A semiconductor structure is provided. The semiconductor structure includes two circuit regions, two inner seal rings, an outer seal ring, a first redundant region, and an electrical circuit. Each of the inner seal rings surrounding one of the circuit regions. The outer seal ring is disposed around the inner seal rings, and each of the inner seal rings contacts the outer seal ring at different interior corners of the outer seal ring. The first redundant region is located between at least one of the inner seal rings and the outer seal ring. The electrical circuit is formed in the first redundant region and electrically connected to at least one of the circuit regions.

A method is provided for producing an electrically-powered device and/or component that is embeddable in a solid structural component, and a system, a produced device and/or a produced component is provided. The produced electrically powered device includes an attached autonomous electrical power source in a form of a unique, environmentally-friendly structure configured to transform thermal energy at any temperature above absolute zero to an electric potential without any external stimulus including physical movement or deformation energy. The autonomous electrical power source component provides a mechanism for generating renewable energy as primary power for the electrically-powered device and/or component once an integrated structure including the device and/or component is deployed in an environment that restricts future access to the electrical power source for servicing, recharge, replacement, replenishment or the like.

A semiconductor device includes a chip, a first kerf adjacent the chip and having a first main direction, a second kerf adjacent the chip and having a second main direction. A kerf junction is formed by the first kerf and the second kerf. A crack stop barrier is located along a first portion of a perimeter of the kerf junction.

A device includes an integrated circuit, a first seal ring, a second seal ring, and a dielectric layer. The first seal ring surrounds the integrated circuit and includes a plurality of first seal portions separated from each other by a plurality of first gaps. The second seal ring surrounds the integrated circuit, between the integrated circuit and the first seal ring and includes a plurality of second seal portions separated from each other by a plurality of second gaps. The dielectric layer surrounds the first and second seal rings and includes a plurality of first filling portions in the first gaps, respectively, and a plurality of second filling portions in the second gaps, respectively. A connection line of one of the first filling portions and one of the second filling portions closest to said one of the first filling portions is not parallel to edges of the integrated circuit.

Metal-free frame designs for silicon bridges for semiconductor packages and the resulting silicon bridges and semiconductor packages are described. In an example, a semiconductor structure includes a substrate having an insulating layer disposed thereon, the substrate having a perimeter. A metallization structure is disposed on the insulating layer, the metallization structure including conductive routing disposed in a dielectric material stack. A first metal guard ring is disposed in the dielectric material stack and surrounds the conductive routing. A second metal guard ring is disposed in the dielectric material stack and surrounds the first metal guard ring. A metal-free region of the dielectric material stack surrounds the second metal guard ring. The metal-free region is disposed adjacent to the second metal guard ring and adjacent to the perimeter of the substrate.

Semiconductor structures and methods of testing the same are provided. A semiconductor structure according to the present disclosure includes a substrate, a semiconductor device over the substrate, wherein the semiconductor device includes an interconnect structure, and the interconnect structure includes a plurality of metallization layers disposed in a dielectric layer; and a delamination sensor. The delamination sensor includes a connecting structure and a plurality of contact vias in at least one of the plurality of metallization layers. The connecting structure bonds the semiconductor device to the substrate and does not functionally couple the semiconductor device to the substrate. The plurality of contact vias fall within a first region of a vertical projection area of the connecting structure but do not overlap a second region of the vertical projection area.

A method of controlling a needle actuator to interact with a cell is provided, the method comprising: providing an actuator comprising a tower, a stage and a needle, wherein the needle is mounted on the stage; applying an electrostatic potential between the tower and the stage to retract the needle; moving the actuator towards the cell; reducing the potential so as to allow the stage and needle to move towards the cell; applying calibration data to detect when the needle has pierced the cell; and reducing the potential further once it has been detected that the needle has pierced the cell. The cell can be a biological cell. The needle can be a micro-needle and the stage can be a micro-stage.

A semiconductor chip includes an integrated circuit disposed in a device region, and a chip guard disposed in a chip sealing region that is an outer portion of the device region. The chip guard includes a first metal layer disposed over a substrate, an interlayer insulating layer disposed on the first metal layer, a second metal layer disposed on the interlayer insulating layer, and a barrier pattern extending in a direction towards the substrate from the second metal layer through the interlayer insulating layer. The barrier pattern is disposed to be spaced apart from the first metal layer.

Various embodiments of an integrated circuit package and a method of forming such package are disclosed. The package includes a substrate having a core layer disposed between a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer, a die disposed in a cavity of the core layer, and an encapsulant disposed in the cavity between the die and a sidewall of the cavity. The package further includes a first patterned conductive layer disposed within the first dielectric layer, a device disposed on an outer surface of the first dielectric layer such that the first patterned conductive layer is between the device and the core layer, a second patterned conductive layer disposed within the second dielectric layer, and a conductive pad disposed on an outer surface of the second dielectric layer such that the second patterned conductive layer is between the conductive pad and the core layer.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: providing a substrate including a first cell and a second cell, the first cell and the second cell are arranged in a first direction; forming a plurality of first metal strips arranged in a second direction and extending in the first direction on a first plane; forming a first trench over a boundary between the first cell and the second cell, a bottom surface of the first trench is located on a second plane over the first plane; filling the first trench with a non-conductive material, resulting in a separating wall extending in the first direction; and fort plurality of second metal strips extending in the second direction on a third plane over the second plane and including a first second metal strip and a second second metal strip separated by the separating wall.