THIN-FILM ALUMINUM NITRIDE ENCAPSULANT FOR METALLIC STRUCTURES ON INTEGRATED CIRCUITS AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME

摘要

An aluminum nitride (AlN) thin-film (26) is applied over thin-film metallic circuitry (16, 20, 24) such as an environmental sensor, on the side edges of electrode pads (10, 12), and/or over some or all of the surface area of a substrate (14). The thin-film acts to protect the encapsulated structures from exposure to oxidation and from reducing and vacuum environments, electrically insulates the encapsulated structures from other structures, and helps to securely adhere the structures to the substrate surface. The AlN thin-film can also enable multiple IC layers to be stacked on top of each other, with AlN thin-film interlayers employed between IC layers such that each IC layer is separated and electrically insulated from adjacent layers.