Flexibility enhanced integrated circuit carrier

1. An integrated circuit carrier including:

a receiving zone including electrical contacts for receiving an integrated circuit;

a plurality of islands arranged about the receiving zone, at least one island electrically connected to one of the contacts of the receiving zone; and

one or more voids between adjacent islands, the combination of voids and islands acting to reduce the rigidity of the carrier.

2. The carrier of claim 1 which is fabricated from a wafer of non-conductive material.

3. The carrier of claim 2 in which the wafer is of the same material as the integrated circuit to have a co-efficient of thermal expansion approximating that of the integrated circuit.

4. The carrier of claim 2 in which the islands and voids are formed by etching the wafer.

5. The carrier of claim 4 in which the etch is a re-entrant etch.

6. The carrier of claim 1 further including at least one bridging member extending between adjacent islands.

7. The carrier of claim 6 in which a bridging member includes an arm extending from each of two adjacent islands, and at least one orthogonal member extending between the arms.

8. The carrier of claim 7 wherein at least one bridging member includes at least two parallel orthogonal members connected at an end opposite an end at which the orthogonal members connect to the arms.

9. The carrier of claim 8 wherein at least one bridging member includes at least three parallel orthogonal members.

10. The carrier of claim 1 wherein at least one island adjacent the receiving zone is connected to the receiving zone by at least two bridging members.

11. The carrier of claim 10 wherein at least one of the bridging members connecting an island to the receiving zone is a zig-zag element.

12. The carrier of claim 1 wherein at least one electrical terminal of an island is in the form of a metal pad.