Semiconductor component with through-vias

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface opposed to the upper surface. Integrated circuitry is formed at the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate. A plurality of active through-vias are electrically coupled to the integrated circuitry and extend from the upper surface to the lower surface of the semiconductor substrate. In addition, a plurality of other through-vias extend from the upper surface to the lower surface of the semiconductor substrate and are electrically isolated from any integrated circuitry in the substrate.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates generally to interconnecting electronic components and, in particular embodiments, to a method of stacking integrated circuits. Background technique [0002] One of the purposes of manufacturing electronic components is to minimize the size of various components. For example, it is desirable for handheld devices such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to be as small as possible. To achieve this, the semiconductor circuits included in the device should be as small as possible. One of the ways to make these circuits smaller is to stack the chips that carry them. [0003] Many methods are known to interconnect chips in a stack. For example, pads formed at the surface of each chip may be wire bonded to a common substrate or other chips in the stack. Another example is the so-called micro-projection 3D package, where each chip comprises a plurality of micro-protrusions extending, for example, along the ou...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Although in theory there is no limit to the number of chips that can be stacked, the ability to dissipate heat from the stack as a practical reason limits the number of chips

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