U.S. patent application number 11/468231 was filed with the patent office on 2006-12-28 for sacrificial component.
This patent application is currently assigned to Intel Corporation. Invention is credited to Scott Gilbert, Michael Kochanowski, Shawn L. Lloyd, John G. Oldendorf.
Application Number | 20060288567 11/468231 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35053378 |
Filed Date | 2006-12-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060288567 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lloyd; Shawn L. ; et
al. |
December 28, 2006 |
SACRIFICIAL COMPONENT
Abstract
A device includes a substrate. The substrate further includes a
first major surface including a plurality of lands, and a second
major surface. At least one component is attached to at least some
of the plurality of pads on the first major surface. At least one
sacrificial component is attached to the first major surface. The
at least one component has a first height with respect to the first
major surface, and the at least one sacrificial component has a
second height with respect to the first major surface. The second
height is greater than the first height. The sacrificial component
includes a fuse.
Inventors: |
Lloyd; Shawn L.; (Tigard,
OR) ; Oldendorf; John G.; (Portland, OR) ;
Kochanowski; Michael; (Portland, OR) ; Gilbert;
Scott; (Chandler, AZ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SCHWEGMAN, LUNDBERG, WOESSNER & KLUTH, P.A.
P.O. BOX 2938
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402
US
|
Assignee: |
Intel Corporation
|
Family ID: |
35053378 |
Appl. No.: |
11/468231 |
Filed: |
August 29, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10815465 |
Mar 31, 2004 |
7098534 |
|
|
11468231 |
Aug 29, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
29/622 ; 29/832;
29/842; 29/843 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 29/4913 20150115;
H05K 2201/2036 20130101; H05K 3/3436 20130101; H05K 2203/1572
20130101; Y10T 29/49105 20150115; H01L 23/62 20130101; H01L
2924/19106 20130101; H05K 2201/10181 20130101; H05K 1/141 20130101;
H05K 2201/10204 20130101; Y10T 29/49149 20150115; H01L 2224/16
20130101; Y10T 29/49147 20150115; H01L 2924/15311 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
029/622 ;
029/843; 029/842; 029/832 |
International
Class: |
H01H 11/00 20060101
H01H011/00; H05K 3/30 20060101 H05K003/30; H05K 3/00 20060101
H05K003/00 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: electrically connecting at least one
discrete component to a land side of a substrate; forming solder
balls on the land side of a substrate; and attaching at least one
non operational, sacrificial component to the land side of the
substrate.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein attaching the at least one non
operational sacrificial component to the land side of the substrate
includes placing the non operational, sacrificial component so as
to prevent the discrete component electrically connected to the
land side of the substrate from contacting another surface.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a fuse within
the non operational, sacrificial component.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein attaching the at least one non
operational sacrificial component to the land side of the substrate
includes selecting a non operational, sacrificial component having
a height dimension that is less than the height of the solder
balls.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein attaching the at least one non
operational sacrificial component to the land side of the substrate
includes selecting a non operational, sacrificial component having
a height dimension that is between the height of the solder balls
and the height of the at least one discrete component.
6. A method comprising: placing a plurality of lands on a first
major surface of a substrate; electrically coupling at least one
component to at least some of the plurality of lands on the first
major surface, the at least one component having a first height
with respect to the first major surface; and coupling at least one
sacrificial component attached to the first major surface, the at
least one sacrificial component having a second height with respect
to the first major surface, the second height greater than the
first height.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising selecting the at least
one sacrificial component that includes a fuse.
8. The method of claim 6 further comprising selecting the at least
one sacrificial component that is substantially nonconductive.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein the at least one electrical
component includes a component having circuitry therein.
10. The method of claim 6 wherein the substrate is at least
partially flexible, the sacrificial component preventing the
contact of the at least one electrical component with another
surface.
