Abstract:
A composite paste for forming interconnects that includes a quantity of metallic binder particles, a quantity of metallic filler particles, and a quantity of flux, where the binder particles comprise no more than 94.5% of the total weight of the quantity of the composite paste, and the total weight of the filler particles and the flux comprise the balance of the total weight of the quantity of the composite paste, where the flux is no more than 10% of the total weight of the flux and the filler particles.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     The present application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/903,600, filed on Feb. 27, 2007, entitled PASTE FOR FORMING AN INTERCONNECT AND INTERCONNECT FORMED FROM THE PASTE, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application relates to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/970,165, filed on Oct. 21, 2004, entitled PASTE FOR FORMING AN INTERCONNECT AND INTERCONNECT FORMED FROM THE PASTE. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to semiconductor packaging, and more particularly to an interconnect structure and a paste for forming the interconnect structure. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Solder is a conventionally known material for connecting a semiconductor device to a conductive pad on a circuit board. According to a well known technique, solder bumps can be formed on a conductive pad of a circuit board, a component such as a semiconductor die can be placed thereon, and the solder is then reflown in order to connect the component to the conductive pad. Alternatively, the solder bump can be formed on the semiconductor component, the component can be placed on the conductive pad, and the solder reflown to connect the component to the conductive pad. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  for illustrative purposes, to form a solder bump on a conductive pad  14  of a circuit board  10 , first a solder paste  15  is deposited on a portion of conductive pad  14 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , to define the area that receives solder paste  15 , a solder mask  12  may be applied to the top surface of circuit board  10  which includes an opening over conductive pad  14 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , after depositing solder paste  15  over conductive pad  14 , solder paste  15  is reflown by applying heat; i.e. by taking the solder paste to its reflow temperature to form a liquidous. After the liquidous is cooled, a solder bump  17  is formed over conductive pad  14 . It should be noted that solder bump  17  has a curved outer surface  19 . Curved outer surface  19  is due to the surface tension when the solder is reflown, and becomes more curved as the volume of solder is increased. Thus, to join a component and a conductive pad on a circuit board using the conventional technique described herein the stenciling of the solder on the circuit board (or the component) requires strict adherence to certain tolerances which complicates manufacturing. 
     U.S. application Ser. No. 10/970,165 discloses an improvement of prior art described above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application discloses improvements to the subject matter of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/970,165. 
     According to the present invention a paste is used to form interconnects for electrically connecting components to one another or to conductive pads on a circuit board or the like. 
     A paste according to the present invention is a mixture of binder particles and filler particles, and, where required, a flux material. According to the present invention binder particles melt at a lower temperature than the filler particles. Furthermore, the respective proportion of the binder particles and the filler particles is such that when binder particles are melted the shape of the paste as deposited does not change substantially but there is enough to glue the filler particles to one another after the binder liquidous is cooled in order to form a structure. A structure so formed can serve as an interconnect. Thus, a paste according to the present invention can be used to form interconnect structures on a surface, such as an electrode of a semiconductor component or a conductive pad on a circuit board. 
     An interconnect according to the present invention can cover a large area on, for example, an electrode of a power semiconductor device. Also, such an interconnect can be made proud, i.e. standing above the non-solderable surrounding area, which is advantageous because: 
     1) It allows the solder fillet to be less critical, which means that the substrate and stencil designs are less important in terms of design and tolerance in that instead of forming a solder joint between two planar surfaces (in which the solderable area is defined by a window within a solder mask) the “proud interconnect” enables the fillet formation to include the edge of the solder interconnect. 
     2) Fundamentally forming thick interconnects onto the die surface means that the die surface and edge can be covered with an epoxy or any other suitable passivation material, which is advantageous for the following reasons: 
     a) The passivation enables insulation between different potentials on the die, allowing for higher voltages and more radical designs. 
     b) It is likely to lead to the reduction in the process steps needed to protect the die in certain package types. 
     c) It will produce a more rugged device. 
     d) It will provide for better environmental protection. 
     e) It will reduce critical manufacturing tolerances, and therefore makes the device easier to produce. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a technique for forming solder bump interconnects according to the prior art. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a portion of the body of an interconnect formed with a paste according to the present invention. 
         FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate a technique for forming interconnects according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows a cross-sectional view of a package according to prior art. 
         FIG. 7  shows a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a package modified to include an interconnect according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  shows a side plan view of a second embodiment of a package that includes an interconnect according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  shows a side plan view of a third embodiment of a package that includes an interconnect according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  shows a top plan view of a semiconductor die modified to include interconnects on electrodes thereof. 
         FIG. 11  shows a side plan view of the semiconductor die shown in  FIG. 10  seen in the direction of the arrows  11 - 11 . 
         FIG. 12  shows a perspective view of a first variation of a package formed with a semiconductor die which includes interconnects formed according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  shows a perspective view of a second variation of a package formed with a semiconductor die which includes interconnects formed according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  shows a cross-sectional view of the package shown by  FIG. 13  along line  14 - 14  viewed in the direction of the arrows. 
         FIG. 15  shows a cross-sectional view of a package according to the prior art. 
         FIG. 16  shows a top plan view of a flip-chip semiconductor device which includes interconnects formed according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  illustrates a wafer containing die prepared to have interconnects according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 18A  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a package according to the prior art as connected to a circuit board. 
         FIG. 18B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a package according to the present invention as connected to a circuit board. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     An electrically conductive paste according to the present invention includes a mixture of binder particles, and filler particles. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the binder particles are solder powder, and the filler particles are conductive particles dispersed throughout, or mixed in with the solder powder. The preferred embodiment further includes a solder flux material. 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, the proportion of the binder particles relative to the proportion of the filler particles is such that when the binder particles melt, there will be sufficient binder to fuse the filler particles, i.e., “glue” the filler particles together. However, the respective portions will be such that when binder particles are melted the shape of the paste as deposited will not change substantially. That is, the interconnect will substantially have the same shape as the paste when it is deposited. 
     The filler particles used in a paste according to the present invention are preferably spherically shaped, although other shapes such as cubes and parallelepipeds, or the like may also be used. It should be noted that to practice the present invention, the shape of the particles does not need to be perfect geometrically. That is, for example, a spherical shape as referred to herein need only be generally sphere-like rather than spherical perfectly to be within the present invention. Thus, the shape of particles as described herein should not be understood to restrict the invention to perfect geometric shape. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the binder has a high melting temperature. Solders formed from the combination of 95% Sn and 5%, Sb (by weight), or the combination of 95.5% Sn, 3.8% Ag, and 0.7% Cu (by weight) are examples of solders suitable to be used as binder material in a paste according to the present invention. 
     A suitable material for forming the fillers is copper. Other suitable materials for forming the fillers are nickel and tin-silver. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , filler particles  16  may be formed of one material  5  and coated with another material  7 . For example, sphere-like copper particles, when used as conductive fillers, may be plated with a nickel barrier and passivated with tin or silver. Suitable binders to be used with sphere-like copper particles are tin-silver solders, high lead solders, or a tin-lead solder. 
     Sphere-like nickel particles, when used as conductive fillers, may be passivated with tin or silver. A suitable binder for fusing sphere-like nickel particles may be any one of the solders listed above. 
     A suitable binder for use with tin-silver filler particles may be a tin-bismuth solder. 
     In a preferred composition, fillers may be spherical or sphere-like and may constitute 5-40% of the total weight of the mixture, and the binder may be solder in powder form and constitute 50-85% of the total weight of the mixture. In this preferred composition, about 10% of the total weight may be a solder flux which may be a resin with mild activation. Preferably, the filler particles are anywhere between 15 μm-65 μm and the particle size of the solder binder may be anywhere between 25 μm-45 μm. 
     The following are specific examples of pastes according to the present invention.
