Method of forming a die structure including a controlled thickness layer and an apparatus for performing the method
A method can include applying a first controlled thickness layer over a first die substrate; attaching a first support substrate to the first controlled thickness layer to form a first sandwich structure; and singulating the first sandwich structure to form a plurality of first die structures, including a particular first die structure. The method can include attaching the particular first die structure to a transfer substrate, wherein the transfer substrate includes a particular second die structure that includes a particular second die. The particular second die has an average thickness different as compared to a particular first die within the particular first die structure. The method includes bonding the particular first die structure to a particular third die. After bonding, the upper surfaces of the particular first and second die structures are within a tolerance of being coplanar. An apparatus can be designed to carry out the method.
1 . An apparatus, comprising:
a first die substrate chuck for holding a first die substrate including a plurality of first dies, wherein the first die substrate has a first nonuniform thickness, a device side, and a back side opposite the device side;
a second die substrate chuck for holding a second die substrate including a plurality of second dies, wherein the second die substrate has a second nonuniform thickness, a device side, and a back side opposite the device side, and the first die substrate has a different average thickness as compared to the second die substrate;
a dispense module configured to supply:
a first thickness layer onto the back side of the first die substrate to compensate for the first nonuniform thickness of the first die substrate, and
a second thickness layer onto the back side of the second die substrate to compensate for the second nonuniform thickness of the second die substrate;
a transfer substrate chuck for holding a transfer substrate; and
a die transfer tool configured to transfer a first set of singulated first die structures and a second set of singulated second die structures to the transfer substrate, wherein each singulated first die structure includes a first die of the plurality of first dies and a first portion of the first thickness layer, and each singulated second die structure includes a second die of the plurality of second dies and a second portion of the second thickness layer.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a singulation tool configured to singulate:
the first die substrate, the first thickness layer, and a first support substrate into the singulated first die structures that further include first portions of the first support substrate, and
the second die substrate, the second thickness layer, and a second support substrate into the singulated second die structures that further include second portions of the second support substrate.
3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the die transfer tool is further configured to:
transfer the first set of the singulated first die structures to the transfer substrate such that the first portions of the first support substrate contact the transfer substrate, and
transfer the second set of the singulated second die structures to the transfer substrate such that the second portions of the second support substrate contact the transfer substrate.
4 . The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:
a controller configured to:
determine an amount of the first thickness layer to supply based at least in part on a thickness of the first die substrate, a thickness of the first support substrate, and a thickness of the singulated second die structures, wherein the first die substrate is a thinned first die substrate having a nonuniform thickness; and
transmit a signal to the dispense module to supply the amount of the first thickness layer.
5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the dispense module is configured to supply the first thickness layer at a greater areal density at a first location of the first die substrate where the first die substrate is relatively thinner and at a lower areal density at a second location of the first die substrate where the first die substrate is relatively thicker.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller configured to:
transmit a first signal to the dispense module to apply the first thickness layer over the plurality of first dies;
transmit a second signal to a singulation tool to singulate the first die substrate into the singulated first die structures;
transmit a third signal to the dispense module to apply the second thickness layer over the plurality of second dies; and
transmit a fourth signal to the singulation tool to singulate the second die substrate into the singulated second die structures.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a destination substrate chuck for holding a destination substrate;
a substrate transfer tool configured to invert and position the transfer substrate over the destination substrate chuck; and
a bonding head configured to bond the first set of the singulated first die structures and the second set of the singulated second die structures of the transfer substrate to third dies of the destination substrate.
8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the substrate transfer tool is further configured to move the bonding head over the destination substrate chuck.
9 . An apparatus, comprising:
a first die substrate chuck for holding a first die substrate including a plurality of first dies, wherein the first die substrate has a first nonuniform thickness, a device side, and a back side opposite the device side;
a second die substrate chuck for holding a second die substrate including a plurality of second dies, wherein the second die substrate has a second nonuniform thickness, a device side, and a back side opposite the device side;
a dispense module configured to supply a first thickness layer onto the back side of the first die substrate and a second thickness layer onto the back side of the second die substrate;
a singulation tool configured to singulate:
the first die substrate and the first thickness layer into singulated first die structures that include first portions of the first thickness layer, and
the second die substrate and the second thickness layer into singulated second die structures that include second dies and second portions of the second thickness layer;
a transfer substrate chuck for holding a transfer substrate; and
a die transfer tool configured to transfer:
a first set of the singulated first die structures from the first die substrate chuck to the transfer substrate; and
a second set of the singulated second die structures from the second die substrate chuck to the transfer substrate.
