A system and method for preventing cracks is provided. An embodiment comprises placing crack stoppers into a connection between a semiconductor die and a substrate. The crack stoppers may be in the shape of hollow or solid cylinders and may be placed so as to prevent any cracks from propagating through the crack stoppers.

Provided is a wire-bonding apparatus (10) including: a capillary (28) through which a wire (30) inserted; and a controller (80). The controller (80) is configured to execute operations including: a disconnection operation, after the second bonding operation, of moving the capillary through which the wire is inserted within a horizontal plane vertical to an axial direction of the capillary while the wire is held in the clamped state, and thereby disconnecting the wire from the second bonding point; a preliminary bonding operation of feeding the wire from the second bonding point to a predetermined preliminary bonding point, and performing preliminary bonding at the preliminary bonding point; and a shaping operation, after the preliminary bonding operation, of shaping the wire projecting from a tip of the capillary into a predetermined flexed shape.

Provided is a wire-bonding apparatus (10) including: a capillary (28) through which a wire (30) inserted; and a controller (80). The controller (80) is configured to execute operations including: a disconnection operation, after the second bonding operation, of moving the capillary through which the wire is inserted within a horizontal plane vertical to an axial direction of the capillary while the wire is held in the clamped state, and thereby disconnecting the wire from the second bonding point; a preliminary bonding operation of feeding the wire from the second bonding point to a predetermined preliminary bonding point, and performing preliminary bonding at the preliminary bonding point; and a shaping operation, after the preliminary bonding operation, of shaping the wire projecting from a tip of the capillary into a predetermined flexed shape.

A power module (PM) includes: an insulating substrate; a semiconductor device disposed on the insulating substrate, the semiconductor device including electrodes on a front surface side and a back surface side thereof; and a graphite plate having an anisotropic thermal conductivity, the graphite plate of which one end is connected to the front surface side of the semiconductor device and the other end is connected to the insulating substrate, wherein heat of the front surface side of the semiconductor device is transferred to the insulating substrate through the graphite plate. There is provide an inexpensive power module capable of reducing a stress and capable of exhibiting cooling performance not inferior to that of the double-sided cooling structures.

Techniques for constructing an electronic module are provided herein. For example, the techniques include orienting at least one die having a top side (e.g., a first side), a bottom side (e.g., a second side) and one or more side walls, on a substrate with the top side of the die proximate the substrate, coating the bottom side and each of the side walls of the die with a stress buffer material, forming a reconstructed wafer by encapsulating the coated die within a mold compound, and removing the substrate to expose the top side of the die.

Techniques for constructing an electronic module are provided herein. For example, the techniques include orienting at least one die having a top side (e.g., a first side), a bottom side (e.g., a second side) and one or more side walls, on a substrate with the top side of the die proximate the substrate, coating the bottom side and each of the side walls of the die with a stress buffer material, forming a reconstructed wafer by encapsulating the coated die within a mold compound, and removing the substrate to expose the top side of the die.

A microelectronic package includes a substrate having a first surface. A microelectronic element overlies the first surface. Electrically conductive elements are exposed at the first surface of the substrate, at least some of which are electrically connected to the microelectronic element. The package includes wire bonds having bases bonded to respective ones of the conductive elements and ends remote from the substrate and remote from the bases. The ends of the wire bonds are defined on tips of the wire bonds, and the wire bonds define respective first diameters between the bases and the tips thereof. The tips have at least one dimension that is smaller than the respective first diameters of the wire bonds. A dielectric encapsulation layer covers portions of the wire bonds, and unencapsulated portions of the wire bonds are defined by portions of the wire bonds, including the ends, are uncovered by the encapsulation layer.

Electrode pads disposed on a first surface of a semiconductor element include a first pad located close to a corner and a second pad located apart from the corner compared with the first pad. A first wire connected to the first pad has a smaller Young's modulus than a second wire connected to the second pad. A thickness of an intermetallic compound layer formed by the first wire and the first pad is larger than a thickness of an intermetallic compound layer formed by the second wire and the second pad.

Electrode pads disposed on a first surface of a semiconductor element include a first pad located close to a corner and a second pad located apart from the corner compared with the first pad. A first wire connected to the first pad has a smaller Young's modulus than a second wire connected to the second pad. A thickness of an intermetallic compound layer formed by the first wire and the first pad is larger than a thickness of an intermetallic compound layer formed by the second wire and the second pad.

Stacked microfeature devices and associated methods of manufacture are disclosed. A package in accordance with one embodiment includes first and second microfeature devices having corresponding first and second bond pad surfaces that face toward each other. First bond pads can be positioned at least proximate to the first bond pad surface and second bond pads can be positioned at least proximate to the second bond pad surface. A package connection site can provide electrical communication between the first microfeature device and components external to the package. A wirebond can be coupled between at least one of the first bond pads and the package connection site, and an electrically conductive link can be coupled between the first microfeature device and at least one of the second bond pads of the second microfeature device. Accordingly, the first microfeature device can form a portion of an electrical link to the second microfeature device.