Abstract: A compliant contact pin assembly and a contactor card and methods for testing therewith are provided. The compliant contact pin assembly includes a contact pin formed from a portion of a substrate with the contact pin compliantly held suspended within the substrate by a compliant coupling structure. The suspension within the substrate results in a compliant deflection orthogonal to the plane of the substrate. The contact pin assembly is formed by generally thinning the substrate around the contact pin location and then specifically thinning the substrate immediately around the contact pin location for forming a void. The contact pin is compliantly coupled, in one embodiment by compliant coupling material, and in another embodiment by compliantly flexible portions of the substrate.

Abstract: A compliant contact pin assembly, a contactor card, a testing system and methods for making and testing are provided. A compliant contact pin assembly includes a contact pin formed from a portion of a substrate with the contact pin compliantly held suspended within the substrate by a compliant coupling structure. The suspension within the substrate results in a compliant deflection orthogonal to the plane of the substrate. The contact pin assembly is formed by generally thinning the substrate around the contact pin location and then specifically thinning the substrate immediately around the contact pin location for forming a void. The contact pin is compliantly coupled, in one embodiment by compliant coupling material, and in another embodiment by compliantly flexible portions of the substrate.

Abstract: Microelectronic imager assemblies comprising a workpiece including a substrate and a plurality of imaging dies on and/or in the substrate. The substrate includes a front side and a back side, and the imaging dies comprise imaging sensors at the front side of the substrate and external contacts operatively coupled to the image sensors. The microelectronic imager assembly further comprises optics supports superimposed relative to the imaging dies. The optics supports can be directly on the substrate or on a cover over the substrate. Individual optics supports can have (a) an opening aligned with one of the image sensors, and (b) a bearing element at a reference distance from the image sensor. The microelectronic imager assembly can further include optical devices mounted or otherwise carried by the optics supports.

Abstract: A plurality of semiconductor die is packaged into one component. The inventive design comprises devices which have been singularized, packaged and thoroughly tested for functionality and adherence to required specifications. A plurality of packaged devices is then received by a housing. The conductive leads of the packaged devices are electrically coupled with pads manufactured into the housing. These pads are connected to traces within the housing, which terminate externally to the housing. Input/output leads are then electrically coupled with the traces, or are coupled with the traces as the housing is manufactured. The input/output leads provide means for connecting the housing with the electronic device or system into which it is installed. A lid received by the housing hermetically seals the packaged die in the housing, and prevents moisture or other contaminants which may impede the proper functionality of the die from entering the housing.

Abstract: A test system for testing semiconductor components includes an interconnect having a substrate and contacts on the substrate for electrically engaging terminal contacts on the components. The interconnect also includes one or more cavities in the substrate which form flexible segments proximate to the interconnect contacts. The flexible segments permit the interconnect contacts to move independently in the z-direction to accommodate variations in the height and planarity of the terminal contacts. In addition, the cavities can be pressurized, or alternately filled with a polymer material, to adjust a compliancy of the flexible segments. Different embodiments of the interconnect contacts include: metallized recesses for retaining the terminal contacts, metallized projections for penetrating the terminal contacts, metallized recesses with penetrating projections, and leads contained on a polymer tape and cantilevered over metallized recesses.

Abstract: A carrier for use in a chip-scale package, including a polymeric film with apertures defined therethrough. The apertures, which are alignable with corresponding bond pads of a semiconductor device, each include a quantity of conductive material extending substantially through the length thereof. The carrier may also include laterally extending conductive traces in contact with or otherwise in electrical communication with the conductive material in the apertures of the carrier. Contacts may be disposed on a backside surface of the carrier. The contacts may communicate with the conductive material disposed in the apertures of the carrier. A conductive bump, such as a solder bump, may be disposed adjacent each or any of the contacts. A chip-scale package including the carrier of the present invention is also within the scope of the present invention.

