U.S. patent application number 11/654312 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-24 for apparatus incorporating small-feature-size and large-feature-size components and method for making same.
Invention is credited to Gordon S.W. Craig, Paul S. Drzaic, Randolph W. Eisenhardt, Glenn Gengel, Mark A. Hadley, Scott Herrmann, Susan Swindlehurst, Aly Tootoochi.
Application Number | 20070117274 11/654312 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34837820 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070117274 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Swindlehurst; Susan ; et
al. |
May 24, 2007 |
Apparatus incorporating small-feature-size and large-feature-size
components and method for making same
Abstract
An apparatus incorporating small-feature size and
large-feature-size components. The apparatus comprise a strap
including a substrate with an integrated circuit contained therein.
The integrated circuit coupling to a first conductor disposed on
the substrate. The first conductor is made of a thermosetting or a
thermoplastic material including conductive fillers. A large-scale
component having a second conductor is electrically coupled to the
first conductor to electrically couple the large-scale component to
the integrated circuit. The large-scale component includes a second
substrate.
Inventors: |
Swindlehurst; Susan; (Morgan
Hill, CA) ; Hadley; Mark A.; (Newark, CA) ;
Drzaic; Paul S.; (Morgan Hill, CA) ; Craig; Gordon
S.W.; (Palo Alto, CA) ; Gengel; Glenn;
(Hollister, CA) ; Herrmann; Scott; (Hollister,
CA) ; Tootoochi; Aly; (San Jose, CA) ;
Eisenhardt; Randolph W.; (Prunedale, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN
12400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD
SEVENTH FLOOR
LOS ANGELES
CA
90025-1030
US
|
Family ID: |
34837820 |
Appl. No.: |
11/654312 |
Filed: |
January 16, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10769572 |
Jan 30, 2004 |
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11654312 |
Jan 16, 2007 |
|
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|
10056192 |
Jan 23, 2002 |
|
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10769572 |
Jan 30, 2004 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
438/125 ;
257/E21.514; 257/E21.515; 257/E21.518; 257/E21.519;
257/E23.021 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 24/83 20130101;
H01L 2224/29339 20130101; H01L 2924/01029 20130101; H01L 2924/14
20130101; H01L 2224/13019 20130101; H01L 2224/24137 20130101; H01L
2224/73104 20130101; H01L 2924/01027 20130101; H01L 2924/15165
20130101; H01L 2924/10158 20130101; H01L 2224/24225 20130101; H01L
2924/07802 20130101; H01L 2224/2929 20130101; H01L 2224/293
20130101; H01L 2224/95136 20130101; H01L 2924/01082 20130101; H01L
2924/01079 20130101; H01L 2224/29101 20130101; H01L 24/97 20130101;
H01L 2924/00014 20130101; H01L 2924/01004 20130101; H01L 2924/01005
20130101; H01L 23/49855 20130101; H01L 2924/01033 20130101; H01L
2924/01078 20130101; H01L 2224/24227 20130101; H01L 2924/00013
20130101; H01L 24/82 20130101; H01L 2924/15155 20130101; H01L
2924/3011 20130101; H01L 2924/0781 20130101; H01L 2924/15153
20130101; H01L 24/90 20130101; H01L 2224/83192 20130101; H01L
2224/81224 20130101; H01L 2224/13099 20130101; H01L 2224/83871
20130101; H01L 2924/014 20130101; H01L 2224/81801 20130101; H01L
2224/83865 20130101; H01L 29/0657 20130101; H01L 2224/13499
20130101; H01L 2224/95085 20130101; H01L 24/16 20130101; H01L
2224/05573 20130101; H01L 2224/81205 20130101; H01L 24/13 20130101;
H01L 24/19 20130101; H01L 2224/73204 20130101; H01L 2224/16227
20130101; H01L 2224/2402 20130101; H01L 2224/76155 20130101; H01L
2924/12042 20130101; H01L 2224/81898 20130101; H01L 2224/838
20130101; H01L 2924/01013 20130101; H01L 2224/97 20130101; H01L
2224/05568 20130101; H01L 2224/83191 20130101; G06K 19/07752
20130101; H01L 2224/16225 20130101; H01L 24/81 20130101; H01L
2224/82102 20130101; H01L 2224/83868 20130101; G06K 19/077
20130101; H01L 24/24 20130101; H01L 24/29 20130101; H01L 2224/24011
20130101; H01L 2924/01015 20130101; H01L 2924/01077 20130101; H01L
2924/01055 20130101; H01L 2224/1319 20130101; H01L 2224/81201
20130101; H01L 2224/81903 20130101; H01L 24/95 20130101; H01L
2224/81207 20130101; H01L 2924/01006 20130101; H01L 2924/01047
20130101; H01L 2224/83874 20130101; H01L 23/5389 20130101; H01L
2924/15165 20130101; H01L 2924/15153 20130101; H01L 2224/24227
20130101; H01L 2924/15165 20130101; H01L 2224/97 20130101; H01L
2224/82 20130101; H01L 2224/97 20130101; H01L 2224/73204 20130101;
H01L 2224/29101 20130101; H01L 2924/014 20130101; H01L 2924/00
20130101; H01L 2924/3512 20130101; H01L 2924/00 20130101; H01L
2224/29339 20130101; H01L 2924/00014 20130101; H01L 2224/293
20130101; H01L 2924/00014 20130101; H01L 2224/2929 20130101; H01L
2924/00014 20130101; H01L 2924/00013 20130101; H01L 2224/29099
20130101; H01L 2924/00013 20130101; H01L 2224/29199 20130101; H01L
2924/00013 20130101; H01L 2224/29299 20130101; H01L 2924/00013
20130101; H01L 2224/2929 20130101; H01L 2224/81801 20130101; H01L
2924/00014 20130101; H01L 2224/81898 20130101; H01L 2924/00014
20130101; H01L 2224/81207 20130101; H01L 2924/00014 20130101; H01L
2224/81898 20130101; H01L 2924/00012 20130101; H01L 2924/07802
20130101; H01L 2924/00 20130101; H01L 2924/12042 20130101; H01L
2924/00 20130101; H01L 2924/00014 20130101; H01L 2224/05599
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
438/125 |
International
Class: |
H01L 21/00 20060101
H01L021/00 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: attaching a first conductor formed on top
of a first substrate containing a functional block to a second
conductor of a large-scale component, the functional block being
attached to a first substrate and being electrically connected to
the first conductor, and the large-scale component being formed on
a second substrate; the first conductor being interconnected to the
second conductor by an anisotropic conductive medium using one of
thermosonic bonding and thermocompression bonding; each of the
first conductor and the second conductor being independently made
out of any one of a metal, a thermoplastic material, and a
thermosetting material.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein any one of or both of the
thermoplastic material and the thermosetting material is inherently
conductive.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprises dispensing a plurality
of small and sharp particles into the material used to make one of
the first conductor and the second conductor to create a mechanical
interlock to enhance the attachment between the first conductor and
the second conductor.
4. A method comprising: attaching a first conductor being made of a
thermoplastic or a thermosetting material to an integrated circuit
disposed on a first substrate, the first conductor electrically
connected to the integrated circuit, the first conductor being
formed on a top surface of the first substrate, wherein an
anisotropic conductive medium is attached to the first conductor;
and attaching a large-scale component to the first conductor, the
large-scale component electrically connected to the first
conductor, and the large-scale component formed on a second
substrate.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein attaching the first conductor to
the integrated circuit is accomplished by any one of screen
printing, flatbed and rotary screen printing, stencil printing, ink
jet printing, gravure printing, flexographic printing, pad
stamping, electrostatic printing, dispensing through a needle and
pipette, laminating, hot pressing, laser assisted chemical vapor
deposition, physical vapor deposition, shadow masking, evaporating,
extrusion coating, curtain coating, and electroplating.
6. The method of claim 4 further comprises attaching the
anisotropic conductive medium to a second conductor included with
the large-scale component to interconnect the integrated circuit to
the large-scale component.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprises using one of thermosonic
bonding and thermocompression bonding to facilitate the attaching
of the conductive medium to any one of the first conductor and the
second conductor.
