Interconnecting a chip and a substrate by bonding pure metal bumps and pure metal spots

• US 8,119,450 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2009
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stats Chippac Pte. Ltd. (JCET Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Stats Chippac Limited
• Inventors: Ahmad, Nazir, Kweon, Young-Do, Tam, Samuel, Kim, Kyung-Moon, Pendse, Rajendra D.
• Primary Examiner(s): PARENDO, KEVIN A
• Application Number:
  US12/472,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20090227072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 438/108, 438/615, 438/661, 438/127, 257/E23.023, 257/E23.026
• US Class Current: 438/108
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/563 Encapsulation of active face of flip-chip device, e.g. underfilling or underencapsulation of flip-chip, encapsulation preform on chip or mounting substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/10135 Alignment aids
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/1134 Stud bumping, i.e. using a wire-bonding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13144 Gold [Au] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13147 Copper [Cu] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16145 the bodies being stacked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29111 Tin [Sn] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29144 Gold [Au] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/2919 with a principal constituent of the material being a polymer, e.g. polyester, phenolic based polymer, epoxy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73203 Bump and layer connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/81139 Guiding structures on the body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/81203 Thermocompression bonding, e.g. diffusion bonding, pressure joining, thermocompression welding or solid-state welding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/81801 Soldering or alloying
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/83102 using surface energy, e.g. capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/83191 wherein the layer connectors are disposed only on the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/83194 Lateral distribution of the layer connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/92125 the second connecting process involving a layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/29 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/81 using a bump connector
• 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 2924/00012 : Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• 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 2924/01006 : Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01028 : Nickel [Ni]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 : Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 : Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0105 : Tin [Sn]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01058 : Cerium [Ce]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01076 : Osmium [Os]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01082 : Lead [Pb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0132 : Binary Alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/07802 : not being an ohmic electrical conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 : Encapsulation

Abstract

A method for forming metallurgical interconnections and polymer adhesion of a flip chip to a substrate includes providing a chip having a set of bumps formed on a bump side thereof and a substrate having a set of interconnect points on a metallization thereon, providing a measured quantity of a polymer adhesive in a middle region of the chip on the bump side, aligning the chip with the substrate so that the set of bumps aligns with the set of interconnect points, pressing the chip and the substrate toward one another so that a portion of the polymer adhesive contacts the substrate and the bumps contact the interconnect points, and heating the bumps to a temperature sufficiently high to form a metallurgical connection between the bumps and the interconnect points. Also, a flip chip package is made by the method. The metallurgical connection includes an alloy of gold and tin at the interface between the bumps and the interconnect points.

Claims

1. A method of interconnecting a chip to a substrate, the method comprising:

forming bumps with a first metal that is devoid of any other metals, the bumps being formed on a first surface of the chip;

forming spots with a second metal that is devoid of any other metals, the spots being formed on a first surface of the substrate;

contacting each one of the bumps to a different spot to form bonding interfaces, wherein contacting comprises applying an adhesive to the first surface of the chip, and adhering the first surface of the chip to the first surface of the substrate with the adhesive;

heating each bonding interface to a melting point of the second metal to melt a portion of the second metal from each of the spots;

metallurgically reacting the first and second metals at the melting point of the second metal to increase the temperature at each bonding interface above the melting point of the second metal; and

creating a bonding phase at each bonding interface in response to the increased temperature, and curing the adhesive as the bonding phases at each bonding interface are created.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adhering the first surface of the chip to the first surface of the substrate with the adhesive comprises preventing the adhesive from spreading to the bumps or to the spots.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the bumps on the chip with the first metal that is devoid of any other metals comprises forming the bumps with pure gold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the spots on the substrate with the second metal that is devoid of any other metals comprises forming the spots with pure tin.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein heating each bonding interface to the melting point of the second metal comprises heating each bonding interface to a temperature of 232 degrees C. for a duration of 1 to 2 seconds.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the spots comprises forming the spots such that a width of the spots is no greater than a width of the bumps.

7. A method of interconnecting a chip to a substrate to form a package, the method comprising:

forming bumps with a first metal that is devoid of any other metals, the bumps being formed on a first surface of the chip;

forming spots with a second metal that is devoid of any other metals, the spots being formed on a first surface of the substrate;

contacting each one of the bumps to a different spot to form bonding interfaces, wherein the chip and the substrate are held together with a spot adhesive applied to the first surface of the chip such that the spot adhesive does not contact the bumps or the spots;

heating each bonding interface to a melting point of the second metal to melt a portion of the second metal from each of the spots;

curing the spot adhesive to hold the chip on the substrate, the curing occurring during the heating of each bonding interface;

metallurgically reacting the first and second metals at the melting point of the second metal to increase a temperature at each bonding interface above the melting point of the second metal;

creating a bonding phase at each bonding interface in response to the increased temperature to bond the chip to the substrate; and

underfilling and overmolding the bonded chip and substrate with an adhesive polymer to form the package.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the bumps on the chip with the first metal that is devoid of any other metals comprises forming the bumps with pure gold.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the spots on the substrate with the second metal that is devoid of any other metals comprises forming the spots with pure tin.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein heating each bonding interface to the melting point of the second metal comprises heating each bonding interface to a temperature of 232 degrees C. for a duration of 1 to 2 seconds.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein metallurgically reacting the first and second metals at the melting point of the second metal to increase the temperature at each bonding interface above the melting point of the second metal comprises dissolving a portion of the first metal from each of the bumps.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein creating the bonding phase at each bonding interface in response to the increased temperature comprises mixing a dissolved portion of the first metal with a molten portion of the second metal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein creating the bonding phase at each bonding interface in response to the increased temperature further comprises mixing the first metal with the second metal in the bonding interface to create a 4:

1 alloy composition.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the 4:

1 alloy composition comprises 80% of the first metal and 20% of the second metal.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the spots comprises forming the spots such that a width of the spots is no greater than a width of the bumps.

16. A method of interconnecting a chip to a substrate, the method comprising:

forming bumps with a first metal that is devoid of any other metals, the bumps formed on a first surface of the chip, the first metal consisting of gold (Au);

forming spots with a second metal that is devoid of any other metals, the second metal consisting of tin (Sn), the spots formed on a first surface of the substrate, a width of each of the spots no greater than a width of a corresponding bump;

contacting each of the spots to the corresponding bump to form bonding interfaces, wherein contacting comprises applying a polymer adhesive to the first surface of the chip and adhering the first surface of the chip to the first surface of the substrate with the polymer adhesive such that the polymer adhesive remains in a center area of the chip and does not contact the bumps or the spots;

heating each bonding interface to a temperature of about 232 degrees C. for a duration of not less than 1 second and not more than 2 seconds to melt a portion of the second metal from each of the spots, wherein the polymer adhesive is simultaneously cured during the heating such that the chip is held in place on the substrate;

metallurgically reacting the first metal and the second metal at the melting point of the second metal to increase a temperature at each bonding interface above the melting point of the second metal, wherein metallurgically reacting the first metal and the second metal comprises dissolving a portion of the first metal from ends of the bumps; and

creating a bonding phase at no region other than each bonding interface in response to the increased temperature, wherein creating the bonding phase comprises mixing a molten portion of the second metal from each of the spots with a dissolved portion of the first metal from the end of the corresponding bump to create a Au/Sn alloy composition of about 4;

1.

17. A method of interconnecting a chip to a substrate, the method comprising:

forming bumps with a first metal that consists of gold (Au), the bumps formed on a first surface of the chip;

forming spots with a second metal that consists of tin (Sn), the spots formed on a first surface of the substrate, a width of each of the spots no greater than a width of a corresponding bump;

contacting each of the spots to the corresponding bump to form bonding interfaces, wherein contacting comprises applying adhesive to the first surface of the chip and adhering the first surface of the chip to the first surface of the substrate with the adhesive such that the polymer adhesive remains in a center area of the chip and does not contact the bumps or the spots;

heating each bonding interface to a melting point of the second metal for a duration of not less than 1 second and not more than 2 seconds to melt a portion of the second metal from each of the spots, wherein the adhesive cures simultaneously during the heating such that the chip is held in place on the substrate;

metallurgically reacting the bumps and the spots at the melting point of the second metal to increase a temperature at each bonding interface above the melting point of the second metal, wherein metallurgically reacting the bumps and the spots comprises dissolving a portion of the first metal from ends of the bumps; and

creating a bonding phase only at each bonding interface in response to the increased temperature, wherein creating the bonding phase comprises mixing a dissolved portion of the first metal from the ends of the bumps with a molten portion of the second metal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein creating the bonding phase further comprises mixing the dissolved portion of the first metal with the molten portion of the second metal to create a Au/Sn alloy composition of about 4:

1.