Abstract: A test carrier for a semiconductor component includes a base for retaining the component, and an interconnect on the base having contacts configured to electrically engage component contacts on the component. The base includes conductors in electrical communication with the contacts on the interconnect, which are defined by grooves in a conductive layer. In addition, the conductors include first portions of the conductive layer configured for electrical transmission, which are separated from one another by second portions of the conductive layer configured for no electrical transmission. The test carrier is configured for mounting to a burn in board in electrical communication with a test circuitry configured to apply test signals through the contacts on the interconnect to the component.

Abstract: A probe card for testing semiconductor wafers, and a method and system for testing wafers using the probe card are provided. The probe card is configured for use with a conventional testing apparatus, such as a wafer probe handler, in electrical communication with test circuitry. The probe card includes an interconnect substrate having contact members for establishing electrical communication with contact locations on the wafer. The probe card also includes a membrane for physically and electrically connecting the interconnect substrate to the testing apparatus, and a compressible member for cushioning the pressure exerted on the interconnect substrate by the testing apparatus. The interconnect substrate can be formed of silicon with raised contact members having penetrating projections. Alternately the contact members can be formed as indentations for testing bumped wafers.

Abstract: A method of packaging at least a portion of a semiconductor die or dice is disclosed. Uncured material may be disposed proximate at least the periphery of at least one semiconductor die and at least partially cured substantially as a whole. Methods of forming conductive elements such as traces, vias, and bond pads are also disclosed. More specifically, forming at least one organometallic layer to a substrate surface and selectively heating at least a portion thereof is disclosed. Also, forming a layer of conductive photopolymer over at least a portion of a surface of a substrate and removing at least a portion thereof is disclosed. A microlens having a plurality of mutually adhered layers of cured, optically transmissive material, methods of forming same, and systems so equipped are disclosed.

Abstract: Methods of packaging microelectronic imagers and packaged microelectronic imagers. An embodiment of such a method can include providing an imager workpiece having a plurality of imager dies arranged in a die pattern and providing a cover substrate through which a desired radiation can propagate. The imager dies include image sensors and integrated circuitry coupled to the image sensors. The method further includes providing a spacer having a web that includes an adhesive and has openings arranged to be aligned with the image sensors. For example, the web can be a film having an adhesive coating, or the web itself can be a layer of adhesive. The method continues by assembling the imager workpiece with the cover substrate such that (a) the spacer is between the imager workpiece and the cover substrate, and (b) the openings are aligned with the image sensors. The attached web is not cured after the imager workpiece and the cover substrate have both been adhered to the web.

Abstract: A semiconductor component includes a base die and a secondary die stacked on and bonded to the base die. The base die includes conductive vias which form an internal signal transmission system for the component, and allow the circuit side of the secondary die to be bonded to the back side of the base die. The component also includes an array of terminal contacts on the circuit side of the base die in electrical communication with the conductive vias. The component can also include an encapsulant on the back side of the base die, which substantially encapsulates the secondary die, and a polymer layer on the circuit side of the base die which functions as a protective layer, a rigidifying member and a stencil for forming the terminal contacts. A method for fabricating the component includes the step of bonding singulated secondary dice to base dice on a base wafer, or bonding a secondary wafer to the base wafer, or bonding singulated secondary dice to singulated base dice.

Abstract: A semiconductor component includes a thinned semiconductor die having protective polymer layers on up to six surfaces. The component also includes contact bumps on the die embedded in a circuit side polymer layer, and terminal contacts on the contact bumps in a dense area array. A method for fabricating the component includes the steps of providing a substrate containing multiple dice, forming trenches on the substrate proximate to peripheral edges of the dice, and depositing a polymer material into the trenches. In addition, the method includes the steps of planarizing the back side of the substrate to contact the polymer filled trenches, and cutting through the polymer trenches to singulate the components from the substrate. Prior to the singulating step the components can be tested and burned-in while they remain on the substrate.

