Patent · US Expired

Control of breakdown voltage for microelectronic packaging

US7324317B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by
7References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 31, 2004
Grant dateJan 29, 2008
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 6, 2026

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH05K2201/10734
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Reduce breakdown voltage and control breakdown path for electrostatic discharge to terminals of microelectronic packages, such as no-connect Land Grid Array (LGA) pads. In one embodiment, solder resist openings with a small separation distance are used to provide an air breakdown path between a no-connect LGA pad and the surrounding metal and to reduce the breakdown voltage. In one implementation, the no-connect pad has a non-round shape with a protruding portion on the dielectric layer. The air surrounding a solder resist opening over the tip of the protruding portion of the no-connect pad and a nearby solder resist opening over the surrounding metal provides a shortest air breakdown path and the lowest breakdown voltage. Alternatively, sharp features (e.g., metal traces) with a minimum separation distance can be arranged pointing at each other under the solder resist layer, or other dielectric layer inside the package, to provide a non-exposed breakdown path.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.