11. A method comprising: placing a plurality of solder bumps on a
first major surface of a substrate; placing a plurality of lands on
the first major surface of the substrate; electrically coupling at
least one component to at least some of the plurality of lands on
the first major surface, the at least one component having a first
height with respect to the first major surface; and providing a
stop attached to the first major surface, the block having a second
height with respect to the first major surface, the second height
greater than the first height.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the block is attached to at
least one of the plurality of lands on the first major surface of
the substrate.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein the block is attached to at
least two of the plurality of lands on the first major surface of
the substrate.
14. The method of claim 11 wherein the block is formed from a
substantially insulative material.
15. The method of claim 11 wherein the block includes a fuse.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser.
No. 10/815,465 filed Mar. 31, 2004 which is incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Embodiments relate to ball grid array packages. More
specifically, an embodiment relates to a sacrificial component and
a method for using a sacrificial component to form a ball grid
array package.
[0003] The semiconductor industry has seen tremendous advances in
technology in recent years that have permitted dramatic increases
in circuit density and complexity, and equally dramatic decreases
in power consumption and package sizes. Present semiconductor
technology now permits single-chip microprocessors with many
millions of transistors, operating at speeds of tens (or even
hundreds) of MIPS (millions of instructions per second), to be
packaged in relatively small, air-cooled semiconductor device
packages. A by-product of such high density and high functionality
in semiconductor devices has been the demand for increased numbers
of external electrical connections to be present on the exterior of
the die and on the exterior of the semiconductor packages that
receive the die, for connecting the packaged device to external
systems, such as a printed circuit board.
[0004] In the past, the die and package were first attached and
then were wire bonded. Wire bonding has many problems. The problems
include limiting the number of pads and placement of the pads on
the die, and a chance of electrical performance problems or
shorting if the wires come too close to each other. As a result,
wire bonding has given way to ball grid array packages in many
applications.
[0005] Ball grid arrays ("BGAs") are an array of solder bumps or
balls that cover the surface of the die or semiconductor package
and are used to connect the die and the semiconductor package. A
typical BGA package is characterized by a large number of solder
balls disposed in an array on a surface of the package. It is not
uncommon to have hundreds of solder balls in an array. The BGA
package is assembled to a matching array of conductive pads. The
pads are connected to other devices within a substrate or circuitry
on a circuit board. Heat is applied to reflow the solder balls
(bumps) on the package, thereby wetting the pads on the substrates
and, once cooled, forming electrical connections between the
package and the semiconductor device contained in the package and
the substrate.
[0006] Semiconductor devices are now being used in all sorts of
applications, including applications where the device may be shock
loaded. For example, semiconductor devices are used in notebook or
portable computers. Although users are generally very careful when
using a relatively expensive notebook or portable computer,
accidents occur that may apply a shock load to the computer. Common
accidents include dropping a computer off a desk or table, or
having a computer fall off the backseat onto the floor of a car as
a result of a sudden stop. Of course, these are just a few of the
possibilities for shock loading a semiconductor device. Shock
loading may have many effects on a semiconductor device, including
flexing of the substrate and the exterior surface to which the
components are attached. In some instances, components attached to
an exterior surface may impact another surface. Such an impact may
damage the component or render the component useless. In either
case, the reliability of the semiconductor device may be
compromised. In other instances, a component may become loose or
even break free. A component that breaks free may electrically
connect two or more of the balls of a BGA device, or connect a
power plane and a ground plane. Either connection could short the
semiconductor device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The invention is pointed out with particularity in the
appended claims. However, a more complete understanding of the
present invention may be derived by referring to the detailed
description when considered in connection with the figures, wherein
like reference numbers refer to similar items throughout the
figures and:
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates a top, partial cutaway view of a printed
circuit board that includes at least one package, according to an
embodiment of the invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates a cut away side view of a substrate
attached to a printed circuit board along line 2-2 of FIG. 1,
according to an embodiment of this invention.
[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates a land side view of a substrate,
according to an embodiment of this invention.
[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of an area of the printed
circuit board where the substrate will be attached, according to an
embodiment of this invention.
[0012] FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of a sacrificial component,
according to an embodiment of this invention.
[0013] FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of a sacrificial component,
according to an embodiment of this invention.
[0014] FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a sacrificial
component along line 7-7 of FIG. 6, according to an embodiment of
this invention.
