Patent Application
20240304457
The present invention relates to a method of processing a bonded wafer including a first wafer and a second wafer that are bonded to each other by a bonding layer interposed therebetween, the first wafer having on a face side thereof a device region where a plurality of devices are fabricated and an outer circumferential excessive region surrounding the device region and having a chamfered outermost circumferential edge, and the face side being bonded to the second wafer by the bonding layer.
Wafers that have a plurality of devices such as integrated circuits (ICs) or large scale integration (LSI) circuits disposed in respective areas demarcated by a plurality of projected dicing lines are divided into individual device chips by a dicing apparatus. The device chips will be used in electric appliances such as cellular phones, personal computers, etc.
In order to enhance performance of devices on device chips, it has been the occasional practice in the art to bond one wafer that has a pattern formed thereon by a surface activating process to another wafer and thin down one of the wafers by grinding.
The wafer to be thinned down has devices on a face side thereof. When the wafer is thin down, a reverse side thereof that is opposite the face side is ground until the chamfered edge of the outer circumferential excessive region of the wafer turns into a sharp knife edge. The knife edge is problematic in that it is likely to injure an operator and develop cracks into the bonded wafer, tending to cause damage to the devices in the bonded wafer.
As a solution to the above problems, there has been proposed a technology for preventing a knife edge from being formed on an outer circumferential portion of a bonded wafer by removing a chamfered edge therefrom by a cutting blade or a grindstone positioned at the outer circumferential portion when the reverse side of one of the wafers is ground (see, for example, JP2010-225976 A and JP2016-096295 A).
However, a process of removing the chamfered edge with the cutting blade or the grindstone is highly time-consuming and hence poor in productivity.
In addition, if voids are present in an outer circumferential portion of the bonding layer in the bonded wafer, then the voids are liable to damage the bonded wafer when the chamfered edge is removed or when the bonded wafer is ground.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of processing a bonded wafer to remove a chamfered edge efficiently therefrom without causing damage to the bonded wafer.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of processing a bonded wafer including a first wafer and a second wafer that are bonded to each other by a bonding layer interposed therebetween, the first wafer having on a face side thereof a device region where a plurality of devices are fabricated and an outer circumferential excessive region surrounding the device region and having a chamfered outermost circumferential edge, and the face side being bonded to the second wafer by the bonding layer. The method includes a modified layer forming step of applying a laser beam having a wavelength transmittable through the first wafer to the first wafer from a reverse side thereof while positioning a focused spot of the laser beam within the first wafer to form a modified layer in the first wafer and cracks developed from the modified layer and extending toward an outer circumferential portion of the first wafer along the bonding layer, and, after the modified layer forming step, a grinding step of holding the second wafer on a chuck table and grinding the reverse side of the first wafer to thin down the first wafer. In the modified layer forming step, a plurality of modified layers are formed in the first wafer at positions spaced parallel to the plane of the first wafer radially inwardly from the outer circumferential portion of the first wafer, developing cracks in and along the bonding layer toward the outer circumferential portion to form a removal initiating point for removing the chamfered outermost circumferential edge.
It is preferable that a plurality of the modified layers are spaced at an interval in a range from 450 to 800 μm thicknesswise across the first wafer. It is preferable that the focused spot of the laser beam includes multi-focused spots to form the modified layer.
According to the present invention, in the modified layer forming step, a plurality of modified layers are formed in the first wafer at positions spaced parallel to the plane of the first wafer radially inwardly from the outer circumferential portion of the first wafer, developing cracks in and along the bonding layer toward the outer circumferential portion to form a removal initiating point for removing the chamfered outermost circumferential edge. Consequently, the method of processing a bonded wafer according to the present invention is able to remove the chamfered outer circumferential edge more efficiently than the conventional removing process.
According to the present invention, furthermore, even if voids are present in bonded surfaces of the bonded wafer, the voids can be removed together with the chamfered outer circumferential edge, so that the bonded wafer will not be damaged.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention and the manner of realizing them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will best be understood from a study of the following description and appended claims with reference to the attached drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention.