8. A method comprising: incorporating an integrated circuit onto a
first substrate and disposing a first conductor on a top surface of
the first substrate, the integrated circuit electrically connected
to the first conductor, the first conductor being made of a
thermosetting material or a thermoplastic material; and
electrically coupling a large-scale component having a second
conductor to the integrated circuit, the second conductor being
electrically coupled to the first conductor via an anisotropic
conductive medium to electrically couple the large-scale component
to the integrated circuit, the large-scale component including a
second substrate.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein any one or both of the
thermoplastic material and the thermosetting material is inherently
conductive.
10. The method of claim 8 further comprises coupling the second
conductor directly to the first conductor wherein an active surface
of the integrated circuit faces the second conductor.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein an active surface of the
integrated circuit faces the second conductor.
12. The method of claim 8 wherein the thermosetting material or the
thermoplastic material has conductive fillers.
13. The method of claim 8, wherein the conductive medium is any one
of a polymer carrier having conductive particles, an inherently
conductive thermoplastic material, a thermoplastic material having
conductive particles, an inherently conductive thermosetting
material, a thermosetting material having conductive particles, a
conductive polymer, a carbon-based conductor, a carrier having
conductive fibers, a carrier having conductive carbon nanotubes, a
pressure sensitive adhesive having conductive fillers, and a
solder.
14. The method of claim 8, wherein the integrated circuit is a
circuit suitable for use with radio frequency, display, sensor, or
phase array antenna applications.
15. The method of claim 8, wherein the large-scale component
includes an antenna, an electronic display, a display electrode, a
sensor, a power source, a memory device, and a logic device formed
on that second substrate.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the antenna is part of the
second conductor.
17. The method of claim 8 further comprises dispensing a plurality
of small and sharp particles in one of the first conductor or the
second conductor, the particles to create a mechanical interlock
between the first conductor and the second conductor when the first
conductor and the second conductor are placed in immediate contact
with one another.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first
conductor and the second conductor is made of a thermosetting or a
thermoplastic material.
19. The method of claim 17, forming an edge-seal around the edges
of the first conductor and the second conductor.
20. The method of claim 8, wherein the particles are coated with a
conductive material.
21. The method of claim 8 further comprises dispensing a plurality
of small and sharp particles in one of the first conductor and the
second conductor to enhance contact to the first conductor or the
second conductor.
22. The method of claim 8 further comprises forming a conductive
medium on the first conductor to interconnect the first conductor
to the second conductor and dispensing a plurality of small and
sharp particles in the conductive medium.
23. The method of claim 8 further comprises disposing a plurality
of small and sharp particles into the material used to make one of
the first conductor and the second conductor to attach the first
conductor to the second conductor.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/769,572 filed on Jan. 30, 2004, which is a
continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/056,192
filed on Jan. 23, 2002 entitled "Apparatus incorporating
small-feature-size and large-feature-size components and method for
making same" which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The field of the invention generally relates to apparatuses
having both large-feature-size components and small-feature-size
components, and methods of making such apparatuses. The invention
more particularly relates to combination of VLSI integrated
circuits and macro-scale components to form a single device.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] VLSI provides many effective methods for creation of
microscopic-scale and smaller components. Such miniaturization
provides many advantages in terms of speed of operation, size of
footprint, amount of necessary resources, and speed of manufacture
for electronic devices.
[0006] Unfortunately, some components of electronic devices are not
well-suited to formation through well-known VLSI processes. These
components often are necessarily very large (macroscopic-scale)
relative to devices or components of devices formed through VLSI.
One such component is an antenna, which may need to have a
characteristic length to allow for adequate transmission on a
preferred frequency, and for which the characteristic length in
question may be appropriately measured in centimeters or meters,
for example. Formation of a conductor for use as an antenna using
VLSI tends to waste time and material resources, as a 30 cm
conductor (for example) can easily be formed through less expensive
processes.
[0007] Thus, the problem then becomes a matter of combining a
large-scale component such as an antenna with a small-scale
component such as an integrated circuit. For a conventional radio,
this may involve use of packaging for the integrated circuit,
conductors on a printed circuit board, a connector attached to the
printed circuit board, and an antenna attached to the connector.
This approach is simple enough for a device having rigid packaging
and flexible size constraints. However, other applications may have
more demanding requirements for size and materials cost.
[0008] In particular, it may be useful to have a small
radio-transmitter with flexible materials allowing for bending and
other abusive actions without degradation in functionality.
Similarly, such a small radio-transmitter may need to be producible
rapidly in quantities of millions or billions, thus requiring ease
of assembly and relatively inexpensive materials on a per-unit
basis. Using a printed-circuit board approach for such a
radio-transmitter will likely not succeed. Moreover, avoiding such
time (and/or space) consuming processing operations as thermal cure
may be advantageous.
[0009] It is possible to separately produce elements, such as
integrated circuits and then place them where desired on a
different and perhaps larger substrate. Prior techniques can be
generally divided into two types: deterministic methods or random
methods. Deterministic methods, such as pick and place, use a human
or robot arm to pick each element and place it into its
corresponding location in a different substrate. Pick and place
methods place devices generally one at a time, and are generally
not applicable to very small or numerous elements such as those
needed for large arrays, such as an active matrix liquid crystal
display. Random placement techniques are more effective and result
in high yields if the elements to be placed have the right shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,291 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,545 describe
methods that use random placement. In this method, microstructures
are assembled onto a different substrate through fluid transport.
This is sometimes referred to as fluidic self assembly (FSA). Using
this technique, various integrated circuits, each containing a
functional component, may be fabricated on one substrate and then
separated from that substrate and assembled onto a separate
substrate through the fluidic self assembly process. The process
involves combining the integrated circuits with a fluid, and
dispensing the fluid and integrated circuits over the surface of a
receiving substrate that has receptor regions or openings. The
integrated circuits flow in the fluid over the surface and randomly
align into receptor regions, thereby becoming embedded in the
substrate.
[0010] Once the integrated circuits have been deposited into the
receptor regions, the remainder of the device can be assembled.
Typically, this involves coating the substrate with a planarization
layer to provide electrical insulation and physical retention for
the integrated circuits. The planarization layer creates a level
surface on top of the substrate by filling in the portions of the
receptor regions that are not filled by integrated circuits. After
the planarization layer has been deposited, other elements,
including pixel electrodes and traces for example, may be
installed.
[0011] Using FSA, the functional components of the device can be
manufactured and tested separately from the rest of the device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The embodiments of the present invention relates generally
to the field of fabricating elements on a substrate. One embodiment
pertains to an apparatus that includes a substrate having embedded,
contained, or incorporated therein an integrated circuit. The
integrated circuit is attached to a first conductor disposed on the
substrate. The first conductor can be a thermosetting or a
thermoplastic material. The apparatus also includes a large-scale
component attached to the first conductor; the large-scale
component is thus electrically coupled to the integrated circuit.
The large-scale component includes a second substrate.
[0013] Another embodiment pertains to a method that includes
attaching a conductive medium to a substrate having embedded or
contained therein an integrated circuit such that the conductive
medium is connected electrically to the integrated circuit. The
method further includes a conductive medium attached to the first
conductor of the integrated circuit. The method also includes
attaching a large-scale component to the conductive medium such
that the large-scale component is electrically connected to the
integrated circuit.
[0014] In other embodiments, various methods and materials used to
attach the large-scale component to the first conductor are
described. In some embodiments, anisotropically conductive
materials are used to attach the conductor from the large-scale
component to the first conductor on the substrate that has an
integrated circuit (IC) contained or embedded therein so that there
is an electrical and physical connection between the large-scale
component and the IC. In other embodiments, isotropically
conductive materials are used to attach the conductor from the
large-scale component to the first conductor on the substrate that
has the IC contained or embedded therein so that there is an
electrical and physical connection between the IC and the
large-scale component. In some embodiments, the conductor on the
substrate that has the IC contained or embedded therein and the
conductor of the large-scale component are connected using
mechanical methods to keep the conductors in intimate contact. Such
mechanical methods include crimping, clinching, pressing,
ultrasonic energy, heat and pressure, taping, compressing,
stapling, punching, riveting, thermosonic bonding, and thermo
compression bonding methods. These mechanical methods bring the
conductors into an immediate contact to allow for the necessary
electrical interconnection between the large-scale component and
the IC.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and
not limitation in the accompanying figures.
