Methods and structures to repair device warpage

1. A method of processing an interconnection element, comprising:

providing a substrate element having front and rear opposite surfaces and electrically conductive structure, a first dielectric layer overlying the front surface and a plurality of conductive contacts at a first surface of the first dielectric layer, and a second dielectric layer overlying the rear surface and having a second surface, the second dielectric layer having a first thickness;

removing a portion of the second dielectric layer so as to reduce the thickness of the portion to a second thickness, thereby forming a raised portion of the second dielectric layer having the first thickness and a lowered portion of the second dielectric layer having the second thickness, the first thickness being greater than the second thickness;

forming a recess within the raised portion of the second dielectric layer extending from the raised portion of the second dielectric layer toward the rear surface; and

then forming a conductive element in the recess, the conductive element electrically coupled with the electrically conductive structure, the conductive element not contacting or overlying the lowered portion.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the substrate element has a first coefficient of thermal expansion (“CTE”) in a plane parallel to the rear surface of less than 8 ppm/° C., and the second dielectric layer has a second CTE in a plane parallel to the rear surface of greater than 12 ppm/° C.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising providing an electrically conductive bond material on a portion of the conductive element that extends below the height of the first thickness of the second dielectric layer.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of conductive contacts extend a first distance above the front surface, the method further comprising removing a portion of the first dielectric layer so that a portion of the first surface is lowered to a second distance above the front surface, the first distance being greater than the second distance.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising juxtaposing element contacts at a face of a microelectronic element with the plurality of conductive contacts, and joining the element contacts with the conductive contacts.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive structure includes one or more electrically conductive traces underlying at least part of the raised portion of the second dielectric layer.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive element is formed only within the recess.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising, before forming the conductive element, applying an electroless nickel immersion gold coating within the recess, wherein the conductive element is formed on the coating.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising, before the removing, depositing a first dielectric mask overlying covered locations of the second dielectric layer, wherein the removing includes etching the portion of the second dielectric layer, the portion of the second dielectric layer being exposed by the first dielectric mask.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the substrate element has a through opening extending between the front and rear surfaces, and the electrically conductive structure includes a conductive via extending within the opening, and the removing exposes a top surface of the conductive via within the recess.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising, before depositing the first dielectric mask, depositing a second dielectric mask on at least a portion of the top surface of the conductive via, the second dielectric mask comprising a different material than the first dielectric mask.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second thickness is zero.