A power semiconductor chip having: a semiconductor component body; a multilayer metallization arranged on the semiconductor component body; and a nickel layer arranged over the semiconductor component body. The invention further relates to a method for producing a power semiconductor chip and to a power semiconductor device. The invention provides a power semiconductor chip which has a metallization to which a copper wire, provided without a thick metallic coating, can be reliably bonded without damage to the power semiconductor chip during bonding.

There is provided a copper bonding wire that exhibits a favorable bondability even when a scrub at the time of bonding is reduced. The copper bonding wire is characterized in that when a sum of percentages of Cu, Cu.sub.2O, CuO and Cu(OH).sub.2 on a surface of the wire as measured by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) is defined as 100%, Cu[II]/Cu[I] which is a ratio of a total percentage of CuO and Cu(OH).sub.2 (Cu[II]) corresponding to bivalent Cu to a percentage of Cu.sub.2O (Cu[I]) corresponding to monovalent Cu falls within a range from 0.8 to 12.

There is provided an Ag alloy bonding wire for semiconductor devices which exhibits a favorable bond reliability in a high-temperature environment even when using a mold resin of high S content and can suppress a chip damage at the time of ball bonding. The Ag alloy bonding wire is characterized by containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of Pd and Pt (hereinafter referred to as a “first element”) and at least one element selected from the group consisting of P, Cr, Zr and Mo (hereinafter referred to as a “second element”) so as to satisfy

[00001]$0.05\le \text{x}1\le 3.0,\text{and}$

[00002]$15\le \text{x}2\le 700$

where x1 is a total concentration of the first element [at.%] and x2 is a total concentration of the second element [at. ppm], with the balance including Ag.

A stack package and a method of manufacturing the stack package are provided. The method includes: attaching a first semiconductor device onto a first surface of a first package substrate; attaching a molding resin material layer onto a first surface of a second package substrate; arranging the first surface of the first package substrate and the first surface of the second package substrate to face each other; compressing the first package substrate and the second package substrate while reflowing the molding resin material layer; and hardening the reflowed molding resin material layer.

A stack package and a method of manufacturing the stack package are provided. The method includes: attaching a first semiconductor device onto a first surface of a first package substrate; attaching a molding resin material layer onto a first surface of a second package substrate; arranging the first surface of the first package substrate and the first surface of the second package substrate to face each other; compressing the first package substrate and the second package substrate while reflowing the molding resin material layer; and hardening the reflowed molding resin material layer.

There is provided an Al bonding wire which can achieve a sufficient bonding reliability of bonded parts of the bonding wire under a high temperature state where a semiconductor device using the Al bonding wire is operated. The Al bonding wire contains 0.01 to 1% of Sc, and further contains 0.01 to 0.1% in total of at least one or more of Y, La, Ce, Pr and Nd. With regard to the Al bonding wire, a recrystallization temperature thereof is increased, so that the proceeding of recrystallization of the bonding wire can be suppressed, and strength of the wire can be prevented from being decreased even when the semiconductor device is continuously used under a high temperature environment. Accordingly, the Al bonding wire can sufficiently secure the reliability of the bonded parts after a high-temperature long-term hysteresis.

The present invention provides a bonding wire capable of simultaneously satisfying ball bonding reliability and wedge bondability required of bonding wires for memories, the bonding wire including a core material containing one or more of Ga, In, and Sn for a total of 0.1 to 3.0 at % with a balance being made up of Ag and incidental impurities; and a coating layer formed over a surface of the core material, containing one or more of Pd and Pt, or Ag and one or more of Pd and Pt, with a balance being made up of incidental impurities, wherein the coating layer is 0.005 to 0.070 μm in thickness.

The present invention provides a bonding wire capable of simultaneously satisfying ball bonding reliability and wedge bondability required of bonding wires for memories, the bonding wire including a core material containing one or more of Ga, In, and Sn for a total of 0.1 to 3.0 at % with a balance being made up of Ag and incidental impurities; and a coating layer formed over a surface of the core material, containing one or more of Pd and Pt, or Ag and one or more of Pd and Pt, with a balance being made up of incidental impurities, wherein the coating layer is 0.005 to 0.070 μm in thickness.

A description is given of a power semiconductor module 10 which can be transferred from a normal operating mode to an explosion-free robust short-circuit failure mode. Said power semiconductor module 10 comprises a power semiconductor 1 having metallizations 3 which form potential areas and are separated by insulations and passivations on the top side 2 of said power semiconductor. Furthermore, an electrically conductive connecting layer is provided, on which at least one metal shaped body 4 which has a low lateral electrical resistance and is significantly thicker than the connecting layer is arranged, said at least one metal shaped body being applied by sintering of the connecting layer such that said metal shaped body is cohesively connected to the respective potential area. The metal shaped body 4 is embodied and designed with means for laterally homogenizing a current flowing through it in such a way that a lateral current flow component 5 is maintained until this module switches off in order to avoid an explosion, wherein the metal shaped body 4 has connections 6 having high-current capability. A transition from the operating mode to the robust failure mode then takes place in an explosion-free manner by virtue of the fact that the connections 6 are contact-connected and dimensioned in such a way that in the case of overload currents of greater than a multiple of the rated current of the power semiconductor 1, the operating mode changes to the short-circuit failure mode with connections 6 remaining on the metal shaped body 4 in an explosion-free manner without the formation of arcs.

A description is given of a power semiconductor module 10 which can be transferred from a normal operating mode to an explosion-free robust short-circuit failure mode. Said power semiconductor module 10 comprises a power semiconductor 1 having metallizations 3 which form potential areas and are separated by insulations and passivations on the top side 2 of said power semiconductor. Furthermore, an electrically conductive connecting layer is provided, on which at least one metal shaped body 4 which has a low lateral electrical resistance and is significantly thicker than the connecting layer is arranged, said at least one metal shaped body being applied by sintering of the connecting layer such that said metal shaped body is cohesively connected to the respective potential area. The metal shaped body 4 is embodied and designed with means for laterally homogenizing a current flowing through it in such a way that a lateral current flow component 5 is maintained until this module switches off in order to avoid an explosion, wherein the metal shaped body 4 has connections 6 having high-current capability. A transition from the operating mode to the robust failure mode then takes place in an explosion-free manner by virtue of the fact that the connections 6 are contact-connected and dimensioned in such a way that in the case of overload currents of greater than a multiple of the rated current of the power semiconductor 1, the operating mode changes to the short-circuit failure mode with connections 6 remaining on the metal shaped body 4 in an explosion-free manner without the formation of arcs.