Intel Corporation
Guard ring structures and their methods of fabrication

Abstract:

A guard ring structure includes a ring of semiconductor material disposed on a substrate. A conductive ring is disposed on the ring of semiconductor material. The conductive ring is interconnected by intervening vias. The guard ring structure may include a plurality of individual rings of the semiconductor material formed concentrically and in close proximity to one another on the substrate. A Guard ring structure is generally disposed around a periphery of a die containing integrated circuits that include transistors RF amplifiers and memory devices to reduce the impact of stresses arising from die sawing to separate individual die in a wafer.