In recent years, along with demands for increasing the degree of integration and the functionality of semiconductor integrated circuits, there are also demands for reducing the size thereof and the thickness thereof. In order to satisfy such demands, three-dimensional semiconductor apparatuses with increased semiconductor packaging densities have been proposed in the art. Three-dimensional semiconductor apparatuses are a technique in which a plurality of semiconductor chips and elements are stacked and connected together, thereby achieving high-density packaging.
Where a plurality of semiconductor chips are stacked together, an alignment method as follows is typically employed. That is, a semiconductor chip to be on the lower side is positioned by optically recognizing the position of a terminal (through electrode), etc., formed thereon. Then, a semiconductor chip to be laid over (i.e., to be on the upper side) is similarly positioned by recognizing the position thereof, and the two semiconductor chips are attached together.
With this method, however, a misalignment occurring during the attachment cannot be recognized. Therefore, if they are actually attached together misaligned, the electrical connection between the two semiconductor chips cannot be established. That is, this method has a disadvantage that it may lead to a decrease in the yield.
In view of this, such an alignment method as shown in Document 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-175263) has been proposed in the art. Referring to
With the method of Document 1, a through electrode 10a is formed in the semiconductor chip mounting region of a substrate 1, and an alignment mark 20a having the same structure as the through electrode 10a is formed in the semiconductor chip non-mounting region of the substrate 1, as shown in
Then, a through electrode 15 is formed in a semiconductor chip 30 to be laid over (to be on the upper side) at a position corresponding to the through electrode 10a of the substrate 1. In this way, each semiconductor chip stacked on the substrate 1 can be positioned by using the same reference (the alignment mark 20a), thereby realizing an accurate position control.
However, the method of Document 1 is also an indirect alignment method. Therefore, it is unknown whether an optimal alignment position is actually achieved.
In the future, along with demands for further enhancing the degree of integration and the functionalities of semiconductor integrated circuits, it is expected that there will also be a demand for further reducing the size and the thickness. With this trend, it is necessary to realize further miniaturization and increase in the degree of integration also for a plurality of semiconductor chips and elements used in a three-dimensional semiconductor apparatus, and it is expected that through electrodes will be smaller. Conventional methods and the method shown in Document 1 are all indirect alignment methods and are limited as to miniaturization.
The method of Document 1 is one where alignment marks are formed on a substrate and chips are placed according to the alignment marks, and therefore it is compatible with a case where chips are stacked on a wafer, but it is not compatible with wafer-to-wafer or chip-to-chip stacking.
In view of the above, the following description is directed to a three-dimensional semiconductor apparatus and a method for manufacturing the same, which improve the positional precision by directly detecting alignment positions and can be used for wafer-to-wafer or chip-to-chip stacking.
A first electronic device of the present disclosure includes: a first substrate; and a second substrate on which the first substrate is mounted and which is electrically connected to the first substrate in at least one predetermined area, wherein the predetermined area includes at least one pair of through vias running through the first substrate, and an interconnect provided in the second substrate, and the at least one pair of through vias are electrically connected together via the interconnect.
Such a first electronic device is an electronic device that is more accurate and more reliable than the conventional technique since the first substrate and the second substrate are stacked together while directly measuring the alignment therebetween, as will be described later.
Note that as a more specific embodiment of the first electronic device, at least two conductive portions may be formed in an uppermost layer of the first substrate, and the at least two through vias are electrically connected to the at least two conductive portions respectively and separately.
As an even more specific embodiment of the first electronic device, the at least two through vias may be formed in a peripheral portion within the predetermined area.
The electronic device may include a plurality of pairs of the through vias. Such an embodiment provides an electronic device that is more accurate and more reliable.
A second electronic device of the present disclosure includes: a first substrate; and a second substrate on which the first substrate is mounted and which is electrically connected to the first substrate in at least one predetermined area, wherein the predetermined area includes at least one first through via running through the first substrate, and at least one second through via running through the second substrate, and the at least one first through via and the at least one second through via are electrically connected together.
Such a second electronic device is an electronic device that is more accurate and more reliable than the conventional technique since the first substrate and the second substrate are stacked together while directly measuring the alignment therebetween, as will be described later.
Note that as an even more specific embodiment of the second electronic device, a first conductive portion may be provided in an uppermost layer of the first substrate, a second conductive portion may be provided in an uppermost layer of the second substrate, and the first conductive portion, the first through via, the second conductive portion and the second through via may be electrically connected together.
As an even more specific embodiment of the second electronic device, the first through via and the second through via may be formed in an peripheral portion within the predetermined area.
The electronic device may include a plurality of pairs of the first through vias and the second through vias. Such an embodiment provides an electronic device that is more accurate and more reliable.
A third electronic device of the present disclosure includes: a first substrate; and a second substrate on which the first substrate is mounted and which is electrically connected to the first substrate in at least one predetermined area, wherein the predetermined area includes at least one first through via running through the first substrate, a device isolation region formed in a semiconductor substrate of the second substrate, and at least one plug formed so as to be connected to the semiconductor substrate of the second substrate, the device isolation region is formed so as to surround a position of a lower end portion of the plug, and the at least one first through via and the at least one plug are electrically connected together.
Such a third electronic device is an electronic device that is more accurate and more reliable than the conventional technique since the first substrate and the second substrate are stacked together while directly measuring the alignment therebetween, as will be described later.
As a more specific embodiment of the third electronic device, a first conductive portion may be provided in an uppermost layer of the first substrate, a second conductive portion may be provided in an uppermost layer of the second substrate, and the first conductive portion, the first through via, the second conductive portion and the plug are electrically connected together.
As a more specific embodiment of the third electronic device, the first through via and the plug may be formed in a peripheral portion within the predetermined area.
The electronic device may include a plurality of pairs of the first through vias and the plugs. Such an embodiment provides an electronic device that is more accurate and more reliable.
Next, a first method for manufacturing an electronic device of the present disclosure includes the steps of: (a) forming at least one pair of through vias in a first substrate; (b) forming an interconnect in a second substrate; and (c) bonding together the first substrate and the second substrate, after the step (a) and the step (b), wherein the at least one pair of through vias are electrically connected together via the interconnect.
