Transition from flip chip solder joint to 3D IC microbump: Its effect on microstructure anisotropy

As microelectronic industry develops 3D IC on the basis of through-Si-vias (TSV) technology, the processing and reliability of microbumps, which are used to interconnect the stacking chips, is being actively investigated. Due to the reduction in size of microbumps, the diameter is about one order of magnitude smaller than that of flip chip solder joints, and the volume is 1000 times smaller. Its microstructure and in turn its properties will be anisotropic because the number of grains in a microbump becomes very small. Its statistical failure will have a wide distribution because of anisotropy, including early failure. This review addresses this issue and the remedy.