An interconnection technology may use molded solder to define solder balls. A mask layer may be patterned to form cavities and solder paste deposited in the cavities. Upon heating, solder balls are formed. The cavity is defined by spaced walls to keep the solder ball from bridging during a bonding process. In some embodiments, the solder bumps connected to the solder balls may have facing surfaces which are larger than the facing surfaces of the solder ball.

A semiconductor device has wettable corner leads. A semiconductor die is mounted on a lead frame. Die bonding pads are electrically connected to leads of the lead frame. The die and electrical connections are encapsulated with a mold compound. The leads are exposed and flush with the corners of the device. The leads include dimples so that they are wettable, which facilitates inspection when the device is mounted on a circuit board or substrate.

Provided is a multilayer substrate including laminated semiconductor substrates each having a penetrating hole (hereinafter referred to as through hole) having a plated film formed in the inner surface. The multilayer substrate has excellent conduction characteristics and can be manufactured at low cost. Conductive particles are selectively present at a position where the through holes face each other as viewed in a plan view of the multilayer substrate. The multilayer substrate has a connection structure in which the facing through holes are connected by the conductive particles, and the semiconductor substrates each having the through hole are bonded by an insulating adhesive.

A semiconductor device is disclosed, which includes: a substrate having a plurality of connecting pads; a semiconductor component having a plurality of bonding pads formed on a surface thereof and corresponding to the connecting pads and a UBM layer formed on the bonding pads; a plurality of conductive elements each having a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion sequentially formed on the UBM layer, wherein the second conductive portion is less in width than the first conductive portion; and a plurality of solder balls formed between the second conductive portions and the connecting pads for connecting the semiconductor component and the substrate, thereby preventing solder bridging from occurring between the adjacent conductive elements and reducing stresses between the conductive elements and the UBM layer.

Various semiconductor chips and packages are disclosed. In one aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes a semiconductor chip that has a side, and plural conductive pillars on the side. Each of the conductive pillars includes a pillar portion that has an exposed shoulder facing away from the semiconductor chip. The shoulder provides a wetting surface to attract melted solder. The pillar portion has a first lateral dimension at the shoulder. A solder cap is positioned on the pillar portion. The solder cap has a second lateral dimension smaller than the first lateral dimension.

Package structures and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. The package structure includes a first bump structure formed over a first substrate. The first bump structure includes a first pillar layer formed over the first substrate and a first barrier layer formed over the first pillar layer. In addition, the first barrier layer has a first protruding portion laterally extending outside a first edge of the first pillar layer. The package structure further includes a second bump structure bonded to the first bump structure through a solder joint. In addition, the second bump structure includes a second pillar layer formed over a second substrate and a second barrier layer formed over the second pillar layer. The first protruding portion of the first barrier layer is spaced apart from the solder joint.

A method includes forming a metal bump on a top surface of a first package component, forming a solder region on a top surface of the metal bump, forming a protection layer extending on a sidewall of the metal bump, reflowing the solder region to bond the first package component to a second package component, and dispensing an underfill between the first package component and the second package component. The underfill is in contact with the protection layer.

Some embodiments relate to a semiconductor device package, which includes a substrate with a contact pad. A non-solder ball is coupled to the contact pad at a contact pad interface surface. A layer of solder is disposed over an outer surface of the non-solder ball, and has an inner surface and an outer surface which are generally concentric with the outer surface of the non-solder ball. An intermediate layer separates the non-solder ball and the layer of solder. The intermediate layer is distinct in composition from both the non-solder ball and the layer of solder. Sidewalls of the layer of solder are curved or sphere-like and terminate at a planar surface, which is disposed at a maximum height of the layer of solder as measured from the contact pad interface surface.

A semiconductor package includes first and second package components stacked upon and electrically connected to each other, and first and second joint structures. The first package component includes first and second conductive bumps, the second package component includes third and fourth conductive bumps having dimensions greater than those of the first and second conductive bumps. The first joint structure partially covers the first and third conductive bumps. The second joint structure partially covers the second and the fourth conductive bumps. A first angle between a sidewall of the first conductive bump and a tangent line at an end point of a boundary of the first joint structure on the first conductive bump is greater than a second angle between a sidewall of the second conductive bump and a tangent line at an end point of a boundary of the second joint structure on the second conductive bump.

A method of protecting sidewalls a plurality of semiconductor devices is disclosed. The method includes fabricating the plurality of semiconductor devices on a semiconductor wafer, etching to form a trench grid network on the backside of the semiconductor wafer. The trench grid network demarcate physical boundaries of each of the plurality of semiconductor devices. The method also includes depositing a protective layer on the backside and etching to remove the protective layer from horizontal surfaces and to singulate each of the plurality of semiconductor devices from the semiconductor wafer.