Micro-ball bump for flip chip interconnections

Micro-ball bump technology has been developed for flip chip (FC) interconnections. This technology is based on (1) a production method of fine metal balls (micro-balls) and (2) a gang-bonding method for forming bumps (micro-ball bumps) on chip electrodes. Solder balls of 60-150mm and gold balls of 35-100mm in diameter were prepared with extremely uniform diameters and high sphericity. After holding these micro-balls on through-holes of an arrangement plate by a vacuum suction method, the micro-balls were transferred onto the electrodes of the chips in order to form the micro-ball bumps. An excess ball eliminating system and a ball bouncing system were developed for arranging the ball successfully on the plate. The cycle time of the originally developed mounter was 20 seconds for a chip with 300 bumps. Both bumping on a single chip and on multiple chips in a wafer were possible. The micro-solder bumps were formed onto the electrodes covered with under bump metals (UBMs). The micro-solder-balls of 150mm in diameter were transferred onto the flux printed electrodes of a chip with 220mm pitch and 45x45 area array. The micro-solder bumps were uniform in composition volume, and height because of the use of the micro-solder-balls with precisely controlled diameter and composition. Using the micro-gold-balls of 35mm in diameter, the bumps with 50mm pitch were formed on Al pads by means of thermocompression bonding. Proposed micro-ball bump technology could be applied to bumping not only for FC interconnections, but also for TABs.