Microelectronic packages and methods therefor

• US 7,939,934 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tessera, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tessera, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Gibson, David, Haba, Belgacem
• Primary Examiner(s): Parekh; Nitin
• Application Number:
  US11/315,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20060249857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,965 Days
• Field of Search: 257/737, 257/702, 257/697, 257/778
• US Class Current: 257/697
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/0483 Sockets for un-leaded IC's having matrix type contact fields, e.g. BGA or PGA devices; Sockets for unpackaged, naked chips for IC's with connecting points around the edges only G01R1/0433
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/0735 arranged on a flexible frame or film
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07378 using an intermediate adapter, e.g. space transformers G01R1/07371 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05001 Internal layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05023 the whole internal layer protruding from the surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05147 Copper [Cu] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05548 Bonding area integrally formed with a redistribution layer on the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05568 the whole external layer protruding from the surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0557 the external layer being disposed on a via connection of the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05571 the external layer being disposed in a recess of the surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05573 Single external layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05599 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16237 the bump connector connecting to a bonding area disposed in a recess of the surface of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73204 the bump connector being embedded into the layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/13 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3128 the substrate having spherical bumps for external connection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49811 Additional leads joined to the metallisation on the insulating substrate, e.g. pins, bumps, wires, flat leads H01L23/49827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49827 : Via connections through the substrates, e.g. pins going through the substrate, coaxial cables H01L23/49822, H01L23/49833, H01L23/4985, H01L23/49861 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4985 : Flexible insulating substrates H01L23/49572 and H01L23/49855 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/05 : of an individual bonding area
• 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 2924/00013 : Fully indexed content
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 : the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01078 : Platinum [Pt]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01322 : Eutectic Alloys, i.e. obtained by a liquid transforming into two solid phases
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/09701 : Low temperature co-fired ceramic [LTCC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15153 : the die mounting substrate comprising a recess for hosting the device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1517 : Multilayer substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 : being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1532 : the connection portion being formed on the die mounting surface of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/16195 : Flat cap [not enclosing an internal cavity]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0367 : Metallic bump or raised conductor not used as solder bump
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/0455 : PTH for surface mount device [SMD], e.g. wherein solder flows through the PTH during mounting
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3436 : having an array of bottom contacts, e.g. pad grid array or ball grid array components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3447 : Lead-in-hole components H05K3/3415 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

An assembly for testing microelectronic devices includes a microelectronic element having faces and contacts, a flexible substrate spaced from and overlying a first face of the microelectronic element, and a plurality of conductive posts extending from the flexible substrate and projecting away from the first face of the microelectronic element, at least some of the conductive posts being electrically interconnected with the microelectronic element. The assembly also includes a plurality of support elements disposed between the microelectronic element and the substrate for supporting the flexible substrate over the microelectronic element. At least some of the conductive posts are offset from the support elements.

Claims

1. An assembly for testing microelectronic devices, comprising:

a microelectronic element having faces and contacts;

a flexible substrate spaced from and overlying a first face of said microelectronic element;

a plurality of substantially rigid conductive posts extending from said flexible substrate and projecting away from the first face of said microelectronic element, at least some of said conductive posts being electrically interconnected with said microelectronic element; and

a plurality of support elements disposed between the first face of said microelectronic element and said flexible substrate and supporting said flexible substrate over said microelectronic element, at least some of said substantially rigid conductive posts being offset from said support elements,

wherein said plurality of support elements are disposed in an array so that said support elements define a plurality of uniformly distributed, same shaped zones of said flexible substrate, each one of said plurality of zones is bounded by an associated portion of said plurality of support elements which define corners of that zone, and different ones of said conductive posts are disposed in different ones of said zones such that, in each respective zone, only one of said conductive posts is disposed in that zone and is bounded by three or more of said support elements.

2. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first face is a front face of said microelectronic element and said contacts are accessible at said front face.

3. The assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least some of said support elements are electrically conductive, said conductive support elements electrically interconnecting at least some of the contacts of said microelectronic element with at least some of said conductive posts.

4. The assembly as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a support frame engaging said flexible substrate.

5. The assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said flexible substrate has an outer periphery and said support frame is attached to the outer periphery of said flexible substrate.

6. The assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said support elements comprise a plurality of second conductive posts extending from said flexible substrate and projecting toward the first face of said microelectronic element, at least some of said second conductive posts being electrically interconnected with said first conductive posts.

7. The assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least one of said first conductive posts is electrically interconnected to at least one of said contacts through one of said second conductive posts disposed immediately adjacent to the at least one of said first conductive posts.

8. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising conductive traces provided on said flexible substrate, wherein said conductive traces electrically interconnect at least some of said conductive posts with at least some of said contacts on said microelectronic element.

9. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flexible substrate has a bottom surface facing the first face of said microelectronic element and said conductive traces extend along the bottom surface of said flexible substrate.

10. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flexible substrate has a top surface facing away from the first face of said microelectronic element and said conductive traces extend along the top surface of said flexible substrate.

11. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said contacts are spaced from one another in a grid array over the first face of said microelectronic element.

12. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of said contacts are aligned in a row.

13. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said contacts are randomly spaced from one another over the first face of said microelectronic element.

14. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein some of said contacts are uniformly spaced from one another and some of said contacts are randomly spaced from one another over the first face of said microelectronic element.

15. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said conductive support elements comprises a mass of a fusible material.

16. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said conductive support elements comprises a dielectric core and an electrically conductive outer coating over the dielectric core.

17. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flexible substrate comprises a dielectric sheet.

18. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a compliant material disposed between said flexible substrate and said microelectronic element.

19. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said conductive posts is elongated.

20. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of said conductive posts are generally frustoconical.

21. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of zones are each triangular shaped so that each one of said conductive posts is bounded by three of said support elements.

22. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of zones are each rectangular shaped so that each one of said conductive posts is bounded by four of said support elements.

23. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of zones are each hexagonal shaped so that each one of said conductive posts is bounded by six of said support elements.

42. The assembly as claimed in claim 22, wherein at least some of said first conductive posts are generally frustoconical.

24. A microelectronic assembly comprising:

a microelectronic element having faces and contacts;

a flexible substrate spaced from and overlying a first face of said microelectronic element;

a plurality of substantially rigid first conductive posts extending from said flexible substrate and projecting away from the first face of said microelectronic element, at least some of said substantially rigid first conductive posts being electrically interconnected with said microelectronic element; and

a plurality of second conductive posts extending from said flexible substrate and projecting toward the first face of said microelectronic element, said second conductive posts supporting said flexible substrate over said microelectronic element, at least some of said first conductive posts being offset from said second conductive posts,

wherein said plurality of second conductive posts are disposed in an array so that said second conductive posts define a plurality of uniformly distributed, same shaped zones of said flexible substrate, each one of said plurality of zones is bounded by an associated portion of said plurality of second conductive posts which define corners of that zone, and different ones of said first conductive posts are disposed in different ones of said zones such that, in each respective zone, only one of said first conductive posts is disposed in that zone and is bounded by three or more of said second conductive posts.

25. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, further comprising a low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) structure having a bottom layer with contacts, wherein said first conductive posts are electrically interconnected with the contacts of the bottom layer of said LTCC structure.

26. The assembly as claimed in claim 25, further comprising a sealing cap in contact with a top layer of said LTCC structure and in thermal communication with a second face of said microelectronic element.

27. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein said microelectronic element is a semiconductor chip.

28. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein said microelectronic element is a printed circuit board.

29. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein said first face of said microelectronic element is a front face of said microelectronic element and said contacts are accessible at said front face.

30. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein at least some of said second conductive posts are electrically conductive, said second conductive posts electrically interconnecting at least some of the contacts of said microelectronic element with at least some of said first conductive posts.

31. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein at least some of said first conductive posts are connected to at least some of said contacts by said second conductive posts immediately adjacent to the at least some of said first conductive posts.

32. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, further comprising conductive traces provided on said flexible substrate, wherein said conductive traces electrically interconnect at least some of said first conductive posts with at least some of said contacts on said microelectronic element.

33. The assembly as claimed in claim 32, wherein at least one of said conductive traces extends between two of said first conductive posts that are adjacent to one another.

34. The assembly as claimed in claim 32, wherein said flexible substrate has a bottom surface facing the first face of said microelectronic element and said conductive traces extend along the bottom surface of said flexible substrate.

35. The assembly as claimed in claim 32, wherein said flexible substrate has a top surface facing away from the first face of said microelectronic element and said conductive traces extend along the top surface of said flexible substrate.

36. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein at least some of said contacts are spaced from one another in a grid array.

37. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein at least some of said contacts are aligned in a row.

38. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein said contacts are non-uniformly spaced from one another.

39. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein some of said contacts are uniformly spaced from one another and others of said contacts are non-uniformly spaced from one another.

40. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein said first conductive posts have a base facing toward said flexible substrate.

41. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein said plurality of second conductive posts are etched conductive posts.

43. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein said plurality of zones are each triangular shaped so that each one of said first conductive posts is bounded by three of said second conductive posts.

44. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein said plurality of zones are each rectangular shaped so that each one of said first conductive posts is bounded by four of said second conductive posts.

45. The assembly as claimed in claim 24, wherein said plurality of zones are each hexagonal shaped so that each one of said first conductive posts is bounded by six of said second conductive posts.