A method of processing a bonded wafer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The first wafer 4, shaped as a circular plate, has a thickness of approximately 700 μm and is made of a semiconductor material such as silicon, for example. As illustrated in
The outer circumferential excessive region 16 of the first wafer 4 has a notch 20 defined in its outer circumferential end portion as an indicator of the crystal orientation of the first wafer 4. As illustrated in
The second wafer 6 affixed to the first wafer 4 is essentially identical in structure of the first wafer 4 and will be omitted from detailed description below.
To form the bonded wafer 2, the face side 4a of the first wafer 4 is bonded to a face side 6a of the second wafer 6 by the bonding layer 8 that includes an appropriate adhesive. At this time, the notch 20 of the first wafer 4 is positioned in alignment with a notch 20 of the second wafer 6, aligning the crystal orientations of the first and second wafers 4 and 6 with each other. The bonded wafer 2 to be processed by the method of processing a bonded wafer according to the present embodiment is formed in this manner.
Various other bonded wafers can be processed by the method of processing a bonded wafer according to the present embodiment. For example, a bonded wafer in which the face side 4a of the first wafer 4 and a reverse side 6b of the second wafer 6 are bonded to each other by the bonding layer 8 can be processed by the method according to the present embodiment.
According to the present embodiment, the method includes a modified layer forming step that is first carried out on the bonded wafer 2. In the modified layer forming step, specifically, a laser beam having a wavelength transmittable through the first wafer 4 is applied to the first wafer 4 from a reverse side 4b thereof while its focused spot is being positioned in the first wafer 4, forming a modified layer in the first wafer 4 and cracks developed from the modified layer and extending radially, along the bonding layer 8, with respect to the first wafer 4.
The modified layer forming step may be performed by a laser processing apparatus 24 illustrated in
The holding unit 26 includes an X-axis movable plate 34 supported on an upper surface of a base 32 for movement along an X-axis, a Y-axis movable plate 36 supported on an upper surface of the X-axis movable plate 34 for movement along a Y-axis, a support post 38 fixedly mounted on an upper surface of the Y-axis movable plate 36, and a cover plate 40 fixedly mounted on the upper end of the support post 38.
The X-axis is indicated by an arrow X in
The cover plate 40 has an oblong hole 40a defined therein, which extends along the Y-axis. A chuck table 42 extends upwardly through the oblong hole 40a and is rotatably mounted on the upper end of the support post 38. A circular porous suction chuck 44 that is fluidly connected to suction means, not depicted, is disposed on the upper end of the chuck table 42.
The holding unit 26 holds the bonded wafer 2 thereon by having the suction means generate a suction force and apply the suction force to an upper surface of the suction chuck 44, keeping the bonded wafer 2 securely under suction on the upper surface of the suction chuck 44. Further, the chuck table 42 is rotatable about its vertical central axis by a chuck table motor, not depicted, housed in the support post 38.
The laser beam applying unit 28 includes a housing 46 having a vertical portion extending upwardly from the upper surface of the base 32 and a vertical portion extending substantially horizontally from the upper end of the vertical portion. As illustrated in
The multi-focused beam spot producing unit 48 has a spatial light phase modulator 50 (see
The multi-focused beam spot producing unit 48 divides the pulsed laser beam LB into a plurality of laser beam branches, also denoted by LB, by way of diffraction and converges the laser beam branches LB into respective focused spots FP (see
As illustrated in
The image capturing unit 54 should include an ordinary image capturing device (CCD) for capturing an image of the bonded wafer 2 with a visible light beam, an infrared ray applying means for irradiating the bonded wafer 2 with infrared rays that are applied to and transmitted through the bonded wafer 2, an optical system for catching the infrared rays applied to the bonded wafer 2 by the infrared ray applying means, and an image capturing device (infrared CCD) for outputting an electric signal representing the infrared rays caught by the optical system.
