The present disclosure generally relates to a semiconductor device package and a method of semiconductor device package alignment inspection.
Conductive pillars (for example, copper (Cu) pads, pillars or bumps)) are commonly used as interconnections in semiconductor structures. As the pitch of the conductive pads becomes further reduced to accommodate increasing I/O numbers, it becomes more challenging to inspect the alignment of the interconnections.
In one or more embodiments, the present disclosure provides a semiconductor device package. The semiconductor device package includes a substrate having a central region and a periphery surrounding the central region, and an electronic component disposed on the substrate. The substrate includes a plurality of testing contacts disposed within the periphery and spaced apart from each other. The electronic component includes a dummy pad. The dummy pad covers two of the plurality of the testing contacts and laterally spaced apart from the other of the plurality of the testing contacts.
In one or more embodiments, the present disclosure provides a semiconductor device package. The semiconductor device package includes a first substrate having a central region and a periphery surrounding the central region. The semiconductor device package also includes a first testing contact, a second testing contact, and a third testing contact disposed within the periphery of the first substrate and spaced apart from each other. The semiconductor device package also includes a second substrate disposed on the first substrate and a first dummy pad exposed from a surface of the second substrate. The first dummy pad is in contact with the first testing contact and the second testing contact and laterally spaced apart from the third testing contact.
In one or more embodiments, the present disclosure provides a method of semiconductor device package alignment inspection. The method includes providing a first substrate and a second substrate. The first substrate includes a first dummy pad and a second dummy pad, and the second substrate includes a first set of testing contacts adjacent to the first dummy pad and a second set of testing contacts adjacent to the second dummy pad. The method also includes obtaining a first electrical information between the first set of testing contacts and obtaining a second electrical information between the second set of testing contacts. The method also includes determining a relative location between the first substrate and the second substrate based on the first electrical information and the second electrical information.
Aspects of the present disclosure are readily understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It should be noted that various features may not be drawn to scale. The dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.
Common reference numerals are used throughout the drawings and the detailed description to indicate the same or similar elements. The present disclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The following disclosure provides for many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of the provided subject matter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. In the present disclosure, a reference to the formation of a first feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed between the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Besides, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the present disclosure provides many applicable concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the disclosure.
In some embodiments, the substrate 10 may be, for example, a semiconductor substrate, such as a silicon substrate or another suitable semiconductor substrate. In some embodiments, the substrate 10 may be a semiconductor wafer, such as a silicon wafer, and includes a plurality of semiconductor chips.
The substrate 10 includes a surface 101 and a surface 102 opposite to the surface 101. In some embodiments, the surface 101 is an active surface and the surface 102 is a passive surface or a backside surface. A conductive element 10c and a plurality of testing contacts p1 through p6 (collectively referred to as testing contacts 10p1 and 10p2) may be in proximity to the surface 101, adjacent to the surface 101, embedded in the surface 101, and/or partially exposed from the surface 101. Testing contacts 10p2 (which has a plurality of testing contacts) may be disposed on a diagonal or opposite position with respect to the testing contacts 10p1. For example, the testing contacts 10p1 and the testing contacts 10p2 may be disposed on opposite corners of the substrate 10. Each of the testing contacts 10p2 is not labeled in the figures for conciseness.
The substrate 10 includes an inner region (or a central region, a conducting region) r1 and an outer region (or periphery, a testing region) r2 surrounding the inner region r1. The conductive element 10c is disposed in or within the inner region r1. The testing contacts 10p1 and 10p2 are disposed in or within the outer region r2.
In other words, the conductive element 10c is disposed in the region defined or enclosed by the dotted lines in
The conductive element 10c is insulated from the testing contacts 10p1 and 10p2 by, for example, organic material(s) (such as a solder mask, a polyimide (PI), an epoxy, an Ajinomoto build-up film (ABF), a polypropylene (PP), and a bismaleimide triazine (BT)), inorganic material(s) (such as a silicon oxide (SiOx), a silicon nitride (SiNx), a tantalum oxide (TaOx), silicon, a glass, a ceramic, and quartz), or a combination of two or more thereof.
Each of the conductive element 10c and the testing contacts 10p1 and 10p2 may be a conductive pad, a conductive trace, or a conductive pillar. Each of the conductive element 10c and the testing contacts 10p1 and 10p2 may include, for example, gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), Nickel (Ni), palladium (Pd), another metal, a solder alloy, or a combination of two or more thereof.
The electronic component 11 may be a chip or a die including a semiconductor substrate, one or more integrated circuit devices and one or more overlying interconnection structures therein.