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a
strap.
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of the strap
of FIG. 1 as attached to a large-scale component.
[0018] FIG. 3A illustrates a view of an embodiment of the apparatus
of FIG. 1 along the line A-A in the direction indicated.
[0019] FIG. 3B illustrates a view of an embodiment of the apparatus
of FIG. 2 along the line B-B in the direction indicated.
[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of an antenna.
[0021] FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a web section having
adhered thereon straps including functional blocks such as
NanoBlock.RTM. ICs (NanoBlock is a trademark and/or trade name of
ALIEN technology Corporation).
[0022] FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a method of forming an
apparatus including both small-feature-size and large-feature-size
components.
[0023] FIG. 7 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a method of
forming an apparatus including both small-feature-size and
large-feature-size components.
[0024] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a strap from a
side view.
[0025] FIG. 9 illustrates yet another alternate embodiment of a
strap from a side view.
[0026] FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of still another alternate
embodiment of a strap.
[0027] FIG. 11 illustrates another alternate embodiment of a method
of forming an apparatus including both small-feature-size and
large-feature-size components.
[0028] FIG. 12A illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a
substrate.
[0029] FIG. 12B illustrates a side view of another embodiment of a
substrate.
[0030] FIG. 13 illustrates a side view of yet another embodiment of
a substrate.
[0031] FIG. 14 illustrates a side view of still another embodiment
of a substrate.
[0032] FIG. 15 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of
connecting conductors of a strap to conductors of a large-scale
component.
[0033] FIG. 16 illustrates a side view of another embodiment of
connecting conductors of a strap to conductors of a large-scale
component.
[0034] FIGS. 17A-17C illustrate side view of other embodiments of
connecting conductors of a strap to conductors of a large-scale
component.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] An apparatus incorporating small-feature-size and
large-feature-size components and method for making same is
described. In the following description, for purposes of
explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to
provide a thorough understanding of the invention. It will be
apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that the invention can
be practiced without these specific details. In other instances,
structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid
obscuring the invention.
[0036] Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an
embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The
appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in
the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same
embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually
exclusive of other embodiments.
[0037] Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the
field of fabricating elements on a substrate. In one embodiment,
the invention is an apparatus. The apparatus includes a strap,
comprising a substrate with an embedded integrated circuit (IC)
embedded or contained therein. A first conductor is disposed on the
substrate and attached to the IC. A conductive medium is attached
to the strap at the first conductor. The apparatus also includes a
large-scale component attached to the conductive medium, which
allows the large-scale component to be electrically coupled to the
integrated circuit. The large-scale component may include a second
conductor that attaches to the conductive medium to electrically
couple the large-scale component to the IC. The large-scale
component may be included in another substrate. The substrate of
the strap and the substrate carrying the large-scale component may
be flipped over on top of one another to facilitate the coupling of
the large-scale component to the IC. In one embodiment, the IC has
an active surface. The active surface can be the IC surface where
the first conductor can be attached to the IC. In one embodiment,
the active surface faces the large scale component.
[0038] Some embodiments of the invention relate to a method of
making an assembly. The method includes creating a strap by
attaching a first conductor to a substrate that has an integrated
circuit contained or embedded therein such that the first conductor
is connected electrically to the integrated circuit. The method
also includes attaching a large-scale component to the first
conductor such that the large-scale component is electrically
connected to the integrated circuit. In some embodiments, a second
conductor is included in the large-scale component. The second
conductor connects electrically to the first conductor. In some
embodiments, a conductive medium is used to connect the first
conductor to the second conductor.
[0039] There are many ways that the first conductor and/or the
conductive medium can be formed. The materials used to form the
first conductor and/or the conductive medium may be applied by
screen printing (e.g., flat bed screen printing or rotary screen
printing), stencil printing, ink jet printing, gravure printing,
flexography printing, pad stamping, electrostatic printing,
laminating, hot pressing, laser assisted chemical vapor deposition,
physical vapor deposition (e.g., sputtering), shadow masking,
evaporating, extrusion coating, curtain coating, electroplating, or
other additive techniques. The materials may also be applied by
metering an appropriate amount of material (e.g., through a needle,
nozzle, or pipette, or another convenient metering tool) onto a
particular substrate or surface.
[0040] The conductive medium may be a fluid, ink (silver ink, of a
thermoplastic or thermoset resin base), electrically conductive
tape (thermoplastic or thermosetting polymer with conductive
fillers), electrically conductive paste (solder paste or conductive
fillers in a polymer matrix), solder, metal film, metal particles
suspended in a carrier, conductive polymer, carbon-based conductor,
or other thick-film material for example. One exemplary conductive
medium product is Acheson Colloids 479SS.
[0041] In another alternate embodiment, the invention is an
apparatus. The apparatus includes an integrated circuit embedded
within a substrate. The apparatus also includes a dielectric layer
formed over a portion of the integrated circuit and a portion of
the substrate. The apparatus further includes a first conductor
formed over a portion of the dielectric layer, the first conductor
having direct electrical connection with the integrated circuit.
The apparatus is called a strap.
[0042] In yet another alternate embodiment, the invention is a
method. The method includes forming a dielectric on a portion of an
integrated circuit and a portion of a substrate, the integrated
circuit embedded within the substrate. The method also includes
attaching a first conductor to the dielectric and to the integrated
circuit, the first conductor electrically connected to the
integrated circuit.
[0043] In still another alternate embodiment, the invention is an
apparatus. The apparatus includes a substrate having embedded or
contained therein an integrated circuit. A first conductor is
attached to the substrate and the integrated circuit is attached to
the first conductor. This apparatus is referred to as a strap. The
apparatus also includes a conductive medium attached to the first
conductor of the integrated circuit.
[0044] In yet another alternate embodiment, the invention is an
apparatus. The apparatus includes a strap having embedded therein a
functional block such as a NanoBlock IC. A functional block is a
small structure or a microstructure that includes an integrated
circuit that can drive a particular device. and a first conductor
electrically coupled to the NanoBlock IC. The NanoBlock IC may have
been produced using conventional VLSI procedures and embedded using
fluidic self-assembly (FSA), for example. The NanoBlock IC may also
be attached or contained in the substrate by other transferring
methods. The substrate has attached thereon a conductive medium,
allowing for electrical coupling between the NanoBlock IC and the
first conductor. The conductive medium is electrically connected to
the first conductor. Attached to the conductive medium is a
substrate including an antenna, allowing for electrical coupling
between the antenna and the NanoBlock IC.
[0045] Although the discussion herein focuses on the NanoBlock IC
as the IC that is being incorporated, contained, embedded, or
included in the substrate, it is to be expected that other
functional blocks can be used instead.
[0046] In still another alternate embodiment, the invention is a
method. The method includes attaching a first conductor to a
substrate having embedded therein a NanoBlock IC such that the
first conductor is coupled electrically to the NanoBlock IC,
thereby forming a strap. The method further includes attaching a
large-scale component to the first conductor such that the
large-scale component is electrically connected or coupled to the
first conductor. The method may also include a conductive medium
disposed between the first conductor and the large-scale component
to interconnect the NanoBlock IC to the large-scale component. The
method may further include fabricating the NanoBlock IC and
performing FSA to embed the NanoBlock IC into the substrate, in one
embodiment. The method may also involve a large-scale component
which may be an antenna, a power source such as a battery or a
button cell, or a thick-film cell printed on the strap or other
substrate; a display electrode or a display; a logic device, or a
sensor; among other examples.
[0047] In a further alternate embodiment, the invention is an
apparatus. The apparatus includes a substrate having embedded or
contained therein a NanoBlock IC. The substrate has attached
thereto a first conductor, which allows for electrical connection
between the NanoBlock IC and a conductive medium. The conductive
medium is attached to another a substrate such as an antenna. The
conductive medium allows for electrical coupling between the
antenna and the NanoBlock IC.