With the first method for manufacturing an electronic device, the first substrate can be mounted on the second substrate while directly measuring the alignment therebetween, and it is therefore possible to manufacture an electronic device in which the alignment is more accurate and more reliable than the conventional technique. Therefore, the yield of the electronic device manufacture is improved. Moreover, the method can be used in various cases, e.g., where the first substrate and the second substrate are both chips, both wafers, a chip and a wafer, etc.
That is, in the step (c), a current is allowed to flow through the at least two through vias via the interconnect, and the relative position displacement between the first substrate and the second substrate is observed by observing the current value thereof. Thus, it is possible to directly observe the alignment between the first substrate and the second substrate, and it is therefore possible to perform the mounting while reducing the misalignment as compared with indirect methods.
A second method for manufacturing an electronic device of the present disclosure includes the steps of: (a) forming at least one first through via in a first substrate; (b) forming at least one second through via in a second substrate; and (c) bonding together the first substrate and the second substrate after the step (a) and the step (b), wherein the at least one first through via and the at least one second through via are electrically connected together.
Note that it is preferred that in the step (c), a current is allowed to flow through the first through via and the second through via, and the bonding is performed while observing a current value thereof.
A third method for manufacturing an electronic device of the present disclosure includes the steps of: (a) forming at least one first through via in a first substrate; (b) forming a device isolation region in a semiconductor substrate of a second substrate; (c) forming at least one plug so as to be connected to the semiconductor substrate of the second substrate; and (d) bonding together the first substrate and the second substrate after the step (a) and the step (b), wherein the device isolation region is formed so as to surround a position of a lower end portion of the plug, and the at least one first through via and the at least one plug are electrically connected together.
Note that it is preferred that in the step (d), a current is allowed to flow through the first through via and the plug, and the bonding is performed while observing a current value thereof.
Also with the second method for manufacturing an electronic device and the third method for manufacturing an electronic device, there are similar advantages to those of the first method for manufacturing an electronic device, such as an accurate alignment, an improved production yield, etc.
Next, a fourth electronic device of the present disclosure includes: a first substrate; and a second substrate on which the first substrate is mounted and which is electrically connected to the first substrate in at least one predetermined area, wherein the predetermined area includes at least one through via running through the first substrate, a first interconnect provided in the first substrate so as to surround a portion of the predetermined area and so as to prevent opposite ends thereof from contacting each other, a pair of terminal pads provided on the first substrate and electrically connected respectively to the opposite ends of the first interconnect, and at least one conductive portion provided on the second substrate and connected to the through via.
The fourth electronic device of the present disclosure is an electronic device that is more accurate and more reliable than the conventional technique since the first substrate and the second substrate are stacked together while directly measuring the alignment therebetween, as will be described later.
Note that at least one of the through vias may be located outside the first interconnect. At least one of the through vias may be located inside the first interconnect.
Thus, the through vias may be located either outside or inside the first interconnect, and in a case where a plurality of through vias are provided, they may be located outside and inside the first interconnect. Note however that it is preferred that the through vias are located inside the first interconnect, in which case the advantage of an accurate alignment is more pronounced.
It is preferred that the predetermined area further includes a second interconnect provided so as to surround the first interconnect and so as to prevent opposite ends thereof from contacting each other.
In this way, it is possible to obtain an electronic device in which the first substrate and the second substrate are aligned together more reliably.
A fifth electronic device of the present disclosure includes: a first substrate; and a second substrate on which the first substrate is mounted and which is electrically connected to the first substrate in at least one predetermined area, wherein the predetermined area includes at least one through via running through the first substrate, an inductor provided in the first substrate above the through via, and at least one conductive portion provided on the second substrate and connected to the through via.
A sixth electronic device of the present disclosure includes: a first substrate; and a second substrate on which the first substrate is mounted and which is electrically connected to the first substrate in at least one predetermined area, wherein the predetermined area includes at least one through via running through the first substrate, means provided in the first substrate for generating a magnetic field in the predetermined area in a direction in which the through via extends, and at least one conductive portion provided on the second substrate and connected to the through via.
Such fifth and sixth electronic devices of the present disclosure are also electronic devices that are more accurate and more reliable than the conventional technique.
In the fourth to sixth electronic devices of the present disclosure, it is preferred that the first substrate and the second substrate are electrically connected together in a plurality of predetermined areas.
In this way, it is possible to obtain an electronic device in which the first substrate and the second substrate are aligned together more reliably.
The through via may be made of a material whose main component is Cu.
It is preferred that the through via is made of a material containing a ferromagnetic substance.
It is preferred that the conductive portion is made of a material containing a ferromagnetic substance.
The conductive portion may have a layered structure including a Cu film, and a cap film formed on the Cu film and made of a material containing a ferromagnetic substance.
It is preferred that the ferromagnetic substance is at least one of Fe, Co, Ni and Gd.
When the through via and the conductive portion use such materials and structures as described above, the advantages of the present disclosure are more evident.
Next, a fourth method for manufacturing an electronic device of the present disclosure includes the steps of: (a) forming at least one through via running through a first substrate in a predetermined area of the first substrate; (b) forming a first interconnect in the first substrate so as to surround a portion of the predetermined area and so as to prevent opposite ends thereof from contacting each other; (c) forming a pair of terminal pads on the first substrate so as to be electrically connected respectively to the opposite ends of the first interconnect after the steps (a) and (b); (d) forming at least one conductive portion on the second substrate so as to be electrically connected to the through via; and (e) mounting the first substrate on the second substrate and electrically connecting together the conductive portion and the through via after the steps (c) and (d).
Note that it is preferred that in the step (e), a current is allowed to flow through the first interconnect via the pair of terminal pads to thereby provide the through via with a magnetic force, and the first substrate is mounted on the second substrate while observing the displacement caused by the attraction acting between the through via and the conductive portion.
With the fourth method for manufacturing an electronic device, first fourth substrate can be mounted on the second substrate while directly measuring the alignment therebetween, and it is therefore possible to manufacture an electronic device in which the alignment is more accurate and more reliable than the conventional technique. Therefore, the yield of the electronic device manufacture is improved. Moreover, the method can be used in various cases, e.g., where the first substrate and the second substrate are both chips, both wafers, a chip and a wafer, etc.