     CS1=60/40 where 60% is Indium Pb free solder* &amp; 40% is made up from Ag/Ni spheres** &amp; Fluxot 84245 NC-SMQ 230 flux using a 90/10 split. i.e. 100 g of CS1=60 g of Pbf+36 g of Ag/Ni+4.5 g of flux   CS2=55/45 where 55% is Indium Pb free solder* &amp; 45% is made up from Ag/Ni spheres** &amp; Fluxot 84245 NC-SMQ 230 flux using a 90/10 split. i.e. 100 g of CS2=55 g of Pbf+40.5 g of Ag/Ni+4.5 g of flux   CS3=57/43 where 57% is Indium Pb free solder* &amp; 43% is made up from Ag/Ni spheres &amp; Fluxot 84245 NC-SMQ 230 flux using a 90/10 split. i.e. 100 g of CS3=57 g of Pbf+38.7 g of Ag/Ni+4.3 g of flux   CS4=75/25 where 75% is Indium Pb free solder* &amp; 25% is made up from Ag/Ni spheres &amp; Fluxot 84245 NC-SMQ 230 flux using a 90/10 split. i.e. 100 g of CS4=75 g of Pbf+22.5 g of Ag/Ni+2.5 g of flux   CS5=65/35 where 65% is Indium Pb free solder* &amp; 35% is made up from Ag/Ni spheres &amp; Fluxot 84245 NC-SMQ 230 flux using a 90/10 split. i.e. 100 g of CS5=65 g of Pbf+28.5 g of Ag/Ni+6.5 g of flux   CS6=89/11. where 89% is Indium Pb free solder* &amp; 11% is made up from Ag/Ni spheres &amp; Fluxot 84245 NC-SMQ 230 flux using a 90/10 split. i.e. 100 g of CS6=89 g of Pbf+9.9 g of Ag/Ni+1.1 g of flux   CS7=94.5/5.5 where 94.5% is Indium Pb free solder* &amp; 5.5% is made up from Ag/Ni spheres &amp; Fluxot 84245 NC-SMQ 230 flux using a 90/10 split. i.e. 100 g of CS7=94.5 g of Pbf+4.95 g of Ag/Ni+0.55 g of flux   CS8=93.2/6.8 where 93.2% is Indium Pb free solder* &amp; 6.8% is made up from Ag/Ni spheres &amp; Fluxot 84245 NC-SMQ 230 flux using a 90/10 split. i.e. 100 g of CS8=93.2 g of Pbf+6.12 g of Ag/Ni+0.68 g of flux   CS9=85/15 where 85% is Indium Pb free solder* &amp; 15% is made up from Ag/Ni spheres &amp; Fluxot 84245 NC-SMQ 230 flux using a 90/10 split. i.e. 100 g of CS9=85 g of Pbf+13.5 g of Ag/Ni+1.5 g of flux   *Indium Pb free solder refers to Indium SMQ 230 which has 95.5% Sn, 3.8% Ag &amp; 0.7% Cu.   **Ag/Ni spheres refers to nickel spheres or sphere-like particles passivated by a coating of silver.   

     Note each CS represents an example of a paste according to the present invention. Further note that CS5 and CS9 are preferred embodiments. 
     A paste according to the present invention is particularly useful for forming relatively flat large area interconnects on surfaces, such as conductive pads on a substrate, or an electrode of a semiconductor die. An advantageous characteristic of a paste according to the present invention is that when it is formed to a shape, it substantially retains that shape after the application of heat to reflow, i.e. melt, the binder. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 , a process for manufacturing an interconnect according to the present invention involves depositing an amount of a paste according to the present invention on a surface. Specifically, for example, a desired amount of a paste according to the present invention may be deposited over a conductive pad  14  on a circuit board  10 . Circuit board  10  may have a solder mask  12  disposed thereon surrounding conductive pad  14 . A paste according to the present invention which includes spherical or sphere-like filler particles  16  and particles of an electrically conductive binder  18  is deposited on conductive pad  14  and extends above solder mask  12 . The paste may be so deposited to have a relatively flat top as shown in  FIG. 4 . In the preferred embodiment, a paste according to the present invention may be deposited using a stenciling or printing method, although other methods of deposit are considered within the invention. 