The electronic component 11 includes a surface 111 facing the substrate 10 and a surface 112 opposite to the surface 111. In some embodiments, the surface 111 is an active surface and the surface 112 is a passive surface or a backside surface. A conductive element 11c and dummy pads 11p1 and 11p2 may be in proximity to the surface 111, adjacent to the surface 111, embedded in the surface 111, and/or partially exposed from the surface 111. The dummy pad 11p1 is disposed in corresponding to the testing contacts 10p1. The dummy pad 11p2 is disposed in corresponding to the testing contacts 10p2. The dummy pad 11p1 may be disposed on a diagonal or opposite position with respect to the dummy pad 11p2. For example, the dummy pad 11p1 and the dummy pad 11p2 may be disposed on opposite corners of the electronic component 11.
Similarly, the electronic component 11 includes an inner region (or a central region, a conducting region) r1 and an outer region (or periphery, a testing region) r2 surrounding the inner region r1. The conductive element 11c is disposed in or within the inner region r1. The dummy pads 11p1 and 11p2 are disposed in or within the outer region r2. In some embodiments, the electronic component 11 may be a semiconductor wafer, such as a silicon wafer, and includes a plurality of semiconductor chips. In such embodiments, the dummy pads 11p1 and 11p2 are disposed in periphery of the semiconductor wafer.
In other words, the conductive element 11c is disposed in the region defined or enclosed by the dotted lines in
Each of the conductive element 11c and the dummy pads 11p1 and 11p2 may be a conductive pad, a conductive trace, or a conductive pillar. Each of the conductive element 11c and the dummy pads 11p1 and 11p2 may include the materials as listed above for the conductive element 10c and the testing contacts 10p1 and 10p2.
As shown in
In
The alignment between the substrate 10 and the electronic component 11 (e.g., the alignment between the conductive element 10c and the conductive element 11c therein) can be inspected by measuring conductivity (such as an open circuit or a short circuit) between the dummy pad 11p1 (or the dummy pad 11p2) and one of the testing contacts p1 through p6; and/or measuring conductivity between two of the testing contacts p1 through p6. The detailed operations and criteria of the alignment inspection method will be described with respect to
As shown in
For example, the dummy pad 11p1 covers or overlaps (please refer to
Similarly, the dummy pad 11p2 of the electronic component 11 is in contact with two of the testing contacts 10p2 of the substrate 10 but is not in contact with the other testing contacts of the testing contacts 10p2.
X-ray or optical microscopes are well-known tools for alignment inspection, but the need for sample preparation is time-consuming and limited resolution may impact the accuracy of displacement information.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a method allowing accurate alignment inspection and displacement determination. The present disclosure may not require sample preparation, and conductivity (such as open circuit or short circuit) may represent the relative displacement between the substrate and the electronic component. In addition, the method used in the present disclosure is not limited by package size and can detect displacement in micron-scale or nanoscale.
As shown in
The testing contact p1 has a portion p1b covered by the dummy pad 11p1 and a portion p1a connected with the portion p1b. The portion p1a is exposed from a projection area of the electronic component 11. Similarly, the testing contact p2 has a portion p2b covered by the dummy pad 11p1 and a portion p2a connected with the portion p2b. The portion p2a is exposed from the electronic component 11. The portion p1b and the portion p2b may form a short circuit if the portion p1b and the portion p2b are in contact with the dummy pad 11p1. The portion p1b and the portion p2b may form an open circuit if at least one of the portion p1b and the portion p2b is not in contact with the dummy pad 11p1. In some embodiments, an electrifying operation may be conducted on the portion p1a and the portion p2a to determine whether the portion p1b and the portion p2b are electrically conducted.
The testing contacts p3 through p6 are spaced apart from the dummy pad 11p1. The testing contacts p3 through p6 surrounds the dummy pad 11p1. The testing contacts p3 through p6 are disposed adjacent to corners of the dummy pad 11p1. The testing contacts p3 through p6 contour the sides of the dummy pad 11p1. Each of the testing contacts p3 through p6 has a portion proximal to the dummy pad 11p1 and a portion distal from the dummy pad 11p1. Take the testing contact p3 for example, the testing contact p3 has a portion p3b and a portion p3a connected with the portion p3b. The portion p3b is overlapped with the projection area of the electronic component 11. The portion p3a is exposed from a projection area of the electronic component 11.
Any two of the testing contacts p3 through p6 may form a short circuit if the two are in contact with the dummy pad 11p1. Similarly, an electrifying operation may be conducted on the portions (such as the portion p3a) exposed from the projection area of the electronic component 11 to determine whether any two of the testing contacts p3 through p6 are electrically conducted.
