# US 12,113,038 B2 · Thermal compression flip chip bump for high performance and fine pitch

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- Number: US 12,113,038 B2
- Document ID: US12113038B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/027,316
- Filed: 2020-09-21
- Published: 2021-07-08
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2020-01-03
- Assignees: QUALCOMM Incorporated
- Applicants: QUALCOMM Incorporated
- Inventors: Dongming He; Hung-Yuan Hsu; Yangyang Sun; Wei Hu; Wei Wang; Lily Zhao
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12113038B2

## CPC

- H10W 72/012: {of bump connectors, dummy bumps or thermal bumps}
- H10W 74/147: {the encapsulations being multilayered}
- H10W 72/019: {of bond pads}
- H10W 72/90: Bond pads, in general
- H10W 72/01231: {using blanket deposition}
- H10W 72/01255: {by using masks}
- H10W 72/01938: {in gaseous form, e.g. by CVD or PVD}
- H10W 72/01953: {by etching}
- H10W 72/221: {Structures or relative sizes}
- H10W 72/222: {Multilayered bumps, e.g. a coating on top and side surfaces of a bump core}
- H10W 72/242: {relative to the surface, e.g. recessed, protruding}
- H10W 72/244: {relative to underlying supporting features, e.g. bond pads, RDLs or vias}
- H10W 72/252: {comprising solid metals or solid metalloids, e.g. PbSn, Ag or Cu}
- H10W 72/29: Bond pads specially adapted therefor
- H10W 72/922: {Bond pads being integral with underlying chip-level interconnections}
- H10W 72/9223: {with redistribution layers [RDL]}
- H10W 72/923: {Bond pads having multiple stacked layers}
- H10W 72/9415: {relative to the surface, e.g. recessed, protruding}
- H10W 72/952: {comprising metals or metalloids, e.g. PbSn, Ag or Cu}
- H10W 72/983: {Reinforcing structures, e.g. collars}
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A thermal compression flip chip (TCFC) bump may be used for high performance products that benefit from a fine pitch. In one example, a new TCFC bump structure adds a metal pad underneath the TCFC copper pillar bump to cover the exposed aluminum bump pad. This new structure prevents the pad from corroding and reduces mechanical stress to the pad and underlying silicon dielectric layers enabling better quality and reliability and further bump size reduction. For example, a flip chip connection may include a substrate; a metal pad on a contact side of the substrate and a first passivation layer on the contact side of the substrate to protect the metal pad from corrosion.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A flip chip connection comprising:
a substrate formed from silicon (Si);
a metal pad in direct contact with a contact side of the substrate;
a first passivation layer in direct contact with the contact side of the substrate, wherein the first passivation layer at least partially overlaps the metal pad;
a first metal layer on a contact side of the metal pad;
a metallization structure on a contact side of the first metal layer, the metallization structure comprising a redistribution layer (RDL); and
a contact structure on a contact side of the metallization structure, the contact structure comprising a copper pillar and a solder portion,
wherein widths of the copper pillar and the solder portion are equal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The flip chip connection of claim 1, wherein the first passivation layer is a hard passivation layer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The flip chip connection of claim 2, wherein the first passivation layer comprises one of an oxide, nitride, or metal oxide.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The flip chip connection of claim 1, further comprising a second passivation layer on a contact side of the first passivation layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The flip chip connection of claim 4, wherein the second passivation layer comprises a polymer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The flip chip connection of claim 1, wherein the metallization structure is configured to redistribute signals.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The flip chip connection of claim 6, wherein the metallization structure is vertically and horizontally offset from the metal pad.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The flip chip connection of claim 1, wherein the flip chip connection is incorporated into a device selected from a group consisting of a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communications device, a mobile device, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a fixed location terminal, a tablet computer, a computer, a wearable device, a laptop computer, a server, and a device in an automotive vehicle.

### Claim 9

A flip chip connection comprising:
a substrate formed from silicon (Si);
a metal pad in direct contact with a contact side of the substrate;
first passivation means in direct contact with the contact side of the substrate, wherein the first passivation means at least partially overlaps the metal pad;
a first metal layer on a contact side of the metal pad;
a metallization structure on a contact side of first metal layer, the metallization structure comprising a redistribution layer (RDL); and
a contact structure on a contact side of the metallization structure, the contact structure comprising a copper pillar and a solder portion,
wherein widths of the copper pillar and the solder portion are equal.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The flip chip connection of claim 9, wherein the first passivation means is a hard passivation layer.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The flip chip connection of claim 10, wherein the first passivation means comprises one of an oxide, nitride, or metal oxide.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The flip chip connection of claim 9, further comprising second passivation means on a contact side of the first passivation means.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The flip chip connection of claim 12, wherein the second passivation means comprises a polymer.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The flip chip connection of claim 9, wherein the metallization structure is configured to redistribute signals.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The flip chip connection of claim 14, wherein the metallization structure is vertically and horizontally offset from the metal pad.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The flip chip connection of claim 9, wherein the flip chip connection is incorporated into a device selected from a group consisting of a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communications device, a mobile device, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a fixed location terminal, a tablet computer, a computer, a wearable device, a laptop computer, a server, and a device in an automotive vehicle.

### Claim 17

A method for manufacturing a flip chip connection, the method comprising:
providing a substrate formed from silicon (Si);
forming a metal pad in direct contact with a contact side of the substrate;
forming a first passivation layer in direct contact with the contact side of the substrate, wherein the first passivation layer at least partially overlaps the metal pad;
forming a first metal layer on a contact side of the metal pad;
forming a metallization structure on a contact side of the first metal layer, the metallization structure comprising a redistribution layer (RDL); and
forming a contact structure on a contact side of the metallization structure, the contact structure comprising a copper pillar and a solder portion,
wherein widths of the copper pillar and the solder portion are equal.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the first passivation layer comprises one of an oxide, nitride, or metal oxide.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises forming a second passivation layer on a contact side of the first passivation layer.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the metallization structure is configured to redistribute signals.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein the metallization structure is vertically and horizontally offset from the metal pad.

### Claim 22

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:
providing a substrate formed from silicon (Si);
forming a metal pad in direct contact with a contact side of the substrate;
forming a first passivation layer in direct contact with the contact side of the substrate, wherein the first passivation layer at least partially overlaps the metal pad;
forming a first metal layer on a contact side of the metal pad;
forming a metallization structure on a contact side of the first metal layer, the metallization structure comprising a redistribution layer (RDL); and
forming a contact structure on a contact side of the metallization structure, the contact structure comprising a copper pillar and a solder portion,
wherein widths of the copper pillar and the solder portion are equal.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the first passivation layer comprises one of an oxide, nitride, or metal oxide.

### Claim 24 (depends on 22)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the method further comprises forming a second passivation layer on a contact side of the first passivation layer.

### Claim 25 (depends on 22)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the metallization structure is configured to redistribute signals.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the metallization structure is vertically and horizontally offset from the metal pad.