JPH0425154A - Ic chip - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To lessen a mechanical stress induced in an IC chip so as to enhance the IC chip in effective area by a method wherein the corners of the IC chip are cut off. CONSTITUTION:The corners of an IC chip are cut off. That is, when the IC chip is subjected to an acceleration test or in a normal operation, a temperature gradient is induced on the surface of the IC chip due to heat released from electric resistors or the like provided inside an integrated circuit, so that a mechanical stress S is generated at the corners of the IC chip 1. Therefore, the corner of the IC chip 1 is cut off along a line which forms an angle of 45 deg. or so with the side of the chip 1 to provide eight corners of an angle of 135 deg. or so to the periphery of the chip 1. The induced stress is dispersed and lessened as compared with a chip where its corners are not cut off. By this setup, the IC chip 1 can be enhanced in effective area, so that a wiring 2, elements, and others can be arranged in a wider range on the IC chip 1.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is directed to an IC (Integrated C1rc)
This invention relates to improvements to the chip, in particular to reducing the mechanical stress generated in the chip.

[Prior Art] IC chips are manufactured through a process (dicing) in which multiple chips formed on a single wafer are divided, but in order to increase yield and simplify dicing, IC chips are usually rectangular. ing.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, if the IC chip is rectangular, as shown in FIG.
There is a problem in that the aluminum wiring, polysilicon wiring, etc. formed on the chip 1 may crack and break, or the threshold voltage of the transistor may fluctuate, resulting in deterioration of the characteristics of the integrated circuit.

Therefore, it is not possible to form wiring or elements that would affect the characteristics of the integrated circuit in the corner portions of the IC chip 1. For example, as shown in FIG. Since the IC is placed avoiding areas where stress S is generated,
There is an unresolved problem that the usable area (effective area) of the chip is reduced. In particular, as the area of the IC chip 1 increases, the mechanical stress S increases accordingly, further reducing the effective area.

This invention was made in view of the unresolved problems of the conventional technology, and aims to provide an IC chip that reduces mechanical stress and increases the effective area. There is.

[Means to solve the problem]

” In order to achieve the second objective, the IC zip of the present invention has the following features:
I dropped the corner of the chip.

[Effect]

Since the IC chip of the present invention has rounded corners, mechanical stress generated at the corners of the chip is dispersed.

〔Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

1 and 2 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an IC chip I, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a corner portion of the IC chip 1. FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the rectangular IC chip 1 is
An integrated circuit consisting of elements such as transistors and aluminum wiring is formed on its surface, and its four corners are cut off.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the corners of the IC chip 1 are cut off at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the sides of the IC chip 1. In other words, around IC chip 1 there are approximately 13
This means that eight 5 degree angles are formed.

The IC chip 1 is mounted in a package (not shown), and is capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device by, for example, wireless ε-ending.

Here, the IC chip 1 is heated by an oven or the like during an accelerated test, for example, and heat is generated by electrical resistance within the integrated circuit during normal use, so a temperature distribution occurs on the surface of the IC chip 1. Mechanical stress S is generated at the corners of the chip 1, but since the corners of the IC chip 1 of this embodiment are rounded, the generated stress S is dispersed, and the stress is lower than when the corners are not rounded. It's small enough.

Therefore, the effective area of the IC chip 1 increases, so that, for example, the wiring 2 and other elements can be disposed over a wide range on the IC chip 1.

In order to reduce mechanical stress, it is optimal to form the IC chip 1 into a disk shape, but if the IC chip 1 is formed into a disk shape, the yield will be significantly reduced and dicing will be difficult. This will cause problems such as difficulty.

However, in this embodiment, since it is only necessary to drop the 10 square parts of the IC chip that are not used as areas for elements, wiring, etc., the yield does not decrease and dicing does not become particularly difficult. Nor.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the corner of the IC chip 1 is cut off at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the side of the IC chip 1 has been described, but the method of cutting off the corner is not limited to this, and for example, , the 135 degree corner may be cut off to form a corner with a larger angle, or the corner of the IC chip 1 may be cut into a curved shape such as an arc.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, since the corners of the IC chip are rounded, the mechanical stress in the IC chip is reduced, and the effective area of the IC chip is increased.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an IC chip according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a corner portion of the IC chip, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a corner portion of a conventional IC chip. be. 1...IC chip, 2...wiring, S...stress

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An IC chip characterized by having the corners of the chip cut off.