Systems and methods for bonding

• US 20070170360A1
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3 Technologies, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gooch, Roland W., Syllaios, Athanasios J., Schimert, Thomas R., McCardel, William L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,462,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/338.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/20 using resistors, thermistors or semiconductors sensitive to radiation, e.g. photoconductive devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/187 by direct bonding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14618 Containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14683 Processes or apparatus peculiar to the manufacture or treatment of these devices or parts thereof not peculiar thereto H01L21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

Systems and methods for bonding semiconductor devices and/or multiple wafers, in the form of a first segmented wafer and a second unsegmented wafer which may have different temperature coefficients of expansion (TCE), and which may be bonded together, with or without the presence of a vacuum.

Claims

1. A method of bonding a first wafer to a second wafer, comprising:

segmenting at least a portion of said first wafer into multiple portions;

assembling said multiple portions of said first wafer to at least a portion of a second wafer that is unsegmented; and

bonding said multiple portions of said first wafer to at least a portion of said second wafer that is unsegmented.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

simultaneously assembling said multiple portions of said first wafer to at least a portion of said second wafer that is unsegmented; and

heating said multiple portions of said first wafer and said unsegmented portion of said second wafer to simultaneously bond said segmented multiple portions of said first wafer to said portion of said second wafer;

wherein a material of said first wafer has a thermal coefficient of expansion (TCE) that differs from a TCE of said second wafer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said method comprises heating said multiple portions of said first wafer and said unsegmented portion of said second wafer prior to simultaneously assembling and bonding said multiple portions of said first wafer to at least a portion of said second wafer that is unsegmented.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said method comprises simultaneously assembling said multiple portions of said first wafer to at least a portion of said second wafer that is unsegmented prior to heating said multiple portions of said first wafer and said unsegmented portion of said second wafer to simultaneously bond said segmented multiple portions of said first wafer to said portion of said second wafer.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said first wafer comprises a material that is at least partially transparent to visible spectrum radiation;

and wherein said second wafer comprises a material that is silicon-based.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said first wafer comprises at least one of a zinc selenide material, a sapphire material, a zinc sulfide material, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said first wafer comprises a lid wafer that is at least partially transparent to visible spectrum and infrared spectrum radiation;

wherein said second wafer comprises an unsegmented device wafer, said device wafer comprising a plurality of multi-band focal plane array (FPA) devices capable of detecting visible spectrum and infrared spectrum radiation;

wherein said method further comprises segmenting said first wafer into a plurality of individual window lid components, each of said individual window lid components corresponding to an individual one of said FPA devices of said second wafer; and

wherein said method further comprises assembling each of said individual window lid components to a corresponding one of said FPA devices so that said window lid component allows visible radiation to reach said FPA device through said window lid component.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising heating said window lid components of said first wafer and said unsegmented device wafer to simultaneously bond said window lid components to said FPA devices in a vacuum environment to form a plurality of vacuum packaged multi-band FPA assemblies on said device wafer.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising segmenting said device wafer after said step of bonding to form a plurality of segmented vacuum packaged multi-band FPA assemblies.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said method comprises simultaneously bonding said window lid components of said first wafer to said device wafer by solder bonding.

11. A method of bonding a lid wafer to a device wafer, comprising:

providing a device wafer that comprises a plurality of focal plane array (FPA) devices;

segmenting at least a portion of said lid wafer into a plurality of individual window lid components, each of said individual window lid components corresponding to an individual one of said FPA devices of said device wafer;

assembling said individual window lid components of said lid wafer to at least a portion of said device wafer that is unsegmented so that each of said individual window lid components is assembled over a corresponding one of said FPA devices of said unsegmented device wafer; and

bonding said individual window lid components of said lid wafer to at least a portion of said device wafer that is unsegmented so that each of said individual window lid components is bonded over a corresponding one of said FPA devices of said device wafer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

simultaneously assembling said individual window lid components of said lid wafer to at least a portion of said device wafer that is unsegmented so that each of said individual window lid components is assembled over a corresponding one of said FPA devices of said unsegmented device wafer; and

heating said individual window lid components of said lid wafer and said unsegmented portion of said device wafer to simultaneously bond said segmented individual window lid components of said lid wafer to said portion of said device wafer so that each of said individual window lid components is bonded over a corresponding one of said FPA devices of said device wafer;