In some embodiments, the projection area of the dummy pad 11p1 may be different from the projection area of the testing contacts p1, p2, p3, p4, p5, and/or p6. In some embodiments, the projection area of the portion p1a of the testing contact p1 may be substantially similar to the projection area of the portion p1b of the testing contact p1. Similarly, the projection area of the portion p2a of the testing contact p2 may be substantially similar to the projection area of the portion p2b of the testing contact p2. In some embodiments, the projection area of the portion p3a of the testing contact p3 (or the portion p4a of the testing contact p4, the portion p5a of the testing contact p5, the portion p6a of the testing contact p6) may be substantially similar to the projection area of the portion p3b of the testing contact p3 (or the portion p4b of the testing contact p4, the portion p5b of the testing contact p5, the portion p6b of the testing contact p6). In some embodiments, the projection area described above may be substantially parallel to the surface 101 of the substrate 10.
In some embodiments, a separation (or the shortest distance) between the dummy pad 11p1 and one of the testing contacts p1 through p6 may be different from a separation (or the shortest distance) between the dummy pad 11p1 and another one of the testing contacts p1 through p6. For example, the separation between the dummy pad 11p1 and the portion p3b of the testing contact p3 is different from the separation between the dummy pad 11p1 and the portion p4b of the testing contact p4. In some embodiments, the separation described above may be measured in a direction substantially parallel to the surface 101 of the substrate 10.
In some embodiments, the semiconductor device package according to the present disclosure may have any numbers of the dummy pads and the testing contacts according to design requirements and is not limited to the specific embodiments illustrated in the figures. For example, the number of the testing contacts can be N, and N is an integer greater than 1.
Besides, the projection areas, the shapes (such as square or round as shown in
In the semiconductor device package 2, the portion p1a and the portion p1b of the testing contact p1 are connected through a trace p1w disposed at an elevation different from the portion p1a and the portion p1b. In some embodiments, the trace p1w may be a part of a redistribution layer (an RDL) or may be formed together with an RDL. In some embodiments, the yield rate of the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device package 2 is higher than that of the semiconductor device package 1.
Referring back to
As shown in
The substrate 10 includes a conducive via 10v1 and a conducive via 10v2 electrically connected between the conductive element 10c and the conductive element 11c.
With the structure of semiconductor device package 1′ (in which the substrate 10 faces downwardly), more than two substrates (or electronic components, or wafers, or the combination thereof) can be stacked together. In some embodiments, the testing contacts and the dummy pads can be formed in a structure where more than two substrates (or electronic components, or wafers, or the combination thereof) stacked together, and each of the substrates can face downwardly or upwardly depending on design specifications. In addition, the testing contacts and the dummy pads in each of the substrates can be disposed in proximity to a passive surface or an active surface.
Referring to operation S60 in
Then, the method proceeds to operation s61, determining whether the dummy pad 11p1 of the electronic component 11 is in conduction with (or in contact with) the testing contacts p1 and p2 of the substrate 10. In some embodiments, the determination can be conducted by, for example, electrifying the testing contacts p1 and p2 and detecting the electrical information (such as voltage and/or resistance) and/or the electrical status (e.g., conductivity such as a short circuit or an open circuit) therein. For example, a short circuit between the testing contacts p1 and p2 may represent the conduction between the testing contacts p1 and p2 through the dummy pad 11p1, and thus it can be determined that the dummy pad 11p1 is in conduction with the testing contacts p1 and p2.
Referring to operation s62, the dummy pad 11p1 is detected whether it is insulated from one or more sets of testing contacts of the substrate 10 to obtain one or more electrical information. In some embodiments, the dummy pad 11p1 may be detected whether it is insulated from one or more sets of testing contacts of the substrate 10 located adjacent to the corners the dummy pad 11p1. For example, the dummy pad 11p1 of the electronic component 11 is detected whether it is insulated from the set of the testing contacts p6 and p5 of the substrate 10 (such as insulated from the portions p6b and p5b). In some embodiments, the determination or detection can be conducted by, for example, electrifying the testing contacts p6 and p5 and detecting the electrical information (such as voltage and/or resistance) and/or the electrical status (e.g., conductivity such as a short circuit or an open circuit) therein. An open circuit between the testing contacts p6 and p5 means that the dummy pad 11p1 is insulated from the set of the testing contacts p6 and p5. A short circuit between the testing contacts p6 and p5 means that the dummy pad 11p1 is in conduction with (or in contact with) the set of the testing contacts p6 and p5.
Similar operations may be carried out for other sets of testing contacts. For example, the dummy pad 11p1 of the electronic component 11 can be detected whether it is insulated from the sets of “the testing contacts p5 and p4,” “the testing contacts p4 and p3” and “the testing contacts p3 and p6” of the substrate 10. For example, the dummy pad 11p1 of the electronic component 11 can be detected whether it is insulated from the sets of “the portions p5b and p4b,” “the portions p4b and p3b” and “the portions p3b and p6b” of the substrate 10. In some embodiments, the detection can be carried out between the dummy pad 11p1 of the electronic component 11 and four sets of the testing contacts of the substrate 10. In other embodiments, the detection can be carried out between the dummy pad 11p1 of the electronic component 11 and N sets of the testing contacts depending on different design specifications, and N is an integer equal to or greater than 1.