[0048] For purposes of the discussion in this document, the
embodiments may involve a strap having a NanoBlock IC deposited
therein. However, other functional blocks or other IC devices may
be used instead without affecting the scope of the embodiments. In
addition, the NanoBlock IC or other IC devices may be embedded
within the strap or otherwise contained, included, or incorporated
in the strap.
[0049] FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a strap,
including a substrate with an embedded functional block IC such as
a NanoBlock IC, planarizing layer, and first conductor that
contacts the NanoBlock.TM. IC. The NanoBlock IC includes at least
one conducting pad as is known in the art. The first conductor
contacts the NanoBlock IC by contacting the conducting pad. The
substrate 110 has an opening in it to contain a functional block or
the NanoBlock IC 120, and may be a flexible plastic substrate for
example. In one embodiment, the IC 120 is a NanoBlock IC formed via
conventional VLSI. The NanoBlock IC 120 may be embedded or
deposited in the opening of the substrate 110 through FSA, in one
embodiment, or by other transferring methods in other embodiments.
The IC 120 can also be transferred to the substrate 110 by other
methods such as pick-and-place. The IC can also be contained in the
substrate 110 using other methods such as using a tool that can
press the IC 120 into the substrate 110 or attaching the IC 120 to
the substrate 110 by other convenient methods.
[0050] The NanoBlock IC 120 may have a variety of functions or
structures consistent with an integrated circuit. In one
embodiment, the NanoBlock IC 120 includes circuitry suitable for
receiving radio signals from an external antenna and sending radio
signals via the external antenna. The NanoBlock IC 120 also has an
active surface such as the surface that has the circuitry of the
NanoBlock IC 120. Moreover, in one embodiment, the NanoBlock IC 120
may receive power from an external source via an external antenna,
and use such power to send a radio signal via the external antenna.
It is to be appreciated that even though the discussion focuses on
the NanoBlock IC 120, other IC can be used instead and that the
embodiments are not limited to the NanoBlock 120.
[0051] Formed above the NanoBlock IC 120 is a planarization layer
130, which may be formed through a conventional lamination or
coating of an organic dielectric, pattern and etch or other similar
method, for example. Formed above the planarization layer 130 are
two first conductors 140, which may be formed from a screen-printed
electrically conductive paste for example, and which occupy two
contact holes in the planarization layer 130. In one embodiment,
the two first conductors 140 attach to the conductive pads of
NanoBlock IC 120, and the two first conductors 140 preferably do
not directly connect to each other.
[0052] In one embodiment, the first conductors 140 are formed from
a thermosetting ink that contains conductive fillers (e.g.,
conductive metals such as silver or polymers that are intrinsically
conducting polymers (ICP), such as polyaniline) dispersed in a
thermosetting polymer. Alternatively, first conductors 140 are
formed from a thermoplastic ink that contains similar conductive
fillers as the thermosetting ink dispersed in a thermoplastic
polymer. In some embodiments, conductive fillers are not needed
such as when the thermosetting material or the thermoplastic
material is inherently conductive.
[0053] The conductive thermosetting ink used to form the first
conductors 140 may be a one-part starting material, a two-part
starting material or a multiple-part polymerizable starting
material. After the thermosetting ink is deposited, it can be cured
by exposure to reactive species such as oxygen, to heat, to
moisture, or by exposure to an electromagnetic radiation such as
IR, visible, UV, electron beams, RF, and microwave frequency.
[0054] The conductive thermoplastic ink used to form the first
conductors 140 can be deposited as a softened polymer (by applying
heat) and allowed to solidify. In some embodiments, the first
conductors 140 may be formed with the conductive thermoplastic ink
and solidified to form the first conductor 140. The first
conductors 140 are being bonded to other conductors (such as
conductors of a large-scale component). These embodiments allow for
a direct electrical connection between the first conductors 140 and
other conductors. In other embodiments, the conductive
thermoplastic ink may be softened with an appropriate solvent in
order to transfer/deposit the conductive thermoplastic ink in its
softened form and then allow the softened thermoplastic ink to
solidify to form the first conductors 140. Using the conductive
thermoplastic ink may eliminate the need for an intermediate
conductive medium 270 to electrically connect the first conductors
140 to other conductors (e.g., conductors 280 of a large-scale
component below) since the thermoplastic material can be directly
bonded to another conductor as it solidifies. These embodiments
allow a direct electrical connection between the first conductors
140 and the other conductors.
[0055] The first conductors 140 can also be formed by other
conductive materials such as silver, aluminum, or copper. The first
conductors 140 can be deposited by various techniques known in the
art such as physical vapor deposition (e.g., sputtering), chemical
vapor deposition or low-pressure vapor deposition, screen printing
(e.g., flat bed screen printing or rotary screen printing), stencil
printing, ink jet printing, gravure printing, flexography printing,
electrostatic printing, laminating, hot pressing, laser assisted
chemical vapor deposition, shadow masking, evaporating, extrusion
coating, curtain coating, electroplating, or other additive
techniques. In one embodiment, the first conductor 140 is made from
a conductive paste (such as those available from Acheson, including
479SS) and can be formed or deposited on the substrate 110 through
a screen printing process, for example. In another embodiment, the
first conductors 140 can be formed by pad transferring where
preformed conductive pads are picked up by a robotic tool and
transferred to the substrate 110 to form the first conductors 140.
The conductive pads are typically transferred in their softened
state and allowed to be cured or solidified after being transferred
onto the substrate 110.
[0056] In one embodiment, an insulating layer 150 is formed above
the first conductors 140. This insulating layer 150 may be formed
through a thin-film or thick-film process for example, and may fill
in space between the two first conductors 140. As will be
appreciated, the first conductor 140 may in some instances connect
to multiple pads of an integrated circuit by design. One example of
such a situation is connecting all ground pads of an IC to a single
conductor to achieve a common ground potential.
[0057] In some embodiments, thin films are applied through use of
vacuum or low-pressure processes. Thick films are applied using
non-vacuum processes, typically at or near atmospheric pressure.
One having skill in the art will appreciate that exact magnitudes
of ambient pressure for low-pressure of vacuum as opposed to
atmospheric pressure may be difficult to state. However, one having
skill in the art will also appreciate that the differences between
low-pressure and atmospheric pressure are relatively large compared
to atmospheric pressure.
[0058] In some embodiments, the NanoBlock IC 120 are formed with
sufficiently large pads as to allow for direct connection between
the first conductors 140 and other conductors (e.g., second
conductors 280 of a large-scale component 281, FIG. 2) and the
NanoBlock IC, thereby avoiding the requirement of an intermediate
or intervening conductor. In other embodiments, direct (vertical)
connection between any large-scale component and the NanoBlock IC
is made through conductors that have isotropic conductivity.
[0059] FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of the strap
of FIG. 1 as attached to a large-scale component 281. The
large-scale component discussed in this application may be an
antenna, an electronic display or display electrode, a sensor, a
power source such as a battery or solar cell, or another logic or
memory device (such as but not limited to microprocessors, memory,
and other logic devices), for example.
[0060] In attaching the strap to the large-scale component 281, the
first conductors 140 are electrically coupled to other conductors
provided on the large-scale components and in one embodiment,
electrically coupled to second conductors 280. In one embodiment,
the first conductors 140 are electrically coupled to the second
conductors 280 through a conductive medium 270. In one embodiment,
the conductive medium 270 includes two conductors 270 or
alternatively, at least two conductors 270.
[0061] In one embodiment, the conductors 270 each have a direct
connection to one of the first conductors 140, and potentially
having a contact to one or more of the insulating layer 150, the
planarization layer 130, and the substrate 110. Attached to each of
the conductive media 270 are one of the second conductors 280,
which may be conductive pads of an antenna or conductive ends of an
antenna for example. Alternatively, the second conductor may be a
conductor of other devices such as an electronic device, display
electrode, sensor, power source, and logic/memory device. In one
embodiment, there are two or alternatively, at least two second
conductors 280. Thus, as illustrated, each of the second conductors
280 may be said to be coupled (electrically) to the NanoBlock IC
120. The conductive medium 270 acts as an intermediate conductor
for the first conductors 140 and the second conductors 280. In one
embodiment, a substrate 290 is the material in which the conductors
280 are embedded or to which the conductors 280 are attached, and
is preferably insulating in nature. The substrate 290 and the
second conductors 280 thus constitute the large-scale component 281
in one embodiment.