     After depositing the paste, heat is applied to cause binder particles  18  to melt. Thus, if solder is used as a binder, heat is applied until the solder is reflown, i.e. the solder is taken to its reflow temperature. Since, binder particles  18  have a much lower temperature than filler particles  16 , filler particles  16  remain solid. However, binder particles  18  melt and wet filler particles  16 . Once the temperature is lowered below the melting temperature of binder particles  18 , filler particles  16  are “glued” to one another, thereby forming an integral structure as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 . 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, the proportion of binder particles is so selected that there will not be enough liquidous to flow, but there will be enough liquidous to glue filler particles  16  together to form an integral structure suitable to serve as an interconnect. 
     Advantageously, it has been found that a paste according to the present invention substantially retains its shape as deposited after the binder has melted and solidified. Thus, a paste according to the present invention is ideal for forming interconnects with exterior surfaces of reduced curvature and/or reduced hot-slumping property for electrical connection to external elements, which is a desirable characteristic for an interconnect. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a package according to the prior art includes a first circuit board  20 , a second circuit board  22 , a semiconductor die  24  which is disposed between first and second circuit boards  20 ,  22  and electrically connected to respective conductive pads  21  on each circuit board  20 ,  22  by solder  26  or the like. A package as shown in  FIG. 6  also includes an interconnect  28 , which may be a copper slug, that interconnects first and second circuit boards  20 ,  22  through respective layers of solder  26  or the like. A more detailed description of a package according to  FIG. 6  is shown in published U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0119148A1, assigned to the assignee of the present invention the subject matter of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, interconnect  28  may be formed according to the present invention. Specifically, referring to  FIG. 7 , an interconnect structure  19  may be used instead of an interconnect  28  in a package according to  FIG. 6 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , in an alternative embodiment, an interconnect  19  may be used for external connection. Specifically, an interconnect  19  may be formed according to a method of the present invention to have a connection surface  21 . Connection surface  21  is left free so that it may make connection to an external element such as a conductive pad on a circuit board. Note that in the example shown by  FIG. 8 , a first semiconductor component  30  and a second semiconductor component  32  are also connected to respective conductive pads  21  on circuit board  20  by a layer of solder  26 . Semiconductor components  30 ,  32  also include free connection surfaces  31 ,  33 , which are preferably coplanar with connection surface  21  of interconnect  19 . Similar to connection surface  21 , free connection surfaces  31 ,  33  of semiconductor components  30 ,  32  may be adapted for direct connection to conductive pads of a circuit board. For example, free surfaces  31 ,  33  may be made solderable. 
     Semiconductor components  30 ,  32  may be power MOSFETs, diodes, IGBTs, or any other semiconductor device such as a control IC, or the like, and circuit board  20  may be a thermally conductive circuit board such as an insulated metal substrate (IMS). It should be noted that in the embodiment shown by  FIG. 8 , insulation  34  may be formed in the gaps between semiconductor components  30 ,  32  and semiconductor components and interconnect  19 . Insulation  34  may be composed of, for example, polyimide, BCB, epoxy based dielectrics silicon polyesters, or organopolysiloxanes. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , in another embodiment, which resembles the embodiment shown in both  FIGS. 6 , and  7 , a package may include an interconnect  19  formed according to the present invention on a first circuit board  20 , and a second circuit board  22  may be provided with a solderable free surface  36 . Solderable free surface  36  may be electrically connected to semiconductor components  30 ,  32  and serve as an external connection surface for electrically connecting semiconductor components  30 ,  32  to respective external elements such as respective conductive pads on a circuit board. Solderable free surface  36  may be electrically connected to semiconductor components  30 ,  32 , through vias (not shown) or the like in circuit board  22  as is conventionally known. Preferably, solderable free surface  36  and free connection surface  21  of interconnect  19  are coplanar to facilitate the surface mounting of a package according to  FIG. 9 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 10 and 11 , an interconnect  19  according to the present invention can be formed on an electrode of a semiconductor device such as a power MOSFET  40 . Specifically, for example, an interconnect  19  can be formed on source electrode  42  and gate electrode  44  of a power MOSFET  40 . 
