Abstract: A method and device for testing and burning-in semiconductor circuits. The method and device permit the entire wafer to be tested by temporarily attaching the wafer to a test substrate using electrically conductive adhesive (ECA). The ECA conforms to deviations from co-planarity of the contact points of both the wafer and test substrate while providing a quality electrical connection at each point. ECA material can be deposited on either the wafer contacts or the substrate pads. In addition, the ECA may be deposited on C4 bumps or tin-capped lead bases. Variations in the method and device include filling vias of a non-conductive interposer with ECA. The electrical connection may be enhanced by forming conductive dendrites on test pads while the ECA is deposited on the wafer contacts. To further enhance the electrical connection, the ECA material can be plasma etched to remove some of its polymer matrix and to expose the electrically conductive particles on one side and then plating with palladium.

Abstract: A method and system for dicing a semiconductor wafer providing a structure with greatly reduced backside chipping and cracking, as well as increased die strength. Semiconductor chip structures obtained from wafers diced according to this invention are also encompassed.

Abstract: A method and device for testing and burning-in semiconductor circuits. The method and device permit the entire wafer to be tested by temporarily attaching the wafer to a test substrate using electrically conductive adhesive (ECA). The ECA conforms to deviations from co-planarity of the contact points of both the wafer and test substrate while providing a quality electrical connection at each point. ECA material can be deposited on either the wafer contacts or the substrate pads. In addition, the ECA may be deposited on C4 bumps or tin-capped lead bases. Variations in the method and device include filling vias of a non-conductive interposer with ECA. The electrical connection may be enhanced by forming conductive dendrites on test pads while the ECA is deposited on the wafer contacts. To further enhance the electrical connection, the ECA material can be plasma etched to remove some of its polymer matrix and to expose the electrically conductive particles on one side and then plating with palladium.

Abstract: A method and system for dicing a semiconductor wafer providing a structure with greatly reduced backside chipping and cracking, as well as increased die strength. Semiconductor chip structures obtained from wafers diced according to this invention are also encompassed.

Abstract: A method and device for testing and burning-in semiconductor circuits. The method and device permit the entire wafer to be tested by temporarily attaching the wafer to a test substrate using electrically conductive adhesive (ECA). The ECA conforms to deviations from co-planarity of the contact points of both the wafer and test substrate while providing a quality electrical connection at each point. ECA material can be deposited on either the wafer contacts or the substrate pads. In addition, the ECA may be deposited on C4 bumps or tin-capped lead bases. Variations in the method and device include filling vias of a non-conductive interposer with ECA. The electrical connection may be enhanced by forming conductive dendrites on test pads while the ECA is deposited on the wafer contacts. To further enhance the electrical connection, the ECA material can be plasma etched to remove some of its polymer matrix and to expose the electrically conductive particles on one side and then plating with palladium.

Abstract: An apparatus for simultaneously removing heat from two surfaces of a semiconductor structure includes a heat sink mounted to a front surface and a heat sink mounted to a back surface of the semiconductor structure. The structure can be two chips mounted in face-to-face arrangement, and the heat sinks remove heat from back surfaces of both chips.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of minimizing the thermo-mechanical fatigue of flip-chip packages. The interposer of the present invention, preferably comprising an organic polymer such as polyimide, contains apertures having conductive plugs inserted therein for joining a chip to a substrate in an electronic module utilizing flip-chip packaging. The interposer is selected to provide optimum spacing between the chip and substrate having a coefficient of thermal expansion adapted to the thermal cycling temperature extremes of the module components. The interposer may comprise an inner core with two adhesive outer layers which may comprise different materials to promote adhesion at their respective interfaces within a module. Conductive plugs are disposed within the apertures of the interposer comprising of a first and second solder or comprising a conductive plug having top and bottom surfaces coated with a conductive adhesive.

Abstract: An integrated circuit assembly has pads of a chip electrically connected to pads of a substrate with rolling metal balls. A pliable material bonds the balls in movable contact with pads of the chip and substrate. Because the balls are relatively free to move, thermal expansion differences that would ordinarily cause enormous stresses in the attached joints of the prior art, simply cause rolling of the balls of the present invention, avoiding thermal stress altogether. Reliability of the connections is substantially improved as compared with C4 solder bumps, and chips can be safely directly mounted to such substrates as PC boards, despite substantial thermal mismatch.

Abstract: Wafer test and burn-in is accomplished with state machine or programmable test engines located on the wafer being tested. Each test engine requires less than 10 connections and each test engine can be connected to a plurality of chips, such as a row or a column of chips on the wafer. Thus, the number of pads of the wafer that must be connected for test is substantially reduced while a large degree of parallel testing is still provided. The test engines also permit on-wafer allocation of redundancy in parallel so that failing chips can be repaired after burn-in is complete. In addition, the programmable test engines can have their code altered so test programs can be modified to account for new information after the wafer has been fabricated. The test engines are used during burn-in to provide high frequency write signals to DRAM arrays that provide a higher effective voltage to the arrays, lowering the time required for burn-in.

Abstract: An integrated circuit assembly has pads of a chip electrically connected to pads of a substrate with rolling metal balls. A pliable material bonds the balls in movable contact with pads of the chip and substrate. Because the balls are relatively free to move, thermal expansion differences that would ordinarily cause enormous stresses in the attached joints of the prior art, simply cause rolling of the balls of the present invention, avoiding thermal stress altogether. Reliability of the connections is substantially improved as compared with C4 solder bumps, and chips can be safely directly mounted to such substrates as PC boards, despite substantial thermal mismatch.

