APPARATUS AND METHODS RELATED TO WIRE BOND PADS AND REDUCING IMPACT OF HIGH RF LOSS PLATING

• Main Authors: SHAO HONGXIAO, SUN WEIMIN, ZAMPARDI JR. PETER JOSEPH
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Korean
• Published: 05.02.2014
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

To reduce the radio frequency (RF) losses associated with high RF loss plating, such as, for example, Nickel/Palladium/Gold (Ni/Pd/Au) plating, the solder mask can be reconfigured to prevent the edges and sidewalls of the wire-bond areas from being plated in some embodiments. Leaving the edges and sidewalls of the wire-bond areas free from high RF loss plating, such as Ni/Pd/Au plating, provides a path for the RF current to flow around the high resistivity material, which reduces the RF signal loss associated with the high resistivity plating material. Also, to reduce the RF losses associated with high RF loss plating, such as, for example, Ni/Pd/Au plating, an on-die passive device, such as a capacitor, resistor, or inductor, associated with a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) can be placed in an RF upper signal path with respect to the RF signal output of the RFIC. By placing the on-die passive device in the RF upper signal path, the RF current does not directly pass through the high RF loss plating material of the passive device bonding pad.