     According to an aspect of the invention, a plurality of MOSFETs  40  can be formed in a wafer, a paste according to the present invention can be formed on respective electrodes of power MOSFETs  40  while in the wafer, and then subjected to heat to form interconnects  19 . Thereafter, power MOSFETs  40  may be singulated by, for example, sawing or some other conventional method to obtain individual power MOSFETs, such as the one shown by  FIGS. 10 and 11 . Thus, interconnects  19  can be formed at wafer level prior to the packaging of power MOSFET  40 . 
     Referring next to  FIG. 12 , a power MOSFET  40 , according to the present invention may be packaged in a conductive can  48  according to an alternative embodiment. Specifically, drain electrode  43  of a power MOSFET  40  may be electrically connected to the inside surface of can  48  to form a new chip-scale package similar to a prior art package disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,624,522 the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. 
     In a first variation, MOSFET  40  includes interconnect  19 ′ formed according to the present invention on source electrode  42  of MOSFET  40 , and interconnect  19 ″ on gate electrode  44  of MOSFET  40  without any passivation. Thus, there will be no passivation on the free surface (surface not covered by interconnects  19 ′,  19 ″) of power MOSFET  40 , and there will be a gap between the edges of power MOSFET  40  and the surrounding walls  49  of can  48  as seen in  FIG. 12 . It should be noted that MOSFET  40  may be made thinner than the depth of can  48  in that the height of interconnects  19 ′,  19 ″ may be designed to ensure coplanarity with external connection surfaces  51  of can  48 , which are used to electrically connect can  48  to, for example, conductive pads on a circuit board. The option of reducing the thickness of MOSFET  40  is advantageous in that it may allow reduction of its ON resistance. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 13 , in a second variation, a passivation structure  50  is formed over the free surface of power MOSFET  40 , which is preferably extended to cover the gap between the edges of power MOSFET  40  and surrounding walls  49  of can  48 . Passivation structure  50  is preferably formed from a silicon organic polymer material, such as silicon/epoxy or silicon/polyester which belong to the family of organopolysiloxanes. The use of such materials is advantageous due to their high temperature and moisture resistance. A preferred material is the combination of silicon epoxy, silicon polyester, acrylate, a thermal catalyst, and a UV monomer partial catalyst. A passivation formed from silicon epoxies or silicon polyesters is preferred because it is highly resistant to solvents and other chemicals, and provides high levels of both environmental and dielectric protection at a very modest thickness, e.g. a few microns. 
     Referring to  FIG. 14 , it should be appreciated that when passivation structure  50  is formed, tracking distance  52  becomes the distance between an interconnect  19 ′ and the closest wall  49  of can  48 . Thus, compared to a prior art package (see  FIG. 15 ) tracking distance  52  is wider in that in the prior art package tracking distance  52  is the distance between the edge of the power MOSFET and the electrodes disposed on the die surface. The increase in the width of tracking distance  52  enables can  48  to be used with power MOSFETs of voltage ratings higher than 100V when an small can is used and even 300V or higher power MOSFETs in other types of cans. Furthermore, an arrangement, such as the one shown by  FIGS. 12 and 13 , allows for larger pads on low voltage devices, which improves the thermal characteristics, and the ON resistance (Rdson) of the package, and reduces the current density in the solder joints when the package is installed. 
     In a preferred embodiment, interconnects  19 ′,  19 ″ in a package according to  FIGS. 12 and 13  are formed from a paste formulated with a lead-free solder as a binder, and spherical or sphere-like nickel particles which are coated with silver as filler particles. A preferred lead free solder alloy may be composed of 95.5% Sn, 3.8% Ag, 0.7% Cu (by weight). In addition, in the preferred embodiment the spherical nickel particles may have a mean diameter of 45 microns. It should be noted that although nickel particles are spherical in shape, the silver coating may render the exterior surface thereof irregular. 
