Metal fusion bonding – Process – With measuring – testing – indicating – inspecting – or...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-16
2004-04-06
Stoner, Kiley (Department: 1725)
Metal fusion bonding
Process
With measuring, testing, indicating, inspecting, or...
C228S104000, C228S180500, C228S215000, C324S537000, C324S754090, C324S765010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06715663
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to electrical testing (e-test) and wire bonding for a metallization process flow. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electroless plating process flow that follows e-test, and for a wire bonding process flow that follows a metal-six copper (M6 Cu) metallization.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
Metallization process flows may be carried out near the back-end of processing by electrical connections such as a metal bump formation on a ball-limiting metallurgy (BLM) that surmounts the metallization pad, or by a wire bonding process on the metallization pad. During the wire bonding process, typically an aluminum or gold wire is used to make contact with the metallization pad. However, this process flow often causes significant corrosion of the metallization pad, particularly if it is copper, and the result is an unacceptable yield loss during the wire-bonding process.
FIG. 8
depicts a prior art wire bond on a metallization pad that illustrates corrosion. A semiconductor structure
10
includes a substrate
12
and an upper metallization
14
such as a trace or pad, that is electrically connected to a lower metallization
16
through a contact
18
. A wire bond
20
is depicted in connection with upper metallization
14
. It is noted that upper metallization
14
, if copper for example, has experienced corrosion
22
(depicted in an arbitrary size and shape).
The corrosion
22
has resulted from at least one of several environments or other conditions. For example, an aluminum wire bond
20
will corrode upper metallization
14
, or processing conditions including back-end-of-line (BEOL) testing such as a hot ambient steam test (HAST) and/or burn-in, add to corrosion
22
. Other processing conditions add to corrosion including the galvanic differential that is established between the two disparate metals of upper metallization
14
and wire bond
20
. Once corrosion begins, a variable and unpredictable contact resistance (CRES) occurs between the numerous probes and the upper metallization
14
. Additionally, a copper scumming of the probe tip requires frequent and unpredictable cleaning.
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Seshan Krishna
Singh Kuljeet
Intel Corporation
Schwegman Lundberg Woessner & Kluth P.A.
Stoner Kiley
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