As illustrated in
The X-axis feed mechanism 58 has a ball screw 62 coupled to the X-axis movable plate 34 and extending along the X-axis and an electric motor 64 for rotating the ball screw 62 about its central longitudinal axis. The X-axis feed mechanism 58 operates by converting rotary motion of the electric motor 64 into linear motion with the ball screw 62 and transmitting the linear motion to the X-axis movable plate 34, moving the X-axis movable plate 34 along the X-axis on and along a pair of guide rails 32a mounted on the base 32. When the X-axis movable plate 34 is moved along the X-axis, the chuck table 42 is also moved along the X-axis.
The Y-axis feed mechanism 60 has a ball screw 66 coupled to the Y-axis movable plate 36 and extending along the Y-axis and an electric motor 68 for rotating the ball screw 66 about its central longitudinal axis. The Y-axis feed mechanism 60 operates by converting rotary motion of the electric motor 68 into linear motion with the ball screw 66 and transmitting the linear motion to the Y-axis movable plate 36, moving the Y-axis movable plate 36 along the Y-axis on and along a pair of guide rails 34a mounted on the X-axis movable plate 34. When the Y-axis movable plate 36 is moved along the Y-axis, the chuck table 42 is also moved along the Y-axis.
In the modified layer forming step, as illustrated in
Then, the feed mechanism 30 is actuated to position the bonded wafer 2 directly below the image capturing unit 54. Then, the image capturing unit 54 is energized to capture an image of the bonded wafer 2. Based on the captured image of the bonded wafer 2, a positional relation between the beam condenser 52 and the bonded wafer 2 is adjusted to position the focused spots FP of the laser beam branches LB within the first wafer 4 radially inwardly of an outer circumferential edge thereof. Specifically, the focused spots FP of the laser beam branches LB are positioned within the outer circumferential excessive region 16 of the first wafer 4 radially inwardly of the notch 20 and the chamfered edge 22.
The bonded wafer 2 has bonded surfaces including an annular area that is spaced 2 to 3 mm radially inwardly from outer circumferential edges of the bonded surfaces. Since the annular area tends to contain voids, the focused spots FP should preferably be positioned radially inwardly of the annular area.
In case the image capturing unit 54 includes an infrared CCD, as described above, a void detecting step may be carried out on the basis of an infrared image captured by the infrared CCD before the positional relation between the beam condenser 52 and the bonded wafer 2 is adjusted.
In the void detecting step, as illustrated in
After the focused spots FP have been positioned, as illustrated in
The pulsed laser beam branches LB may be applied to the first wafer 4 while the chuck table 42 is making one revolution (360°). Alternatively, the pulsed laser beam branches LB may be applied to the first wafer 4 while the chuck table 42 is making two or more revolutions. In other words, the pulsed laser beam branches LB may be applied once or twice or more to the first wafer 4 at each location thereon.
As illustrated in
According to the present embodiment, it is important that a plurality of modified layers 72 be formed at positions spaced parallel to a surface of the bonded wafer 2 and radially inwardly from the outer circumferential portion of the bonded wafer 2, with cracks 74 developed therefrom toward the bonding layer 8 and toward the outer circumferential portion of the bonded wafer 2 to form a removal initiating point for removing the chamfered edge 22.
With reference to
At this time, the focused spots FP of the laser beam branches LB are positioned in the first wafer 4 radially inwardly of the previously formed modified layer 72. Specifically, as illustrated in
However, if the focused spots FP are spaced too far from the previously formed modified layer 72, then it would make the plurality of modified layers 72 formed at positions parallel to the plane of the bonded wafer 2 less effective. Therefore, care should be taken not to space the focused spots FP too far from the previously formed modified layer 72, as described below.
It is preferable to keep the distance D1 (see
After the focused spots FP have been positioned, the beam condenser 52 applies the pulsed laser beam LB to the first wafer 4 while the chuck table 42 is being rotated at a predetermined rotational speed. The pulsed laser beam LB thus applied to the first wafer 4 forms therein an annular modified layer 72, i.e., a second modified layer 72b, radially inwardly of the previously formed modified layer 72a, i.e., the first modified layer 72a, and annular cracks 74 developed from the second modified layer 72b and extending along the bonding layer 8 toward the outer circumferential portion of the bonded wafer 2.