That is, in the step (e), an attraction acts between the conductive portion and the through via, which is given a magnetic force from the current flow through the first interconnect. It is possible to directly observe the alignment between the first substrate and the second substrate by observing the relative position displacement between the first substrate and the second substrate caused by the attraction, and it is therefore possible to perform the mounting while reducing the misalignment as compared with indirect methods.
A fifth method for manufacturing an electronic device of the present disclosure includes the steps of: (a) forming at least one through via running through a first substrate in a predetermined area of the first substrate; (b) forming an inductor in the first substrate above the through via after the step (a); (c) forming at least one conductive portion on the second substrate so as to be connected to the through via; and (d) mounting the first substrate on the second substrate and electrically connecting together the conductive portion and the through via after the steps (b) and (c).
Note that it is preferred that in the step (d), a current is allowed to flow through the inductor to thereby provide the through via with a magnetic force, and the first substrate is mounted on the second substrate while observing the displacement caused by the attraction acting between the through via and the conductive portion.
Also with the fifth method for manufacturing an electronic device, there are similar advantages to those of the fourth method for manufacturing an electronic device, such as an accurate alignment, an improved production yield, etc.
With the fourth and fifth methods for manufacturing an electronic device, it is preferred that the through via is formed by a material whose main component is Cu.
Such a material can be used as the material of the through via.
It is preferred that the through via is formed by a material containing a ferromagnetic substance.
In this way, a magnetic force can be generated in the through via more reliably.
It is preferred that the conductive portion is formed by a material containing a ferromagnetic substance.
In this way, an attraction more reliably acts on the conductive portion from the magnetic force generated in the through via.
It is preferred that the ferromagnetic substance is at least one of Fe, Co, Ni and Gd.
Specific elements of the ferromagnetic substance are as listed above.
As described above, with the electronic device of the present disclosure and the method for manufacturing the same, the attachment can be made while directly observing the position at which the misalignment is minimized, and it is therefore possible to improve the production yield of the electronic device. Moreover, it is compatible with the attachment of various elements such as wafer-to-wafer, chip-to-chip, etc.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings. Note however that the shape, material, sizes, etc., of various elements shown in various figures to be described below are all illustrative, and while they are preferred examples, they are not limited to those shown herein. They may be changed as necessary without being bound by the disclosure herein without departing from the technical gist hereof. While the wafer-to-wafer attachment is primarily discussed, similar descriptions hold true and similar advantages can be obtained also with wafer-to-chip attachment and chip-to-chip attachment.
An electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure and a method for manufacturing the same will be described.
Note that it is assumed that the figures of the embodiments each show one chip area of the wafer. The chip area can be assumed as a predetermined area. A chip area is an area to be an individual chip when the wafer is divided, and a plurality of MOS elements, etc., are formed on the semiconductor substrate 101 in each chip area.
Next, the planar arrangement of an interconnect 213 on the second wafer Wf2 located in the lower portion of the electronic device 100 will be described.
As can be seen from
This gives an advantage of an easier alignment as will later be described in detail.
Now, it is preferred that the pair of interconnects 113a-113b, 222a-222b are located near the peripheral portion of the chip area 401. Moreover, it is preferred that the pair of interconnects 113a-113b, 222a-222b are located opposite to each other with respect to the center of the chip area 401. The pair of interconnects 113a-113b, 222a-222b correspond to interconnects connected to through electrodes of the wafer.
As can be seen from
As described above, there may be a plurality of pairs of interconnects. Providing more than one gives an advantage of an improved alignment precision.
It is preferred that the triplet interconnects 113, 222 are each located near the peripheral portion of the chip area 401. It is preferred that the interconnects 113 and 222 are located near the peripheral portion of the chip area 401. The triplet interconnects 113 and 222 correspond to interconnects connected to through electrodes of the wafer.
As can be seen from
As described above, there may be a plurality of through vias connected to the interconnect 213. Providing more than one gives an advantage of an improved alignment precision. There is no problem with the provision of a through via that does not form a pair.
By electrically connecting the pair of interconnects 122 together using an interconnect in as higher a layer as possible as shown in
Note that such various variations as described above may be combined with one another as necessary.
Now, the more detailed structure and formation method of the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2 will be described.
In order to form the first wafer Wf1, the step of
A device isolation 102 is formed in the semiconductor substrate 101. This is formed by forming a groove on the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 101 by a lithography method and a dry etching method, and filling the groove with a silicon oxide film (SiO2) by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, for example.
Then, a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) element, for example, is formed in an active region of the semiconductor substrate 101 surrounded by the device isolation 102. The MOS element includes semiconductor regions 103 for the source and drain, a gate electrode 104, etc.
Now, the semiconductor region 103 is formed by adding a predetermined impurity (phosphorus (P) or arsenic (As), for example, for an n-channel type, and boron (B), for example, for a p-channel type) to the semiconductor substrate 101. The gate electrode 104 is formed as an electrode made of polysilicon on the semiconductor substrate 101 with a gate insulating film made of a silicon oxide film (SiO2), for example, interposed therebetween.
Then, an insulating film 105 of a silicon oxide film, or the like, for example, is deposited so as to cover the semiconductor substrate 101. Then, an excess of the silicon oxide film deposited on the gate electrode 104 is removed by a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), thereby flattening the structure. Then, a plug 106, which is to be connected to the semiconductor region 103 and the gate electrode 104 and electrically connected to interconnects to be formed in a subsequent step, is formed so as to be buried in the insulating film 105 (note however that the plug to be connected to the gate electrode 104 is not shown). The plug 106 is formed by a metal such as tungsten (W), aluminum (Al), or copper (Cu), for example.
Then, the step of
Then, through via holes are formed by using a lithography method and a dry etching method. They are formed to such a depth as to run through the liner film and the insulating film 105 and to further cut into about 1/7 to ⅛, for example, of the semiconductor substrate 101. If the thickness of the semiconductor substrate 101 is 750 μm, the depth is 100 μm.
