This application claims priority of Taiwan Application No. 106119427, filed on Jun. 12, 2017, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
The disclosure relates to a biosensor package structure and a manufacturing method thereof.
Biosensors consist of molecular recognition elements and signal converting elements. Biosensors may convert chemical signals generated from the biochemical reaction to electrophysic signals for analysis. For example, biochips utilize micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technologies to implant probes in chips, and then biochips may conduct various biochemical analyses based on characteristic biology conjunctions. Biochips may be applied to subjects such as genes, proteins, cells and tissues and in fields such as biomedical research, disease diagnosis, food pathogen detection, environmental analysis acid characterization, and so on. The biochip industry is flourishing due to the advantages of biochips being portable, highly sensitive and specific, providing a quick analysis, and requiring only small quantities of samples and agents.
In existing biochip package structures, the reaction region and the electrical connection region of the biochip are mostly integrated on the surface of the substrate by wire bonding. For example, the reaction region is adjacent to the pad and the conductive wire, and the reaction region, the pad and the conductive wire are disposed on the surface of the package structure. However, in such package structures, the pad and the conductive wire are easily corroded by the strong alkali reaction solutions that are applied to the biochip, and thus the performance the biochip can be affected. In addition, the electrical connecting elements such as the pads and the conductive wires and so on that are disposed on the surface of the substrate also limit the area of the reaction region of the biochip.
Generally, in biochip package structures, the wafer is cut to form dies after the biomaterial is coated on the wafer, and then the subsequent packaging process of the dies can be performed. Nevertheless, the biomaterial (biocoating) coating used in the biochip can easily be affected by temperature changes in the subsequent steps of the packaging process, e.g. the steps of etching, deposition, and so on.
Accordingly, for biochip researchers, it is desirable to develop a package structure having a simple structure to enable the improved performance of the biochip.
In accordance with some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a biosensor package structure including a protection layer, a redistribution layer, at least one die, a plurality of pads, a plurality of vias, a dielectric material, and at least one biosensing region. The redistribution layer is disposed over the protection layer. The protection layer has a plurality of openings that expose the redistribution layer. The die is disposed over the protection layer and the redistribution layer. The pads are disposed on a lower surface of the die. The vias are disposed between the plurality of pads and the redistribution layer for electrical connection. The dielectric material is disposed over the protection layer and the redistribution layer and is adjacent to the die, the plurality of pads and the plurality of vias. The biosensing region is disposed at the top portion of the die. The top surfaces of the pads are disposed at a level that is lower than the top surface of the biosensing region and higher than the bottom surface of the die.
In accordance with some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a biosensor package structure including: providing a first carrier substrate; forming a least one die over the first carrier substrate, wherein the die comprises at least one biosensing region that is formed at the bottom region of the die and a plurality of pads that are formed on the upper surface of the die, wherein the biosensing region is in contact with the first carrier substrate, and the bottom surfaces of the plurality of pads are disposed at a level that is higher than the bottom surface of the biosensing region and lower than the top surface of the die; forming a dielectric material covering the first carrier substrate and the die; performing a planarization process to expose the top surface of the die; patterning the dielectric material to firm a plurality of first openings that expose the top surfaces of the plurality of pads: filling a conductive material in the plurality of first openings to form a plurality of vias that extend through the dielectric material; forming a redistribution layer and a protection layer over the dielectric material, wherein the redistribution layer is in contact with the plurality of vias so as to be electrically coupled to the plurality of pads; and removing the first carrier substrate to expose the biosensing region.
A detailed description is given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The disclosure may be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The biosensor package structure of the present disclosure and the manufacturing method thereof are described in detail in the following description. In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details and embodiments are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. The specific elements and configurations described in the following detailed description are set forth in order to clearly describe the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that the exemplary embodiments set forth herein are used merely for the purpose of illustration, and the inventive concept may be embodied in various forms without being limited to those exemplary embodiments. In addition, the drawings of different embodiments may use like and/or corresponding numerals to denote like and/or corresponding elements in order to clearly describe the present disclosure. However, the use of like and/or corresponding numerals in the drawings of different embodiments does not suggest any correlation between different embodiments. In addition, in this specification, expressions such as “a first material layer disposed on over a second material layer”, may indicate the direct contact of the first material layer and the second material layer, or it may indicate a non-contact state with one or more intermediate layers between the first material layer and the second material layer. In the above situation, the first material layer may not be in direct contact with the second material layer.
