IP Library Granted Patent US 12,374,651
Granted Patent B2
US 12,374,651 · App. 18/624,954 · Granted Jul 29, 2025

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 12,374,651
App. No.
18/624,954
Granted
Jul 29, 2025
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 (36)

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a first wafer comprising a first semiconductor substrate and a first dielectric layer;

performing a first trim process to remove a first portion of the first dielectric layer in an edge region of the first wafer, the first trim process removing the first dielectric layer at a faster rate than the first semiconductor substrate;

after performing the first trim process, performing a second trim process to remove a second portion of the first semiconductor substrate in the edge region of the first wafer, the second trim process removing the first semiconductor substrate at a faster rate than the first dielectric layer; and

after performing the second trim process, thinning the first semiconductor substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

bonding a second wafer to the first wafer, the second wafer comprising a second semiconductor substrate and a second dielectric layer, the second dielectric layer bonded to the first dielectric layer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein bonding the second wafer to the first wafer comprises:

pressing the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer against one another; and

annealing the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first trim process is performed along a first direction, the second trim process is performed along a second direction, and the first direction forms an obtuse angle with the second direction.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first trim process is a non-mechanical process, the second trim process is a mechanical process, and the non-mechanical process removes a dielectric material of the first dielectric layer from 5 to 50 times faster than a semiconductor material of the first semiconductor substrate.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the non-mechanical process is a chemical etching process.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the non-mechanical process is a laser etching process.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first wafer further comprises a conductive via in the first semiconductor substrate and thinning the first semiconductor substrate exposes the conductive via.

9. A method comprising:

obtaining a first wafer comprising a semiconductor substrate and a dielectric layer;

removing edge regions of the dielectric layer with a non-mechanical process, the non-mechanical process removing the edge regions of the dielectric layer along a first direction;

after removing the edge regions of the dielectric layer, removing edge regions of the semiconductor substrate with a mechanical process, the mechanical process removing the edge regions of the semiconductor substrate along a second direction, the second direction being different from the first direction; and

after removing the edge regions of the semiconductor substrate, thinning the first wafer.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first direction forms an obtuse angle with the second direction.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein after the non-mechanical process, a first width of a bottom of the dielectric layer is greater than a second width of a top of the dielectric layer.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first wafer further comprises conductive vias extending into the semiconductor substrate, and thinning the first wafer comprises:

performing a thinning process on an inactive surface of the semiconductor substrate until the conductive vias are exposed.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

before thinning the first wafer, bonding a second wafer to a front side of the first wafer.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

after thinning the first wafer, bonding a second wafer to a back side of the first wafer.

15. A structure comprising:

a first wafer comprising a first semiconductor substrate and a first dielectric layer, a sidewall of the first dielectric layer forming an obtuse angle with a sidewall of the first semiconductor substrate; and

a second wafer comprising a second semiconductor substrate and a second dielectric layer, the second dielectric layer bonded to the first dielectric layer with dielectric-to-dielectric bonds, the sidewall of the first semiconductor substrate being laterally offset from a sidewall of the second semiconductor substrate.

16. The structure of claim 15 , wherein the first wafer further comprises first die connectors, the second wafer further comprises second die connectors, and the second die connectors are bonded to the first die connectors with metal-to-metal bonds.

17. The structure of claim 15 , wherein a first width of the first semiconductor substrate is less than a second width of the second semiconductor substrate.

18. The structure of claim 15 , wherein a first width of a bottom of the first dielectric layer is greater than a second width of a top of the first dielectric layer.

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

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

Continuity (4)
Continuation 17869977 · Jul 21, 2022
Continuation 17019913 · Sep 14, 2020
Provisional Application 63001163 · Mar 27, 2020
Related Publication 20240250061A1 · Jul 25, 2024
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