[0062] A space 260 is a space between the two conductors 270, which
may be occupied by the substrate 290 and/or the insulator 150, may
be left as a void in the structure, or may be filled by the
conductive medium 270 if anisotropic in nature, for example. It is
important to note that in most applications, each of the two
conductive media 270 would not be connected directly to the other
conductive media 270, and a similar statement may be made with
respect to the two second conductors 280.
[0063] In embodiments where the conductive medium 270 is isotropic,
areas that need not be conductive can be deactivated using
appropriate chemicals or using conventional patterning techniques
(e.g., etching). For instance, a layer of an isotropic material can
be blanket-deposited over the first conductors 140 to form a
conductive layer for the conductive medium 270. The isotropic
material deposited over the area that need not be conductive, such
as the space 260, can be deactivated leaving the conductive area
referred to as the conductive medium 270.
[0064] In one embodiment, the conductive medium 270 is an
electrically conductive tape (such as those available from the 3M
Corporation, including 3M Z-Axis 7303, for example). Moreover, the
conductive tape may be isotropically or anisotropically conductive.
Such a conductive tape may be applied (adhered) by rolling the tape
along a row of straps, applying sufficient pressure and possibly
heat to adhere the tape to the straps, and then cutting the through
the tape and the strap to separate the individual straps. This may
be done in various manners.
[0065] Alternatively, the conductive medium 270 may be made from a
conductive paste (such as those available from Acheson, including
479SS), which is deposited through a screen printing process, for
example. In one embodiment, the conductive paste is screen printed
on to the straps (e.g., on the substrate 110 portion of the strap
and on at least portions of the first conductor 140) at moderate
resolutions relative to overall manufacturing tolerances, thereby
allowing for useful connection of the conductive medium 270 to the
first conductors 140. Furthermore, the conductive medium 270 may
also be made using metal particles suspended in a polymer carrier
such as a thermoplastic material or a thermosetting material, a
conductive polymer, a carbon-based conductor, a solder, or other
conductive medium as will be appreciated by those skilled in the
art.
[0066] In an alternative embodiment, the conductive medium 270 is a
polymerized film having conductive particles suspended therein. The
conductive particles can be metals or conductive fibers (e.g.,
carbon). Alternatively, the conductive particles can have a
nonconductive core of various shapes, such as spheres or long
continuous fibers that are coated with a conductive material.
Alternatively, the conductive particles can be carbon nanotubes. In
addition, the polymerized film can be a thermosetting material or a
thermoplastic material.
[0067] In some embodiment, the conductive medium 270 is made of
particles suspended in a carrier, conductive polymers, pastes,
silver inks, carbon-base conductors, solders, and other suitable
conductive materials.
[0068] In another embodiment, the conductive medium 270 is a
pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) with conductive fillers (e.g.,
silver flake or particle, metals, fibers coated with conductive
materials, or glass beads coated with conductive materials). Having
the conductive medium 270 being a PSA with the conductive fillers
provides a soft conformal layer between two rigid layers (e.g., the
first conductor 140 and another conductor (e.g., the second
conductors 280) to facilitate better contact. One advantage of
using a PSA film having the conductive fibers is that only a small
amount of pressure (e.g., less than 25 psig) is needed to cause the
connection between the first conductors 140 and the conductive
medium 270 and or between the conductive medium 270 and the second
conductors 280.
[0069] In another embodiment, instead of using the conductive
medium 270 as the intermediate conductor to connect the first
conductors 140 and the second conductor 280, the conductive medium
270 is replaced with a non-conductive adhesive 271 as shown in FIG.
15. In this embodiment, heat and pressure are used to "rupture" a
portion of the non-conductive adhesive 271 as shown in FIG. 15 so
that the second conductors 280 and the first conductors 140 are
brought into immediate contact with each other. Thus, portions of
the non-conductive adhesive 271 are locally pressed and heated so
that they are thinned out or ruptured to allow the second
conductors 280 to contact the first conductors 140. In one
embodiment, the non-conductive adhesive 271 functions to hold
together substrate 290 (a substrate of a large-scale component 281)
and substrate 110 while being ruptured at the portions that are
dedicated for contact between the second conductors 280 and the
first conductors 140. In another embodiment, the non-conductive
adhesive 271 functions to hold together portions of the first
conductors 140 and the conductor second 280 as shown in FIG. 15 and
are capacitively coupled. In one embodiment, crimping or pressing
can be used to selectively press down on the substrate 290 to cause
rupture in the non-conductive adhesive 271 at the crimped or
pressed portions. The second conductors 280 get pressed into the
ruptured part and are pressed in contact with the first conductors
140 as shown in FIG. 15. In one embodiment, the non-conductive
adhesive 271 is a thin layer of adhesive that can be ruptured when
selectively crimped or pressed.
[0070] In one embodiment, the first conductors 140 are formed on
the substrate 110 as previously described. The non-conductive
adhesive 271 is disposed between the second conductors 280 and the
first conductors 140 as an intervening layer. The non-conductive
adhesive 271 can be a hot melt or pressure sensitive adhesive film,
for example. The assembly is then mechanically crimped together,
with or without heat and pressure, in such a fashion to cause the
second conductors 280 to bend and pierce or penetrate through the
non-conductive adhesive 271 creating an intimate connection between
the first conductors 140 and the second conductors 280.
[0071] In another embodiment, the non-conductive adhesive 271 is
used to form an edge-seal for the second conductors 280 and the
first conductors 140 as shown in FIG. 16. The edge-seal will keep
the second conductors 280 and the first conductors 140 in intimate
contact and as such, an intermediate conductor (e.g., the
conductive medium 270) is not necessary. In this embodiment, a thin
layer of adhesive is first deposited between the second conductors
280 and the first conductors 140. A mechanical technique that will
press the substrate 290 close to the substrate 110 is then used to
press down on the assembly. As the substrate 290 and the substrate
110 are pressed together, the non-conductive adhesive 271 is
pressed to the sides or edges of the first conductors 140 and
second conductors 280. In one embodiment, where the first
conductors 140 and second conductors 280 contact, the
non-conductive adhesive 271 is selectively pressed or compressed to
cause it to migrate or flow to the edges of the first conductors
140 and second conductors 280 to allow the first conductors 140 and
second conductors 280 to electrically connect as shown in FIG.
10.
[0072] The non-conductive adhesive 271 can be a hot-melt adhesive,
a pressure sensitive adhesive, an electromagnetic radiation curable
adhesive, (e.g., UV, IR, visible, RF, or microwave curable
adhesive), a heat curable adhesive, a thermosetting material, a
thermoplastic material, or a material that can flow out under
pressure and/or heat to form an edge-seal upon solidifying. The
non-conductive adhesive 271 can be deposited either directly on the
second conductors 280 and/or the first conductors 140 in its
uncured or softened state and allowed to cure or solidify after the
substrate 110 and the substrate 290 are pressed together. As the
non-conductive adhesive 271 solidifies, it forms edge-seals around
the first conductors 140 and second conductors 280 to keep these
two conductors in immediate contact with each other for the
electrical connection.
[0073] In any of the embodiments previously discussed, small and
sharp particles 291 as shown in FIG. 17A-17C can be incorporated to
enhance the physical interconnection and/or the electrical
interconnection between the first conductors 140 and the second
conductors 280, either directly or through the use of the
intermediate layer (e.g., the conductive medium 270 or the
non-conductive adhesive 271). The particles 291 are especially
advantageous when the first conductors 140 and the second
conductors 280 may contain a small residue of either contaminates
or oxide that may hinder the connection. The small and sharp
particles (e.g., fine diamond, glass, or any other hard, small
particles that have irregular shapes) can be blended with the
conductive ink or paste or the non-conductive adhesives. The
conductive ink/paste or the non-conductive adhesive can then be
screen-printed or stencil printed or dispensed as previously
described. In one embodiment, during the bonding process of the
first conductors 140 to the second conductors 280, the particles
will penetrate through the surface and abrade the contamination and
thus improve the contact or connection made to the first conductors
140 and the second conductors 280. In another embodiment, the small
and sharp particles 291 can act as mechanical interlocks to enhance
the connection as shown in FIGS. 17A-17C.