     The combination of silver-plated nickel spheres and tin-silver based solder is preferred for at least the following reasons: 
     1. The solder alloy picks up additional silver from the silver coated nickel particles during the reflowing process, which changes the composition in the solder alloy. The change in composition results in an elevated fully liquid temperature for the solder, which is advantageous as it means that the solder does not become fully liquid during secondary soldering of the interconnect. Thus, the interconnect maintains its shape after it is joined to a conductive pad with a layer of solder. 
     2. The nickel particles are very hard and can form an effective barrier for strengthening interfaces. A paste according to the invention effectively forms a conglomerate and is therefore more resistant to flexing and deformation than the base solder, i.e. binder material. That is, it is stronger than the base solder. However, it is also effectively more brittle than the base solder and when pushed outside its elastic range it may propagate minor failure sites within its body. Whereas conventional lead-free solders tend to feed the stress into the solder interface layers, an interconnect according to the present invention absorbs the stress within its body. Therefore, in many cases, an interconnect according to the present invention acts as a semi-sacrificial layer to the surface it has joined. 
     A package according to the variations shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , is first formed by forming interconnects  19 ′, 19 ″ on respective electrodes of a power MOSFET  40  prior to mounting the power MOSFET on the interior surface of can  48 . Specifically, first, a plurality of power MOSFETs  40  are formed in a wafer. Thereafter, interconnects  19 ′ are formed on source electrodes  42  of power MOSFETs  40 , and interconnects  19 ″ are formed on gate electrodes  44  of power MOSFETs  40 . Preferably, to form interconnects  19 ′,  19 ″ a paste according to the present invention is deposited through a stencil onto source electrodes  42  and gate electrode  44  of each MOSFET  40  respectively. Using a stencil is a well known process in the manufacturing of printed circuit boards and is also widely used for forming solder balls on conventional flip-chip type devices. Alternatively, the paste for forming interconnects  19 ′,  19 ″ according to the present invention could be deposited using any other method that would result in the paste being shaped during the deposition, such as solder casting or molding. 
     Preferably, a wafer processed according to the present invention does not include any passivation schemes over and above those generally used on the die. However, the process will not exclude wafers that have been treated with all currently available passivations used in the manufacture of power semiconductor devices. 
     After depositing the paste the wafer is subjected to heat in order to reflow the binder. Preferably, the wafer is heated in a convection reflow oven, which is a process used typically in printed circuit board assembly. Preferably the convection oven will run a staged reflow profile that will take the solder paste to the full reflowing temperature. This operation may be carried out under an environment of air or nitrogen. 
     After reflowing there will be solder flux residual left on the wafer. The flux residual is then removed using preferably an ultrasonic board-cleaning machine. A preferred machine for removing the solder flux residual uses an appropriate solvent that is in a liquid sump at one side of the machine and is held in vapour-phase at the other side of the machine. Preferably, the majority of the solder flux residual is removed in the liquid sump and the final clean is carried out in the vapour-phase. This process ensures that the wafers have very little contamination left thereon after cleaning.  FIG. 17  illustrates a wafer  53  having die therein prepared to include interconnects  19 ′, 19 ″ according to the present invention. 
     A paste according to the present invention is designed to substantially retain its shape as deposited after its binder has been reflown. Thus, for example, if the print aperture of the instrument for depositing the paste forms a cube of a given height, then the interconnect formed after reflowing the binder retains a form substantially similar to the shape of the cube as deposited. It should be noted that there would inevitably be some change in the shape after reflowing the binder. However, the change in shape would not adversely affect the performance of the interconnect. 
