The embodiments of the present invention relate to semiconductor device manufacturing, and more particularly to structures and methods of directly testing semiconductor wafers having micro-solder connections. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method of forming a pattern of micro-solder connections coupled with a through substrate via (TSV) that can be directly tested by electrical probing, without the use of a testing interposer, is disclosed. According to another embodiment, a method of testing the pattern of micro-solder connections is disclosed. According to another embodiment, a novel electrical probe tip structure, having contacts on the same pitch as the pattern of micro-solder connections is disclosed.

A semiconductor arrangement includes top and bottom contact plates, a plurality of chip assemblies, a dielectric embedding compound, and a control electrode interconnection structure. Each chip assembly has a semiconductor chip having a semiconductor body. The semiconductor body has a top side and an opposing underside. The top side is spaced apart from the underside in a vertical direction. Each semiconductor chip has a top main electrode arranged on the top side, a bottom main electrode arranged on the underside, a control electrode arranged at the top side, and an electrically conductive top compensation die, arranged on the side of the top main electrode facing away from the semiconductor body and cohesively and electrically conductively connected to the top main electrode by means of a top connecting layer. An electric current between the top main electrode and the bottom main electrode can be controlled by means of the control electrode.

A semiconductor device package and a method for forming the same using an improved solder joint structure are disclosure. The package includes solder joints having a thinner bottom portion than a top portion. The bottom portion is surrounded by a molding compound and the top portion is not surrounded by a molding compound. The method includes depositing and forming a liquid molding compound around an intermediate solder joint using release film, and then etching the molding compound to a reduced height. The resulting solder joint has no waist at the interface of the molding compound and the solder joint. The molding compound has a greater roughness after the etch, greater than about 3 microns, than the molding compound as formed.

Proximity coupling interconnect packaging systems and methods. A semiconductor package assembly comprises a substrate, a first semiconductor die disposed adjacent the substrate, and a second semiconductor die stacked over the first semiconductor die. There is at least one proximity coupling interconnect between the first semiconductor die and the second semiconductor die, the proximity coupling interconnect comprising a first conductive pad on the first coupling face on the first semiconductor die and a second conductive pad on a second coupling face of the second semiconductor die, the second conductive pad spaced apart from the first conductive pad by a gap distance and aligned with the first conductive pad. An electrical connector is positioned laterally apart from the proximity coupling interconnect and extends between the second semiconductor die and the substrate, the position of the electrical connector defining the alignment of the first conductive pad and the second conductive pad.

Structures and methods for directly testing a semiconductor wafer having micro-solder connections. According to one embodiment, a method forms a pattern of micro-solder connections coupled with a through substrate via (TSV) that can be directly tested by electrical probing, without the use of a testing interposer. According to another embodiment, a method tests the pattern of micro-solder connections. According to another embodiment, a novel electrical probe tip structure has contacts on the same pitch as the pattern of micro-solder connections.

In some examples, a system comprises a set of nanoparticles and a set of nanowires extending from the set of nanoparticles.

A semiconductor device, the device including: a first silicon layer including a first single crystal silicon; a first metal layer disposed over the first silicon layer; a second metal layer disposed over the first metal layer; a first level including a plurality of transistors, the first level disposed over the second metal layer, where the plurality of transistors include a second single crystal silicon; a third metal layer disposed over the first level; a fourth metal layer disposed over the third metal layer, where the fourth metal layer is aligned to the first metal layer with a less than 40 nm alignment error; and a via disposed through the first level, where the first level thickness is less than two microns.

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.

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.

A semiconductor device, the device including: a first substrate; a first metal layer disposed over the substrate; a second metal layer disposed over the first metal layer; a first level including a plurality of transistors, the first level disposed over the second metal layer, where the plurality of transistors include a second single crystal silicon; a third metal layer disposed over the first level; a fourth metal layer disposed over the third metal layer, where the fourth metal layer is aligned to the first metal layer with a less than 100 nm alignment error; and a via disposed through the first level, where the via has a diameter of less than 450 nm, where the fourth metal layer provides a global power distribution, and where a typical thickness of the fourth metal layer is at least 50% greater than a typical thickness of the third metal.