Patent ID: 9560773
Date: 2017-01-31
CPC Classifications: H01L,H05K

Claim:
1. A device comprising an electrical connection structure comprising: a conductive substrate; a variable-composition nickel alloy layer above the conductive substrate and in electrical contact with the conductive substrate, the variable-composition nickel alloy layer having a bottom surface overlying and physically contacting a first surface of a first material, and having a top surface underlying and physically contacting a second surface of a second material, wherein the first and second materials do not have nickel as a major constituent, the variable-composition nickel alloy layer comprising a minor constituent selected from a group consisting of boron, carbon, phosphorus, and tungsten, wherein at least over a portion of the conductive substrate, the concentration of the minor constituent decreases throughout the variable-composition nickel alloy layer in a direction from the bottom surface of the variable-composition nickel alloy layer to the top surface of the variable-composition nickel alloy layer; and a conductive layer disposed above the variable-composition nickel alloy layer and in electrical contact with the variable-composition nickel alloy layer and the conductive substrate.