Structures and methods for testing printable integrated circuits

• US 9,923,133 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2015
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Display Company Technology Limited (Sensinnovat BVBA)
• Original Assignee: X-Celeprint Limited
• Inventors: Bower, Christopher, Menard, Etienne, Meitl, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Karimy, Timor
• Application Number:
  US14/831,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20150380619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 257418, 257415, 257417, 257253, 257254, 257 48
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/26 Testing of individual semiconductor devices testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment H01L22/00; testing of photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2644 Adaptations of individual semiconductor devices to facilitate the testing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/308 using masks H01L21/3063, H01L21/3065 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6835 using temporarily an auxiliary support
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/14 for electrical parameters, e.g. resistance, deep-levels, CV, diffusions by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/30 Structural arrangements specially adapted for testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment, or specially adapted for reliability measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/32 Additional lead-in metallisation on a device or substrate, e.g. additional pads or pad portions, lines in the scribe line, sacrificed conductors arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the solid state body in operation H01L23/48
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/6835 used as a support during build up manufacturing of active devices
• 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 25/0753 the devices being arranged next to each other
• 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 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/30 containing only elements of Group III and Group V of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/34 containing only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/48 characterised by the semiconductor body packages
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/62 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body, e.g. lead-frames, wire-bonds or solder balls

Abstract

A substrate includes an anchor area physically secured to a surface of the substrate and at least one printable electronic component. The at least one printable electronic component includes an active layer having one or more active elements thereon, and is suspended over the surface of the substrate by electrically conductive breakable tethers. The electrically conductive breakable tethers include an insulating layer and a conductive layer thereon that physically secure and electrically connect the at least one printable electronic component to the anchor area, and are configured to be preferentially fractured responsive to pressure applied thereto. Related methods of fabrication and testing are also discussed.

Claims

1. A structure, comprising:

a substrate; and

a plurality of printable electronic components, each of the printable electronic components attached to the substrate by one or more breakable tethers that physically secure the printable electronic component to the substrate, wherein at least one of the one or more breakable tethers has a first end and a second end opposite the first end and comprises a stress-concentrating feature between the first end and the second end that causes the breakable tether to preferentially fracture at the stress-concentrating feature in response to pressure,

wherein, for each breakable tether of the at least one of the one or more breakable tethers, the stress-concentrating feature of the breakable tether has a feature cross section of smaller area than a tether cross section of the breakable tether.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the stress-concentrating features comprise grooves.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein the stress-concentrating features comprise portions of the respective tethers having a reduced thickness relative to other portions thereof.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein the stress-concentrating features comprise a notch in each of the one or more breakable tethers.

5. The structure of claim 4, wherein the stress-concentrating features comprise two notches in each of the one or more breakable tethers.

6. The structure of claim 1, wherein the stress-concentrating features comprise one or more stress-concentrating features at a center of each of the one or more breakable tethers.

7. The structure of claim 1, wherein the stress-concentrating features comprise one or more off-center stress-concentrating features.

8. The structure of claim 1, wherein the one or more breakable tethers are z-shape breakable tethers.

9. The structure of claim 1, wherein the stress concentrating features of the one or more breakable tethers are configured to be preferentially fractured responsive to pressure applied by a stamp to transfer the at least one electronic component to a target substrate.

10. The structure of claim 1, further comprising an anchor physically secured to a surface of the substrate, wherein each of the printable electronic components is secured to the substrate via the anchor and a respective tether.

11. The structure of claim 10, wherein the anchor comprises one or more electrical elements to conduct an electrical test signal.

12. The structure of claim 11, wherein the one or more breakable tethers are electrically conductive breakable tethers.

13. The structure of claim 12, wherein the electrically conductive breakable tethers electrically connect the plurality of printable electronic components to the one or more electrical elements of the anchor.

14. The structure of claim 13, wherein the one or more electrical elements of the anchor area are electrically connected to the printable electronic components by the electrically conductive breakable tethers such that one or more test signals can be sent from the one or more electrical elements of the anchor area to the printable electronic components.

15. The structure of claim 14, wherein at least one of the printable electronic components is defective.

16. The structure of claim 1, wherein the printable electronic components are light-emitting diodes.

17. The structure of claim 16, wherein the light-emitting diodes are inorganic light-emitting diodes.

18. The structure of claim 1, wherein each of the printable electronic components comprises an active layer.

19. The structure of claim 18, wherein the active layer is amorphous, polycrystalline, microcrystalline, or crystalline.

20. The structure of claim 18, wherein the active layer comprises silicon, gallium arsenide (GaAs), and/or a III-V compound semiconductor.

21. The structure of claim 1, wherein, for each breakable tether of the at least one of the one or more breakable tethers, at least a portion of the breakable tether has a substantially constant tether cross section and the stress-concentrating feature of the breakable tether has a feature cross section of smaller area than the substantially constant tether cross section.