Then, a barrier film made of tantalum (Ta)/tantalum nitride (TaN) and a copper (Cu) film are deposited in this order by using a sputtering method and a plating method so as to fill the through via holes and cover the liner film. Then, portions of the barrier film and the copper film overflowing onto the liner film are removed by using a CMP method, thereby forming the through vias 110 so as to fill the through via holes.
Note that while a layered film of a Ta film and a TaN film is used here as the barrier film, the barrier film may be made of only one of a Ta film and a TaN film. While copper is used as a material of a conductive film that fills the through via holes, it may alternatively be silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), or an alloy thereof, etc.
It is preferred that an insulative film is formed, before the barrier film is formed, on the side wall of the through via hole. Alternatively, the through vias 110 may be surrounded by an insulating substance, instead of forming the insulative film.
Then, the interconnect 113 is formed. For this, first, an insulating film 107 made of a silicon oxide film having a thickness of 200 nm is deposited by a CVD method, for example, so as to cover the through via 110 and the liner film. Then, a plurality of interconnect grooves are formed spaced apart from one another by a lithography method and a dry etching method so as to run through both the insulating film 107 and the liner film.
Then, a barrier film made of tantalum (Ta)/tantalum nitride (TaN) and a copper (Cu) film are deposited in this order by a sputtering method and a plating method so as to fill the interconnect grooves and cover the insulating film 107.
Then, unnecessary portions of the barrier film and the copper film overflowing onto the insulating film 107 are removed by using a CMP method, thereby forming the interconnects 113 made of the barrier film and the copper film and filling the interconnect grooves.
Again, the barrier film is not limited to a layered structure of Ta film/TaN film, and it may be solely a Ta film, a TaN film, or the like. A film made of silver, aluminum or an alloy thereof may be used instead of the copper film.
Then, the step of
First, the insulating film 114 made of a silicon oxide film having a thickness of 400 nm is deposited by a CVD method, for example, so as to cover the insulating film 107 including the interconnects 113. Then, a plurality of via holes and interconnect grooves connected to the top of the plurality of via holes are formed in the insulating film 114 by a lithography method and a dry etching method.
Then, a barrier film made of tantalum (Ta)/tantalum nitride (TaN) and a copper (Cu) film are deposited in this order by a sputtering method and a plating method so as to fill the via holes and the interconnect grooves and cover the insulating film 114.
Then, unnecessary portions of the barrier film and the copper film overflowing onto the insulating film 114 are removed by using a CMP method, thereby forming the vias 115 and the interconnects 116 having a structure in which the via holes and the interconnect grooves are filled by the barrier film and the copper film. Note that the via 115 that connects to a desired position of the interconnect 113 can be formed by setting the position of the via hole as necessary.
Moreover, similar steps are repeated to form the insulating film 117 formed on the insulating film 114 and the via 118 and the interconnect 119 buried therein, and an insulating film 120 formed on the insulating film 117 and the via 121 and the interconnect 122 buried therein, thus forming a multi-layer interconnect structure. While the total number of interconnect layers is four, this is an example, and the number is not limited to this.
Note that the insulating films 114, 117 and 120 each have a single-layer structure of a silicon oxide film in the present embodiment. However, it may alternatively be a single-layer structure of another material, or a layered film of silicon oxide film/silicon nitride film, etc. The barrier film is not limited to a layered structure of Ta film/TaN film, and may be solely a Ta film, a TaN film, or the like. Moreover, a film of silver, aluminum or an alloy thereof may be used instead of a copper film.
Then, the step of
As the thinning process, for example, the reverse surface of the semiconductor substrate 101 is first polished to a desired thickness, and then a polish process having both mechanical and chemical aspects such as a CMP method is performed. At this point, the through via bottom 123 is not exposed. Then, the reverse surface of the semiconductor substrate 101 is etched by a wet etching method so that the through via bottom 123 is exposed.
As another example of the thinning process, a CMP method and a wet etching method may be used without performing the polish. Moreover, the thinning process may be performed by only a CMP method or by only a wet etching method.
The first wafer Wf1 located in the upper portion of the electronic device 100 is formed as described above.
Next,
First, a structure shown in
Then, the step shown in
Then, a barrier film made of tantalum (Ta)/tantalum nitride (TaN) and a copper (Cu) film are deposited in this order by a sputtering method and a plating method so as to fill the interconnect grooves and cover the insulating film 207.
Then, unnecessary portions of the barrier film and the copper film overflowing onto the insulating film 207 are removed by using a CMP method, thereby forming the interconnects 213 made of the barrier film and the copper film and filling the interconnect grooves. Note that by setting the positions of the interconnect grooves, the interconnect 213 can be placed at any position so that, for example, it is connected to the top of the plug 206.
Again, the barrier film is not limited to a layered structure of Ta film/TaN film, and it may be solely a Ta film, a TaN film, or the like. A film made of silver, aluminum or an alloy thereof may be used instead of the copper film.
Note that the insulating film 107 has a single-layer structure of a silicon oxide film in the present embodiment. However, it may alternatively be a single-layer structure of another material, or a layered film of silicon oxide film/silicon nitride film, etc.
Then, the step shown in
These can be formed in a similar manner to that described above for the first wafer Wf1 with reference to
Since the interconnect 222 located in the uppermost layer needs to be connected to the through via bottom 123 in the first wafer Wf1, it is formed at a position appropriate therefor. The interconnects 216 and 219 in other layers and vias 215, 218 and 221 for connecting interconnects of different layers may be arranged in any manner.
The second wafer Wf2 located in the lower portion of the electronic device 100 is formed as described above.
Then, the first wafer Wf1 is aligned with and mounted on the second wafer Wf2, and the wafers are bonded together. The bonding step will now be described.
First, the lower second wafer Wf2 is provided, and the upper first wafer Wf1 is placed thereon so that the reverse surface thereof faces the principal surface of the second wafer Wf2.
Then, the relative positions of the second wafer Wf2 and the first wafer Wf1 are aligned with each other. Specifically, the interconnect 222 of the uppermost layer of the second wafer Wf2 is aligned with the corresponding through via bottom 123 on the reverse surface of the first wafer Wf1.
