Group III nitride based flip-chip integrated circuit and method for fabricating

• US 7,851,909 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Parikh, Primit, Wu, Yifeng, Mishra, Umesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Parekh; Nitin
• Application Number:
  US10/977,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20050067716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,237 Days
• Field of Search: 257/778, 257/724, 257/723, 257/728, 257/523, 257/E23.169
• US Class Current: 257/728
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/8252 the substrate being a semiconductor, using III-V technology H01L21/8258 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16235 the bump connector connecting to a via metallisation of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16238 the bump connector connecting to a bonding area protruding from the surface of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/1703 Bump connectors having different sizes, e.g. different diameters, heights or widths
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73253 Bump and layer connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/147 Semiconductor insulating substrates semiconductor conductive substrates H01L23/4926
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/367 Cooling facilitated by shape of device H01L23/38, H01L23/40, H01L23/42, H01L23/44, H01L23/46 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3677 Wire-like or pin-like cooling fins or heat sinks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0605 integrated circuits made of compound material, e.g. AIIIBV
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7787 with wide bandgap charge-carrier supplying layer, e.g. direct single heterostructure MODFET
• 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: H01L 2924/01002 Helium [He]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01004 Beryllium [Be]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01015 Phosphorus [P]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01042 Molybdenum [Mo]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01074 : Tungsten [W]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01075 : Rhenium [Re]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01078 : Platinum [Pt]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01087 : Francium [Fr]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10329 : Gallium arsenide [GaAs]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12032 : Schottky diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1423 : Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit [MMIC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19011 : including integrated passive components
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19042 : being an inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19043 : being a resistor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19103 : interposed between the semiconductor or solid-state device and the die mounting substrate, i.e. chip-on-passive
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19105 : in a side-by-side arrangement on a common die mounting substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30105 : Capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0206 : by printed thermal vias
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/181 : associated with surface mounted components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/066 : Heatsink mounted on the surface of the printed circuit board [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 : Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.

Abstract

A circuit substrate has one or more active components and a plurality of passive circuit elements on a first surface. An active semiconductor device has a substrate with layers of material and a plurality of terminals. The active semiconductor device is flip-chip mounted on the circuit substrate and at least one of the terminals of the device is electrically connected to an active component on the circuit substrate. The active components on the substrate and the flip-chip mounted active semiconductor device, in combination with passive circuit elements, form preamplifiers and an output amplifier respectively. In a power switching configuration, the circuit substrate has logic control circuits on a first surface. A semiconductor transistor flip-chip mounted on the circuit substrate is electrically connected to the control circuits on the first surface to thereby control the on and off switching of the flip-chip mounted device.

Claims

1. A flip-chip integrated circuit comprising:

a circuit substrate having a transistor component and a plurality of passive circuit elements on a first surface, wherein said transistor component is integral to said circuit substrate to form an active device connected to function in an amplifier circuit; and

an active semiconductor device comprising a substrate distinct from said circuit substrate, said active semiconductor device comprising layers of semiconductor material and a plurality of terminals, each of the terminals in electrical contact with one of the layers of semiconductor material, said active semiconductor device flip-chip mounted on said first surface of the circuit substrate, at least one of the terminals electrically connected to the transistor component on the circuit substrate.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the electrical connection between the active semiconductor device and the transistor component on the circuit substrate is through at least one of the passive components.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the transistor component, in combination with passive components on the circuit substrate, forms an amplifier.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the active semiconductor device comprises a transistor.

5. The circuit of claim 4, wherein the transistor, in combination with passive components on the circuit substrate, form an amplifier.

6. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the layers of material comprise a substrate and an active layer.

7. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the material of the substrate is Group III nitride based, silicon based, silicon carbide based, sapphire based, aluminum nitride based or gallium nitride based.

8. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the material of the active layer is Group III nitride based, silicon based or silicon carbide based.

9. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the circuit substrate comprises a substrate material that is gallium arsenide based, silicon based, silicon carbide based, indium phosphide based, aluminum nitride based or ceramic based.

10. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the circuit substrate includes a second surface opposite the first surface and conductive vias through the circuit substrate and in electrical connection with at least one of the transistor component, passive circuit elements or terminals at the first surface and a conductive structure on the second surface.

11. The circuit of claim 10, wherein the conductive structure functions as a ground connect.

12. The circuit of claim 10, wherein the first surface further comprises an interconnection in electrical connection with at least one of the transistor component, passive circuit elements or terminals on the first surface.

13. The circuit of claim 12, wherein the interconnection functions as a ground connect.

14. A flip-chip integrated circuit comprising:

a circuit substrate having amplifier electronics and passive circuit elements on a first surface, wherein said amplifier electronics are integral to said circuit substrate to form an amplifier device; and

a semiconductor transistor comprising a substrate distinct from said circuit substrate, said semiconductor transistor flip-chip mounted on said first surface of the circuit substrate and in electrical connection with passive circuit elements on the first surface, said semiconductor transistor forming a flip-chip amplifier in combination with said passive circuit elements, said flip-chip amplifier having an input electrically connected to the amplifier electronics.

15. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the amplifier electronics comprise a multi-stage amplifier having an output electrically connected to the flip-chip amplifier.

16. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the semiconductor transistor comprises a substrate layer and an active layer.

17. The circuit of claim 16, wherein the material of the substrate layer is group III nitride based, silicon based, silicon carbide based, sapphire based, aluminum nitride based or gallium nitride based.

18. The circuit of claim 16, wherein the material of the active layer is Group III nitride based, silicon based or silicon carbide based.

19. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the semiconductor transistor is a Group-III nitride HEMT.