IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,506,111
Granted Patent B2
US 12,506,111 · App. 16/998,947 · Granted Dec 23, 2025

Alignment method and alignment apparatus

Inventors: Hajime Mitsuishi (Yokohama, JP); Minoru Fukuda (Tokyo, JP); Isao Sugaya (Kawasaki, JP)
Assignee: Nikon Corporation
H01L24/80H01L23/544H01L24/08H01L24/74H01L2223/54426H01L2224/08145H01L2224/8013H01L2224/80895H01L2224/80896
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,506,111
App. No.
16/998,947
Granted
Dec 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An alignment method for aligning two substrates to be stacked, comprising measuring a position of a mark selected from plurality of marks disposed on at least one substrate of the two substrates and aligning the two substrates based on the position of the measured mark, wherein the mark to be measured is selected based on information relating to distortion of the at least one substrate. The mark may be a mark disposed in a region having a smaller distortion amount of the at least one substrate than a threshold. The mark may be a mark disposed in a region having a higher reproducibility of distortion that occurs in the at least one substrate than a threshold.

Claims (49)

1 . An alignment method for aligning two substrates to be stacked, comprising:

acquiring information of deformation of at least one substrate of the two substrates, wherein a plurality of marks, each of which is an indicator for alignment, are disposed on the at least one substrate;

selecting marks from the plurality of marks based on the information;

measuring a position of each of the selected marks; and

aligning the two substrates based on the measured positions of the selected marks such that misalignment between the two substrates is reduced,

wherein the information includes sizes of non-linear components of the deformation, and

wherein the aligning the two substrates includes aligning the two substrates based on amount of movement of the at least one substrate, the amount of movement being calculated based on the positions of the selected marks.

2 . A method for stacking substrates, comprising:

aligning the two substrates using the alignment method according to claim 1 ; and

bonding the aligned two substrates.

3 . The alignment method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the selected marks are marks each of which is disposed on a region whose non-linear component size of the deformation of the at least one substrate is smaller than a threshold.

4 . The alignment method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the selected marks are marks each of which is disposed on a region whose non-linear component reproducibility of the deformation of the at least one substrate is higher than a threshold.

5 . An alignment apparatus for aligning two substrates to be stacked, comprising:

an acquiring unit configured to acquire information of deformation of at least one substrate of the two substrates;

a selecting unit configured to select marks from the plurality of marks based on the information;

a measuring unit configured to measure a position of each of the selected marks; and

an aligning unit configured to align the two substrates based the measured positions of the selected marks such that misalignment between the two substrates is reduced,

wherein the information includes sizes of non-linear components of the deformation, and

wherein the aligning the two substrates includes aligning the two substrates based on amount of movement of the at least one substrate, the amount of movement being calculated based on the positions of the selected marks.

6 . The alignment apparatus according to claim 5 ,

wherein the selected marks are marks each of which is disposed on a region whose non-linear component size of the deformation of the at least one substrate is smaller than a threshold.

7 . The alignment apparatus according to claim 5 ,

wherein the selected marks are marks each of which is disposed on a region whose non-linear component reproducibility of the deformation of the at least one substrate is higher than a threshold.

8 . The alignment apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the threshold is determined by at least one of a target alignment accuracy or bonding accuracy of the two substrates.

9 . A substrate stacking apparatus comprising:

the alignment apparatus according to claim 5 ; and

a bonding portion configured to bond the two substrates that is aligned by the alignment apparatus.

10 . The substrate stacking apparatus according to claim 9 , comprising an activation apparatus configured to activate a bonded surface of the two substrates before or after aligning the two substrates with the alignment apparatus.

11 . A stacked substrate manufacturing system comprising:

an acquiring unit configured to acquire information of deformation of at least one substrate of two substrates to be stacked, wherein a plurality of marks, each of which is an indicator for alignment, are disposed on the at least one substrate;

a selecting unit configured to select marks from the plurality of marks based on the information;

a measuring unit configured to measure a position of each of the selected marks; and

a substrate stacking apparatus configured to bond the two substrates based on the measured positions of the selected marks,

wherein the information includes sizes of non-linear components of the deformation, and

wherein the aligning the two substrates includes aligning the two substrates based on amount of movement of the at least one substrate, the amount of movement being calculated based on the positions of the selected marks.

12 . The alignment method according to claim 1 , wherein the information is measured at a manufacturing step of the at least one substrate.

13 . The alignment method according to claim 1 , wherein the information further includes at least one of an exposure condition for an exposure apparatus, a film forming condition for a film forming apparatus, a grinding condition for a grinding apparatus, and an activating condition for an activation apparatus.

14 . The alignment method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one substrate is a stacked substrate formed by stacking a plurality of substrates.

15 . The alignment method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the aligning the two substrates include:

moving one substrate of the two substrates relative to the other substrate of the two substrates in a direction along a bonding surface of one of the two substrates, based on the measured positions of the selected marks.

16 . The alignment method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the information includes a distribution of sizes of non-linear components of the deformation.

17 . The alignment method according to claim 5 ,

wherein the measuring unit configured to move one substrate of the two substrates relative to the other substrate of the two substrates in a direction along a bonding surface of one of the two substrate, based on the measured positions of the selected marks.

18 . The alignment method according to claim 5 ,

wherein the information includes a distribution of sizes of non-linear components of the deformation.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 17, 2025
From: NIKON CORPORATION
To: SCREEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 073244/0044 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 20, 2020
From: MITSUISHI, HAJIME; FUKUDA, MINORU; SUGAYA, ISAO
To: NIKON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053556/0812 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2018-077151 · Apr 12, 2018 · national
JP 2018-091007 · May 9, 2018 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2019015865 · Apr 11, 2019
Related Publication 20200381387A1 · Dec 3, 2020
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