Provided is a Pd coated Cu bonding wire for a semiconductor device capable of sufficiently obtaining bonding reliability of a ball bonded portion in a high temperature environment of 175° C. or more, even when the content of sulfur in the mold resin used in the semiconductor device package increases. The bonding wire for a semiconductor device comprises a Cu alloy core material; and a Pd coating layer formed on a surface of the Cu alloy core material; and contains 0.03 to 2% by mass in total of one or more elements selected from Ni, Rh, Ir and Pd in the bonding wire and further 0.002 to 3% by mass in total of one or more elements selected from Li, Sb, Fe, Cr, Co, Zn, Ca, Mg, Pt, Sc and Y. The bonding wire can be sufficiently obtained bonding reliability of a ball bonded portion in a high temperature environment of 175° C. or more, even when the content of sulfur in the mold resin used in the semiconductor device package increases by being used.

A front-end method of fabricating nickel plated caps over copper bond pads used in a memory device. The method provides protection of the bond pads from an oxidizing atmosphere without exposing sensitive structures in the memory device to the copper during fabrication.

Methods and apparatus relating to very large scale FET arrays for analyte measurements. ChemFET (e.g., ISFET) arrays may be fabricated using conventional CMOS processing techniques based on improved FET pixel and array designs that increase measurement sensitivity and accuracy, and at the same time facilitate significantly small pixel sizes and dense arrays. Improved array control techniques provide for rapid data acquisition from large and dense arrays. Such arrays may be employed to detect a presence and/or concentration changes of various analyte types in a wide variety of chemical and/or biological processes. In one example, chemFET arrays facilitate DNA sequencing techniques based on monitoring changes in hydrogen ion concentration (pH), changes in other analyte concentration, and/or binding events associated with chemical processes relating to DNA synthesis.

A front-end method of fabricating nickel plated caps over copper bond pads used in a memory device. The method provides protection of the bond pads from an oxidizing atmosphere without exposing sensitive structures in the memory device to the copper during fabrication.

Methods and apparatus relating to very large scale FET arrays for analyte measurements. ChemFET (e.g., ISFET) arrays may be fabricated using conventional CMOS processing techniques based on improved FET pixel and array designs that increase measurement sensitivity and accuracy, and at the same time facilitate significantly small pixel sizes and dense arrays. Improved array control techniques provide for rapid data acquisition from large and dense arrays. Such arrays may be employed to detect a presence and/or concentration changes of various analyte types in a wide variety of chemical and/or biological processes. In one example, chemFET arrays facilitate DNA sequencing techniques based on monitoring changes in hydrogen ion concentration (pH), changes in other analyte concentration, and/or binding events associated with chemical processes relating to DNA synthesis.

A semiconductor package includes a substrate, a plurality of semiconductor devices stacked on the substrate, a plurality of underfill fillets disposed between the plurality of semiconductor devices and between the substrate and the plurality of semiconductor devices, and molding resin surrounding the plurality of semiconductor devices. At least one of the underfill fillets is exposed from side surfaces of the molding resin.

A semiconductor package includes a substrate, a plurality of semiconductor devices stacked on the substrate, a plurality of underfill fillets disposed between the plurality of semiconductor devices and between the substrate and the plurality of semiconductor devices, and molding resin surrounding the plurality of semiconductor devices. At least one of the underfill fillets is exposed from side surfaces of the molding resin.

There is provided a novel Cu bonding wire that achieves a favorable FAB shape and achieve a favorable bond reliability of the 2nd bonding part even in a rigorous high-temperature environment. The bonding wire for semiconductor devices includes a core material of Cu or Cu alloy, and a coating layer having a total concentration of Pd and Ni of 90 atomic% or more formed on a surface of the core material. The bonding wire is characterized in that: in a concentration profile in a depth direction of the wire obtained by performing measurement using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) so that the number of measurement points in the depth direction is 50 or more for the coating layer, a thickness of the coating layer is 10 nm or more and 130 nm or less, an average value X is 0.2 or more and 35.0 or less where X is defined as an average value of a ratio of a Pd concentration C.sub.Pd (atomic%) to an Ni concentration C.sub.Ni (atomic%), C.sub.Pd/C.sub.Ni, for all measurement points in the coating layer, the total number of measurement points in the coating layer whose absolute deviation from the average value X is 0.3X or less is 50% or more relative to the total number of measurement points in the coating layer, and the bonding wire satisfies at least one of following conditions (i) and (ii): (i) a concentration of In relative to the entire wire is 1 ppm by mass or more and 100 ppm by mass or less; and (ii) a concentration of Ag relative to the entire wire is 1 ppm by mass or more and 500 ppm by mass or less.

There is provided a novel Cu bonding wire that achieves a favorable FAB shape and achieve a favorable bond reliability of the 2nd bonding part even in a rigorous high-temperature environment. The bonding wire for semiconductor devices includes a core material of Cu or Cu alloy, and a coating layer having a total concentration of Pd and Ni of 90 atomic% or more formed on a surface of the core material. The bonding wire is characterized in that: in a concentration profile in a depth direction of the wire obtained by performing measurement using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) so that the number of measurement points in the depth direction is 50 or more for the coating layer, a thickness of the coating layer is 10 nm or more and 130 nm or less, an average value X is 0.2 or more and 35.0 or less where X is defined as an average value of a ratio of a Pd concentration C.sub.Pd (atomic%) to an Ni concentration C.sub.Ni (atomic%), C.sub.Pd/C.sub.Ni, for all measurement points in the coating layer, the total number of measurement points in the coating layer whose absolute deviation from the average value X is 0.3X or less is 50% or more relative to the total number of measurement points in the coating layer, and the bonding wire satisfies at least one of following conditions (i) and (ii): (i) a concentration of In relative to the entire wire is 1 ppm by mass or more and 100 ppm by mass or less; and (ii) a concentration of Ag relative to the entire wire is 1 ppm by mass or more and 500 ppm by mass or less.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate and a connection terminal, including a base pillar, on the semiconductor substrate. An insulation layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate, the insulation layer including an opening in the insulation layer through which the base pillar extends, wherein a side wall of the insulation layer defining the opening includes a horizontal step at a level that is lower than an uppermost portion of the base pillar.