Semiconductor device and process of production of same

Details Semiconductor device and process of production of same Semiconductor device and process of production of same

2001-03-20

2004-08-10

Lee, Eddie (Department: 2811)

Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode

Lead frame

With bumps on ends of lead fingers to connect to semiconductor

C257S787000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06774467

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor and a process for production of the same, more particularly relates to a thin package semiconductor device and a process of production of the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
The most flexible type of thin package semiconductor device mounting a semiconductor element (LSI or other semiconductor chip) for the increase of pins, reduction of the pitch between connection terminals, and reduction of thickness and size of the device as a whole is the tape carrier package (TCP).
A TCP is produced by mounting a semiconductor element on an insulating tape substrate (usually a resin film) by tape automated bonding (TAB). Typically, first, a copper foil is attached to a resin film provided with a predetermined pattern of openings, then the copper foil is etched to pattern it to form predetermined copper leads. Next, a semiconductor element (semiconductor chip) is positioned and held within an opening of the resin film, a plurality of connection terminals of the chip (in general gold bumps) and a corresponding plurality of copper leads on the resin film are bonded together, then the semiconductor chip and part of the copper leads are sealed by a resin to complete a single semiconductor package unit. This operation is repeated for every opening while intermittently feeding the resin film, whereby a large number of semiconductor package units are formed on a single film. Finally, the large number of semiconductor package units formed along the longitudinal direction of the film are cut and separated from each other so as to obtain individual semiconductor packages.
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a semiconductor device of the related art obtained by connecting a semiconductor chip and TCP leads. It shows the state before the individual TCPs are cut from the tape. The TCP
10
uses a resin film (for example, a polyimide resin film)
1
as a substrate and has leads
2
formed by etching of a copper foil on top. Further, sprocket holes
3
are formed at the two side edges of the resin film
1
for feeding the film. An opening
5
for accommodating a semiconductor chip
4
(in general called a “device hole”) and window holes
9
are also formed in the center of the resin film
1
as illustrated.
The state of connection of the semiconductor chip and the leads of the package is shown in the sectional view of
FIG. 2
, which shows the center portion of the semiconductor device of
FIG. 1
enlarged. A semiconductor chip
4
is positioned and placed in the device hole
5
of the resin film
1
, then the front ends of the leads
2
are bonded on the bumps on the electrodes (normally projections formed by gold plating). The leads are normally bonded all together using a special bonding tool. Note that to assist the bonding of the bumps
6
with the front ends of the leads
2
comprised of copper, the bumps are gold plated in advance before the bonding step. Finally, while not shown in
FIG. 1
, the semiconductor chip
4
and the leads
6
are protected from the humidity, contamination, etc. of the ambient environment by sealing the two to cover them by a resin
7
. As the sealing resin
7
, use is made for example of an epoxy resin.
The above conventional semiconductor device however suffered from the following problems (a) to (e):
(a) There are limits to the reduction of the mounting height of the semiconductor chip on a resin film, so there are limits to the reduction of thickness of the semiconductor device. That is, the semiconductor device is fixed by thin copper leads projecting out in a bridge like manner into the opening of the resin film, so securing sufficient mounting strength requires that the copper leads, the resin film serving as the support member, and the device as a whole be at least a certain thickness. If reinforcing the strength by the resin sealed portion, a broad area has to be sealed thickly. It is difficult however to secure complete sealing across a broad area. Further, thick sealing runs counter to the desire to reduce thickness.
(b) Semiconductor chips become brittle and easily warpable when made thin enough for reducing the thickness of the semiconductor device. Each requires a special carrier. Handling is extremely complicated and a large number of steps are required. Further, improvement of the manufacturing yield also becomes difficult.
(c) The individual semiconductor chips have to be individually positioned and bonded in the openings of the resin film, so production of a large number of semiconductor packages requires a long, complicated production process.
(d) In the case of a multilayer semiconductor device obtained by stacking semiconductor chips in a plurality of layers, each individual semiconductor chip has to be positioned and bonded in the opening of the resin film, so the production process becomes even longer and more complicated.
(e) Not only is there a manufacturing variation in the thickness of the chips, but there is also variation in the individual mounting heights. As a result, a variation in height arises in the semiconductor devices. It is consequently difficult to conduct electrical tests all together before cutting and separating the film into the semiconductor package units.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems in the related art and provide a semiconductor device, in particular a thin semiconductor package, which reduces and simultaneously achieves a uniform mounting height, does not require complicated steps for mounting individual chips, improves the manufacturing yield, achieves a uniform height of the semiconductor device without being affected by the variation in thickness of the chips, and enables execution of electrical tests all together and a process for production of the same.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device provided with an insulating tape substrate having through holes in the thickness direction; a semiconductor element mounted on a top surface of the tape substrate with its back surface exposed upward and its active surface facing downward; a sealing resin layer formed on the top surface of the tape substrate outside of the region in which the semiconductor device is mounted and sealing the area around the side surfaces of the semiconductor element; metal interconnections formed on the bottom surface of the tape substrate and blocking the bottom ends of the through holes of the tape substrate to define bottom portions; a solder resist layer covering the metal interconnections and the bottom surface of the tape substrate and having through holes in the thickness direction; external connection terminals projecting from the bottom surface of the metal interconnections and filling, passing through, and projecting downward through the through holes of the solder resist layer; connection terminals extending downward from the active surface of the semiconductor element and inserted in the through holes of the tape substrate; and a filler comprised of a conductive material filling the gaps between the connection terminals and the inside walls of the through holes of the tape substrate and electrically connecting the connection terminals and the metal interconnections.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a process of production of a semiconductor device of the first aspect, comprising forming through holes in the thickness direction in a tape substrate having an area able to accommodate a plurality of semiconductor package units and provided at its bottom surface with a metal interconnection layer and a solder resist layer and forming throughholes in the thickness direction in the solder resist layer; filling a conductive material in the through holes of the tape substrate in amounts incompletely filling the through holes; inserting connection terminals of a number of semiconductor elements required for forming a plurality of semiconductor package units into the corr

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