In addition, in this specification, relative expressions are used. For example, “lower”, “bottom”, “higher” or “top” are used to describe the position of one element relative to another. It should be appreciated that if a device is flipped upside down, an element that is “lower” will become an element that is “higher”.
It should be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”, “third” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, portions and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers, portions and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, portion or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, portion or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer, portion or section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.
It should be understood that, this description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. The drawings are not drawn to scale. In addition, structures and devices are shown schematically in order to simplify the drawing.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It should be appreciated that, in each case, the term, which is defined in a commonly used dictionary, should be interpreted as having a meaning that conforms to the relative skills of the present disclosure and the background or the context of the present disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner unless so defined.
In addition, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, terms concerning, attachments, coupling and the like, such as “connected” and “interconnected,” refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise.
In accordance with the biosensor package structure provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical connecting elements that are coupled to the biosensor are disposed at a position which is lower than the surface of the reaction region of the biosensor. In particular, in accordance with the biosensor package structure provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the pads for electrical connection are disposed below a portion of the die that includes the biosensor, and the pads are substantially embedded in the dielectric material of the package structure. In this way, the reaction area of the biosensing region may be increased, and the corrosion of conductive wire resulted from the alkali reaction solution in the wire-bonding package structure may be reduced.
In addition, in the method for manufacturing the biosensor package structure of the present disclosure, the wafer-leveled or panel-leveled biomaterial coating may be conducted after the packaging process of the dies, and then a cutting process may be performed to obtain the final product of the package structure. Accordingly, the damage on the biomaterial coating caused by the temperature changes in the packaging process may be reduced.
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The first carrier substrate 102 may further include an adhesive layer (not illustrated) formed thereon. The wafer 104 may temporarily be affixed to the first carrier substrate 102 by the adhesive layer. The first carrier substrate 102 may be made of, but is not limited to, a silicon substrate, a glass substrate, a polymer substrate, a polymer-based substrate, any other suitable substrate, or a combination thereof.
The material of the wafer 104 may include semiconductor materials or any other suitable substrate. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the material of the wafer 104 may include elemental semiconductor materials such as monocrystalline, polycrystalline or amorphous silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the material of the wafer 104 may include compound semiconductor materials such as silicon carbide (SiC), gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium phosphide (GaP), indium phosphide (InP), indium arsenide (InAs) and so on. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the material of the wafer 104 may include alloy semiconductor materials such as silicon germanium (SiGe), aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs), gallium indium arsenide (GaInAs), gallium indium phosphide (GaInP), gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP) and so on.
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As described above, the pads 108 are disposed within the wafer 104 for electrical connection. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the pad 108 may be any metal layer (e.g. M0, M1, M2 and so on) in the interconnection structure of the wafer 104. The materials of the pad 108 may include copper (Cu), copper alloys, aluminum (Al), aluminum alloys, molybdenum (Mo), molybdenum alloys, tungsten (W), tungsten alloys, gold (Au), gold alloys, chromium (Cr), chromium alloys, nickel (Ni), nickel alloys, platinum (Pt), platinum alloys, titanium (Ti), titanium alloys, iridium (Ir), iridium alloys, rhodium (Rh), rhodium alloys, titanium nitride (TiN), tantalum nitride (TaN), nickel silicide (NiSi), cobalt silicide (CoSi), tantalum carbide (TaC), tantalum silicide nitride (TaSiN), tantalum carbide nitride (TaCN), titanium aluminide (TiAl), titanium aluminide nitride (TiAlN), any other suitable conductive materials or a combination thereof.