Abstract: A tailorable metallization level between a first set of pads connected to internal circuits of an electronic structure and a second set of pads for external connection provides for altering the configuration of the electronic structure. The second set of pads is kept invariant to facilitate external connection to the electronic structure. The reconfiguration scheme provides, in one embodiment, for sparing a stacked arrangement of chips. That is, it provides a way to disconnect a defective chip from a stack of chips and connect a spare chip so that, from the point of view of external circuitry, there is no change in the connection to or function of the stack. The invention also provides for changing the logical arrangement of circuits in a single chip, such as the organization of memory I/O.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a stack of two semiconductor chips. An edge of the chips forms a side surface of the stack. Insulation and adhesive is located between the chips, and a wire contacting circuitry on one of the chips extends through the insulation to the side surface. A first conductor contacts the wire on the side surface. The first conductor is self-aligned to the wire and extends above the side surface. The first conductor facilitates pads or connectors on the side surface that are insulated from the semiconductor chips. The self-aligned first conductor is an electroplated or electroless plated metal.

Abstract: This discloses a probe structure which does not rely on cantilevered wire and which has improved and controlled contact pressure between the probe tip contacts and the I/O pads on a semiconductor chip and which comprises a plurality of conductive contact electrodes, electrically coupled to respective leads, formed on a film stretched across a respective plurality of through holes established in a substrate. The through holes and the contact electrodes are aligned with one another and both positionally match selected I/O pads existing on a semiconductor chip to be probed. Also disclosed is a probe utilizing means connected to each one of the holes to control the pressure in the holes and between the probes and any contact on a device in contact with the probe.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a stack of two semiconductor chips. An edge of the chips forms a side surface of the stack. Insulation and adhesive is located between the chips, and a wire contacting circuitry on one of the chips extends through the insulation to the side surface. A first conductor contacts the wire on the side surface. The first conductor is self-aligned to the wire and extends above the side surface. The first conductor facilitates pads or connectors on the side surface that are insulated from the semiconductor chips. The self-aligned first conductor is an electroplated or electroless plated metal.

Abstract: This invention comprises various high production methods for simultaneously forming surface metallizations on a plurality of monolithic electronic modules. Each monolithic electronic module may comprise a single semiconductor chip or multiple semiconductor chips. The methods can employ a workpiece which automatically discontinues side surface metallization between different electronic modules in the stack. Multiple workpieces are interleaved within the stack between the electronic modules. Each workpiece may include a transfer layer(s) for permanent bonding to an end surface of an adjacent electronic module in the stack. This transfer layer may comprise an insulation layer, a metallization layer, an active circuit layer, or any combination thereof. End surface metallization can thus be provided contemporaneous with side surface metallization of multiple electronic modules.

Abstract: A fabrication method including a semiconductor chip kerf clear process and a resulting semiconductor chip and electronic module formed thereby. The fabrication method includes providing a wafer comprising a plurality of integrated circuit chips having kerf regions between them. Chip metallization is present within the kerf regions. A photolithography process is used to protect the wafer exposing only the kerf regions. Next, the wafer is etched, clearing the chip metallization from the kerf regions. The wafer is then diced and the chips are stacked to form a monolithic electronic module. A side surface of the electronic module is processed to expose transfer metals extending thereto, thereby facilitating electrical connection to the chips within the electronic module. Specific details of the fabrication method, resulting integrated circuit chips and monolithic electronic module are set forth.

Abstract: An endcap chip is provided for a multichip stack comprising multiple integrated circuit chips laminated together. The endcap chip has a substrate with an upper surface and a edge surface, which extends in a plane orthogonal to the upper surface. At least one conductive, monolithic L-connect is disposed over the substrate such that a first leg extends at least partially over the upper surface of the substrate and a second leg extends at least partially over the edge surface of the substrate. When the endcap chip is located at the end of the multichip stack, the at least one conductive, monolithic L-connect electrically connects metal on an end face of the stack to metal on a side face of the stack. A fabrication process is set forth for producing the endcap chip with lithographically defined dimensions.

Abstract: A fabrication method and resultant monolithic electronic module having a separately formed thin-film layer attached to a side surface. The fabrication method includes providing an electronic module composed of stacked integrated circuit chips. A thin-film layer is separately formed on a temporary support which is used to attach the thin-film layer to the electronic module. The disclosed techniques may also be used for attaching an interposer, which may include active circuity, to an electronic module. Specific details of the fabrication method, resulting multichip packages, and various thin-film structures are set forth.

Abstract: An integrated memory cube structure and method of fabrication wherein stacked semiconductor memory chips are integrated by a controlling logic chip such that a more powerful memory architecture is defined with the functional appearance of a single, higher level memory chip. A memory/logic cube is formed having N memory chips and at least one logic chip, with each memory chip of the cube having M memory devices. The controlling logic chip coordinates external communication with the N memory chips such that a single memory chip architecture with N.times.M memory devices appears at the cube's I/O pins. A corresponding fabrication technique includes an approach for facilitating metallization patterning on the side surface of the memory subunit.

Abstract: An integrated memory cube structure and method of fabrication wherein stacked semiconductor memory chips are integrated by a controlling logic chip such that a more powerful memory architecture is defined with the functional appearance of a single, higher level memory chip. A memory/logic cube is formed having N memory chips and at least one logic chip, with each memory chip of the cube having M memory devices. The controlling logic chip coordinates external communication with the N memory chips such that a single memory chip architecture with N.times.M memory devices appears at the cube's I/O pins. A corresponding fabrication technique includes an approach for facilitating metallization patterning on the side surface of the memory subunit.