Patent ID: 8178976

Claim:
A semiconductor device, comprising: an integrated circuit (IC) die, comprising: a substrate including a top semiconductor comprising surface and a bottom surface on an opposite side of said IC die; at least one through substrate via (TSV) comprising a first electrically conductive composition extending from said top semiconductor surface through said substrate to a protruding integral tip comprising sidewalls and a distal end opposite said bottom surface, said protruding integral tip having a tip height of between 1 and 50 μm; and a metal layer on said bottom surface of said IC die, and said sidewalls and said distal end of said protruding integral tip, said metal layer comprising a second electrically conductive metal comprising composition that is different from said first electrically conductive composition; and a liner on said sidewalls comprising a material different from said first and said second electrically conductive compositions that extends beyond said bottom surface a distance of at least 1% of said tip height, wherein said metal layer is on top of said liner.