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The second carrier substrate 112 may further include an adhesive layer (not illustrated). The die 104a may temporarily be affixed to the second carrier substrate 112 by the adhesive layer. The second carrier substrate 112 may be made of, but is not limited to, a silicon substrate, a glass substrate, a polymer substrate, a polymer-based substrate, any other suitable substrate, or a combination thereof. The materials of the second carrier substrate 112 may be the same or different from that of the first carrier substrate 102.
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In some embodiments of the present disclosure, sputtering, evaporation, an electroplating process, an electroless plating process, atomic layer deposition (ALD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), any other applicable process, or a combination thereof may be used to form the conductive material in the openings 116.
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The redistribution layer 120 may be formed by conductive materials. The conductive materials may include copper (Cu), copper alloys, aluminum (Al), aluminum alloys, molybdenum (Mo), molybdenum alloys, tungsten (W), tungsten alloys, gold (Au), gold alloys, chromium (Cr), chromium alloys, nickel (Ni), nickel alloys, platinum (Pt), platinum alloys, titanium (Ti), titanium alloys, iridium (Ir), iridium alloys, rhodium (Rh), rhodium alloys, titanium nitride (TiN), tantalum nitride (TaN), nickel silicide (NiSi), cobalt silicide (CoSi), tantulum carbide (TaC), tantulum silicide nitride (TaSiN), tantalum carbide nitride (TaCN), titanium aluminide (TiAl), titanium aluminide nitride (TiAlN), any other suitable conductive materials or a combination thereof. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, sputtering, evaporation, an electroplating process, an electroless plating process, a photolithography process, any other applicable process, or a combination thereof may be used to form the redistribution layer 120.
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Next, in step 32, a patterning process is performed on the protection layer 122 to remove a portion of the protection layer 122 and to form an opening 124 that exposes the redistribution layer 120. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more photolithography and etching processes are used to partially remove the protection layer 122. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the etching process includes a dry etching process, a wet etching process, any other suitable etching processes, or a combination thereof. For example, the dry etching process may include reactive ion etch (RIE), plasma etch and so on.
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On the other hand, a lid 126 may be further disposed over the dielectric material 114 to cover the die 104a and the biosensing region 106. The area of the lid 126 may be greater than the area of the top surface of the biosensing region. The lid 126 may provide protection for the reaction region of the biosensing region 106 and also provide the reaction space for the operation of biosensing region 106, e.g. the space for the biosamples and reaction agents. The material of the lid 126 may include glass, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), silicone, epoxy, any other suitable materials or a combination thereof.
One with ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that an inlet/outlet (not illustrated) may be further disposed on the biosensor package structure 100 to load or remove the biosamples or the reaction agents. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the biosamples or the reaction agents may be directed into the biosensing region 106 from the inlet and be removed from the outlet after completing all the processes such as treatments or analyses. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a fluid reservoir (not illustrated) may be further disposed at the inlet as the fluid source.
To summarize the above, in accordance with the biosensor package structure provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical connecting elements are disposed at a position which is lower than the surface of the reaction region of the biosensor. The pads are embedded in the dielectric material of the package structure and thus may prevent corrosion by the reaction agents used in the biosensor. In general wire-bonding chip packages, the electrical connecting elements are disposed on the surface of the package structure. In comparison with common chip packages, the electrical connecting elements of the biosensor package structure provided in the present disclosure will not occupy the area of the biosensing region. Moreover, the biosensor package structure of the present disclosure may provide an intact biosensing region on the surface and may increase the effective reaction area of the biosensing region. Therefore, the efficiency of the biosensor is improved.
In addition, in the method for manufacturing the biosensor package structure of the present disclosure, the wafer-leveled or panel-leveled biomaterial coating may be conducted after the packaging process of the dies, and then a cutting process may be performed to obtain the final product of the package structure. Accordingly, the damage to the biomaterial coating caused by the temperature changes in the packaging process may be reduced.
Although some embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. For example, it will be readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that of the features, functions, processes, and materials described herein may be varied while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the present disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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106119427 | Jun 2017 | TW | national |