[0015] FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a C-shaped element
within a sacrificial component, according to an embodiment of this
invention.
[0016] FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of a C-shaped element
within a sacrificial component, according to another embodiment of
this invention.
[0017] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing a method for forming a
package having sacrificial components, according to an embodiment
of this invention.
[0018] The description set out herein illustrates the various
embodiments of the invention and such description is not intended
to be construed as limiting in any manner.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] In the following detailed description of the embodiments,
reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part
hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustrating specific
embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The
embodiments illustrated are described in sufficient detail to
enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed
herein. Other embodiments can be utilized and derived therefrom,
such that structural and logical substitutions and changes can be
made without departing from the scope of present inventions. The
following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a
limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments of the
invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the
full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
[0020] FIG. 1 is a top, partial cutaway view of a printed circuit
board 100 that includes at least one package 200, according to an
embodiment of the invention. The printed circuit board ("PCB") 100
is a multi-layer plastic board that includes patterns of printed
circuits on one or more layers of insulated material. The patterns
of conductors correspond to wiring of an electronic circuit formed
on one or more of the layers of the printed circuit board 100. The
printed circuit board 100 also includes electrical traces 110. The
electrical traces 110 can be found on an exterior surface 120 of a
printed circuit board 100 and also can be found on the various
layers within the printed circuit board 100. The printed circuit
board 100 is populated with various components 130, 132, 134, 138
and 200. The components 130, 132, 134, 138 and 200 can either be
discreet components or semiconductor chips which include thousands
of transistors. The components 130, 132, 134, 138 and 200 can use
any number of technologies to connect to the exterior surface 120
of the circuit board or to the printed circuit board 100. For
example, pins may be inserted into plated through holes or pins may
be extended through the printed circuit board 100. An alternative
technology is surface mount technology where an electrical
component, such as component 200, mounts to an array of pads on the
exterior surface 120 of the printed circuit board. For example,
component 200 could be a ball grid array package or device that has
an array of balls or bumps that interact or are connected to a
corresponding array of pads on the exterior surface 120 of the
printed circuit board 100. The printed circuit board 100 can also
include connectors for making external connections to other
electrical or electronic devices.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 1 there are external traces, such as
electrical trace 110, on the external surface 120 of the printed
circuit board 100 that connect to one or more outputs and inputs
associated with the printed circuit board 100.
[0022] Once populated many of the printed circuit boards are
referred to as cards or adapters. Printed circuit boards are
prevalent and are used in computers and other devices. For example,
printed circuit boards are used in computers and are referred to as
motherboards, expansion boards, daughter cards, controller cards,
network interface cards, or video adapters or video graphics
adapters. It should be noted that these are just a small sample of
the many different types of electronic devices that are based upon
a printed circuit board populated with various components 130, 132,
134, 138 and 200, such as the one shown in FIG. 1. Populated
printed circuit boards are used in many applications and
environments, including some environments where shock loading can
occur.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a cut away side view of a device or component 200,
according to an embodiment of this invention. The device or
component 200 is also called a semiconductor chip package, or
simply, a package. The package includes a die or semiconductor chip
202 and a substrate 204. The substrate 204 includes a first major
surface 210 and a second major surface 220. The semiconductor chip
or die 202 includes many different electrical components that form
an electronic circuit device. The die 202 is typically made out of
a semiconductive material. Electrical traces and transistors are
formed on the die. The substrate 204 holds the die or semiconductor
chip 202 and electrically connects the die or semiconductor chip
202 to the printed circuit board 100. The die 202 is attached to a
major surface such as the first major surface 210 of the substrate
204. Lands are placed on the other major surface, such as the
second major surface 220, of the substrate 202. The device or
component 200 is attached to the printed circuit board 100. More
specifically, the device or package 200 is attached to the external
surface 120 of the printed circuit board 100. The printed circuit
board includes a ground plane 410 and a power plane 420.