wherein a material of said lid wafer has a thermal coefficient of expansion (TCE) that differs from a TCE of said device wafer.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said method comprises heating said individual window lid components of said lid wafer and said unsegmented portion of said device wafer prior to assembling and bonding said individual window lid components of said lid wafer to at least a portion of said device wafer that is unsegmented.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said method comprises assembling said individual window lid components of said lid wafer to at least a portion of said device wafer that is unsegmented prior to heating said individual window lid components of said lid wafer and said unsegmented portion of said device wafer to simultaneously bond said segmented individual window lid components of said lid wafer to said portion of said device wafer.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said lid wafer comprises a material that is at least partially transparent to visible spectrum radiation;

and wherein said device wafer comprises a material that is silicon-based.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said lid wafer comprises at least one of a zinc selenide material, a sapphire material, a zinc sulfide material, or a combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising bonding said window lid components to said FPA devices in a vacuum environment to form a plurality of vacuum packaged FPA assemblies on said device wafer.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising segmenting said device wafer after said step of bonding to form a plurality of segmented vacuum packaged FPA assemblies.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising segmenting said device wafer after said step of bonding to form a plurality of segmented FPA assemblies.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein said method comprises simultaneously bonding said window lid components of said lid wafer to said device wafer by solder bonding.

21. A wafer level assembly, comprising:

multiple segmented portions of a first wafer;

a second unsegmented wafer;

wherein said multiple segmented portions of said first wafer are bonded to at least a portion of said second unsegmented wafer.

22. The wafer level assembly of claim 21, wherein a material of said first wafer has a thermal coefficient of expansion (TCE) that differs from a TCE of said second wafer.

23. The wafer level assembly of claim 22, wherein said first wafer comprises a material that is at least partially transparent to visible spectrum radiation;

and wherein said second wafer comprises a material that is silicon-based.

24. The wafer level assembly of claim 22, wherein said first wafer comprises at least one of a zinc selenide material, a sapphire material, a zinc sulfide material, or a combination thereof.

25. The wafer level assembly of claim 23, wherein said first wafer comprises a lid wafer that is at least partially transparent to visible spectrum and infrared spectrum radiation;

wherein said second wafer comprises an unsegmented device wafer, said device wafer comprising a plurality of multi-band focal plane array (FPA) devices capable of detecting visible spectrum and infrared spectrum radiation;

wherein each of said individual window lid components correspond to an individual one of said FPA devices of said second wafer; and

wherein each of said individual window lid components is assembled to a corresponding one of said FPA devices so that said window lid component allows visible radiation to reach said FPA device through said window lid component.

26. The wafer level assembly of claim 25, wherein each of said individual one of said window lid components is bonded to a corresponding individual one of said multi-band FPA devices with a vacuum sealed therebetween to form a plurality of vacuum packaged multi-band FPA assemblies on said device wafer.

27. The wafer level assembly of claim 26, wherein said window lid components of said first wafer are solder bonded to said device wafer.

28. The wafer level assembly of claim 21, wherein said second unsegmented wafer comprises a device wafer comprising a plurality of focal plane array (FPA) devices;

wherein said multiple segmented portions of said first wafer each comprises an individual window lid component corresponding to an individual one of said plurality of FPA devices of said device wafer; and

wherein each of said individual window lid components is assembled and bonded to said second unsegmented wafer over a corresponding one of said FPA devices of said unsegmented device wafer.

29. A method of bonding, comprising:

providing a plurality of first separate components, each of said first separate components comprising one or more semiconductor devices;

providing one or more second separate components;

disposing said plurality of said first separate components together in adjacent relationship and in a common plane;

disposing said one or more second separate components in a common plane;

assembling said plurality of said first separate components to said one or more second separate components by bringing together said plurality of said first separate components disposed together in adjacent relationship in a common plane with said one or more said second separate components disposed in a common plane; and

bonding said plurality of said first separate components to said at least one second separate components while said plurality of said first separate components are so assembled to said one or more said second separate components.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said one or more second separate components comprise a plurality of second separate components;

said method further comprising;

disposing said plurality of said second separate components together in adjacent relationship and in a common plane to each other; and

wherein said step of assembling comprises assembling said plurality of said first separate components to said plurality of said second separate components by bringing together said plurality of said first separate components disposed together in adjacent relationship in a common plane with said plurality of said second separate components disposed together in adjacent relationship in a common plane.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said each of said plurality of said first separate components comprises two or more focal plane array (FPA) devices;

wherein each of said plurality of said second separate components comprises two or more individual window lid components; and

wherein each of said individual window lid components corresponds to an individual one of said FPA devices.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said each of said plurality of said first separate components comprises a single focal plane array (FPA) device;

wherein each of said plurality of said second separate components comprises a single individual window lid component; and

wherein each of said individual window lid components corresponds to an individual one of said FPA devices.