SOLDERLESS INTER-COMPONENT JOINTS

In a die-substrate assembly, a copper inter-component joint is formed by bonding corresponding copper interconnect structures together directly, without using solder. The copper interconnect structures have distal layers of (111) crystalline copper that enable them to bond together at a relatively low temperature (e.g., below 300° C.) compared to the relatively high melting point (about 1085° C.) for the bulk copper of the rest of the interconnect structures. By avoiding the use of solder, the resulting inter-component joint will not suffer from the adverse IMC/EM effects of conventional, solder-based joints. The distal surfaces of the interconnect structures may be curved (e.g., one concave and the other convex) to facilitate mating the two structures and improve the reliability of the physical contact between the two interconnect structures. The bonding may be achieved using directed microwave radiation and microwave-sensitive flux, instead of uniform heating.