| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080268574 | HERMETIC SEAL AND RELIABLE BONDING STRUCTURES FOR 3D APPLICATIONS - A sealed microelectronic structure which provides mechanical stress endurance and includes at least two chips being electrically connected to a semiconductor structure at a plurality of locations. Each chip includes a continuous bonding material along it's perimeter and at least one support column connected to each of the chips positioned within the perimeter of each chip. Each support column extends outwardly such that when the at least two chips are positioned over one another the support columns are in mating relation to each other. A seal between the at least two chips results from the overlapping relation of the chip to one another such that the bonding material and support columns are in mating relation to each other. Thus, the seal is formed when the at least two chips are mated together, and results in a bonded chip structure. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20090072213 | Programmable Via Structure for Three Dimensional Integration Technology - A programmable link structure for use in three dimensional integration (3DI) semiconductor devices includes a via filled at least in part with a phase change material (PCM) and a heating device proximate the PCM. The heating device is configured to switch the conductivity of a transformable portion of the PCM between a lower resistance crystalline state and a higher resistance amorphous state. Thereby, the via defines a programmable link between an input connection located at one end thereof and an output connection located at another end thereof | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090140404 | HERMETIC SEAL AND RELIABLE BONDING STRUCTURES FOR 3D APPLICATIONS - A sealed microelectronic structure which provides mechanical stress endurance and includes at least two chips being electrically connected to a semiconductor structure at a plurality of locations. Each chip includes a continuous bonding material along it's perimeter and at least one support column connected to each of the chips positioned within the perimeter of each chip. Each support column extends outwardly such that when the at least two chips are positioned over one another the support columns are in mating relation to each other. A seal between the at least two chips results from the overlapping relation of the chip to one another such that the bonding material and support columns are in mating relation to each other. Thus, the seal is formed when the at least two chips are mated together, and results in a bonded chip structure. | 06-04-2009 |
| 20090311858 | PROGRAMMABLE VIA STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF FABRICATING SAME - A programmable via structure is provided as well as a method of fabricating the same. The inventive programmable via a semiconductor substrate. An oxide layer such as a thermal oxide is located on a surface of the semiconductor substrate. A patterned heating material is located on a surface of the oxide layer. The inventive structure also includes a patterned dielectric material having a least one via filled with a phase change material (PCM). The patterned dielectric material including the PCM filled via is located on a surface of the patterned heating material. A patterned diffusion barrier is located on an exposed surface of said at least one via filled with the phase change material. The inventive structure also includes contact vias that extend through the patterned dielectric material. The contact vias are filled with a conductive material which also extends onto the upper surface of the patterned dielectric material. A conductive material which serves as the input of the device is located atop the patterned diffusion barrier that is located directly above the via that is filled with the phase change material. | 12-17-2009 |
| 20100047964 | 3D INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DEVICE FABRICATION USING INTERFACE WAFER AS PERMANENT CARRIER - A method is provided for fabricating a 3D integrated circuit structure. Provided are an interface wafer including a first wiring layer and through-silicon vias, and a first active circuitry layer wafer including active circuitry. The first active circuitry layer wafer is bonded to the interface wafer. Then, a first portion of the first active circuitry layer wafer is removed such that a second portion remains attached to the interface wafer. A stack structure including the interface wafer and the second portion of the first active circuitry layer wafer is bonded to a base wafer. Next, the interface wafer is thinned so as to form an interface layer, and metallizations coupled through the through-silicon vias in the interface layer to the first wiring layer are formed on the interface layer. Also provided is a tangible computer readable medium encoded with a program that comprises instructions for performing such a method. | 02-25-2010 |
| 20100270676 | ADAPTIVE INTERCONNECT STRUCTURE - An array of contact pads on a semiconductor structure has a pitch less than twice an overlay tolerance of a bonding process employed to vertically stack semiconductor structures. A set of contact pads within the area of overlay variation for a matching contact pin may be electrically connected to an array of programmable contacts such that one programmable contact is connected to each contact pad within the area of overlay variation. One contact pad may be provided with a plurality of programmable contacts. The variability of contacts between contact pins and contact pads is accommodated by connecting or disconnecting programmable contacts after the stacking of semiconductor structures. Since the pitch of the array of contact pins may be less than twice the overlay variation of the bonding process, a high density of interconnections is provided in the vertically stacked structure. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20100314711 | 3D INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DEVICE HAVING LOWER-COST ACTIVE CIRCUITRY LAYERS STACKED BEFORE HIGHER-COST ACTIVE CIRCUITRY LAYER - A method is provided for fabricating a 3D integrated circuit structure. According to the method, a first active circuitry layer wafer that includes active circuitry is provided, and a first portion of the first active circuitry layer wafer is removed such that a second portion of the first active circuitry layer wafer remains. Another wafer that includes active circuitry is provided, and the other wafer is bonded to the second portion of the first active circuitry layer wafer. The first active circuitry layer wafer is lower-cost than the other wafer. Also provided are a tangible computer readable medium encoded with a program for fabricating a 3D integrated circuit structure, and a 3D integrated circuit structure. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20110248396 | BOW-BALANCED 3D CHIP STACKING - A first set of semiconductor substrates includes semiconductor chips having bonding pads arranged in a primary pattern. A second set of semiconductor substrates includes semiconductor chips having bonding pads arranged in a mirror-image pattern. A first semiconductor substrate from the first set is bonded to a second semiconductor substrate from the second set such that each bonding pads is bonded to a mirror-image bonding pad. Additional substrates are bonded sequentially such that the bonded structure includes an even number of semiconductor substrates of which one half have bonding pads of the primary pattern and are bonded to the side of the first semiconductor substrate, while the other half have bonding pads of the mirror-image pattern and are bonded to the side of the second semiconductor substrate. The mirror-image patterns of the bonding pads enable maximal cancellation of wafer bow. | 10-13-2011 |