[0074] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17A, the small and sharp
particles (e.g., diamonds) 291 are dispensed in the conductive
pastes or inks that are used to form the first conductors 140 or
the second conductors 280. In this embodiment, the first conductors
140 and second conductors 280 are to be directly connected to each
other without the use of an intermediate layer. In one embodiment,
the small and sharp particles (e.g., diamonds) 291 are dispensed in
a thermosetting ink having conductive fillers that is used to form
the first conductors 140 or the second conductors 280. In another
embodiment, the small and sharp particles (e.g., diamonds) 291 are
dispensed in a thermoplastic ink having conductive fillers that is
used to form the first conductors 140 or the second conductors 280.
The particles 291 for the thermoplastic ink may be slightly larger
in size to compensate for the softening of the ink. The
thermosetting ink having the particles 291 or the thermoplastic ink
having the particles 291 is then allowed to solidify using methods
previously mentioned or other convenient methods to form the first
conductors 140 or the second conductors 280. After the first
conductors 140 or the second conductors 280 are solidified, the
small and sharp particles 291 reside at the surfaces of the first
conductors 140 or the second conductors 280. These particles 291
then act as mechanical interlock to help maintaining the contact
between the first conductors 140 and the second conductors 280. In
an alternative embodiment, the particles 291 are coated with a
conductive material to further enhance or ensure the electrical
interconnection between the first conductors 140 and the second
conductors 280.
[0075] In another embodiment, the sharp and small particles 291 are
incorporated into a non-conductive adhesive 271 and the substrate
110 and the substrate 290 are pressed together such that the
non-conductive adhesive 271 are pushed to the outer edges of the
first conductors 140 and the second conductors 280 as shown in FIG.
17B. In this embodiment, the first conductors 140 and second
conductors 280 are directly connected to each other without the use
of an intermediate layer. The non-conductive adhesive 271 can be a
thin layer of adhesive and can first be deposited between the
second conductors 280 and the first conductors 140. A mechanical
technique that will press the substrate 290 close to the substrate
110 is then used to press down on the assembly. As the substrate
290 and the substrate 110 are pressed together, the non-conductive
adhesive 271 is pressed to the sides or edges of the first
conductors 140 and second conductors 280. In one embodiment, where
the first conductors 140 and second conductors 280 contact, the
non-conductive adhesive 271 is selectively pressed or compressed to
cause it to migrate/flow to the edges of the first conductors 140
and second conductors 280 to allow the first conductors 140 and
second conductors 280 to electrically connect.
[0076] The non-conductive adhesive 271 can be a hot-melt adhesive,
a pressure sensitive adhesive, an electromagnetic radiation curable
adhesive, (e.g., UV, IR, visible, RF, or microwave curable
adhesive), a thermosetting material, or a thermoplastic material.
The non-conductive adhesive 271 can be deposited either directly on
the second conductors 280 and/or the first conductors 140 in its
uncured or softened state and allowed to solidify after the
substrate 110 and the substrate 290 are pressed together. As the
non-conductive adhesive 271 solidifies, it forms edge-seals around
the first conductors 140 and second conductors 280 to keep these
two conductors in immediate contact with each other for the
electrical connection. In addition, the small particles 291
function as the mechanical interlock that further maintains that
attachment between the first conductors 140 and the second
conductors 280.
[0077] In one embodiment, the particles 291 are incorporated into a
conductive medium 270. The particles 291 will reside at the
surfaces of the conductive medium 270, as shown in FIG. 17C. The
particles 291 provide an added mechanical interlocking feature for
the conductive medium 270. As previously described, the conductive
medium 270 can be a polymerized film having conductive particles
suspended therein such as a thermosetting ink having conductive
fillers or a thermoplastic having conductive fillers. The
conductive medium 271 acts as an intermediate conductor for the
first conductors 140 and the second conductors 280. In addition,
the particles (e.g., diamonds) 291 dispensed in the conductive
medium 270 provide an extra mechanical interlock for the conductive
medium 270 to the first conductors 140 and/or second conductors
280. The particles 291 can also be coated with a conductive
material to increase conductivity.
[0078] In another embodiment, instead of using the conductive
medium 270, non-conductive adhesive 271, or sharp and small
particles 291 to create and/or enhance the electrical and
mechanical connection between the first conductors 140 and the
second conductors 280, the first conductors 140 and second
conductors 280 are directly connected to each other. In one
embodiment, soldering is used to directly attach the first
conductors 140 to the conductors 280. Conventional soldering
technique or laser soldering can be used to solder the first
conductors 140 to the second conductors 280. Conventional solder
joining typically uses a low melting point metallic alloy to join
two metallic surfaces (e.g., the first conductors 140 and second
conductors 280). The solder is heated up to its melting point and
placed between the two metallic surfaces to be joined while still
in its molten state. It is usually important that both metallic
surfaces be specially prepared to promote adhesion with the solder.
Thus, both the first conductors 140 and second conductors 280 need
to be prepared to promote adhesion with the solder. In the laser
soldering technique, a small bit of solder (in paste form, for
example) can be placed between the first conductors 140 and the
second conductors 280 and a laser is used to heat up the solder to
bond the first conductors 140 and the second conductors 280
together. Laser soldering offers the use of a solder as a strap
attach method even though plastic substrates (e.g., the substrate
110 and/or 290) are involved in the process. The laser can heat up
the solder so fast and with such positional accuracy that the
plastic substrates can potentially survive the operation.
[0079] In an alternative embodiment, laser welding is used to
directly attach the first conductors 140 to the second conductors
280. Typically in laser welding, a high energy IR laser is used to
provide a precisely positioned heat source to fuse two compatible
metals together. It is envisioned that the high speed, high
precision of a laser can be used in the attachment process to
melt/fuse the first conductors 140 and the second conductors 280
together to form a strong conductive bond. One way this might be
accomplished is to appropriately position the substrate 110 over
the substrate 290 and use the laser to heat the attachment area
(e.g., the area where the first conductors 140 and second
conductors 280 need to contact or connect) to a temperature high
enough to fuse the surfaces of the two first conductors 140 and
second conductors 280 together. It is conceivable that the heat
required might actually burn a hole through the supporting plastic
materials. This is acceptable as long as a mechanical/electrical
bond is formed for the first conductors 140 and second conductors
280.
[0080] When using the soldering or welding method, the first
conductors 140 and the second conductors 280 are typically made of
conductive materials that are compatible to one another. In some
embodiment, holes may be created through the substrate 290 or 110
as the first conductors 140 and second conductors 280 are being
soldered or welded together. This is acceptable as these holes are
not significantly large so as to affect the function of the
assembly.
[0081] In another embodiment, crimping is used to cause the first
conductors 140 to electrically couple to the second conductors 280.
In this embodiment, a crimping tool (e.g., pliers, die and plate)
can be used to compress the first conductors 140 to the second
conductors 280.
[0082] In other embodiments, the first conductors 140 can be
coupled to the second conductors 280 directly and without the
addition of any conductive medium/adhesive or non-conductive
adhesives as previous discussed. These embodiments can use
mechanical bonding techniques to create the connection for the
first conductors 140 and second conductors 280. A metallic rivet,
rod, staple, or wire can be used to punch through the first
conductors 140 and the second conductors 280 to establish the
mechanical attachment to allow for the electrical interconnection
between the first conductors 140 and the second conductors 280. A
rivet gun, pressurized air gun, hammer, robotic actuator, stapler,
air gun, mechanical impulse device, or other convenient tool is
used to accomplish the mechanical attachment.
[0083] In one embodiment, the first conductors 140 are placed in
temporary contact with the second conductors 280 and then crimped
together to create a long-lived electrical connection. The crimping
could be accomplished in a variety of ways. For example, the first
conductors 140 and second conductors 280 could be compressed
between the teeth of a pair of pliers, a crimp die and a flat
plate, or a crimp die and a complementary plate. The crimp die
could have a variety of component features on it designed to drive
a portion of either the first conductors 140 on one component
feature, and the second conductors 280 on the other component
feature. An impulse below, such as from a hammer, air piston, or
mechanical actuator could also be used to facilitate the
crimping.