Abstract: Programmable material consolidation systems employing a machine vision system in combination with a 3-D printing system for accurately locating a position over a support element and optionally on a substrate on the support element, and forming structural features thereon. By use of the machine vision system, the precise location on a substrate or support element may be determined and communicated to the dispense element of the 3-D printing system such that a flowable material may be deposited and consolidated at a desired location to form a structural feature. Methods for forming various features and structures on a substrate employing the systems of the present invention are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention is directed toward apparatus and methods of testing and assembling bumped die and bumped devices using an anisotropically conductive layer. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises a bumped device having a plurality of conductive bumps formed thereon, a substrate having a plurality of contact pads distributed thereon and approximately aligned with the plurality of conductive bumps, and an anisotropically conductive layer disposed between and mechanically coupled to the bumped device and to the substrate. The anisotropically conductive layer electrically couples each of the conductive bumps with a corresponding one of the contact pads.

Abstract: A method of making semiconductor device packages includes the steps of attaching a wafer to a dielectric layer, testing semiconductor devices in the wafer, and then dicing the layered assembly. The dielectric layer may be, for example, a flexible tape. The semiconductor devices may be chips containing integrated circuits or memory devices. The dicing operation may be performed by a circular saw or by another suitable apparatus. The chips may be connected to input/output devices, such as ball grid arrays, on the dielectric layer, before the testing and dicing steps. Full wafer testing may be-conducted through the ball grid arrays. A relatively stiff metal sheet may be included in the layered assembly before the testing and dicing steps. The metal material may be used as heat spreaders and/or as electrical ground planes. The chips may be connected to the ball grid arrays by wire bonds or flip chip bumps and vias through the dielectric layer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved method of forming and structure for under bump metallurgy (“UBM”) pads for a flip chip which reduces the number of metal layers and requires the use of only a single passivation layer to form, thus eliminating a masking step required in typical prior art processes. The method also includes repatterning bond pad locations.

Abstract: Microelectronic imagers and methods for packaging microelectronic imagers are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a microelectronic imaging unit can include a microelectronic die, an image sensor, an integrated circuit electrically coupled to the image sensor, and a bond-pad electrically coupled to the integrated circuit. An electrically conductive through-wafer interconnect extends through the die and is in contact with the bond-pad. The interconnect can include a passage extending completely through the substrate and the bond-pad with conductive fill material at least partially disposed in the passage. An electrically conductive support member is carried by and projects from the bond-pad. A cover over the image sensor is coupled to the support member.

Abstract: Microelectronic imager assemblies comprising a workpiece including a substrate and a plurality of imaging dies on and/or in the substrate. The substrate includes a front side and a back side, and the imaging dies comprise imaging sensors at the front side of the substrate and external contacts operatively coupled to the image sensors. The microelectronic imager assembly further comprises optics supports superimposed relative to the imaging dies. The optics supports can be directly on the substrate or on a cover over the substrate. Individual optics supports can have (a) an opening aligned with one of the image sensors, and (b) a bearing element at a reference distance from the image sensor. The microelectronic imager assembly can further include optical devices mounted or otherwise carried by the optics supports.

Abstract: A reusable burn-in/test fixture for testing unsingulated dice on a semiconductor wafer consisting of two halves. The first half of the test fixture is a wafer cavity plate for receiving the wafer, and the second half establishes electrical communication between the wafer and electrical testing equipment. A rigid substrate has conductors thereon which establish electrical contact with the wafer. The test fixture need not be opened until the burn-in and electrical testing are completed. After burn-in stress and electrical testing, it is possible to establish interconnection between the single die or separate and package dice into discrete parts, arrays or clusters, either as singulated parts or as arrays.

Abstract: A reusable burn-in/test fixture for testing unsingulated dice on a semiconductor wafer consisting of two halves. The first half of the test fixture is a wafer cavity plate for receiving the wafer, and the second half establishes electrical communication between the wafer and electrical testing equipment. A rigid substrate has conductors thereon which establish electrical contact with the wafer. The test fixture need not be opened until the burn-in and electrical testing are completed. After burn-in stress and electrical testing, it is possible to establish interconnection between the single die or separate and package dice into discrete parts, arrays or clusters, either as singulated parts or as arrays.