     After the power MOSFETs  40  in the wafer have interconnects  19 ′, 19 ″ formed on respective electrodes thereof, the wafer may be diced using any available method of dicing, for example, sawing with standard diamond impregnated blades, or laser sawing. The dicing results in individual discrete power MOSFETs. 
     After power MOSFETs  40  have been singulated, each can be electrically connected to the interior surface of a respective can  48  by a conductive adhesive, such as silver filled epoxy or solder, to form a package. To perform this step each individual power MOSFET may be picked up by an automatic pick and place machine and placed inside a respective can  48 . The conductive adhesive, e.g. silver filled epoxy, may be deposited inside each can prior to placing a power MOSFET  40  therein. After placing a MOSFET  40  inside a can  48  a curing step is carried out to cure the conductive epoxy. 
     It should be noted that the pick tips of a conventional pick and place machine may have to be modified to clear interconnects  19 ′, 19 ″. Apart from the modified pick-up tips, the pick and place step can be carried out according to conventionally known techniques. 
     It should be noted that while silver filled epoxy is preferred other materials such as soft solders, or new conductive materials based on carbon and graphite may be used without deviating from the present invention. In addition, electrically isolating die-attach materials such as epoxies or polyimides may also be used in instances when electrical connectivity is not desired. For example, when a power IC is disposed within a can by itself or with a power device, when a lateral power IC or a flip-chip power device is used, or when multiple devices are disposed in a common can an insulating die-attach material may be used to electrically insulate one or more of the devices from the can, while still taking advantage of its thermal properties. 
     As is known, a purpose of can  48  is to form the third connection necessary for the current through power MOSFET  40 . This connection is generally required in this type of device to provide a good path for both thermal and electrical conduction. Currently, the material preferred for can  48  is copper but other metals may also be considered. In addition to metals, metal matrix or composites as well as carbon and graphite materials may be utilized to form this connection. The form and function of can  48  may also vary from application to application. 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, can  48  includes a gold layer as its exterior finish. This is an improvement over some prior art packages in which the can is finished with silver. It has been found that due to ionic migration silver on the can will promote dendrite formation between the can and the semiconductor device contained therein, thereby shorting the two and rendering the package inoperative. Finishing can  48  with gold avoids such a problem. In a preferred embodiment, the gold finish may be 0.05-0.2 μm thick and it may be immersion deposited on the can. 
     It should be noted that a package according to  FIG. 12  is formed after the conductive epoxy is cured. However, to form a package according to the variation shown by  FIG. 13 , the material for forming passivation  50  is deposited over exposed portions of MOSFET  40  through single-needle dispensing, multi-needle dispensing, or jetting technology, which is a more accurate and flexible approach. After depositing the passivation material, a curing step is carried out to form passivation  50 . 
     It should be noted that it is not necessary for passivation  50  to terminate at walls  49  of can  48 . Rather, passivation  50  may be extended over walls  48 , especially when ink jet technology is employed to deposit passivation  50 . The extension of passivation  50  over walls  49  of can  48  will further increase the tracking distance. 
     Thus, to summarize, a process for manufacturing a package as shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13  includes the following sequence of steps: 
     Passivate wafer with organopolysiloxane, or another suitable passivation. 
     Print wafer with paste according to the present invention. 
     Reflow paste on wafer. 
     Clean flux residual. 
     Dice wafer. 
     Die bond to the interior of can. 
     Cure conductive adhesive to attach die. 
     Deposit passivation material (second variation) (edge of die, gap between the die and can, edge of can). 
     Cure passivation material (second variation). 
     Alternatively, the conductive adhesive for bonding the die to the can may be a solder. If so, the process may include a cleaning step after the solder is reflown. 
     The following can be yet another alternative process for manufacturing a package according to the present invention. 
     Passivate wafer with organopolysiloxane material, or any suitable passivation. 
     Dice wafer. 
     Die bond to interior of can with conductive adhesive. 
     Cure die bond adhesive. 
     Deposit paste on die surface electrodes. 
     Reflow paste on electrodes. 
     Clean flux residual. 