10 . A method, comprising:
applying a first thickness layer over a first die substrate that includes a plurality of first dies, wherein the plurality of first dies has a nonuniform thickness, and applying the first thickness layer is performed using an apparatus comprising:
a first die substrate chuck for holding the first die substrate including the plurality of first dies, wherein the first die substrate is a first thinned substrate having a first nonuniform thickness, a device side, and a back side opposite the device side;
a second die substrate chuck for holding a second die substrate including a plurality of second dies, wherein the second die substrate is a second thinned substrate having a second nonuniform thickness, a device side, and a back side opposite the device side, and the first die substrate has a different average thickness as compared to the second die substrate;
a dispense module configured to supply:
the first thickness layer onto the back side of the first die substrate to compensate for the first nonuniform thickness of the first die substrate, and
a second thickness layer onto the back side of the second die substrate to compensate for the second nonuniform thickness of the second die substrate;
a transfer substrate chuck for holding a transfer substrate; and
a die transfer tool configured to transfer a first set of singulated first die structures and a second set of singulated second die structures to the transfer substrate, wherein each singulated first die structure includes a first die of the plurality of first dies and a first portion of the first thickness layer, and each singulated second die structure includes a second die of the plurality of second dies and a second portion of the second thickness layer;
singulating the first die substrate and the first thickness layer to form the singulated first die structures;
singulating the second die substrate and the second thickness layer to form the singulated second die structures;
attaching a particular first die structure of the singulated first die structures to the transfer substrate, wherein the particular first die structure includes a particular first die; and
the transfer substrate includes a particular second die structure of the singulated second die structures, wherein the particular second die structure includes a particular second die, and
the particular second die has an average thickness different as compared to the particular first die; and
bonding the particular first die structure and the particular second die structure to a particular third die,
wherein:
each of the particular first die structure and the particular second die structure has a proximal surface and a distal surface opposite the proximal surface, wherein the proximal surface is disposed between the particular third die and the distal surface,
after bonding, the distal surface of the particular first die structure and the distal surface of the particular second die structure are within a tolerance of being coplanar.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein, after bonding:
the distal surface of the particular first die structure lies along a first plane,
the distal surface of the particular second die structure lies along a second plane, and
the first plane is parallel to the second plane, or the first plane intersects the second plane at an acute angle of at most 1 milliradian.
12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein, after bonding:
the distal surface of the particular first die structure lies at a first average elevation above the particular third die,
the distal surface of the particular second die structure lies at a second average elevation above the particular third die, and
the first average elevation is within 1 micron of the second average elevation.
13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
(1) inverting the transfer substrate before bonding; or
(2) inverting a third die substrate before bonding, wherein the third die substrate is associated with the particular third die.
14 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
attaching a first support substrate to the first thickness layer to form a first sandwich structure that includes the first die substrate, the first thickness layer, and the first support substrate; and
attaching a second support substrate to the second thickness layer to form a second sandwich structure that includes the second die substrate, the second thickness layer, and the second support substrate,
wherein:
singulating the first die substrate and the first thickness layer includes singulating the first sandwich structure to form the singulated first die structures, and
singulating the second die substrate and the second thickness layer includes singulating the second sandwich structure to form the singulated second die structures.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the particular first die is thinner as compared to the particular second die, and the first support substrate is thicker as compared to the second support substrate.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein, after bonding, the method further comprises:
for the particular first die structure, removing the first thickness layer and the first support substrate from the particular first die; and
for the particular second die structure, removing the second thickness layer and the second support substrate from the particular second die.
17 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
transmitting actinic radiation through the first support substrate to cure the first thickness layer; and
transmitting the actinic radiation through the second support substrate to cure the second thickness layer.
18 . The method of claim 10 , wherein a third die substrate includes a plurality of third dies, including the particular third die, wherein the plurality of third dies is part of or attached to the third die substrate.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the third die substrate includes a set of third dies, including the particular third die, that are known good dies, wherein the set of third dies has a same number of or fewer dies as compared to the plurality of third dies.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein:
the plurality of first dies includes a set of first dies that are known good first dies bonded to the set of third dies,
the plurality of second dies includes a set of second dies that are known good second dies bonded to the set of third dies, wherein the set of second dies includes the second particular die, and
the set of first dies, the set of second dies, and a set of third dies have the same number of dies.
21 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
bonding a bad first die of the singulated first die structures to a bad third die of the plurality of third dies.