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  Connection pad layoutsRelated Patent Categories: Metal Working, Method Of Mechanical Manufacture, Electrical Device Making, Conductor Or Circuit Manufacturing, On Flat Or Curved Insulated Base, E.g., Printed Circuit, Etc., Assembling Terminal To Base, By Metal Fusion BondingConnection pad layouts description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070169342, Connection pad layouts. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional application and claims the benefit and priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/698,604 filed Oct. 31, 2003. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] This invention relates to connection assemblies and, in particular, to connection pad layouts. BACKGROUND [0003] FIG. 1 illustrates a top-view of a substrate assembly 100 and a conventional array 102 of connection pads 104 formed on the substrate assembly 100. The connection pads are typically laid out in an array 102 such that rows of the connection pads 104 are parallel and collinear. The connection pads 104 are disposed on an upper surface 106 of the substrate assembly 100 to form an electrical connection with thin film wiring formed on a surface of the substrate assembly 100, or with conductive vias formed within the substrate assembly 100. [0004] The substrate assembly 100 can be formed as a ceramic substrate and implemented to electrically connect semiconductor integrated circuits and other electronic or microelectronic components. The integrated circuits and electronic components can be interconnected by way of conductive vias formed within layers of the ceramic substrate assembly 100. [0005] Interconnect terminals of an integrated circuit or electronic component are soldered, or otherwise affixed with a conductive adhesive, to the connection pads 104 to electrically couple the integrated circuit or electronic component with conductive vias in the substrate assembly 100. Solder can be pre-formed on an interconnect terminal or on a connection pad 104 and can be reflowed (e.g., heated to a liquid) to provide a conductive bond that electrically couples an interconnect terminal with a respective connection pad 104. This provides an electrical signal communication path between an electronic component and a conductive via in the substrate assembly 100 (coupled through a connection pad 104). [0006] FIG. 2 further illustrates the substrate assembly 100 (a top view) and the conventional array 102 of connection pads 104 shown in FIG. 1. A warped interconnect 200 is shown positioned over the connection pad array 102 to illustrate that interconnect terminals 202 of the warped interconnect 200 do not all align with the conventional array 102 of connection pads 104. The warped interconnect 200 is shown "transparent" such that the interconnect terminals 202 and the connection pads 104 are "viewable" through the interconnect 200. Further, FIG. 2 does not show the integrated circuit or electronic component that warped interconnect 200 would interface to the substrate assembly 100. [0007] Although the interconnect terminals 202 at a mid-portion of the interconnect 200 do align with a respective connection pad 104, such as terminal 202(4) which aligns with connection pad 104(4), the terminals 202 at the ends of the warped interconnect 200 do not accurately align with a respective connection pad 104. For example, interconnect terminal 202(1) does not accurately align with connection pad 104(1), and interconnect terminal 202(N) also does not accurately align with a connection pad on the substrate assembly 100. These misaligned interconnect terminals and connection pads reduce the effectiveness of the electrical connections, and with some of the interconnect terminals, there is no electrical connection. In addition to the misaligned interconnect terminal 202(N) not having an established electrical connection with a respective connection pad, the misaligned interconnect terminal may overlap and electrically connect with the wrong connection pad, as shown in region 204. [0008] Electronic devices continue to be manufactured smaller and/or more portable, yet increasingly are more complex and multi-functional which requires more electrical interconnections between components in the electronic devices. Substrate assemblies in these smaller electronic devices have limited available surface area for component interconnection, while at the same time, more electrical interconnections are needed to implement the many features that are available with these electronic devices. As a result, manufacturers utilize thin and elongated interconnects to electrically connect the components in an electronic device when available substrate surface space is at a premium. [0009] When these thin and less rigid interconnects are manufactured, the interconnects tend to warp at one or both ends due to manufacturing inaccuracies, material variations, and/or non-uniform shrinkage of the material used to manufacture the interconnects. For example, differential shrinkage of multi-lead interconnects in a two-dimensional array occurs when a thin and long interconnect is fabricated with more coring on one end or the other resulting in non-uniform shrinkage on the end with more plastic or interconnect material. When the warped interconnect 200 is positioned over the connection pad array 102, not all of the interconnect terminals 202 accurately align with the respective connection pads 104 thus reducing the connection density, or manufacturing yields. [0010] A conventional practice to ensure accurate alignment and electrical contact with the interconnect terminals of an electronic component is to oversize all of the connection pads. However, oversizing the connection pads to accommodate the worst case misalignment limits the number of connection pads that can be formed within the ever diminishing available substrate surface space, thus reducing and limiting the connection density. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0011] The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components. [0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a substrate and a conventional array of connection pads. [0013] FIG. 2 illustrates the substrate and conventional array of connection pads shown in FIG. 1 where interconnect terminals of a warped interconnect do not accurately align with the conventional array of connection pads. [0014] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary connection pad array for a warped interconnect according to one embodiment of connection pad layouts. [0015] FIG. 4 further illustrates the exemplary connection pad array shown in FIG. 3 where the connection pads align with interconnect terminals of an interconnect according to one embodiment of connection pad layouts. [0016] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary connection pad array having connection pads formed into a configuration to align with an interconnect according to one embodiment of connection pad layouts. [0017] FIG. 6 further illustrates the exemplary connection pad array shown in FIG. 5 where the connection pads can align with interconnect terminals of a straight interconnect or can align with interconnect terminals of a warped interconnect according to one embodiment of connection pad layouts. [0018] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram that illustrates one embodiment of a method of fabricating connection pads for connection to an interconnect that is warped or otherwise has a non-linear alignment of terminals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0019] In an embodiment of connection pad layouts, connection pads can be disposed on a substrate assembly in any number of configurations to accommodate any shape of an interconnect, such as an interconnect that is warped during manufacture for example. The connection pads can be laid out to align with interconnect terminals of warped interconnects without over-sizing or increasing the contact area of the connection pads, which maintains a high connection density. The exemplary connection pad configurations described herein provide that an interconnect having any layout of terminals (e.g., a warped interconnect) will be electrically coupled to conductive vias within a substrate assembly by contact between the interconnect terminals and one or more of the connection pads in a connection pad configuration. Continue reading about Connection pad layouts... Full patent description for Connection pad layouts Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Connection pad layouts patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Connection pad layouts or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Circuit board design Next Patent Application: Methods of fabricating substrates including one or more conductive vias Industry Class: Metal working ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Connection pad layouts patent info. 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