Solder and adhesive free chip assembly using elastic chip sockets: concept, manufacture and preliminary investigations

Flip Chip connections enormously reduces the amount of solder as compared to mounting packaged devices, apart from also offering superior high frequency properties and placement density. However, when assembling chips to substrates having different thermal expansion coefficient, the solder balls are exposed to strain, the more so the denser the connections (and consequently smaller balls), and the higher the power densities, resulting in wider temperature cycles. This will usually result in loss of contact reliability. Using other materials than solder or using underfills may partially improve the situation, but causes other problems. In order to test another concept maintaining or exceeding the excellent HF and density properties of conventional Flip Chip, while practically eliminating the thermal mismatch problems and providing effortless chip replacement, the Elastic Chip Socket was developed. Silicone elastomer was molded in a precision mold made using anisotropic etching of Si. These structures were subsequently metallized and the metal patterned using electro plated resist. So far functional chip sockets with pin densities of 45 000 pins per cm² (22 500 simultaneously functional connections to a 7 x 7 mm die) and more have been achieved which endure multiple repeated matings and quick temperature cycling between -40 °C and +90 °C. The following is a summary of the group´s achievement this far, Oct. 2003.