[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates a land side view of a substrate,
according to an embodiment of this invention. Many times the major
surface of the substrate 202 that includes the lands is referred to
as the land side surface. Referring now to both FIGS. 2 and 3, the
land side surface, or second major surface 220 includes round
lands, such as round land 330, and rectangular lands, such as lands
340, 342. One round land 330 and a pair of rectangular lands 340,
342 are shown in FIG. 3 as examples of lands. The lands 330, 340,
342 are shown as hidden lines since they are under components.
These are the only lands shown for the sake of clarity of the
figures. It should be noted, that there are many more lands on the
second major surface or land side surface 220 of the package 200.
Solder balls 230 are attached to the round lands 330 on the second
major surface 220. Discrete components 240 and sacrificial
components 250, 251, 252 are attached to the rectangular lands,
similar to the lands shown 340, 342. As shown in FIG. 3, the
discrete components are capacitors. In other embodiments, other
components can be used. The solder balls 330 are substantially
uniform in height throughout the semiconductor chip package 200.
The solder balls 330 must have substantially uniform height since
the tips of the various solder balls 330 have to be substantially
coplanar to assure attachment of all the solder balls to
corresponding lands on the exterior surface 120 of the printed
circuit board 100. The height of the solder balls is designated as
h.sub.1 in FIG. 2. The discrete components have a height h.sub.3
which is less than the height of the solder balls h.sub.1. The
sacrificial components 250, 251, 252 have a height h.sub.2 that is
between the height h.sub.1 and the height h.sub.3.
[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of an area of the printed
circuit board where the substrate 202 is attached to the printed
circuit board 100, according to an embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 4 shows a portion of the exterior surface 120 of the printed
circuit board 100. The printed circuit board includes a plurality
of round lands 430 which correspond to the solder balls 230 of the
package 200 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). The pattern of the round
lands 430 corresponds to the pattern of the solder balls 230. Also
included on the exterior surface 120 of the printed circuit board
100 is a ground plane 410 and a power plane 420. In a circuit a
number of contacts must be electrically connected to ground through
the ground plane 410 and a number of the electrical contacts or
solder balls 230 are required to be connected to a power plane 420.
FIG. 4 shows the traces associated with the ground plane 410 and
the power plane 420 that are on the exterior surface 120 of the
printed circuit board 100.
[0026] FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of the sacrificial component
250, according to an embodiment of this invention. The sacrificial
component 250 includes a body 500. The body includes an attachment
surface 510 and a conductor-free surface 512. The body is made of
an insulative material, such as a polymer or other similar
insulative material. The insulative material of the body must be
capable of withstanding temperatures that will be encountered
during manufacturing, testing as well as operation. The attachment
surface 510 includes a first contact 540 and a second contact 542.
Contacts 540 and 542 each have a portion which is associated with
the attachment surface 510. The body 500 of the sacrificial
component 250 also includes a first side wall 514 and a second side
wall 518. The contact 540 has a portion that is associated with the
attachment surface 510 as well as a portion which is associated
with the side wall 514. Similarly, contact 542 includes a portion
that is associated with the attachment surface 510 as well as a
portion which is associated with the side wall 518 of the main body
500. The contacts 540 and 542 are provided so that the sacrificial
component 250 can be attached to the lands 340, 342 (see FIG. 3)
having a spacing which corresponds to the spacing of the contacts
540, 542 of the sacrificial component.
[0027] The contacts 540 and 542 are provided so that the
sacrificial component can be added to the external surface or
second major surface 220 of the substrate in the same fashion as
the other components 240 are attached to the second major surface
220 of the substrate 204. The portion of the contact 540 and the
portion of the contact 542 associated with the side walls 514 and
518, respectively, does not extend to the free surface 512 of the
main body 500. Since the contacts 514, 518 do not extend to the
conductive-free surface 512 of the main body 500, the
conductor-free surface 512 serves as an electrically inactive
standoff. In other words, since the conductor-free surface 512 of
the main body 500 is an insulative material, when the
conductor-free surface touches the external surface 120 of the
printed circuit board, there will be no electrical conduction which
could cause a short between two electrical areas associated with
the printed circuit board 100 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).
