Thermally isolated monolithic semiconductor die
First Claim
1. A thermally isolated monolithic semiconductor die comprising:
- (a) semiconductor wafer including;
(1) a frame having an aperture formed therein; and
,(2) at least one island located in said aperture in said frame, said island having formed therein a semiconductor item having a plurality of terminals; and
,(b) a plurality of support leads, each of said support leads extending between said island and said frame and formed such that the island end of said support leads are each in contact with a predetermined one of the terminals of said semiconductor item, said support leads providing the sole support for said island, each of said support leads including a layer of a structurally strong metal of high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity, said layer of structurally strong metal being substantially thicker than any other layer of said support leads.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A process for producing thermally isolated monolithic semiconductor die and die produced by the process, plus improved apparatus using the die are disclosed. The process generally comprises the steps of: forming a desired semiconductor component or circuit in a semiconductor wafer (preferably a silicon wafer of <100> crystal orientation) having a protective layer (SiO2) on one surface; forming platinum silicide contact windows in said protective layer where external connections to the semiconductor component or circuit is necessary; forming support leads of a layer of adhesive material (which also may have resistive properties, such as Nichrome) and a layer of a structurally strong metal of high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity (preferably 304 stainless steel) along predetermined paths extending outwardly toward the edge of the die from said contact windows; simultaneously with the forming of the adhesive layer of said support leads, forming one or more thin film resistors in predetermined regions of said die atop said SiO2 protective layer, if desired; removing said SiO2 protective layer from a region defined by said support leads, an island or islands in which said semiconductor component or circuit and said resistors are formed and a surrounding frame; and, removing said silicon from the region between said island or islands and said frame. The resulting semiconductor die comprises a frame surrounding one or more islands in which semiconductor components or circuits are formed, and which support resistors, if included. The islands are entirely supported by the support leads extending between the frame and the islands. In addition to providing support, the support leads also provide for electrical connection to the semiconductor components or circuits and to the resistors. The semiconductor die may be mounted in a package that also forms part of the invention. The package includes a ceramic substrate having an aperture in its center and alignment mesas and ridges on one surface. The ceramic substrate is formed so as to be mounted on the metal header of a conventional semiconductor canister housing. Depending upon their specific nature the resulting die are useful in and/or improve a variety of electrical apparatus. They are particularly useful as the dual RMS sensor element of an RMS converter. They can also be formed so as to be useful as radiation sensors. Or, they can be formed so as to provide a thermal platform whose temperature is controlled and stabilized at a predetermined value. All of these dies and the improved circuits resulting from their use also form part of the invention.
42 Citations
98 Claims
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1. A thermally isolated monolithic semiconductor die comprising:
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(a) semiconductor wafer including; (1) a frame having an aperture formed therein; and
,(2) at least one island located in said aperture in said frame, said island having formed therein a semiconductor item having a plurality of terminals; and
,(b) a plurality of support leads, each of said support leads extending between said island and said frame and formed such that the island end of said support leads are each in contact with a predetermined one of the terminals of said semiconductor item, said support leads providing the sole support for said island, each of said support leads including a layer of a structurally strong metal of high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity, said layer of structurally strong metal being substantially thicker than any other layer of said support leads. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66)
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67. A thermally isolated monolithic dual RMS sensor semiconductor die comprising:
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a frame formed of silicon having a <
100>
crystal orientation, said frame including an aperture;a first island formed of silicon having a <
100>
crystal orientation located in said aperture and spaced from the edge of said aperture, said first island having formed therein a semiconductor component;a first thin film resistor formed on said first island adjacent to said first semiconductor component so as to be in thermal communication therewith; a second island formed of silicon having a <
100>
crystal orientation also located in said aperture in said frame and spaced from said frame and said first island, said second island including a second semiconductor component formed therein;a second thin film resistor formed on said second island adjacent said second semiconductor component so as to be in thermal communication therewith; and
,a plurality of support leads at least equal in number to the number of terminals defined by said first and second semiconductor components and said first and second thin film resistors, said support leads extending outwardly from said islands to said frames so as to provide the sole support for said islands, each of said support leads including a layer of a structurally strong metal of high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity, said layer of structurally strong metal being substantially thicker than any other layer within each of said support leads. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79)
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80. A thermally isolated semiconductor package comprising:
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a header including a platform having a generally flat surface; a plurality of connecting pins passing through said header so as to lie generally orthogonal to said flat surface; a ceramic substrate mounted on said generally flat surface of said platform, said ceramic substrate including an aperture extending outwardly from said flat surface of said platform; a semiconductor die mounted on the side of said ceramic substrate opposed to the side mounted on said generally flat surface of said platform, said semiconductor die including a frame having an aperture formed therein, said frame mounted on said ceramic substrate such that said frame aperture is aligned with said aperture in said ceramic substrate, said semiconductor die further including at least one island located in said aperture in said frame, said island including a semiconductor item formed therein, said semiconductor die further including support leads extending between said frame and said island for supporting said island and providing electrical connection to said semiconductor item; electrical connecting means extending from said leads in the region of said frame to said connecting pins; and
,a top attached to said header for enclosing ceramic substrate and said semiconductor die. - View Dependent Claims (81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98)
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Specification