Packaged IC using insulated wire

Abstract

A packaged IC including insulated wire for electrically connecting conductive structures of the packaged IC. In some embodiments, the packaged IC includes an IC die attached to a package substrate, where bond pads of the IC die are electrically connected to bond fingers of the substrate with insulated wire. The insulated wire has a conductive core and an insulator coating. In some examples, the insulator coating includes an inorganic covalently-bonded substance that is not an oxide of the electrically conductive core such as, e.g., silicon nitride or silicon oxide. In one example, the insulator coating is applied to a conductive core by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process such as a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A packaged integrated circuit (IC), comprising: 
 an IC die having a plurality of sides;    a first plurality of conductive structures;    a second plurality of conductive structures;    a plurality of wires, each wire of the plurality electrically connecting a conductive structure of the first plurality of conductive structures to a conductive structure of the second plurality of conductive structures, wherein each wire of the plurality of wires includes an electrically conductive core with an insulator coating around the electrically conductive core, wherein the insulator coating includes an inorganic covalently-bonded substance that is not an oxide of the electrically conductive core; and    an encapsulant covering the plurality of wires and at least one side of the IC die.    
     
     
         2 . The packaged IC of  claim 1 , wherein the insulator coating includes silicon oxynitride.  
     
     
         3 . The packaged IC of  claim 1 , wherein the insulator coating includes an oxide of silicon.  
     
     
         4 . The packaged IC of  claim 1 , wherein the insulator coating includes silicon nitride.  
     
     
         5 . The packaged IC of  claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive core includes metal.  
     
     
         6 . The packaged IC of  claim 5 , wherein the electrically conductive core includes gold.  
     
     
         7 . The packaged IC of  claim 5 , wherein the electrically conductive core includes copper.  
     
     
         8 . The packaged IC of  claim 5 , wherein the electrically conductive core includes aluminum.  
     
     
         9 . The packaged IC of  claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of conductive structures includes a plurality of IC bond pads on the IC die.  
     
     
         10 . The packaged IC of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of wires further includes a wire connecting a first IC bond pad of a plurality of IC bond pads to a second IC bond pad of the plurality of IC bond pads.  
     
     
         11 . The packaged IC of  claim 1 , further comprising a package substrate, wherein a plurality of bond fingers is located on the package substrate and wherein the IC die is mounted on the package substrate.  
     
     
         12 . The packaged IC of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of wires further includes a wire connecting a first package bond finger of the plurality of package bond fingers to a second package bond finger of the plurality of package bond fingers.  
     
     
         13 . The packaged IC of  claim 1 , wherein the insulator coating has a higher melting temperature than that of the electrically conductive core.  
     
     
         14 . The packaged IC of  claim 1 , wherein the insulator coating has a material hardness greater than that of the electrically conductive core.  
     
     
         15 . The packaged IC of  claim 1 , wherein the inorganic covalently-bonded substance is one of silicon nitride, alumium nitride, boron nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, titanium oxide, magnesium oxide, tantalum oxide, boron oxide, berylium oxide, phosphorus oxide, vanadium oxide, chromium oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon carbide, diamond, and diamond-like carbon.  
     
     
         16 . A method of making a packaged integrated circuit (IC), comprising: 
 providing an IC die;    providing a conductive core;    applying an insulator coating around the conductive core by a chemical vapor deposition process to form an insulated wire;    electrically connecting a first conductive structure with a second conductive structure with the insulated wire; and    encapsulating at least a portion of each of the IC die, the first conductive structure, the second conductive structure, and the insulated wire.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the insulator coating includes an inorganic covalently-bonded substance that is not an oxide of the conductive core.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the inorganic covalently-bonded substance is one of silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, titanium oxide, magnesium oxide, tantalum oxide, boron oxide, beryllium oxide, phosphorus oxide, vanadium oxide, chromium oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon carbide, diamond, and diamond-like carbon.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the first conductive structure is a bond pad of the IC die.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the CVD process includes a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the insulator coating includes at least one of silicon oxide or silicon nitride.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the conductive core includes copper.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the conductive core includes gold.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the conductive core includes aluminum.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the insulator coating has a higher melting temperature than that of the conductive core.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the insulator coating has a thickness of at least 15 Angstroms.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 16 , where in the insulator coating has a material hardness greater than that of the conductive core.  
     
     
         28 . A wire comprising: 
 a metal core; and    an insulator coating around the core, the insulator coating including at least one of silicon nitride and silicon oxide.    
     
     
         29 . A packaged integrated circuit (IC), comprising: 
 a package substrate having a plurality of package bond fingers;    an IC die mounted on the package substrate and having a plurality of IC bond pads;    a plurality of wires, each of the plurality of wires connecting a package bond finger of the plurality of package bond fingers to a IC bond pad of the plurality of IC bond pads, wherein each of the plurality of wires includes a metal core with an insulator coating including at least one of silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and silicon oxide; and    an encapsulant covering the plurality of wires and at least one side of the IC die.    
     
     
         30 . The packaged IC of  claim 29 , wherein the insulator coating has a thickness of at least 15 nanometers.