In some embodiments, similar operations carried out for the dummy pad 11p1 as shown in operations s61 and s62 are performed for the dummy pad 11p2 of the electronic component 11 to obtain one or more electrical information.
Referring to operation s63, the relative location between the electronic component 11 and the substrate 10 is determined (or obtained) based on the electrical information between the dummy pads 11p1, 11p2 of the electronic component 11 and the sets of the testing contacts of the substrate 10.
In some embodiments, if an open circuit is detected between all the sets (such as the testing contacts p3 through p6) of testing contacts for dummy pads 11p1 and 11p2, it is determined that there is no shift or rotation between the electronic component 11 and the substrate 10 or that the shift or rotation between the electronic component 11 and the substrate 10 is within a predetermined value or within the design specification.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, in the case that an open circuit is detected between the sets of testing contacts “p6 and p5” and “p3 and p6” for the dummy pads 11p1 and 11p2, and that an short circuit is detected between the set of the testing contacts “p5 and p4” and “p4 and p3” for the dummy pad 11p1 and 11p2, it is determined that the electronic component 11 shifts to the upper-right corner with respect to the substrate 10 about 5 μm.
In some embodiments, in the case that an open circuit is detected between the sets of testing contacts “p6 and p5” and “p3 and p6” for the dummy pad 11p1 and between the set of the testing contacts “p5 and p4” and “p4 and p3” for the dummy pad 11p2, and that an short circuit is detected between the set of the testing contacts “p5 and p4” and “p4 and p3” for the dummy pad 11p1 and between the sets of testing contacts “p6 and p5” and “p3 and p6” for the dummy pad 11p2, it is determined that the electronic component 11 rotates in a clockwise direction with respect to the substrate 10 about 0.15 degrees. In some embodiments, it may be determined that the electronic component 11 rotates in a clockwise direction with respect to the substrate 10 about 0.15 degrees and shifts to the bottom-right corner with respect to the substrate 10 about 5 μm.
In some embodiments, in the case that an open circuit is detected between the set of the testing contacts “p5 and p4” and “p4 and p3” for the dummy pad 11p1 and between the sets of testing contacts “p6 and p5” and “p3 and p6” for the dummy pad 11p2, and that an short circuit is detected between the sets of testing contacts “p6 and p5” and “p3 and p6” for the dummy pad 11p1 and between the set of the testing contacts “p5 and p4” and “p4 and p3” for the dummy pad 11p2, it is determined that the electronic component 11 rotates in an anticlockwise direction with respect to the substrate 10 about 0.15 degrees. In some embodiments, it may be determined that the electronic component 11 rotates in an anticlockwise direction with respect to the substrate 10 about 0.15 degrees and shifts to the bottom-right corner with respect to the substrate 10 about 5 μm.
For the relative location between the electronic component 11 and the substrate 10 in the case that the dummy pads 11p1 and 11p2 are round, please refer to
In some embodiments, the relative displacements of the electronic component (such as shift upward/downward, shift to a corner, rotate in a clockwise/anti clockwise direction) in micron-scale or nanoscale with respect to the substrate can be detected through the method used in the present disclosure. It is to be noticed that some of the relative displacements are omitted in the table of
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
In some embodiments, a singulation operation (e.g., by using a dicing saw, laser, punching machine or other appropriate cutting technique) may be conducted to cut out discrete substrate as illustrated in
In some embodiments, similar operations may be performed for the electronic component 11 as illustrated in
Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” “left,” “right” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation, in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly. It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly connected to or coupled to the other element, or intervening elements may be present.
As used herein, the terms “approximately”, “substantially”, “substantial” and “about” are used to describe and account for small variations. When used in conduction with an event or circumstance, the terms can refer to instances in which the event or circumstance occurs precisely as well as instances in which the event or circumstance occurs to a close approximation. As used herein with respect to a given value or range, the term “about” generally means within ±10%, ±5%, ±1%, or ±0.5% of the given value or range. Ranges can be expressed herein as from one endpoint to another endpoint or between two endpoints. All ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the endpoints unless specified otherwise. The term “substantially coplanar” can refer to two surfaces within micrometers (μm) of lying along the same plane, such as within 10 μm, within 5 μm, within 1 μm, or within 0.5 μm of lying along the same plane. When referring to numerical values or characteristics as “substantially” the same, the term can refer to the values lying within ±10%, ±5%, ±1%, or ±0.5% of an average of the values.
The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments and detailed aspects of the present disclosure. The embodiments described in the present disclosure may be readily used as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for carrying out the same or similar purposes and/or achieving the same or similar advantages of the embodiments introduced herein. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and various changes, substitutions, and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.