Patent ID: 7851342

Claim:
A method comprising: providing at least a portion of a semiconductor wafer; forming a plurality of vias extending through the wafer; delivering a plurality of particles to the vias in the wafer, wherein at least some of the particles comprise a polymer in solid form and at least some of the particles comprise a metal in solid form; wherein a plurality of the particles include both the polymer and the metal within the same particle; wherein the delivering the sluralit of particles to the vias is carried out using a sieving process, the sieving process including using a stencil having openings matching via locations over the wafer, and delivering the plurality of particles to the vias through the openings in the stencil; after the delivering the plurality of particles to the vias, applying heat to cross-link at least part of the polymer in the vias; and after the applying heat, cooling the polymer; wherein a composite material comprising the cross-linked polymer and the metal is formed in the vias.