Patent ID: 8623763

Claim:
A method of protecting through substrate via (TSV) die from bonding damage, comprising: providing a substrate comprising a plurality of TSV die, said plurality of TSV die having a topside including active circuitry, a bottomside, and a plurality of TSVs comprising an inner metal core that reaches from said topside to protruding TSV tips that extend out from said bottomside; forming or applying a protective layer on said bottomside including between and over said protruding TSV tips; and bonding said TSV die with said topside down onto a workpiece having a workpiece surface and said bottomside up and in contact with a bond head, wherein said protective layer prevents said bond head from making direct contact to said protruding TSV tips, wherein said TSV tips include a metal cap thereon comprising at least one metal layer that includes a metal that is not in said inner metal core.