Reduction of blistering and delamination of high-temperature devices with metal film

• US 6,331,678 B1
• Filed: 10/29/1999
• Issued: 12/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Goedert, Michel G., Barth, Phillip W., Wang, Tak Kui
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, ISHWARBHAI B
• Application Number:
  US09/429,051
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 174/253, 174/255, 174/256, 174/259, 174/261, 174/262, 174/264, 174/257, 174/260, 361/792, 361/750, 361/751, 361/780, 361/794, 361/748, 361/803, 361/793, 361/795, 361/320, 361/760, 428/209, 428/210, 428/214, 428/344, 428/901, 428/458
• US Class Current: 174/253
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0271 Arrangements for reducing stress or warp in rigid printed circuit boards, e.g. caused by loads, vibrations or differences in thermal expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0306 Inorganic insulating substrates, e.g. ceramic, glass
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/111 Pads for surface mounting, e.g. lay-out
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0317 Thin film conductor layer; Thin film passive component
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0373 Conductors having a fine structure, e.g. providing a plurality of contact points with a structured tool providing micro- or nanometer scale roughness on a metal surface H05K2203/0307
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/068 wherein the coefficient of thermal expansion is important
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/388 by the use of a metallic or inorganic thin film adhesion layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/901 Printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24917 including metal layer

Abstract

A device with a multi-layered micro-component electrical connector. The multi-layer micro-component electrical connector includes a dielectric layer, a micro-mesh of a first electrical conductor secured to the dielectric layer, and a second electrical conductor secured to and contacting the micro-mesh to provide electrical communication. The dielectric layer has a dielectric layer thermal expansion coefficient and the first electrical conductor has a thermal expansion coefficient different from the dielectric layer thermal expansion coefficient. Due to the presence of the micro-mesh the device is operable at temperatures above 250° C. without delamination or blistering of the first electrical conductor from the dielectric layer.

Claims

1. A device, comprising a multi-layered electronic micro-component that comprises:

(a) a dielectric layer on a substrate, the dielectric layer having a dielectric layer thermal expansion coefficient; and

(b) a micro-mesh of a first electrical conductor secured to the dielectric layer, the first electrical conductor having a thermal expansion coefficient different from the dielectric layer thermal expansion coefficient, wherein the device is operable at a temperature of at least 250°

C. without the first electrical conductor delaminating or blistering from the dielectric layer.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the dielectric layer is made of a dielectric material selected from the group consisting of silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide aluminum nitride, titanium oxide, silicon dioxide, glass, quartz, and polymer and the first electrical conductor is selected from the group consisting of platinum, nickel, permalloy, and gold.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the first electrical conductor is made of one of platinum, nickel, and permalloy.

4. A device according to claim 1 further comprising a second electrical conductor secured to the micro-mesh of the first electrical conductor to provide electrical communication.

5. A device according to claim 4 comprising a first adhesive layer to facilitate securing the micro-mesh to the dielectric layer and using a metal adhesive layer to facilitate securing the second electrical conductor to the micro-mesh and securing the second electrical conductor through voids in the micro-mesh to the dielectric layer, and comprising a substrate contacting the dielectric layer on a side thereof opposite to the micro-mesh.

6. A device according to claim 5 further comprising a second adhesive layer contacting the first electrical conductor, the first and second adhesive layers and the first electrical conductor each have a micro-mesh shape such that they together form a micro-mesh having micro-mesh branches in which the first electrical conductor is sandwiched between the first and second adhesive layers and wherein the second electrical conductor via the metal adhesive layer contacts the first electrical conductor and at least one of the first and second adhesive layers.

7. A device according to claim 5 wherein a layer of the second electrical conductor covers multiple micro-mesh branches and each of said micro-mesh branches has a cross-section in which the second adhesive layer has a smaller width than the first electrical conductor, which in turn has a smaller width than the first adhesive layer, which is nearest the dielectric layer.

8. A device according to claim 1 wherein the micro-mesh branches interconnect to form a two-dimensional repeating pattern.

9. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a resistor being connected via a micro-mesh of the first electrical conductor to a power supply, further comprising a processor to determine one or both of voltage and current variation at the resistor.

10. A device according to claim 1 wherein the micro-mesh of the first electrical conductor has interconnecting micro-mesh branches each having a width of less than 100 microns.

11. A device according to claim 1 comprising electronic circuits connected to the multi-layered component to form a sensor.

12. A supported conductor passage, comprising:

(a) a supporting substrate;

(b) a dielectric layer having a dielectric layer thermal expansion coefficient, supported by the supporting substrate;

(c) attached to the dielectric layer an adhesive layer that can facilitate adhesion of an electrical conductor to the dielectric layer, the electrical conductor having a thermal expansion coefficient different from the dielectric layer thermal expansion coefficient; and

(d) a micro-mesh of the electrical conductor secured to the dielectric layer via the adhesive layer wherein electricity can pass from one point to another point through the micro-mesh.