Contour structures to highlight inspection regions
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsTimothy Daubenspeck, Jeffrey Gambino, Christopher Muzzy, Wolfgang Sauter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated circuit has a wiring layer below an insulator layer. A pad comprises a conductive material that is on the insulator layer. The pad has a wirebond connection region and a probe pad region. An inspection mark is between the wirebond connection region and the probe pad region. The inspection mark comprises an opening in the insulator layer that is filled with the conductive material. In addition, a contact that is through the insulator layer is adapted to electrically connect the conductor wire in the wiring layer to the pad. The contact is formed of the same conductive material used for the pad and the inspection mark.
Claims20
An integrated circuit structure comprising:
- an insulator layer;
- a pad comprising a conductive material on said insulator layer, said pad having a wirebond connection region and a probe pad region;
- and
- an inspection mark between said wirebond connection region and said probe pad region,
- wherein said inspection mark comprises an opening in said insulator layer that is filled with said conductive material.
An integrated circuit structure comprising:
- a wiring layer below said insulator layer said wiring layer comprising a conductor wire;
- an insulator layer on said wiring layer;
- a pad comprising a conductive material on said insulator layer, said pad having a wirebond connection region and a probe pad region;
- an inspection mark between said wirebond connection region and said probe pad region, wherein said inspection mark comprises an opening in said insulator layer that is filled with said conductive material;
- and
- a contact through said insulator layer, said contact being adapted to electrically connect said conductor wire in said wiring layer to said pad,
- wherein said contact comprises said conductive material.
A method of creating an inspection mark between a wirebond connection region and a probe pad region of a pad, said method comprising:
- forming an insulator layer over a wiring layer;
- simultaneously patterning a wiring contact opening and an inspection mark opening in said insulator layer;
- and
- depositing a conductor material over said insulator layer such that said conductor material fills said wiring contact opening and said inspection mark opening and forms said pad on said insulator layer,
- wherein said conductor material within said inspection mark opening forms said inspection mark that is between said wirebond connection region and said probe pad region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.