In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a lower interconnect layer including a plurality of lower interconnects, and a plurality of lower pads provided on the lower interconnects. The device further includes a plurality of upper pads provided on the lower pads and being in contact with the lower pads, and an upper interconnect layer including a plurality of upper interconnects provided on the upper pads. The lower pads include a plurality of first pads and a plurality of second pads. The upper pads include a plurality of third pads provided on the second pads and a plurality of fourth pads provided on the first pads, a lower face of each third pad is larger in area than a upper face of each second pad, and a lower face of each fourth pad is smaller in area than a upper face of each first pad.

An embodiment of the disclosure is a structure comprising an interposer. The interposer has a test structure extending along a periphery of the interposer, and at least a portion of the test structure is in a first redistribution element. The first redistribution element is on a first surface of a substrate of the interposer. The test structure is intermediate and electrically coupled to at least two probe pads.

Structures and techniques provide bond enhancement in microelectronics by trapping contaminants and byproducts during bonding processes, and arresting cracks. Example bonding surfaces are provided with recesses, sinks, traps, or cavities to capture small particles and gaseous byproducts of bonding that would otherwise create detrimental voids between microscale surfaces being joined, and to arrest cracks. Such random voids would compromise bond integrity and electrical conductivity of interconnects being bonded. In example systems, a predesigned recess space or predesigned pattern of recesses placed in the bonding interface captures particles and gases, reducing the formation of random voids, thereby improving and protecting the bond as it forms. The recess space or pattern of recesses may be placed where particles collect on the bonding surface, through example methods of determining where mobilized particles move during bond wave propagation. A recess may be repeated in a stepped reticule pattern at the wafer level, for example, or placed by an aligner or alignment process.

A structure includes a first die and a second die. The first die includes a first bonding layer having a first plurality of bond pads disposed therein and a first seal ring disposed in the first bonding layer. The first bonding layer extends over the first seal ring. The second die includes a second bonding layer having a second plurality of bond pads disposed therein. The first plurality of bond pads is bonded to the second plurality of bond pads. The first bonding layer is bonded to the second bonding layer. An area interposed between the first seal ring and the second bonding layer is free of bond pads.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a surface, a plurality of pads disposing on the surface of the substrate, the plurality of pads includes a non-solder mask defined (NSMD) pad and a solder mask defined (SMD) pad, and the NSMD pad is arranged at a predetermined location. Further, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate, disposing a plurality of pads on a surface of the substrate, disposing a solder mask over the surface of the substrate and the plurality of pads, forming a first recess in the solder mask to surround one of the plurality of pads, and forming a second recess in the solder mask and above one of the plurality of pads.

A half bridge GaN circuit is disclosed. The circuit includes a low side circuit, which has a low side switch, a low side switch driver configured to drive the low side switch, a first level shift circuit configured to receive a first level shift signal, and a second level shift circuit configured to generate a second level shift signal. The half bridge GaN circuit also includes a high side circuit, which has a high side switch configured to be selectively conductive according to a voltage level of a received high side switch signal, and a high side switch driver configured to generate the high side switch signal in response to the level shift signals. A transition in the voltage of the high side switch signal causes the high side switch driver to prevent additional transitions of the voltage level of the high side switch signal for a period of time.

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 includes a first interconnect structure over first substrate, a first bonding layer over the first interconnect structure, multiple first bonding pads disposed in a first region of the first bonding layer, the first bonding pads having a first pitch, and multiple second bonding pads disposed in a second region of the first bonding layer, the second region extending between a first edge of the first bonding layer and the first region, the second bonding pads having the first pitch, the multiple second bonding pads including multiple pairs of adjacent second bonding pads, wherein the second bonding pads of each respective pair are connected by a first metal line.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor die having first and second conductive pads, and a substrate having third and fourth bonding pads. A width ratio of the first conductive pad over the third bonding pad at an inner region is different from a width ratio of the second conductive pad over the fourth bonding pad at an outer region.

A wafer level package, electronic device including the wafer level package, and fabrication methods are described that include forming a cantilever pillar design as a portion of the wafer level package and/or a segmented solder connection for preventing and reducing connection stress and increasing board level reliability. In implementations, the wafer level device that employs example techniques in accordance with the present disclosure includes at least a section of a processed semiconductor wafer including at least one integrated circuit die, a first dielectric layer disposed on the processed semiconductor wafer, a first pillar, a second pillar formed on the first pillar, a second dielectric layer formed on the first dielectric layer and surrounding a portion of the first pillar and the second pillar, and at least one solder ball disposed on the second pillar.