[0028] FIG. 6 illustrates a side view a sacrificial component 250
according to an embodiment of this invention 250 shown in FIG. 5.
The electrical contact 542 has a portion associated with the side
wall 518. As shown more clearly in FIG. 6 the electrical contact
terminates midway between the attachment end 510 and the free end
512 of the main body 500 of the sacrificial component 250.
[0029] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a sacrificial component
250 along line 7-7 of FIG. 6, according to an embodiment of this
invention. As shown in FIG. 7 the contacts 540 and 542 are part of
an essentially C-shaped element 740. The C-shaped element 740 is
captured within the insulative material of the main body 500 of the
sacrificial component 250 during manufacture, the sacrificial
element 250 is formed by over molding the insulative material 500
over the C-shaped element 740. In other words, the C-shaped element
740 is molded within the insulative main body 500 of the
sacrificial component 250.
[0030] The sacrificial component 250 is manufactured to be
essentially non-operational. The sacrificial component 250 is
formed so that it will contact the printed circuit board 100 during
a shock event which may cause the substrate 204 or the printed
circuit board 100 to flex. In some instances, the shock may be
sufficient to dislodge or disconnect the sacrificial component 250,
251, or 252 from its attachment point to the second major surface
220 of the substrate 204. The sacrificial component is designed to
be essentially non-operational or to operate for an instant before
becoming non-operational.
[0031] FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the C-shaped
element 800. The C-shaped element 800 includes a contact end 840
and a contact end 842. The contact ends 840 and 842 wrap around to
a contact surface associated with a main body of a sacrificial
component. The C-shaped element 800 also includes a fuse 810. The
fuse 810 is formed by forming an opening 820 in the embedded
portion of the C-shaped element. The C-shaped element is flat
having a width. The diameter of the opening 820 is slightly less
than the width (W) of the C-shaped element. This leaves a first
thin conductive path 821 and a second thin conductive path at the
edges of the C-shaped element 800. The thin conductive pathways 821
and 822 are formed so that an opening would occur at a preset
voltage to prevent a short should the sacrificial component that
includes the current-shaped element 800 should break free and the
two contact ends 840, 842 contact a pair of solder balls 230. In
other words, the fuse 810 will open or blow before a long term
short will occur between a pair of solder balls 230.
[0032] FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of another C-shaped
element 900 within a sacrificial component, according to another
embodiment of the invention. The C-shaped element 900 includes a
contact end 940 and a contact end 942. The C-shaped element also
includes a fuse 910. The fuse is formed by narrowing down the width
of the C-shaped element. The narrowed portion is formed so that the
fuse would open at a preset voltage which would prevent shorting
between solder balls 230 should the sacrificial component become
dislodged after a shock loading event. The C-shaped element is made
out of any conductor, including copper or brillium copper, or the
like. It should be noted that the sacrificial components are also
placed so as to prevent shorting between the ground plane 410 and
the power plane 420. As shown in FIG. 2, the sacrificial component
250 and the sacrificial component 251 bridge the gap between the
ground 410 and the power plane 420. The insulative material of the
body 500 of these sacrificial components 250, 251 also prevent
shorting between the power plane 420 and the ground plane 410.
[0033] Most generally a package or semiconductor device 200
includes a substrate 204. The substrate 204 further includes a
first major surface 210 and a second major surface 220 including a
plurality of lands. At least one component is attached to at least
some of the plurality of pads on the second major surface 220. At
least one sacrificial component 250 is attached to the second major
surface 220. The at least one component 240 has a first height
h.sub.3 with respect to the second major surface 220, and the at
least one sacrificial component 250 has a second height h.sub.2
with respect to the second major surface 220. The second height
h.sub.2 is greater than the first height h.sub.3. The sacrificial
component 250 is nonoperational. The sacrificial component 250
includes at least one solder contact 540. In some embodiments, the
sacrificial component 250 includes at least two solder contacts
540, 542. The sacrificial component 250 includes a fuse 810. The
fuse 810 is positioned between the two solder contacts 840, 842.