[0084] In another embodiment, a pin-shaped die with a corresponding
plates on the opposite side is used to mechanically bond the first
conductors 140 and 280 together. Pushing the die into the plate
causes the conductor in the topmost plate to deform into the
conductor on the bottom plate. When this deformation is
sufficiently large, a portion of the top conductor will stay
partially deformed within the bottom conductor, such that
electrical contact is established.
[0085] Electrical connection of the first conductors 140 and the
second conductors 280 could also be connected together using a wire
(not shown) that is sewn into the first conductors 140 and second
conductors 280. The wire could be pulled through the conductors or
stitched into the conductors with a purely manual system, such as
sewing, or a more automated system, such as conductive filament
attachment. The sewn connection could be one stitch or a number of
stitches, depending on the required strength of the connection.
[0086] In one embodiment, the substrate 110 can simply be taped to
the substrate 290 that could be a substrate of a large-scale
component using conventional taping technique to tightly hold the
two substrates together such that the first conductors 140 and the
second conductors 280 are in contact with each other to allow for
the electrical connection. In one embodiment, the substrate 110
supporting the first conductors 140 is laid over the substrate 240
supporting the second conductors 280. Then an adhesive tape is
applied over the substrate 110 and onto the substrate 290, such
that the substrate 110 is held against the substrate 290 with the
first conductors 140 and second conductors 280 in intimate contact
with each other. The adhesive tape could be a pressure sensitive
adhesive film, a dry film with a B-staged thermoset adhesive, a
UV-curing adhesive, to name a few possibilities. The adhesive tape
could be applied to the substrate 110 on the substrate 290, or,
alternatively, the substrate 110 could be placed on the adhesive
tape to begin with, and then the adhesive tape could be applied to
the substrate 290 such that the first conductors 140 on the
substrate 110 is appropriately aligned with respect to the second
conductors 280 on the substrate 290.
[0087] In another embodiment, the first conductors 140 and the
second conductors 280 can be electrically connected through various
mechanical methods. In one embodiment, thermosonic bonding is used
to bond the first conductors 140 and the conductors 280 together.
Thermosonic bonding is useful when the first conductors 140 and the
second conductors 280 are made of materials that easily fuse
together. In one embodiment, either the substrate 110 or the
substrate 290 will need to be heated. This can be done by placing
the substrate to be heated on a heated stage. If necessary, the
substrate (110 or 290) can be heated by heating the pick-up tool.
Other methods of heating the substrate may be used, such as heated
gas. The substrate 110 is then placed on the substrate 290 such
that the first conductors 140 touch the second conductors 280.
Pressure is then applied to the assembly to ensure good contact.
Ultrasonic energy (vibration) is next applied to the assembly for a
predetermine length of time. In one embodiment, to accommodate for
any planarity angle between the bonding tool and the part a polymer
layer may be introduced between the bonding head of the bonding
tool and the substrate 110 or substrate 290. Thermosonic bonding
requires less time than some of the other methods. Thermosonic
bonding can be used to fuse metals (e.g., Au--Au) and thus can
offer lower contact resistance. The addition of ultrasonic energy
allows for interface temperature to be lower than otherwise may be
required.
[0088] In one embodiment, thermocompression bonding is used to bond
the first conductors 140 and the second conductors 280 together.
Thermocompression bonding is also useful when the first conductors
140 and the second conductors 280 are made of materials that do not
easily fuse together. Thermocompression bonding is similar to
thermosonic bonding except that instead of having the ultrasonic
energy, thermocompression uses pressure to get the physical
contact.
[0089] In addition, thermosonic bonding and thermocompression
bonding can be used to bond the first conductors 140 and the second
conductors 280 together when an intermediate medium (e.g.,
conductive medium 270 or non-conductive adhesive 271) is deposited
between the first conductors 140 and the second conductors 280 as
previously described.
[0090] FIG. 3A illustrates a view of an embodiment of the strap of
FIG. 1 along the line A-A in the direction indicated. The various
overlaps between the substrate 110, the NanoBlock IC 120, the
planarization layer 130, the first conductors 140 and the
insulating layer 150 are all illustrated. Moreover, contact holes
315 in the planarization layer 130 are illustrated, thus making
apparent the connection between the first conductors 140 and the
NanoBlock IC 120.
[0091] FIG. 3B illustrates a view of an embodiment of the apparatus
of FIG. 2 along the line B-B in the direction indicated.
Illustrated are overlaps between the first conductors 140, the
insulating layer 150, and the second conductors 280. For clarity,
the substrate 110 is also shown and the substrate 290 is not
shown.
[0092] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of an antenna. Each arm 455
is connected to antenna conductor pad 283, which is the same as the
second conductor 280 in one embodiment. Note that in an alternate
embodiment, the arms 455 may simply form the antenna conductor that
includes the antenna conductor pads 283, making them a single
unitary structure of both arm and pad.
[0093] FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a web section having
adhered thereon straps including NanoBlock ICs. Each strap 505 (of
which one exemplary strap 505 is labeled) is adhered to a pair of
electrically conductive tape strips 515. The tape strips 515 form
part of a larger spool, which also includes through-holes 525 for
purposes of spooling. In one embodiment, the tape strips 515 may be
anisotropically conductive film (ACF), with the conductors (e.g.,
the first conductors 140) of the straps 505 adhered to the ACF.
Moreover, the tape spools may be formed with gaps between columns
of straps 515 allowing for slitting the tape through the gap to
produce a single column of straps.
[0094] FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a method of forming an
apparatus including both small-feature-size and large-feature-size
components. At block 610, the integrated circuits are fabricated,
such as through a conventional VLSI method. At block 620, the
integrated circuits are embedded into substrate(s). At block 630,
processing for purposes of forming planarization and insulation
layers occurs, and an insulator is formed (one skilled in the art
will appreciate that a thin-film or a thick-film insulation layer
may also be formed). At block 640, a conductive medium is applied
to the substrate, such as by screen printing on paste or through
other additive processes. At block 650, a large-scale component is
attached to the conductive medium. Note that in one embodiment, the
tape spool of FIG. 5 may be used to attach a large volume of straps
to large-scale components by attaching each strap individually and
then cutting the tape after attachment. In an alternate embodiment,
the conductive medium 640 is applied directly to the substrate that
contains ICs 620, omitting the insulating layer.
[0095] FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a method of
forming an apparatus including both small-feature-size and
large-feature-size components, with particular reference to
fabrication of RF-ID tags using functional blocks such as NanoBlock
ICs. At block 710, NanoBlock ICs are fabricated, such as through
conventional VLSI methods. It is to be appreciated that the
NanoBlock IC can be deposited, attached, or otherwise contained in
the substrate by other suitable methods. At block 720, NanoBlock
ICs are embedded in substrates through FSA. At block 730, any
necessary post-FSA processing for purposes of forming planarization
layers, and/or insulation layers, occurs. In particular, at least
one thin-film dielectric is formed. As will be appreciated by one
skilled in the art, the thin-film dielectric may not be necessary
in alternative embodiments. At block 740, a first conductive medium
is applied to the substrates, such as in the form of a paste
screened on to the substrates for example, thus creating straps. At
block 750, an electrically conductive tape is adhered to the
conductive medium on the straps. At block 760, antennas are
attached to the straps, such that the antennas are electrically
coupled to the NanoBlock ICs of the corresponding straps.
[0096] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a strap from a
side view. As will be appreciated, the embodiment of FIG. 8 is
similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1. However, FIG. 8 illustrates a
substrate 810, having embedded or contained therein (in an opening)
an integrated circuit 820, with pads 825. Each of the pads 825 has
deposited thereon through use of an additive process a first
conductor 840, such as a silver ink for example. Usually, but not
always, the first conductor 840 is deposited such that it contacts
one and only one pad 825 directly, thus allowing for separate
conductors for each electrical contact of a circuit.
[0097] Moreover, it will be appreciated that the size of the pads
825 may be greater than the size of similar pads on an integrated
circuit such as the NanoBlock IC 120 of FIG. 1, in that the pads
825 must interface directly with material (the first conductor 840)
having a much larger feature size than is common for VLSI devices.