Moreover, the opposing surfaces of the wafers are brought closer to each other, and the interconnect 222 of the uppermost layer of the second wafer Wf2 is brought into contact with the through via bottom 123 of the first wafer Wf1 so as to electrically connect them together. Thus, the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2 are electrically connected together.
Then, the insulative adhesive 301 is injected into the gap between the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2 (see
After bonding together the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2, the wafers are cut into chips, thereby obtaining individual chips (the electronic devices 100). An electronic device obtained as described above has a three-dimensional structure in which a plurality of (two here) chips are stacked together. That is, semiconductor circuits, etc., provided on a plurality of chips are electrically connected together through the through vias, thereby forming a single semiconductor integrated circuit as a whole.
Now, the alignment between the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2 will be further described.
An alignment to a certain degree is performed by using an optical alignment method, or the like. Then, as shown in
Now, if the upper first wafer Wf1 and the lower second wafer Wf2 are not aligned together, no current flows. When the through via bottom 123 of the upper first wafer Wf1 lies over the interconnect 222 of the uppermost layer of the lower second wafer Wf2 but is not completely connected thereto, the resistance increases and therefore the current value decreases. In contrast, the current value is maximized when there is a complete connection.
In view of this, the upper first wafer Wf1 is translated or rotated by small amounts with respect to the principal surface of the lower second wafer Wf2 while monitoring the current value. Then, a position across the range of movement at which the current value is maximized is determined as the optimal position.
With such an alignment method, the wafers can be attached together while directly observing the optimal position at which the misalignment is minimized, and it is therefore possible to perform a more accurate and appropriate alignment as compared with the background art which is an indirect alignment. Therefore, the yield of the electronic device manufacture is improved. Such a method is not limited to an alignment between wafers, but may also be compatible with an alignment between chips, an alignment of a chip with a wafer, etc.
Next, an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure and a method for manufacturing the same will be described.
Note that the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2 of the present embodiment may be manufactured in a similar manner to the first wafer Wf1 of the first embodiment.
In
Next, a variation in the area III of
In
In
Next, the step of aligning the wafers with each other will be described.
First, as with the first embodiment (
Then, the power supply 501 is turned on to apply a voltage, thereby allowing the current 504 to flow. The current 504 flows when the through via 110, which is connected to the connection pad 603 of the upper first wafer Wf1, is connected to the interconnect 222 of the uppermost layer, which is connected to the lower layer connection region (semiconductor substrate region) 602 of the lower second wafer Wf2 where the through via is formed. Then, the current value of the current 504 can be monitored through the ammeter 505.
Now, if the upper first wafer Wf1 and the lower second wafer Wf2 are not connected together, no current flows. When the through via 110 of the upper first wafer Wf1 lies over the interconnect 222 of the uppermost layer of the lower second wafer Wf2 but is not completely connected thereto, the resistance increases and therefore the current value decreases. Moreover, the current value is maximized when there is a complete connection.
In view of this, the upper first wafer Wf1 is translated or rotated by small amounts with respect to the principal surface of the lower second wafer Wf2 while monitoring the current value. Then, a position across the range of movement at which the current value is maximized is determined as the optimal position.
As in the first embodiment, the wafers can be attached together while directly observing the optimal position at which the misalignment is minimized, and it is therefore possible to perform a more accurate and appropriate alignment as compared with the background art which is an indirect alignment. Therefore, the yield of the electronic device manufacture is improved. Such a method is not limited to an alignment between wafers, but may also be compatible with an alignment between chips, an alignment of a chip with a wafer, etc.
Note that the first embodiment and the second embodiment illustrated examples where the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2, each having a semiconductor substrate with MOS elements, the interconnect structure, etc., provided thereon, are bonded together, to manufacture a semiconductor apparatus as an electronic device. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, even where an insulating substrate having a conductive film is used, the present invention can be applied with no problems to the conductive film. Moreover, the present invention can also be applied to such a case where a structure having the through vias 110 is aligned with and mounted on a printed circuit board.
Next, an electronic device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure and a method for manufacturing the same will be described.
Note that it is assumed that the figures of the embodiments each show one chip area of the wafer. The chip area can be assumed as a predetermined area. A chip area is an area to be an individual chip when the wafer is divided, and a plurality of MOS elements, etc., are formed on the semiconductor substrate 101 in each chip area.
The more detailed structure and formation method of the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2 will now be described.
In order to form the first wafer Wf1, the step of
A device isolation 102 is formed in the semiconductor substrate 101. This is formed by forming a groove on the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 101 by a lithography method and a dry etching method, and filling the groove with a silicon oxide film (SiO2) by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, for example.
Then, a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) element, for example, is formed in an active region of the semiconductor substrate 101 surrounded by the device isolation 102. The 103 element includes semiconductor regions 104 for the source and drain, a gate electrode 104, etc.
Now, the semiconductor region 103 is formed by adding a predetermined impurity (phosphorus (P) or arsenic (As), for example, for an n-channel type, and boron (B), for example, for a p-channel type) to the semiconductor substrate 101. The gate electrode 104 is formed as an electrode made of polysilicon on the semiconductor substrate 101 with a gate insulating film made of a silicon oxide film (SiO2), for example, interposed therebetween.
Then, an insulating film 105 of a silicon oxide film, or the like, for example, is deposited so as to cover the semiconductor substrate 101. Then, an excess of the silicon oxide film deposited on the gate electrode 104 is removed by a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), thereby flattening the structure. Then, a plug 106, which is to be connected to the semiconductor region 103 and the gate electrode 104 and electrically connected to interconnects to be formed in a subsequent step, is formed so as to be buried in the insulating film 105 (note however that the plug to be connected to the gate electrode 104 is not shown). The plug 106 is formed by a metal such as tungsten (W), aluminum (Al), or copper (Cu), for example.
Then, the step of
Then, through via holes 108 are formed by using a lithography method and a dry etching method. They are formed to such a depth as to run through the liner film 127 and the insulating film 105 and to further cut into about 1/7 to ⅛, for example, of the semiconductor substrate 101. For example, if the thickness of the semiconductor substrate 101 is 750 μm, the depth is 100 μm.
