Continued miniaturization in the microelectronics industry calls for chip-to-substrate off-chip interconnects that have 100 μm pitch or less for area-array format. Such fine-pitch interconnects will have a shorter standoff height and a smaller cross-section area, and thus could fail through thermo-mechanical fatigue prematurely. Also, as the industry transitions to porous low-K dielectric/Cu interconnect structures, it is important to ensure that the stresses induced by the off-chip interconnects and the package configuration do not crack or delaminate the low-K dielectric material. Compliant free-standing structures used as off-chip interconnects are a potential solution to address these reliability concerns. In our previous work we have proposed G-Helix interconnects, a lithography-based electroplated compliant off-chip interconnect that can be fabricated at the wafer level. In this paper we develop an assembly process for G-Helix interconnects at a 100 μm pitch, identifying the critical factors that impact the assembly yield of such free-standing compliant interconnect. Reliability data are presented for a 20 mm × 20 mm chip with G-Helix interconnects at a 100 μm pitch assembled on an organic substrate and subjected to accelerated thermal cycling. Subsequent failure analysis of the assembly is performed and limited correlation is shown with failure location predicted by finite elements models.
