Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-22
2001-04-10
Ball, Michael W. (Department: 1733)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C264S272110, C264S272130, C264S272170
Reexamination Certificate
active
06214152
ABSTRACT:
This invention resides in the field of electronic packaging. The invention involves the placement of an integrated circuit die in a hollow enclosure that protects the chip from the environment and provides electrical access to the die circuitry from leads outside the enclosure. The invention is specifically concerned with the enclosure as a barrier against penetration by moisture and contaminating gases in general.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An electronic package serves as a protective enclosure for a die while permitting electrical connections between the die circuitry and the circuitry on a carrier or substrate such as a printed wiring board. The packages of interest in this invention are hollow bodies that filly enclose the die and that are initially formed as open receptacles with electrical leads or “traces” embedded in the walls. Once the receptacle is formed with the leads embedded in its walls, the die is placed inside the receptacle and electrically joined to the leads. The receptacle is then closed and sealed for further processing, including further electrical connections and use.
To achieve consistent and reliable performance with the extremely fine circuit lines and high current densities that are currently used in dies, it is very important that water vapor and other atmospheric gases be prevented from entering the package once it is sealed. By sealing the die and protecting it from exposure to these gases, the package enhances the performance of the die in humid and other potentially harmful environments. The leads that form the electrical connections between the die and the components external to the package are thin strips of metal that pass through the package walls, the inner ends of the strips bonded to the die circuitry and the outer ends available for bonding to the substrate circuitry. Since the strips and the package walls are made of dissimilar materials, it is difficult to form a secure bond between them that will serve as a vapor barrier. This difficulty is particularly acute when there are large differences in the rates of expansion and contraction of the materials. This expansion and contraction occurs in response to temperature variations that occur during the thermal cycling that the package encounters during processing steps such as die bonding, wire bonding and soldering. Temperature variations also occur in the typical environment in which the package used also stem from the high current densities used in the die itself. As a result, the points where the leads penetrate the walls are particularly vulnerable to the formation of gaps through which gases can enter the package and contaminate the die.
The typical method of sealing the interfaces between the metal leads and the package walls is to form the package by molding the walls directly over the leads. Injection molding or transfer molding are typically used, starting with a molten heat-curable resin which is cured either during the molding process or shortly afterwards in a post-cure. These molding techniques form a mechanical bond between the metal and plastic which, for the reasons enumerated above, is less than fully effective for packages that are subjected to high current densities. Furthermore, in these processes the molding tool is typically controlled to a temperature in the range of 100° C. to 175° C., while the metal surfaces of the leads are considerably lower in temperature. The temperature difference inhibits the curing of the molten resin and further lessens the strength of the bond. An additional source of leakage arises from the fact that the typical resins used as molding compounds have adhesive properties themselves and therefore require release agents to prevent their adhesion to the molding tools. A typical release agent is a microcrystalline wax, which is incorporated into the molding compound formulation. The release agent unfortunately also weakens the bond between the molding compound and the metal leads.
One solution, which has not been previously used or disclosed to the knowledge of the inventors herein, might be to simply coat the entire lead frame with adhesive compound prior to molding the package body over the leads so that the adhesive would form a chemical bond between the leads and the molding compound when the latter is cured. A difficulty with this solution is the critical nature of the electrical connections that must be made between the leads and the die. Any contamination of the surfaces of the leads at the bonding location will interfere with the wire bonding process by which a reliable electrical connection is created. This can only be prevented by an expensive and difficult cleaning process after the molding operation has been completed. This problem is aggravated in leads that are plated with electrically conductive material such as silver or gold to enhance the electrical contact with the die.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The problems enumerated above are addressed in accordance with the present invention by applying a heat-curable adhesive selectively to areas on the surface of the leads that will contact the package walls, then molding the package around the leads. The adhesive is thus cured either by the molding process itself or during post-cure of the package body. The adhesive is a material that once cured will form a seal at the interfaces between the leads and the package body that will be substantially impermeable to gases. Selection of an optimal adhesive or combination of adhesives will reflect the magnitude of the difference if any between the coefficient of thermal expansion of the lead metal and that of the package body. The adhesive may include a thermoplastic component as needed to provide resilience to the seal in the event of differences in the degree of thermal expansion. Localizing the application of the adhesive to those areas on the metal that will form the interface preserves the ability to form strong electrical contacts between the leads and the die circuitry.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the description that follows.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As indicated above, the optimal selection of an adhesive or adhesive composition will depend on the materials used for the electric leads and the package body. A wide variety of materials can be used for each, many such materials being disclosed in published literature on electronic materials and known in the industry for their utility.
Examples of metals that can be used for the leads (and their symbols as indicated by the
Electronic Materials Handbook
, Vol. 1, Minges, M. L., et al, eds., ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, 1989) are:
copper
copper-iron alloys: C19400, C19500, C19700, C19210
copper-chromium alloys: CCZ, EFTEC647
copper-nickel-silicon alloys: C7025, KLF 125, C19010
copper-tin alloys: C50715, C50710
copper-zirconium alloys: C15100
copper-magnesium alloys: C15500
iron-nickel alloys: ASTM F30 (Alloy 42)
iron-nickel-cobalt alloys: ASTM F15 (Kovar)
mild steel
aluminum
Preferred among these are copper, copper-containing alloys in which copper constitutes at least 95% by weight, iron-nickel alloys in which iron constitutes from about 50% to about 75% by weight, and iron-nickel-cobalt alloys in which iron constitutes from about 50% to about 75% by weight. The iron-nickel alloy Alloy 42 (58% Fe, 42% Ni) and the iron-nickel-colbalt alloy Kovar (54% Fe, 29% Ni, 17% Co), as well as the various copper alloys are of particular interest.
The types of materials that can be used as the package body, or enclosure material, include both thermosetting and thermoplastic materials. Examples of thermoplastic materials are epoxy resins and modified epoxy resins, polyurethanes, polyimides, modified polyimides, polyesters, and silicones. Examples of thermoplastic materials are polyphenylene sulfide, liquid crystal polymer, polysulfone, and polyether ketone. Thermosetting materials are typically molded by transfer molding, while thermoplastic materials are typically molded by injection mo
Ni John Qiang
Ross Cynthia L.
Ross Richard J.
Shaffer Tony B.
Ball Michael W.
Haran John T.
RJR Polymers, Inc.
Townsend and Townsend / and Crew LLP
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