Appeal No. 2003-0175
Application No. 09/769,976
Background
The invention relates to a packaged integrated circuit device comprising a
plurality of solder ball bond pads and wire bond bond pads. Each having a gold
coating. Claim 31. The gold coating on the solder ball bond pads is thinner than the
gold coating on the wire bond bond pads. Id. According to appellant, in prior art
processes, the wire bond bond pads and solder ball bond pads are coated
simultaneously. Specification, page 1, lines 5-7. These processes provide either too
much gold on the solder ball bond pads or too little gold on the wire bond bond pads.
Id., lines 12-15. Too much gold causes solder ball joint embrittlement while too little
gold causes wire bonding problems. Id., lines 8-10.
According to appellant, he has developed a method of coating bond pads in the
fabrication of integrated circuits which produces a structure wherein the gold coating is
thinner on the solder ball bond pads than the coating on the wire bond bond pads
thereby eliminating the above-noted drawbacks associated with the prior art method of
simultaneously coating bond pads.
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Last modified: November 3, 2007