As illustrated in
The cracks 74 produced in the bonding layer 8 by the second modified layer 72b are joined to the cracks 74 produced in the bonding layer 8 by the first modified layer 72a. As the cracks 74 in the bonding layer 8 extend to the outer circumferential portion of the bonded wafer 2, the cracks 74 in the bonding layer 8 can act as a more appropriate removal initiating point for removing the chamfered edge 22.
The reason why it is preferable that a distance D1 between a plurality of modified layers 72 be set to a range from 450 to 800 μm toward a plane of the bonded wafer 2 will be described below.
As illustrated in
Although not illustrated in
When the distance D1 between the modified layers 72 was larger than 800 μm, the ratio of a removed chamfered edge 22 was greatly reduced (when D1 was 1000 μm, the ratio of a removed chamfered edge 22 was 10% or less). It is considered that when D1 is larger than 800 μm, it is not effective enough to extend the cracks 74 in the bonding layer 8 when the second modified layer 72b is formed.
It is preferable to keep the distance D1 between the modified layers 72 formed at positions parallel to the plane of the bonded wafer 2 in a range from 450 to 800 μm along the plane of the bonded wafer 2. Incidentally,
In the modified layer forming step, a plurality of modified layers 72 may be formed at positions spaced thicknesswise and radially inwardly from the outer circumferential portion of the bonded wafer 2, and the modified layers 72 may be interconnected by cracks 74.
A process of forming a plurality of modified layers 72 in a thicknesswise direction will be described below with reference to
At this time, the focused spots FP of the laser beam branches LB are positioned in the first wafer 4 radially inwardly and upwardly of the previously formed modified layer 72a. Specifically, as illustrated in
After the focused spots FP have been positioned, the beam condenser 52 applies the pulsed laser beam branches LB to the first wafer 4 while the chuck table 42 is being rotated at a predetermined rotational speed. The pulsed laser beam branches LB thus applied to the first wafer 4 form therein an annular third modified layer 72c radially inwardly and upwardly of the first modified layer 72a and annular cracks 74 developed from the third annular modified layer 72c.
Since the cracks 74 on the lower end of the third modified layer 72c are developed obliquely radially outwardly (obliquely downwardly) toward the first modified layer 72a, the first modified layer 72a and the third modified layer 72c are joined to each other by the cracks 74.
Furthermore, the cracks 74 in the bonding layer 8 extends toward the outer circumferential portion of the bonded wafer 2 due to the formation of the third modified layer 72c. Therefore, the formation of the third modified layer 72c can cause the cracks 74 in the bonding layer 8 to become a more appropriate removal initiating point.
From the standpoint of sufficiently extending the cracks 74 in the bonding layer 8, it is preferable to adjust the depression angle θ to the range from 30 degrees to 80 degrees, as described above. Furthermore, in order to reliably interconnect the first modified layer 72a and the third modified layer 72c along the cracks 74, it is preferable to keep the distance D2 between the first and third modified layers 72a and 72c thicknesswise across the bonded wafer 2 in a range from 10 μm to 380 μm (10 μm≤D2≤380 μm).
After the third modified layer 72c has been formed, it is preferable to form a fourth modified layer 72d, as illustrated in
At this time, it is preferable that a line L1′ interconnecting the second modified layer 72b and the fourth modified layer 72d is adjusted to form a depression angle θ ranging from 30 to 80 degrees toward the outer circumferential portion of the bonded wafer 2. The focused spot FP applied to form the fourth modified layer 72d may be identical in vertical position, i.e., thicknesswise position in the bonded wafer 2, to the third modified layer 72c. The fourth modified layer 72d makes the cracks 74 in the bonding layer 8 extend further toward the outer circumferential portion of the bonded wafer 2.
