Apparatus for non-conductively interconnecting integrated circuits using half capacitors

• US 5,629,838 A
• Filed: 06/24/1994
• Issued: 05/13/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Polychip, Inc.
• Inventors: Salzman, David B., Knight, Thomas F.
• Primary Examiner(s): SPARKS, DONALD ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/265,607
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 174/250, 174/252, 174/255, 174/260, 174/261, 361/301, 361/303, 361/306, 361/312, 361/313, 361/328, 361/763, 361/766, 361/782, 361/734, 361/811, 361/821
• US Class Current: 361/782
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3025 Wireless interface with the DUT
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/312 by capacitive methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318513 Test of Multi-Chip-Moduls
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45144 Gold (Au) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/48 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the solid state body in operation, e.g. leads, terminal arrangements ; Selection of materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5385 Assembly of a plurality of insulating substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/642 Capacitive arrangements H01L23/49589, H01L23/645, H01L23/647, H01L23/66 take precedence; capacitive effects between wiring layers on the semiconductor body H01L23/5222
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/73 Means for bonding being of different types provided for in two or more of groups H01L24/10, H01L24/18, H01L24/26, H01L24/34, H01L24/42, H01L24/50, H01L24/63, H01L24/71
• 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 2924/01004 Beryllium [Be]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01019 Potassium [K]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01032 Germanium [Ge]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01039 Yttrium [Y]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01043 : Technetium [Tc]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01047 : Silver [Ag]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01056 : Barium [Ba]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01074 : Tungsten [W]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01075 : Rhenium [Re]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01082 : Lead [Pb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01087 : Francium [Fr]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01092 : Uranium [U]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01322 : Eutectic Alloys, i.e. obtained by a liquid transforming into two solid phases
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01327 : Intermediate phases, i.e. intermetallics compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10329 : Gallium arsenide [GaAs]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12036 : PN diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12042 : LASER
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1433 : Application-specific integrated circuit [ASIC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15787 : Ceramics, e.g. crystalline carbides, nitrides or oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 : Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 : Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 : Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/351 : Thermal stress
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 257/924 : with passive device, e.g. capacitor, or battery, as integral part of housing or housing element, e.g. cap

Abstract

A method and apparatus for constructing, repairing and operating modular electronic systems utilizes peripheral half-capacitors (i.e., conductive plates on the outside of the modules) to communicate non-conductively between abutting modules. Such systems provide lower cost, improved testability/repairability and greater density than conventional modular packaging techniques, such as printed circuit boards and multi-chip modules. The non-conductive interconnection technique of the invention can be applied to all levels in the packaging hierarchy, from bare semiconductor dies to complete functional sub-units. Numerous exemplary systems and applications are described.

Claims

1. An apparatus for interconnecting electronic circuits comprising:

a lower substrate having substantially planar lower and upper surfaces, said upper surface having a plurality of half-capacitors and a plurality of lines connected to said half-capacitors;

an upper substrate having a substantially planar lower surface, said lower surface having a plurality of half-capacitors and a plurality of lines connected to said half-capcitors;

said lower and upper surface substrates being affixed such that;

(i) said upper surface of said lower substrate is adjacent to said lower surface of said upper substrate and

(ii) an extending portion of said lower surface of said upper substrate extends beyond and is not adjacent to said upper surface of said lower substrate; and

a spacer having upper and lower half-capacitors;

said spacer being positioned such that;

(i) its upper half-capacitor communicates a signal to a half-capacitor on said extending portion of said lower surface of said upper substrate and

(ii) its lower half-capacitor is substantially aligned with said lower surface of said lower substrate.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said spacer includes a plurality of upper and lower half-capacitors.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein a plurality of said upper half-capacitors communicate with half-capacitors on said extending portion of said lower surface of said upper substrate.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said spacer includes a conductive path between said upper and lower half-capacitors.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the half-capacitors on said spacer are larger than the half-capacitors on said lower surface of said upper substrate, so as to accomodate misalignment between said spacer and said upper substrate.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a second extending portion of said lower surface of said upper substrate extending beyond and not adjacent to said upper surface of said lower substrate; and

a second spacer having upper and lower half-capacitors;

said second spacer being positioned such that;

(i) its upper half-capacitor communicates with a half-capacitor on said second extending portion of said lower surface of said upper substrate and

(ii) its lower half-capacitor is substantially aligned with said lower surface of said lower substrate.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, further comprising a plurality of conductive paths in said first spacer, second spacer and upper substrate, said conductive paths being configured so as to provide a capacitive path between said lower half-capacitors of said first and second spacers.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said substrates and said spacers are bonded together to form a modular unit.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said first and/or second substrate includes active devices.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, further including a third substrate and two additional spacers.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, further including a plurality of additional substrates and spacers.