Chip Seal Ring for Enhancing the Operation of an On-Chip Loop Antenna

• US 20080129623A1
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globalfoundries US Incorporated (GlobalFoundries, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barry, Robert L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,466,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/741
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/585 comprising conductive layers or plates or strips or rods or rings H01L23/60, H01L23/62, H01L23/64, H01L23/66 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop

Abstract

A chip seal ring that maintains the chip seal ring as a continuous barrier to contamination, while at the same time creating a desirable electrical feature in the seal ring that enables the use of an on-chip loop antenna. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the chip seal ring has a serpentine configuration, such as a square wave, triangle wave, or curved geometry, that increases the reactance and resistance of the seal ring so as to mitigate the adverse induced currents created by the magnetic coupling effects between the on-chip antenna and the seal rings, thereby improving the efficiency of an on-chip loop antenna in the presence of the seal ring.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit chip, comprising:

a substrate having a lateral outer periphery;

a loop antenna applied to said substrate within said lateral outer periphery;

semiconductor circuitry located within said lateral outer periphery; and

a metallic seal ring, applied to said substrate, located continuously around said loop antenna and said semiconductor circuitry and within said lateral outer periphery so as to inhibit ionic or other contamination from reaching said semiconductor circuitry, at least one portion of said metallic seal ring having a serpentine geometry.

2. The integrated circuit chip of claim 1, wherein said at least one portion of said metallic seal ring has a serpentine repeating-wave geometry.

3. The integrated circuit chip of claim 2, wherein said repeating-wave geometry is a square-wave geometry.

4. The integrated circuit chip of claim 2, wherein said repeating-wave geometry has a wavelength of about 20 microns to about 200 microns and an amplitude of about 10 microns to about 200 microns.

5. The integrated circuit chip of claim 1, wherein said at least one portion of said metallic seal ring has a serpentine non-repeating geometry.

6. The integrated circuit chip of claim 5, wherein said geometry is a serpentine that is folded back on itself one or more times as in a linear loaded antenna.

7. The integrated circuit chip of claim 1, wherein said loop antenna has an outer periphery and said metallic seal has an overall shape substantially conforming to said outer periphery of said loop antenna.

8. The integrated circuit chip of claim 1, wherein said loop antenna substantially surrounds said semiconductor circuitry.

9. The integrated circuit chip of claim 1, wherein said metallic seal ring has a side and said serpentine geometry is present on substantially the entirety of said side.

10. The integrated circuit chip of claim 1, wherein said serpentine geometry is present on substantially the entirety of said metallic seal ring.

11. An integrated circuit chip, comprising:

a substrate having a lateral outer periphery;

an antenna applied to said substrate within said lateral outer periphery and defining a loop shape on said substrate;

semiconductor circuitry located substantially within said loop shape of said antenna; and

a metallic seal ring, applied to said substrate, located continuously around said antenna and immediately adjacent thereto so as to substantially conform with said loop shape, said metallic seal ring provided to inhibit ionic or other contamination from reaching said semiconductor circuitry, at least one portion of said metallic seal ring having a serpentine geometry.

12. The integrated circuit chip of claim 11, wherein said at least one portion of said metallic seal ring has a repeating-wave geometry.

13. The integrated circuit chip of claim 12, wherein said repeating-wave geometry is a square-wave geometry.

14. The integrated circuit chip of claim 12, wherein said repeating-wave geometry has a wavelength of about 20 microns to about 200 microns and an amplitude of about 10 microns to about 200 microns.

15. The integrated circuit chip of claim 11, wherein said at least one portion of said metallic seal ring has a serpentine non-repeating geometry.

16. The integrated circuit chip of claim 15, wherein said geometry is a serpentine that is folded back on itself one or more times as in a linear loaded antenna.

17. The integrated circuit chip of claim 11, wherein said metallic seal ring has a side and said serpentine geometry is present on substantially the entirety of said side.

18. The integrated circuit chip of claim 11, wherein said serpentine geometry is present on substantially the entirety of said metallic seal ring.

19. An integrated circuit chip, comprising:

a substrate having a lateral outer periphery;

a loop antenna applied to said substrate within said lateral outer periphery and defining a loop shape on said substrate;

semiconductor circuitry; and

a metallic seal ring;

applied to said substrate and located continuously around said loop antenna and immediately adjacent thereto so as to substantially conform with said loop shape;

provided to inhibit ionic or other contamination from reaching said semiconductor circuitry; and

having a repeating-wave geometry that has a wavelength of about 20 microns to about 200 microns and an amplitude of about 10 microns to about 200 microns.

20. The integrated circuit chip of claim 19, wherein said loop antenna substantially surrounds said semiconductor circuitry.