Then, the step shown in
Then, an enclosure interconnect groove 109 is formed in the liner film 127 and the insulating film 105 by a lithography method and a dry etching method in a region where the resist plug is formed (which may be regarded in
Then, the resist plug buried in the through via hole 108 is removed by a dry etching method and a washing process, for example.
Then, the step of
Note that while a layered film of a Ta film and a TaN film is used here as the barrier film, the barrier film may be made of only one of a Ta film and a TaN film. While copper is used as a material of a conductive film that fills the through via hole 108 and the enclosure interconnect groove 109, it may alternatively be silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), or an alloy thereof, etc.
It is preferred that an insulative film is formed, before the barrier film is formed, on the side wall of the through via hole 108. Alternatively, the through vias 110 may be surrounded by an insulating substance, instead of forming the insulative film.
Then, the step of
Then, a barrier film made of tantalum (Ta)/tantalum nitride (TaN) and a copper (Cu) film are deposited in this order by a sputtering method and a plating method so as to fill the interconnect grooves and cover the insulating film 112.
Then, unnecessary portions of the barrier film and the copper film overflowing onto the insulating film 112 are removed by using a CMP method, thereby forming the interconnects 113 made of the barrier film and the copper film and filling the interconnect grooves. Note that by setting the positions of the interconnect grooves, the interconnects 113 may be provided so as to be connected to the top of the through via 110, the enclosure interconnect 111, etc., as necessary.
Again, the barrier film is not limited to a layered structure of Ta film/TaN film, and it may be solely a Ta film, a TaN film, or the like. A film made of silver, aluminum or an alloy thereof may be used instead of the copper film.
Then, the step of
First, the insulating film 114 made of a silicon oxide film having a thickness of 400 nm is deposited by a CVD method, for example, so as to cover the insulating film 112 including the interconnects 113. Then, a plurality of via holes and interconnect grooves connected to the top of the plurality of via holes are formed in the insulating film 114 by a lithography method and a dry etching method.
Then, a barrier film made of tantalum (Ta)/tantalum nitride (TaN) and a copper (Cu) film are deposited in this order by a sputtering method and a plating method so as to fill the via holes and the interconnect grooves and cover the insulating film 114.
Then, unnecessary portions of the barrier film and the copper film overflowing onto the insulating film 114 are removed by using a CMP method, thereby forming the vias 115 and the interconnects 116 having a structure in which the via holes and the interconnect grooves are filled by the barrier film and the copper film. Note that the via 115 that connects to a desired position of the interconnect 113 can be formed by setting the position of the via hole as necessary.
Moreover, similar steps are repeated to form the insulating film 117 formed on the insulating film 114 and the via 118 and the interconnect 119 buried therein, and an insulating film 120 formed on the insulating film 117 and the via 121 and the interconnect 122 buried therein, thus forming a multi-layer interconnect structure. While the total number of interconnect layers is four, this is an example, and the number is not limited to this.
Note that the insulating films 114, 117 and 120 each have a single-layer structure of a silicon oxide film in the present embodiment. However, it may alternatively be a single-layer structure of another material, or a layered film of silicon oxide film/silicon nitride film, etc. The barrier film is not limited to a layered structure of Ta film/TaN film, and may be solely a Ta film, a TaN film, or the like. Moreover, a film of silver, aluminum or an alloy thereof may be used instead of a copper film.
Then, the step of
As the thinning process, for example, the reverse surface of the semiconductor substrate 101 is first polished to a desired thickness, and then a polish process having both mechanical and chemical aspects such as a CMP method is performed. At this point, the through via bottom 123 is not exposed. Then, the reverse surface of the semiconductor substrate 101 is etched by a wet etching method so that the through via bottom 123 is exposed.
As another example of the thinning process, a CMP method and a wet etching method may be used without performing the polish. Moreover, the thinning process may be performed by only a CMP method or by only a wet etching method.
The first wafer Wf1 located in the upper portion of the electronic device 100 is formed as described above.
Next, the planar arrangement of the through via 110 and the enclosure interconnect 111 (and also the through via hole 108 and the enclosure interconnect groove 109) will be described.
In
Now, in order to minimize the path, it is preferred that the layered structure is provided so as to extend directly above the end portions 111a and 111b as shown in
Other elements are not shown in
Note that in
Next,
First, a structure shown in
Then, the step shown in
Then, a barrier film made of tantalum (Ta)/tantalum nitride (TaN) and a copper (Cu) film are deposited in this order by a sputtering method and a plating method so as to fill the interconnect grooves and cover the insulating film 207.
Then, unnecessary portions of the barrier film and the copper film overflowing onto the insulating film 207 are removed by using a CMP method, thereby forming the interconnects 213 made of the barrier film and the copper film and filling the interconnect grooves. Note that by setting the positions of the interconnect grooves, the interconnect 213 can be placed at any position so that, for example, it is connected to the top of the plug 206.
Again, the barrier film is not limited to a layered structure of Ta film/TaN film, and it may be solely a Ta film, a TaN film, or the like. A film made of silver, aluminum or an alloy thereof may be used instead of the copper film.
Then, the step shown in
These can be formed in a similar manner to that described above for the first wafer Wf1 with reference to
Since the interconnect 222 located in the uppermost layer needs to be connected to the through via bottom 123 in the first wafer Wf1, it is formed at a position appropriate therefor. The interconnects 216 and 219 in other layers and vias 215, 218 and 221 for connecting interconnects of different layers may be arranged in any manner.
Then, a cap film 223 is formed by an electroless plating method, or the like, on the surface of the interconnect 222 of the uppermost layer as shown in
Note that in the present embodiment, the interconnect 222 of the uppermost layer has a structure in which the interconnect groove is filled with copper, silver, aluminum, an alloy thereof, or the like. In such a case, there is provided the cap film 223 made of a ferromagnetic material.
Alternatively, the interconnect 222 of the uppermost layer may be formed by filling the interconnect groove with the material (Fe, Co, Ni, Gd, etc.), which has been mentioned above as the material of the cap film 223. In such a case, the cap film 223 does not need to be formed.
The second wafer Wf2 located in the lower portion of the electronic device 100 is formed as described above.
Then, the first wafer Wf1 is aligned with and mounted on the second wafer Wf2, and the wafers are bonded together. The bonding step will now be described.
