1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a wafer-level package for an integrated circuit that includes a hydrogen getter and, more particularly, to a wafer-level package for one or more integrated circuits that includes an integrated hydrogen getter within and around the integrated circuits.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It is known in the art to provide wafer-level packages for integrated circuits, such as monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuits (MMIC), formed on a substrate or cover wafer. In one wafer-level packaging design, a cover wafer is mounted to the substrate wafer using a bonding ring so as to provide a hermetically sealed cavity in which the integrated circuits are provided. Typically, many integrated circuits are formed on the substrate or the cover wafer, where one or more integrated circuits are surrounded by a separate bonding ring. The cover wafer(s) and substrate wafer are then diced between the bonding rings to separate the packages for each separate or combined integrated circuit.
Some of the materials used in fabricating semiconductor integrated circuit devices in wafer-level packages are degraded by hydrogen. For example, certain metal films, such as titanium and platinum, used in the fabrication of integrated circuits react with hydrogen and degrade overtime, eventually rendering the device inoperative. Hydrogen degradation is particularly a problem for high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) that may be included in monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuits because these devices may have thin nitride passivation layers, allowing hydrogen to penetrate through the thin passivation and degrade the protected metal films underneath.
Hydrogen is able to collect within the hermetically sealed package because hydrogen atoms are very small, and they are slowly able to penetrate into the package from the outside.
In order to alleviate hydrogen degradation of integrated circuit components within wafer-level packages, it has been proposed in the art to provide hydrogen getters within the wafer-level package that absorb the hydrogen to remove it from the sealed cavity. Particularly, it is known in the art to deposit certain layers of material within the wafer-level package that operate to absorb hydrogen that may otherwise degrade some of the semiconductor materials.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a wafer-level package is disclosed that employs one or more integrated hydrogen getters within the wafer-level package on any wafer. The hydrogen getter is provided anywhere between and among the integrated circuits on the substrate wafer or cover wafer, and is deposited during the integrated circuit fabrication process. In one non-limiting embodiment, the substrate wafer and the cover wafer are a group III-V semiconductor material, and the hydrogen getter may include a titanium layer(s), a nickel layer(s), and a palladium layer(s).
Additional features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The following discussion of the embodiments of the invention directed to a wafer-level package including integrated hydrogen getters on a semiconductor substrate wafer is merely exemplary in nature, and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its applications or uses.
According to the invention, one or more hydrogen getters 80 are integrated within and among the integrated circuits 70. As the integrated circuits 70 are being fabricated for a particular device or circuit, the various layers associated with the hydrogen getters 80 are also being deposited. Therefore, the layers of the hydrogen getters 80 are deposited by any suitable wafer-level packaging and batch integration process that can be employed to fabricate the integrated circuits 70.
The hydrogen getters 80 are a lamination of thin layers formed on the substrate 62 or the cover wafer 64. A cross-sectional view of one of the hydrogen getters 80 on the substrate wafer 62 is shown in
The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims, that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
The U.S. Government may have a paid-up license in this invention and the right in limited circumstances to require the patent owner to license others on reasonable terms as provided for by the terms of Contract No. FA8750-06-C-0051 awarded by the United States Air Force/Air Force Research Laboratory.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20090026598 A1 | Jan 2009 | US |