This disclosure relates generally to the field of semiconductor chip manufacturing, and more particularly to removal of polyimide glue from a semiconductor chip during manufacturing.
During semiconductor manufacturing, multiple semiconductor chips may be formed in a single piece of a substrate (for example, a silicon substrate). The semiconductor chips may include various structures, made from various materials such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or metal. The semiconductor chips need to be separated in the later stages of the semiconductor manufacturing process. For example, this separation may be achieved by dicing the substrate containing the semiconductor chips. The substrate containing the semiconductor chips may require attachment to a rigid supporting material during dicing, so as to avoid damage to the semiconductor chips during dicing. A glue, which may be a polyimide glue, may be used to attach the supporting material to the substrate. After dicing, the supporting material and the glue need to be removed from the diced semiconductor chips.
Some polyimide removal methods, which may be applied to polyimide glue on a semiconductor chip, include wet etching and plasma ashing. These methods may be isotropic, which may cause damage to structures located on the semiconductor chip underneath the polyimide, and relatively slow, limiting throughput for the semiconductor manufacturing process. Wet etching may be performed using N-methyl pyrrolidinone (NMP); however, the etch rate of wet etching with NMP is relatively slow. Plasma ashing may be performed using oxygen (O2) plasma or hydrofluoric plasma. For plasma ashing in O2, the etch rate is also relatively slow; it may take more than 5 hours to remove the polyimide. The required temperature for O2 plasma etching is also relatively high (up to 250° C.), which may damage the semiconductor chip. For hydrofluoric plasma ashing, the etch rate may be higher, but other materials in the semiconductor chip, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or metal may also be etched along with the polyimide, damaging the semiconductor chip.
In one aspect, a method for laser ashing of polyimide for a semiconductor manufacturing process using a structure, the structure comprising a supporting material attached to a semiconductor chip by a polyimide glue, includes releasing the supporting material from the polyimide glue, such that the polyimide glue remains on the semiconductor chip; and ashing the polyimide glue on the semiconductor chip using an ablating laser.
In another aspect, a system for laser ashing of polyimide for a semiconductor manufacturing process includes a semiconductor chip; a polyimide glue located on the semiconductor chip; and an ablating laser configured to ash the polyimide glue on the semiconductor chip.
Additional features are realized through the techniques of the present exemplary embodiment. Other embodiments are described in detail herein and are considered a part of what is claimed. For a better understanding of the features of the exemplary embodiment, refer to the description and to the drawings.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several FIGURES:
Embodiments of systems and methods for laser ashing of polyimide are provided, with exemplary embodiments being discussed below in detail. Laser ashing of polyimide may be relatively fast and allow good throughput for the semiconductor manufacturing process. Laser ashing may also limit polyimide undercutting and be highly selective to polyimide, so that the semiconductor chip is not damaged during polyimide removal. An ultraviolet (UV) laser is used to ash, or ablate, the polyimide, as polyimide has a relatively high light absorption coefficient in the UV range and a low threshold to initiate ablation. Laser ablation is a line-of-sight, anisotropic method, which significantly reduces the risk of polyimide undercutting. Laser ablation of polyimide may also be a relatively low temperature process, under 150° C. in some embodiments. The polyimide removal process may include relatively short plasma cleaning steps before and after laser ablation of the polyimide to remove any carbon debris or residue that may be on the semiconductor chip.
After laser release of supporting material 203 in block 101, a structure 400 including the semiconductor chip 202 with polyimide glue layer 201 remains, as is shown in
Then, in block 103, a laser 501 is used to ash the polyimide glue layer 201 as is shown in
After the laser ashing of polyimide glue layer 201 in block 103, a structure 600 including the semiconductor chip 202 remains, as shown in
Lastly, in block 105, a top chip 701 may be attached to the semiconductor chip 202 by a connection layer 702 to form semiconductor device 700. Top chip 701 may include any appropriate type of chip and may be attached to semiconductor chip 202 in any appropriate manner. In embodiments in which top chip 701 is connected using a flip chip technique, connection layer 702 may include a C4 layer, which may comprise solder bumps, and may be deposited on receiving pads located on the semiconductor chip 202. Top chip 701 and connection layer 702 are shown for illustrative purposes only; any appropriate devices may be connected to semiconductor chip 202 to form a final semiconductor device.
The technical effects and benefits of exemplary embodiments include increased throughput for a semiconductor manufacturing process while reducing damage to a semiconductor chip during polyimide glue removal.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2719927 | Nov 2010 | CA | national |