First, the lower second wafer Wf2 is provided, and the upper first wafer Wf1 is placed thereon so that the reverse surface thereof faces the principal surface of the second wafer Wf2.
Then, the relative positions of the second wafer Wf2 and the first wafer Wf1 are aligned with each other. Specifically, the interconnect 222 (and the cap film 223) of the uppermost layer of the second wafer Wf2 is aligned with the corresponding through via bottom 123 on the reverse surface of the first wafer Wf1.
Moreover, the opposing surfaces of the wafers are brought closer to each other, and the interconnect 222 of the uppermost layer of the second wafer Wf2 is brought into contact with the through via bottom 123 of the first wafer Wf1 so as to electrically connect them together. Thus, the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2 are electrically connected together.
Then, the insulative adhesive 301 is injected into the gap between the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2 (see
After bonding together the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2, the wafers are cut into chips, thereby obtaining individual chips (the electronic devices 100). An electronic device obtained as described above has a three-dimensional structure in which a plurality of (two here) chips stacked together. That is, semiconductor circuits, etc., provided on a plurality of chips are electrically connected together through the through vias, thereby forming a single semiconductor integrated circuit as a whole.
Now, the alignment between the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2 will be further described.
An alignment to a certain degree is performed by using an optical alignment method, or the like. Then, as shown in
Then, the power supply 601 is turned on to apply a voltage, thereby allowing a current 605 to flow through the enclosure interconnect 111. The enclosure interconnect 111 is arranged so as to make a substantially complete round around the area in which electrical connections are made between the wafers, with the through via 110 placed within the enclosure interconnect 111. Thus, when a current flows through the enclosure interconnect 111, a magnetic field is generated, and the through via 110 becomes a magnet with a magnetic force.
When the first wafer Wf1 and the second wafer Wf2 are brought close to each other in this state, the cap film 223 provided on the interconnect 222 of the uppermost layer of the second wafer Wf2 is drawn toward the through via bottom 123 of the magnetized through via 110 in the first wafer Wf1.
As a result, the second wafer Wf2 is drawn toward the first wafer Wf1, and displaced in the direction vertical to the second wafer Wf2. They are translated or rotated by small amounts while maintaining the parallel position between the principal surface of the second wafer Wf2 and the reverse surface of the first wafer Wf1 and while observing such displacement. It is assumed that the wafers are most accurately aligned with each other (with minimum misalignment) at such a position that the displacement is maximized, and therefore such a position is determined as the optimal position.
With such an alignment method, the wafers can be attached together while directly observing the optimal position at which the misalignment is minimized, and it is therefore possible to perform a more accurate and appropriate alignment as compared with the background art which is an indirect alignment. Therefore, the yield of the electronic device manufacture is improved. Such a method is not limited to an alignment between wafers, but may also be compatible with an alignment between chips, an alignment of a chip with a wafer, etc.
(Variations)
Next, various variations of the third embodiment will be described.
In contrast,
Next,
The enclosure interconnect 111 shown in
In
In addition to the enclosure interconnect 111 shown in
In the third embodiment, only one enclosure interconnect 111 is provided in one chip area as shown in
The third embodiment illustrated an example where the through via 110 is placed inside the enclosure interconnect 111. However, the through vias 110 may be arranged outside the enclosure interconnect 111 as shown in
For providing the through via 110 with a magnetic force, it is advantageous that the through via 110 is placed within the enclosure interconnect 111. However, a magnetic force can be given to the through vias 110 placed outside the enclosure interconnect 111, and it is possible that the through vias 110 are placed outside due to the structural limitations of the electronic device, etc. This is advantageous in terms of the degree of freedom in the structure of the electronic device.
A plurality of enclosure interconnects 111c and 111d may be provided so as to surround the area where the through vias 110 are placed in multiple rows as shown in
Moreover, the enclosure interconnect 111 may be formed in a spiral pattern so as to surround the through via 110 as shown in
Note that the various variations described above may be combined with one another. For example, it is possible to employ any of configurations such as one where the interconnects 116a are provided in a plurality of rows as shown in
Next, an electronic device according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure and a method for manufacturing the same will be described.
The electronic device of the present embodiment has a structure in which two wafers are stacked together, as does the electronic device 100 of the third embodiment. The second wafer Wf2 to be on the lower side has the same structure as that of the second wafer Wf2 of the third embodiment shown in
In contrast, the structure and formation method of a first wafer Wf1′ of the present embodiment to be mounted on the second wafer Wf2 will now be described.
The structure shown in
Then, the step of
Then, the step of
The barrier film is not limited to a layered structure of Ta film/TaN film, and may be solely a Ta film, a TaN film, or the like. Moreover, a film of silver, aluminum or an alloy thereof may be used instead of a copper film.
It is preferred that an insulative film is formed, before the barrier film is formed, on the side wall of the through via hole 108. Alternatively, the through vias 110 may be surrounded by an insulating substance, instead of forming the insulative film.
Then, the step of
Then, a plurality of interconnect grooves are formed spaced apart from one another by a lithography method and a dry etching method so as to run through both the insulating film 112.
Then, a barrier film made of tantalum (Ta)/tantalum nitride (TaN) and a copper (Cu) film are deposited in this order by a sputtering method and a plating method so as to fill the interconnect grooves and cover the insulating film 112.
Then, unnecessary portions of the barrier film and the copper film overflowing onto the insulating film 112 are removed by using a CMP method, thereby forming the interconnects 113 made of the barrier film and the copper film and filling the interconnect grooves. Note that by setting the positions of the interconnect grooves, the interconnect 113 can be placed at any position so that, for example, it is connected to the top of the through via 110 or the top of the plug 106.
Again, the barrier film is not limited to a layered structure of Ta film/TaN film, and it may be solely a Ta film, a TaN film, or the like. A film made of silver, aluminum or an alloy thereof may be used instead of the copper film.
Then, the step shown in
The method for this is similar to the method described above in the third embodiment with reference to
Next, the step of
The first wafer Wf1′ to be on the upper side in the present embodiment is formed as described above.
Now, an inductor 124 is formed by the interconnect 122 of the uppermost layer of the first wafer Wf1′. This will be described with reference to
As shown in
Note that it is preferred that at least one through via 110 is placed under the inductor 124.
