Fabrication for electroplating thick metal pads
View Patent ↗A method of electroplating includes forming a seed region to be electroplated on a first portion of a substrate, forming a ground plane on a second portion of a substrate, electrically isolating the ground plane from the seed region, electroplating the region, wherein electroplating includes causing the ground plane and the region to make electrical connection, and then removing the ground plane region on the second portion of the substrate, but not removing the electrical isolation. This creates a structure having a substrate, a passivation layer on the substrate, and at least one electroplated, metal region on the substrate such that there is contiguous contact between the metal region and the passivation layer. And, after an additional flip-chip assembly to a bond pad/heat sinking chip, results in a device having a bond pad chip having bond pads, solder beads formed on the bond pads, and a component connected to the bond pads by the solder beads. Wherein, the component has a substrate, a passivation layer on the substrate, and at least one electroplated, metal region on the substrate such that there is contiguous contact between the metal region and the passivation layer.
1. A structure, comprising:
a substrate having a mesa;
an active region on the substrate adjacent the mesa;
a first metal seed layer on the mesa in electrical contact with an n-type semiconductor;
a second metal seed layer on the active region on the substrate in electrical contact with a p-type semiconductor and isolated from the first metal seed layer;
a passivation layer on the substrate and the seed layers; and
at least one electroplated, metal contact pad in contact with the first metal seed layer and at least one electroplated, metal contact pad in contact with the second metal seed layer such that there is contiguous contact between the metal contact pads and the passivation layer and between the seed layers and the passivation layer, the metal contact pad in contact with the first metal seed layer and the metal contact pad in contact with the second metal seed layer being on a same plane.
2. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the metal contact pads are a portion of a light emitting diode structure.
3. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a sapphire substrate.
4. The structure of claim 1 , wherein during manufacture the structure includes a ground plane and the passivation layer is resistant to a ground plane material etchant used to remove the ground plane.
5. A device, comprising:
a bond pad chip having bond pads;
solder beads formed on the bond pads; and
a component connected to the bond pads by the solder beads, the component comprising:
a substrate having a mesa;
an active region on the substrate adjacent the mesa;
a first metal seed layer on the mesa in electrical contact with an n-type semiconductor;
a second metal seed layer on the active region on the substrate in electrical contact with a p-type semiconductor and isolated from the first metal seed layer;
a passivation layer on the substrate and the seed layers; and
at least one electroplated, metal contact pad in contact with the first metal seed layer and at least one electroplated, metal contact pad in contact with the second metal seed layer such that there is contiguous contact between the metal contact pads and the passivation layer and between the seed layers and the passivation layer, the metal contact pad in contact with the first metal seed layer and the metal contact pad in contact with the second metal seed layer being on a same plane.
6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the component comprises a light emitting diode.