The sacrificial component 250 further comprises a body 500. The
body 500 further includes a first body surface 510 and a second
body surface 512. The first body surface 510 includes the at least
two solder contacts 540, 542 of the sacrificial component 250. The
second body surface 512 is substantially parallel with the first
body surface 510. The second body surface 512 is devoid of a
conductor. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is a
semiconductor. In another embodiment of the invention, the device
is a ball grid array semiconductor device. In yet another
embodiment of the invention, the sacrificial component 250 further
includes a body 500, and a C-shaped conductor 710. A portion of the
C-shaped conductor 710 is molded within the body 500. In some
embodiments, the C-shaped conductor 800, 900 includes a fuse 810,
910. The fuse 810, 910 is molded within the body 500 of the
sacrificial component 250. In some embodiments, the body 500 of the
sacrificial component is made of an insulative material.
[0034] An assembly includes a ball grid array device 200. The ball
grid array device 200 further includes a first major surface 210, a
second major surface 220. The second major surface 220 includes an
array of lands 340, 342. The ball grid array device 200 also
includes an array of solder balls 230 attached to a first portion
of the array of lands, at least one discrete component 240 attached
to a second portion of the array of lands, and at least one non
operational, sacrificial component 250 attached to a third portion
of the array of lands. The at least one discrete component 240 has
a first height h.sub.3 and the at least one non operational,
sacrificial component 250 has a second height h.sub.2. The second
height h.sub.2 associated with the sacrificial component 250 is
greater than the first height h.sub.3. The at least one non
operational, sacrificial component 250 is positioned to prevent the
at least one discrete component from impacting another surface
120.
[0035] In one embodiment, the ball grid array device 200 is
attached to a printed circuit board 100. The at least one non
operational, sacrificial component 250 is positioned with respect
to the printed circuit board 100 to prevent the at least one
discrete component from contacting the printed circuit board 100.
In still some other embodiments, the printed circuit board 100 also
includes a ground plane 410, and a power plane 420. The at least
one non operational, sacrificial component 250 is formed of an
insulative material and is positioned with respect to the printed
circuit board 100 to prevent the at least one discrete component
240 from contacting the ground plane 410 and the power plane 420 of
the printed circuit board 100. The non operational component 250
includes a surface positioned near the printed circuit board 100
that is devoid of electrically conductive material. In another
embodiment, the non operational component 250 further includes a
body 500, and a conductor 740 molded within the body 500. The
conductor 740 is formed to present two contacts 540, 542 at a first
body surface 510. The two contacts 540, 542 attach to a
corresponding set of lands 340, 342 on the ball grid array device
200. The conductor 710 is molded within the body 500 so that the
body 500 includes a second body surface 512 positioned near the
printed circuit board 100 that is devoid of electrically conductive
material. The conductor 710 is C-shaped. The free ends of the
C-shaped conductor form the two contacts 540, 542. In some
embodiments, the conductor 800, 900 includes a fuse 810, 910. The
fuse 810, 910 is molded within the body 500 of the sacrificial
component 250.
[0036] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing a method 1000 for forming
a package having sacrificial components, according to an embodiment
of this invention. The method 1000 includes electrically connecting
at least one discrete component to a land side of a substrate 1010,
forming solder balls on the land side of a substrate 1012, and
attaching at least one non operational, sacrificial component to
the land side of the substrate 1014. In one embodiment, attaching
the at least one non operations sacrificial component to the land
side of the substrate 1014 includes placing the non operational,
sacrificial component so as to prevent the discrete component
electrically connected to the land side of the substrate from
contacting another surface. In some embodiments, the method 1000
includes providing a fuse within the non operational, sacrificial
component 1016. In still other embodiments, the method 1000 further
includes molding material around a fuse 1018.
[0037] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments
reveals the general nature of the invention sufficiently that
others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or
adapt it for various applications without departing from the
generic concept, and therefore such adaptations and modifications
are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of
equivalents of the disclosed embodiments.
[0038] It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology
employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of
limitation. Accordingly, the invention is intended to embrace all
such alternatives, modifications, equivalents and variations as
fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *