IP Library Granted Patent US 11,437,344
Granted Patent B2
US 11,437,344 · App. 17/019,913 · Granted Sep 6, 2022

Wafer bonding method

Inventors: Yung-Chi Lin (Su-Lin, TW); Tsang-Jiuh Wu (Hsinchu, TW); Wen-Chih Chiou (Zhunan Township, TW); Chen-Hua Yu (Hsinchu, TW)
Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
H01L24/80B23K26/362H01L21/32136H01L24/03H01L24/08H01L25/0657H01L25/50H01L2224/08146H01L2224/80201H01L2224/80895H01L2224/80896H01L2924/37001
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,437,344
App. No.
17/019,913
Granted
Sep 6, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

In an embodiment, a device includes: a first wafer including a first substrate and a first interconnect structure, a sidewall of the first interconnect structure forming an obtuse angle with a sidewall of the first substrate; and a second wafer bonded to the first wafer, the second wafer including a second substrate and a second interconnect structure, the sidewall of the first substrate being laterally offset from a sidewall of the second substrate and a sidewall of the second interconnect structure.

Claims (43)

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a first processed wafer comprising a first substrate and a first interconnect structure, the first substrate comprising a semiconductor material, the first interconnect structure comprising metal interconnects among dielectric material;

removing an edge region of the first interconnect structure with a first trim process, the first trim process removing the dielectric material of the first interconnect structure at a faster rate than the semiconductor material of the first substrate;

after the removing the edge region of the first interconnect structure, removing an edge region of the first substrate with a second trim process, the second trim process removing the semiconductor material of the first substrate at a faster rate than the dielectric material of the first interconnect structure; and

bonding a second processed wafer to a front side of the first processed wafer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first trim process removes the edge region of the first interconnect structure along a first direction, and the second trim process removes the edge region of the first substrate along a second direction, the first direction and the second direction forming an obtuse angle, the second direction being perpendicular to an active surface of the first substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first trim process is a first etching process.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first etching process is plasma etching performed with a fluorocarbon, a hydrofluorocarbon, or oxygen, the plasma etching performed using a plasma generation power in a range of 100 W to 5000 W, the plasma etching performed at a pressure in a range of 1 mTorr to 500 mTorr, the plasma etching performed for a duration in a range of 10 seconds to 600 seconds.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first etching process is laser etching performed with a wavelength in a range of 300 nm to 600 nm, the laser etching performed using a laser generation power in a range of 1 W to 30 W, the laser etching performed for a duration in a range of 10 −15 seconds to 10 −9 seconds.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second trim process is a mechanical process.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second trim process is a second etching process, the second etching process performed with different etching parameters than the first etching process.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein bonding the second processed wafer to the first processed wafer comprises:

depositing a first dielectric layer on the first processed wafer;

forming first metal features in the first dielectric layer;

depositing a second dielectric layer on the second processed wafer;

forming second metal features in the second dielectric layer;

forming dielectric-to-dielectric bonds between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer; and

forming metal-to-metal bonds between the first metal features and the second metal features.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the removing the edge region of the first substrate is performed after the depositing the first dielectric layer on the first processed wafer.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the removing the edge region of the first substrate is performed before the depositing the first dielectric layer on the first processed wafer.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a third processed wafer comprising a third substrate and a third interconnect structure;

removing an edge region of the third interconnect structure with the first trim process;

after the removing the edge region of the third interconnect structure, removing an edge region of the third substrate with the second trim process; and

bonding the third processed wafer to a back side of the first processed wafer, a sidewall of the third substrate being laterally offset from a sidewall of the first substrate.

12. A method comprising:

obtaining a first processed wafer comprising a substrate and a interconnect structure;

etching the interconnect structure to remove the interconnect structure from an edge region of the first processed wafer;

after etching the interconnect structure, sawing the substrate to remove a first portion of the substrate in the edge region of the first processed wafer;

bonding the first processed wafer to a second processed wafer; and

thinning the substrate to remove a second portion of the substrate in the edge region of the first processed wafer.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein etching the interconnect structure comprises etching the interconnect structure with a plasma etching process, the plasma etching process removing a dielectric material of the interconnect structure at a faster rate than a semiconductor material of the substrate, and wherein the dielectric material of the interconnect structure is not removed during the sawing the substrate.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein etching the interconnect structure comprises etching the interconnect structure with a laser etching process, the laser etching process removing a dielectric material of the interconnect structure at a faster rate than a semiconductor material of the substrate, and wherein the dielectric material of the interconnect structure is not removed during the sawing the substrate.

15. A device comprising:

a first wafer comprising a first substrate and a first interconnect structure, a sidewall of the first interconnect structure forming an obtuse angle with a sidewall of the first substrate; and

a second wafer bonded to the first wafer, the second wafer comprising a second substrate and a second interconnect structure, the sidewall of the first substrate being laterally offset from a sidewall of the second substrate and a sidewall of the second interconnect structure.

16. The device of claim 15 further comprising:

a dielectric layer bonding the second wafer to the first wafer, a sidewall of the dielectric layer forming the obtuse angle with the sidewall of the first substrate.

17. The device of claim 15 further comprising:

a dielectric layer bonding the second wafer to the first wafer, the dielectric layer extending along the sidewall of the first interconnect structure and the sidewall of the first substrate.

18. The device of claim 15 , wherein the sidewall of the first substrate has a first portion and a second portion, the first portion connecting the second portion to an active surface of the first substrate, the first portion forming the obtuse angle with the second portion.

19. The device of claim 15 , wherein the sidewall of the first substrate forms a right angle with an active surface of the first substrate.

20. The device of claim 15 , wherein the sidewall of the first substrate forms an acute angle with an active surface of the first substrate.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 14, 2020
From: LIN, YUNG-CHI; WU, TSANG-JIUH; CHIOU, WEN-CHIH; YU, CHEN-HUA
To: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 053761/0449 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63001163 · Mar 27, 2020
Related Publication 20210305200A1 · Sep 30, 2021
Cited By (1)
US 12,374,651