We need to make sure we can package the IC after the wafer has been diced into individual dies.

A common way of packaging ICs is to connect them to a leadframe by bonding tiny wires between the leads of the leadframe and the pads on the die.

The big bond pads around the outside of the IC often include ESD protection diodes, Input/Output drivers and so on.

This picture shows raven, an IC from Efabless. You can see around the edge there are the big bond pads and the power and ground lines. This structure is called a padring.

The padring used in the Google shuttle is included in Caravel.

Course feedback

It was such a great opportunity to do something on my own and see a piece of silicon where there is my invention or my part doing things. It was in the back of my mind for a long time, I think it was my dream to put something into silicon but it was so expensive until this opportunity arrived.

Pawel Sitarz (digital course)