After the formation of the first wafer Wf1′ and the second wafer Wf2 is completed, the wafers are aligned and bonded together. Now, the process of placing the first wafer Wf1′ on the second wafer Wf2, the process of bringing the interconnect 222 of the uppermost layer of the second wafer Wf2 and the cap film 223 thereon and the through via bottom 123 of the first wafer Wf1′ into contact with each other for an electrical connection, and the process of further bonding together the wafers using an adhesive to thereby ensure a mechanical strength are similar to those of the third embodiment.
The step of aligning the wafers with each other will now be described.
First, as in the third embodiment (
Then, when the power supply 601 is turned on to apply a voltage, thereby allowing a current 605 to flow through the inductor 124, a magnetic field is generated. With the magnetic field, the through via 110 becomes a magnet with a magnetic force, thereby drawing the cap film 223 of the second wafer Wf2.
Thus, the second wafer Wf2 is drawn toward the first wafer Wf1′, and displaced in the direction vertical to the second wafer Wf2. They are translated or rotated by small amounts while maintaining the parallel position between the principal surface of the second wafer Wf2 and the reverse surface of the first wafer Wf1′ and while observing such displacement. The position at which the displacement is maximized is determined as the optimal position.
As in the third embodiment, the wafers can be attached together while directly observing the optimal position at which the misalignment is minimized, and it is therefore possible to perform a more accurate and appropriate alignment as compared with the background art which is an indirect alignment. Therefore, the yield of the electronic device manufacture is improved. Such a method is not limited to an alignment between wafers, but may also be compatible with an alignment between chips, an alignment of a chip with a wafer, etc.
(Variations)
Next, various variations of the fourth embodiment will be described.
In such a case, in the alignment step, the power supply 601 is connected to the connection pad 153 provided at the outer end portion of the inductor 124 and the connection pad 151 provided at the inner end portion thereof. Therefore, a current is allowed to flow through the inductor 124 so that a magnetic force can be used in the alignment as described above with reference to
In the fourth embodiment, only one inductor 124 is shown. However, there may be a plurality of such regions for alignment and electrical connection, each region including the inductor 124 on the first wafer Wf1′, the through via 110 under the inductor 124, the interconnect 222 (and the cap film 223) of the second wafer Wf2 corresponding to the through via 110. By performing the alignment for the plurality of regions, it is possible to perform an alignment of a better precision.
Note that the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment both illustrated examples where the first wafer Wf1 (Wf1′) and the second wafer Wf2, each having a semiconductor substrate with MOS elements, the interconnect structure, etc., provided thereon, are bonded together, to manufacture a semiconductor apparatus as an electronic device. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, even where an insulating substrate having a conductive film is used, the present invention can be applied with no problems to the conductive film. Moreover, the present invention can also be applied to such a case where a structure having the enclosure interconnect 111 and the through via 110 is aligned with and mounted on a printed circuit board.
It is also possible to use a first wafer, which include both the enclosure interconnect described above in the third embodiment, and the inductor described above in the fourth embodiment.
(Description of Alignment Method and Apparatus used Therefor)
Next, an alignment method used when manufacturing an electronic device of the first to fourth embodiments, and an apparatus used therefor will be further described with reference to the drawings.
The first wafer Wf1 is moved while applying a voltage through the probe 253, and the position at which the current value of the current flowing through a current path 254 including interconnects, through vias, etc., is maximized is determined as the optimal position, as described above in the first embodiment.
Next, the alignment described above in the first embodiment can also be performed as shown in
The second wafer Wf2 is held by the handler 252 with the side of the semiconductor substrate 201 facing up so that it can be translated or rotated.
The second wafer Wf2 is moved while applying a voltage through the probe 253a, and the position at which the current value of the current flowing through the current path 254 is maximized is determined as the optimal position.
Next,
The first wafer Wf1 is held by the handler 252, and a probe 253b, which the handler 252 is provided with, is connected to the connection pad 603.
The first wafer Wf1 is moved while applying a voltage through the probes 253a and 253b, and the position at which the current value of the current flowing through the current path 254 is maximized is determined as the optimal position as described above in the second embodiment.
As described above, with the method described above with reference to
In contrast,
In
Next,
When a current is allowed to flow through the enclosure interconnect 111 via the probes 253, the through via 110 has a magnetic force, and therefore the stage 251 and the second wafer Wf2 are drawn toward the first wafer Wf1 and are displaced in the direction vertical to the second wafer Wf2. The first wafer Wf1 is moved while observing such displacement, and the position at which the displacement is maximized is determined as the optimal position as described above in the third embodiment.
Next, the alignment described above in the first embodiment can also be performed as shown in
The second wafer Wf2 is held by the handler 252 with the side of the semiconductor substrate 201 facing up so that it can be translated or rotated.
When a current is allowed to flow through the enclosure interconnect 111 of the first wafer Wf1 via the probe 253a, the second wafer Wf2 is displaced by being drawn by the magnetic force generated in the through via 110. The first wafer Wf1 is moved while observing such displacement, and the position at which the displacement is maximized is determined as the optimal position.
As described above, with the method described above with reference to
In contrast,
In
As shown in
A current is allowed to flow through the enclosure interconnect 111 of the first wafer Wf1 via the probe 253c, and the second wafer Wf2 is moved while observing displacement caused by the generated magnetic force, so that the position at which the displacement is maximized is determined ad the optimal position.
The electronic device and the method for manufacturing the same described above are also useful as a semiconductor apparatus whose packaging density is increased by further reducing the size and the thickness thereof because they realize, with a good yield, a layered structure (three-dimensional structure) in which a plurality of substrates are aligned together accurately and reliably.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2008-248998 | Sep 2008 | JP | national |
2008-255219 | Sep 2008 | JP | national |
This is a continuation of PCT International Application PCT/JP2009/004057 filed on Aug. 24, 2009, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-248998 filed on Sep. 26, 2008 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-255219 filed on Sep. 30, 2008. The disclosures of these applications including the specifications, the drawings, and the claims are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/JP2009/004057 | Aug 2009 | US |
Child | 12858248 | US |