Electronic Chip Metal Pillar Flank Exposure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing electronic chips with wettable flanks, which are essential for visual inspection during soldering in sensitive fields like automotive and medical applications, lack efficiency and effectiveness in extending connection metallizations to the chip flanks.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the deposition of metal connection pillars on semiconductor substrates, surrounded by protective resin, with strategically formed openings and trenches to expose the pillars' flanks, allowing for the separation of integrated circuits into individual chips with wettable flanks, using techniques like non-electrolytic deposition and laser drilling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If connection metallizations are extended to the chip flanks to enable visual inspection during soldering, then reliability and inspectability are improved, but the manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming openings in the protective resin layer before cutting the chip flanks. This allows the connection metallizations to be pre-positioned and visible on the flanks before the final separation, enabling both visual inspection and proper soldering connections without adding excessive manufacturing complexity during the cutting stage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the protective resin layer by forming openings that expose the connection metallizations on the chip flanks. This segmentation allows different portions of the chip to have different functions: covered areas for protection and exposed areas for soldering and inspection, thereby achieving reliability without requiring complete exposure of all surfaces
2Measurement precision
If openings are formed in protective resin to expose metal pillar flanks, then visual inspection capability is improved, but manufacturing time and process steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into the opening formation step: the openings serve both to expose the connection metallizations for visual inspection and to define the boundaries for subsequent cutting operations. This consolidation reduces the total number of separate manufacturing steps and minimizes manufacturing time while maintaining measurement precision
3Reliability
If metal connection pillars are deposited with flanks extending to chip edges, then soldering quality is improved, but material consumption and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing metal connection pillars with extended flanks only at specific locations where soldering is required, rather than coating the entire chip surface. The protective resin covers areas where metal exposure is not needed, thereby reducing overall metal consumption while maintaining high soldering quality at the critical connection points
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enhances the manufacturing process by ensuring reliable and visually inspectable connections on the chip flanks, improving the quality and reliability of electronic chips for sensitive applications.
Implementation Method 1
using techniques like non-electrolytic deposition
Implementation Method 2
with strategically formed openings and trenches to expose the pillars' flanks, allowing for the separation of integrated circuits into individual chips
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing electronic chips includes forming, on a side of an upper face of a semiconductor substrate, in and on which a plurality of integrated circuits has been formed, trenches laterally separating the integrated circuits. At least one metal connection pillar per integrated circuit is deposited on the side of the upper face of the substrate, and a protective resin extends in the trenches and on an upper face of the integrated circuits. The method further includes forming, from an upper face of the protective resin, openings located across from the trenches and extending over a width greater than or equal to that of the trenches, so as to clear a flank of at least one metal pillar of each integrated circuit. The integrated circuits are separated into individual chips by cutting.