     Deposit organopolysiloxane material (edge of die, gap between the die and the can, and edge of can). 
     Cure passivation. 
     Alternatively, the conductive adhesive for bonding the die to the can may be solder. In this case, however, no extra flux cleaning will be required in that both the solder and the paste according to the present invention are reflown in the same step. 
     A package according to the variation shown by  FIG. 13  is more rugged than the prior art package (see  FIG. 15 ) due at least in part to a recessed die that is thickly coated with a passivation layer which is highly resistant to both chemical and mechanical damage. Furthermore, a relatively thick interconnect formed from a paste according to the present invention also now serves to protect the contact areas of the die, i.e. the gate electrode and the source electrode. 
     Also, the increased solder contact height and the combination of materials used in the formation of an interconnect according to the present invention, and the secondary soldering process, result in improvements in thermal cycling. 
     Furthermore, the process for manufacturing of a package according to the variations shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13  allows for the use of more diverse construction materials compared to the prior art technique, which means it is now possible to easily produce a device using a can  48  as shown herein, and as existing in the prior art, which has no exposed silver. That is, passivation  50  can cover and thus seal the silver within the package. Furthermore, when solder is used as die attach material instead of silver epoxy, the silver may be effectively removed. 
     Moreover, having thinner die and larger contact areas will enable improved ON resistance and thermal performance over the prior art. 
     In addition, the thickness of the die does not have to match the depth of can  48 . Thus, a die having a thickness that is different from the depth of can  48  may be packaged within the same can as that used in the prior art when an interconnect according to the present invention is used to bring all die related terminations into the same plane. 
     Also, a package according to the variation shown in  FIG. 13 , gains greater distances between contacts and areas of different potential, which allows for higher voltage die compared to the prior art. 
     An additional advantageous result is that a greater area of the die can now be utilized for connection in that the contacts, e.g. the gate electrode and the source electrode, can be moved much closer to the edge of the die than was previously possible in the prior art. As a result lower ON resistance can be achieved, as a reduction in top metal spreading resistance will be realized. More importantly the boundary on die size dictated as a result of current densities within the solder joint will be favorably moved. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the formation of interconnects  19  can be applied to electrode of a flip-chip type MOSFET  41 , which includes a drain electrode  46 , as well as, gate electrode  44  and source electrode  42  on the same surface. An example of such a device is illustrated by  FIG. 16 . It should be noted that advantageously a flip-chip type power MOSFET  41  may also be manufactured at wafer level, and then singulated prior to packaging. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 18A-B , in a package according to the prior art the connection between an electrode of a die and a conductive pad on a circuit is made through a solder mass  57  ( FIG. 18A ). Thus, the die must be roughly the depth of can  48  so that it may be coplanar with connection surfaces  51 . As a result, the thickness of the die is limited by the depth of can  48 . On the other hand, when an interconnect  19 ′, 19 ″ according to the present invention is used ( FIG. 18B ), the depth of can  48  is no longer a limitation. Thus, thinner die may be used in a package according to the present invention. Such a features makes it possible to use thin die such as IGBT die with cans  48  of the prior art depth. Also, it should be noted that when interconnects  19 ′,  19 ″ are used there will be a larger standoff between the die and the circuit board. For example, the standoff may be changed from 100 microns (solder mass  57  as connector according to prior art) to 200 microns. The increase in the standoff has been found to improve the fatigue resistance of the package compared to that of the prior art packages. 
     In yet another alternative embodiment, interconnects  19 ′, 19 ″ can be replaced with an interconnect formed from a solder alloy only which extends through passivation  50 , thus taking advantage of the beneficial properties achieved by having passivation  50  as described herein. The solder alloy used may be tin-silver-copper alloy (e.g. 95.5% Sn, 3.8% Ag, 0.7% Cu (by weight)), tin-silver alloy (96% Sn, 4% Ag (by weight), or 90% Sn, 10% Ag (by weight)), or high lead solder alloy (95% Pb, 5% Sn (by weight)). 
     Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.