Note that in one embodiment, the first conductor 840 may be
expected to have an as-deposited thickness of approximately 10-15
.mu.ms and a final thickness on the order of 1 .mu.m or less, and
that pads 825 may have minimum dimensions on the order of
20.times.20 .mu.ms or more.
[0098] FIG. 9 illustrates yet another alternate embodiment of a
strap from a side view. FIG. 9 illustrates a similar embodiment to
that of FIG. 8, which further incorporates an insulator. A
substrate 910 including an integrated circuit 920 embedded or
contained therein is provided. Pads 925 are a part of the
integrated circuit 920, and may be expected to have similar
dimensions to the pads 825. An insulating layer (dielectric) 930 is
deposited on the integrated circuit 920 through use of a thick film
process. The insulating layer 930 may be expected to have a
thickness on the order of 10 microns. Also deposited with an
additive process is a first conductor 940, which covers both the
insulating layer 930 and some portion of a pad 925, thus, allowing
for electrical contact between the integrated circuit 920 and a
large-scale component (e.g., through a second conductor included
with the large-scale component). The first conductor 940 may be
expected to have similar characteristics to the first conductor
840.
[0099] FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of still another alternate
embodiment of a strap. In this embodiment, a substrate 1010
including an integrated circuit 1020 incorporated or contained
therein is provided. On top of the substrate 1010, an insulator
1030 is formed. The insulator 1030 is a patterned with vias through
which the first conductors 1040 may achieve contact with the
conductive pads 1025 of the integrated circuit 1020. As will be
appreciated, the vias require greater precision in patterning than
do any of the insulators of conductor components of FIGS. 8 and 9.
Moreover, as will be appreciated, the substrate 1010 may have the
insulator 1030 covering nearly its whole surface, rather than the
limited areas of FIG. 9. Additionally, it will be appreciated that
the pads 1025 may be smaller on the integrated circuit 1020 than
similar pads of the integrated circuits 920 and 820.
[0100] FIG. 11 illustrates another alternate embodiment of a method
of forming an apparatus including both small-feature-size and
large-feature-size components. At block 1110, an integrated circuit
is embedded within a supporting substrate. At block 1120, an
insulator is applied to the substrate. At block 1130, the insulator
is patterned such as through a photolithographic thin-film process,
whereby portions of the insulator are removed to expose portions of
the substrate or integrated circuit, such as bond or conductive
pads. Further cleaning, such as washing away photoresist for
example, may be involved as part of application, patterning, or
even in a post-etch phase. Alternatively, as will be appreciated, a
photosensitive insulator or dielectric may be used, thereby
eliminating the need for photoresist for example.
[0101] At block 1140, a conductive material is applied to the
substrate, coating all or part of the insulator to form first
conductors. At block 1150, the conductive material is processed
(such as by heat curing, for example) as necessary to form a proper
conductor (e.g., the first conductors). Note that curing of silver
ink is known in the art to be possible at 90-100.degree. C. for
some formulations with a reasonable cure time for various
manufacturing processes. It will be appreciated that cure times do
vary, and that those skilled in the art may adapt cure processes to
the needs of a surrounding manufacturing process and the devices to
be produced. At block 1160, the large-scale component is attached
to the first conductor, thereby achieving electrical coupling with
the integrated circuit. In one embodiment, the large-scale
component includes second conductors wherein the first conductors
and the second conductors (either directly or through a conductive
medium as previously discussed) electrically interconnect the IC to
the large-scale component. Also note that the final processing of
the first conductor of block 1160 may be performed after the
large-scale component is attached at block 1170.
[0102] For the most part, the previous description has concentrated
on use of the invention in conjunction with attaching a strap
having embedded, contained, or incorporated therein an integrated
circuit to a separate large-scale component. It will be appreciated
that other embodiments exist in which the separate large-scale
component is not involved. In particular, a large-feature-size
component may be incorporated as part of the strap, such as an
embedded conductor acting as an antenna, or may be formed on the
strap as illustrated in FIGS. 12A and 12B. Printing or otherwise
using additive processing technology to form an antenna 1240 of the
conductive medium on the strap is one option.
[0103] Alternately, other large-feature-size components, such as
power sources, sensors, or logic devices for example may either be
formed on the strap or attached to the strap. Interconnecting a
NanoBlock IC or other small or micro functional blocks with such
large-feature-size components on the strap may be accomplished
through use of a conductors 1440, allowing for electrical coupling
between a large-feature-size components 1460 and a
small-feature-size (NanoBlock IC for example) components 1420, as
in FIG. 14. Moreover, a conductive medium 1340 may be used to
interconnect two or more small-feature-size components embedded in
a single substrate, such as two NanoBlock ICs for example, as
illustrated in FIG. 13.
[0104] FIG. 12A illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a
substrate. A substrate 1210 may be a substrate such as those
discussed previously, including a flexible or rigid material. An IC
1220 is embedded in an opening in the substrate 1210. An insulator
1230 is a layer of insulating material (or a dielectric layer)
formed on top of both the substrate 1210 and the IC 1220 and may
have planarizing properties. Contact holes 1215 are holes in the
insulator 1230 above contact pads of the IC 1220, allowing for
physical contact and electrical connection between the IC 1220 and
a first conductor 1240. An insulating layer 1250 is another
insulator or dielectric above portions of the first conductor 1240,
the insulator 1220 and the substrate 1210, and above all of the IC
1220. Note that the actual configuration of the various layers may
vary considerably. For example, first conductor 1240 is formed into
two arms of an antenna, such as may be useful for radio frequency
applications. However, batteries, sensors, power supplies, button
cells, and displays and display electrodes may also be formed
through use of conductors and/or conductive media and other
materials.
[0105] FIG. 12B illustrates a side view of another embodiment of a
substrate. As is illustrated, the first conductor 1240 occupies
contact holes 1215 of FIG. 12A to contact directly with the IC
1220. Furthermore, as will be appreciated, the segments illustrated
with respect to the first conductor 1240 correspond to the various
segments of the antenna as it traces its path along the surface of
the insulator 1230. Along these lines, it will be appreciated that
the presence of the insulator 1230 may not be necessary in some
instances.
[0106] FIG. 13 illustrates a side view of yet another embodiment of
a substrate. A substrate 1310 includes a first IC 1320 and a second
IC 1325. An insulator 1330 is formed above the IC 1320, the IC 1325
and the substrate 1310. A first conductor 1340 is formed the above
insulator 1330, and contacts both the IC 1320 and the IC 1325. One
portion of the first conductor 1340 forms an electrical connection
between the IC 1320 and the IC 1325, thereby electrically coupling
the IC 1320 to the IC 1325. Above both of the IC 1320 and IC 1325
are formed insulator layers 1350.
[0107] FIG. 14 illustrates a side view of still another embodiment
of a substrate. A substrate 1410 has embedded or contained in an
opening therein an IC 1420. Formed above the substrate 1410 and the
IC 1420 is an insulator 1430. Formed above the insulator 1430 and,
connected to the IC 1420 is a conductor 1440, a portion of which is
connected to a sensor 1460, thereby electrically coupling the IC
1420 to the sensor 1460. Formed above a portion of the conductor
1440 and the insulator 1430 is an insulator 1450, which may or may
not be of the same material as the insulator 1430.
[0108] In the foregoing detailed description, the method and
apparatus of the present invention has been described with
reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will,
however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be
made thereto without departing from the scope of the embodiments of
the present invention. In particular, the separate blocks of the
various block diagrams represent functional blocks of methods or
apparatuses and are not necessarily indicative of physical or
logical separations or of an order of operation inherent in the
scope of the embodiments of the present invention. For example, the
various blocks of FIG. 1 may be integrated into components, or may
be subdivided into components, and may alternately be formed in
different physical shapes from those illustrated. Similarly, the
blocks of FIG. 6 (for example) represent portions of a method that,
in some embodiments, may be reordered or may be organized in
parallel rather than in a linear or step-wise fashion. The present
specification and figures are accordingly to be regarded as
illustrative rather than restrictive.
* * * * *