Printing complex electronic circuits

• US 9,572,249 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NthDegree Technologies Worldwide Inc.
• Original Assignee: NthDegree Technologies Worldwide Inc.
• Inventors: Ray, William Johnstone, Blanchard, Richard Austin, Lowenthal, Mark David, Oraw, Bradley Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Binh
• Application Number:
  US14/204,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20140268591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 438/107, 438/110, 438/111, 438/112, 438/127, 438/128, 361/748, 361/760, 361/761
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2221/68381 Details of chemical or physical process used for separating the auxiliary support from a device or wafer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/06181 On opposite sides of the body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/24137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/25105 Connecting at different heights
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/25174 Stacked arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73267 Layer and HDI connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/82101 by additive methods, e.g. direct writing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/82104 using screen printing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/82143 Passive alignment, i.e. self alignment, e.g. using surface energy, chemical reactions, thermal equilibrium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/92244 the second connecting process involving a build-up interconnect
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95085 being a liquid, e.g. for fluidic self-assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95101 in a liquid medium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95102 being a colloidal droplet
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95115 using a roll-to-roll transfer technique
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95143 Passive alignment, i.e. self alignment, e.g. using surface energy, chemical reactions, thermal equilibrium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95146 by surface tension
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3121 a substrate forming part of the encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/06 of a plurality of bonding areas
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/24 : of an individual high density interconnect connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/25 : of a plurality of high density interconnect connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/32 : of an individual layer connector
• 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 24/82 : by forming build-up interconnects at chip-level, e.g. for high density interconnects [HDI] interconnection structure between a plurality of semiconductor chips H01L23/5389
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/92 : Specific sequence of method steps
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/95 : at chip-level, i.e. with connecting carried out on a plurality of singulated devices, i.e. on diced chips
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0655 : the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/072 : the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0753 : the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/18 : the devices being of types provided for in two or more different subgroups of the same main group of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/50 : Multistep manufacturing processes of assemblies consisting of devices, each device being of a type provided for in group H01L27/00 or H01L29/00 H01L21/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12 : Passive devices, e.g. 2 terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1203 : Rectifying Diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12041 : LED
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13 : Discrete devices, e.g. 3 terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1301 : Thyristor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13034 : Silicon Controlled Rectifier [SCR]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1305 : Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13062 : Junction field-effect transistor [JFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/20 : with a particular shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/029 : having a programmable lay-out, i.e. adapted for choosing between a few possibilities
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0296 : Conductive pattern lay-out details not covered by sub groups H05K1/02 - H05K1/0295 H05K1/11 takes precedence; lay-out adapted to mounted component configuration H05K1/18
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/12 : using thick film techniques, e.g. printing techniques to apply the conductive material or similar techniques for applying conductive paste or ink patterns
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 : Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor

Abstract

A programmable circuit includes an array of printed groups of microscopic transistors or diodes. The devices are pre-formed and printed as an ink and cured. The devices in each group are connected in parallel so that each group acts as a single device. In one embodiment, about 10 devices are contained in each group so the redundancy makes each group very reliable. Each group has at least one electrical lead that terminates in a patch area on the substrate. An interconnection conductor pattern interconnects at least some of the leads of the groups in the patch area to create logic circuits for a customized application of the generic circuit. The groups may also be interconnected to be logic gates, and the gate leads terminate in the patch area. The interconnection conductor pattern then interconnects the gates for form complex logic circuits.

Claims

1. A circuit comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of separate groups of pre-formed, semiconductor electrical devices that have been mixed in a solution, deposited over the substrate, and cured,

each group containing a plurality of substantially identical electrical devices connected in parallel within each group, all electrical devices connected in parallel forming a single group,

all electrical devices connected in parallel in each group forming a random two-dimensional arrangement of the electrical devices on the substrate,

wherein a total number of electrical devices connected in parallel within each group is random,

wherein the electrical devices connected in parallel within each group are not aligned with each other in any predetermined way;

an interconnection conductor pattern that interconnects at least some of the groups together to achieve an electrical logic function;

at least one input terminal connected to the interconnection conductor pattern for receiving input signals for transformation by the electrical logic function to generate output signals; and

at least one output terminal connected to the interconnection conductor pattern for receiving the output signals.

2. The circuit of claim 1 wherein each group has at least one electrical connector that extends from its associated group, wherein each electrical connector terminates at a termination area, and wherein the interconnection conductor pattern comprises conductors that electrically connect to the groups at the termination areas.

3. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the devices are deposited by printing.

4. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the devices have a largest dimension less than 200 microns.

5. The circuit of claim 1 wherein each group in the plurality of separate groups contains substantially identical first devices, wherein the plurality of separate groups is a first plurality of separate groups, the circuit further comprising a second plurality of separate groups, wherein the groups with the second plurality contain second devices different from the first devices.

6. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the devices comprises at least one of transistors or diodes.

11. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the substrate has a patch area, wherein each group has at least one electrical connector that extends from its associated group and terminates in the patch area, and wherein the interconnection conductor pattern comprises conductors that electrically connect to the groups at the patch area.

12. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the interconnection conductor pattern interconnects the groups to form logic gates.

13. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the interconnection conductor pattern interconnects the groups to perform logic functions.

14. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a first substrate, the circuit further comprising at least a second substrate containing electronic circuitry, wherein the second substrate has a surface that is affixed to a surface of the first substrate, and wherein terminals on the first substrate are connected to terminals on the second substrate.

15. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the groups are deposited in a 2-dimensional array.

7. A circuit comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of separate groups of pre-formed, semiconductor electrical devices that have been mixed in a solution, deposited over the substrate, and cured,

each group containing a plurality of substantially identical electrical devices connected in parallel within each group, the electrical devices being randomly distributed within each group on the substrate;

an interconnection conductor pattern that interconnects at least some of the groups together to achieve an electrical logic function;

at least one input terminal connected to the interconnection conductor pattern for receiving input signals for transformation by the electrical logic function to generate output signals; and

at least one output terminal connected to the interconnection conductor pattern for receiving the output signals,

wherein the devices are 3-terminal devices having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode, wherein the first electrode is a bottom electrode of the devices, the third electrode is a top electrode of the devices, and the second electrode is an intermediate electrode located vertically between the top electrode and the bottom electrode, the circuit further comprising;

a first conductor layer over the substrate, wherein the first electrode of the devices is electrically connected to the first conductor layer;

a first dielectric layer overlying the first conductor layer;

a second conductor layer overlying the first dielectric layer to electrically contact the second electrode; and

a second dielectric layer over the second conductor layer; and

a third conductor layer overlying the second dielectric layer to electrically contact the third electrode,

wherein the devices are electrically connected in parallel by a combination of the first conductor layer, the second conductor layer, and the third conductor layer.

8. The circuit of claim 7 wherein the devices are formed to have a lower portion that is wider than an upper portion of the devices, the lower portion forming a shelf, wherein the second electrode is formed on the shelf.

9. The circuit of claim 7 wherein the second electrode is offset from a midway point on the devices between the first electrode and the third electrode.

10. The circuit of claim 7 wherein electrical signals are coupled to the first conductor layer, the second conductor layer, and the third conductor layer to operate the devices in parallel.