component and a second electronic component, comprising:
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fabricating a plurality of spring contact elements directly upon said at least one first electronic component, said spring contact elements each having a tip end which is spaced above a surface of the at least one first electronic component and at least one of said spring contact elements being a different size than the other spring contact elements; and
bringing the at least one first electronic component together with a second electronic component so that the tip ends of the spring contact elements are in electrical contact with corresponding terminals on the second electronic component. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A method of making electrical connections between at least one first electronic component and a second electronic component having terminals, comprising:
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fabricating a first plurality of spring contact elements disposed in a first predetermined pattern directly upon said at least one first electronic component, fabricating a second plurality of spring contact elements disposed in a second predetermined pattern directly upon said at least one first electronic component, wherein, each of said first plurality of spring contact elements and each of said second plurality of spring contact elements comprises a base and a contact tip, said base secured to said electronic component, said contact tip disposed in a first position that is horizontally and vertically, with respect to said electronic component, displaced from said base, said contact tip being moveable out of said first position upon application of a first force on said contact tip, each of said first plurality of spring contact elements and each of said second plurality of spring contacts being sufficiently resilient to return substantially to said first position upon removal of said first force, and the first plurality of spring contact elements are of a different size than the second plurality of spring contact elements; and
bringing the at least one first electronic component together with a second electronic component so that the tip ends of the spring contact elements are in electrical contact with corresponding terminals on the second electronic component.
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Specification