It has been described thus far by way of example that a modified layer 72 is formed by a single focused spot FP. In the modified layer forming step, however, as illustrated in
A positional relation between the focused spots FP and the bonding layer 8 is preferably adjusted such that the distance of the focused spots FP from the bonding layer 8 is progressively smaller in a direction from the center of the bonded wafer 2 toward the outer circumferential portion of the bonded wafer 2.
Specifically, as illustrated in
On the one hand, if the depression angle θ′ is smaller than 15 degrees, then the cracks 74 tend to extend in a direction, i.e., a lateral direction, parallel to the plane of the bonded wafer 2, and the cracks 74 extending from the lower end of the modified layer 72 are liable to fail to reach the bonding layer 8.
On the other, if the depression angle θ′ is larger than 50 degrees, then the cracks 74 tend to extend in a thicknesswise direction, i.e., a vertical direction, of the bonded wafer 2 and to be developed beyond the bonding layer 8 into the second wafer 6, possibly damaging the second wafer 6.
It is thus desirable to adjust the line L3 interconnecting the focused spots FP (multi-focused spots) to form the depression angle θ′ ranging from 15 to 50 degrees toward the outer circumferential portion of the bonded wafer 2. Adjacent ones of the focused spots FP may be spaced from each other by an interval of approximately 10 μm in directions parallel to the plane of the bonded wafer 2. Regarding the number of the focused spots FP, they should preferably be eight or more focused spots FP. The focused spots FP are interconnected by cracks 74.
After the modified layer forming step has been carried out, a grinding step is carried out to hold the second wafer 6 of the bonded wafer 2 on a chuck table and grind the reverse side 4b of the first wafer 4 to thin down the first wafer.
The grinding step is carried out using a grinding apparatus 78 illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Then, with the reverse side 4b of the first wafer 4 facing upwardly, the second wafer 6 is held under suction on the upper surface of the suction chuck 84 of the chuck table 80 (see
Then, the spindle 86 is lowered to bring the grindstones 94 into contact with the reverse side 4b of the first wafer 4, and at the same time the region of the reverse side 4b that is contacted by the grindstones 94 is supplied with grinding water. Thereafter, the spindle 86 is lowered at a predetermined grinding feed rate of 1.0 μm/s, for example, causing the grindstones 94 to grind the reverse side 4b of the first wafer 4 to a predetermined depth.
As a result, as illustrated in
In the method of processing a bonded wafer according to the present embodiment, as described above, the modified layers 72 are formed in the bonded wafer 2 at positions spaced parallel to the surface of the bonded wafer 2 radially inwardly from the outer circumferential portion of the bonded wafer 2, with cracks 74 developed therefrom toward the bonding layer 8 and toward the outer circumferential portion of the bonded wafer 2 to form the removal initiating point for removing the chamfered edge 22.
Then, the grinding step is carried out on the bonded wafer 2 with the removal initiating point formed therein, thereby removing the chamfered edge 22 that is positioned radially outwardly of the removal initiating point. The method of processing a bonded wafer 2 according to the present embodiment is able to remove the chamfered edge 22 more efficiently than the conventional removing process.
According to the present embodiment, furthermore, while the focused spots FP are being positioned radially inwardly of the voids 70, the laser beam branches LB are applied to the first wafer 4 to form the removal initiating point for removing the chamfered edge 22. When the modified layer forming step and the grinding step are carried out, therefore, the voids 70 as well as the chamfered edge 22 can be removed from the first wafer 4 along the removal initiating point provided by the modified layers 72 and the cracks 74. It is thus possible to prevent problems that would otherwise be caused by remaining voids 70, such as damage to the bonded wafer 2 and chippings upon dicing of the bonded wafer 2, from occurring.
The present invention is not limited to the details of the above described preferred embodiment. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and all changes and modifications as fall within the equivalence of the scope of the claims are therefore to be embraced by the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-036247 | Mar 2023 | JP | national |
