Test patterns for detecting misalignment of through-wafer vias

• US 8,431,421 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Chih-Hua
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Zandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMAS, TONIAE M
• Application Number:
  US12/414,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20090186430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,492 Days
• Field of Search: 438/17, 438/667, 257/E21.53, 257/698, 257/E21.585, 257/E23.011
• US Class Current: 438/17
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/34 Circuits for electrically characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes, e. g. whole test die, wafers filled with test structures, on-board-devices incorporated on each die, process control monitors or pad structures thereof, devices in scribe line switching, multiplexing, gating devices G01R19/25; process control with lithography, e.g. dose control, G03F7/20; structures for alignment control by optical means G03F7/70633
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/481 Internal lead connections, e.g. via connections, feedthrough structures
• 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

A semiconductor chip including a test pattern is provided. The semiconductor chip includes a semiconductor substrate; a through-wafer via in the semiconductor substrate; and a plurality of conductive patterns over the semiconductor substrate and adjacent to each other. The bottom surfaces of the plurality of conductive patterns and a top surface of the through-wafer via are substantially coplanar. The through-wafer via is at least adjacent to the plurality of conductive patterns. The semiconductor chip further includes a plurality of bonding pads on a surface of the semiconductor chip, each being connected to one of the plurality of conductive patterns.

Claims

1. A method of determining a misalignment status of through-wafer vias, the method comprising:

providing a semiconductor wafer;

forming a through-wafer via in the semiconductor wafer;

forming a plurality of conductive patterns over the through-wafer via, wherein a top surface of the through-wafer via and bottom surfaces of the plurality of conductive patterns are substantially coplanar; and

determining a connectivity between the through-wafer via and the plurality of conductive patterns.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

pre-determining an additional connectivity between the through-wafer via and the plurality of conductive patterns according to designed locations of the through-wafer via and the plurality of conductive patterns; and

comparing the connectivity and the additional connectivity to determine a misalignment status of through-wafer vias.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising forming a plurality of bonding pads on a surface of the semiconductor wafer, wherein the plurality of bonding pads is each connected to one of the plurality of conductive patterns, and wherein the step of determining the connectivity is performed by measuring connections between the plurality of bonding pads.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the through-wafer via is connected to one of the plurality of conductive patterns only.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein one of the plurality of conductive patterns is surrounded by a remaining one of the plurality of conductive patterns.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one of the plurality of conductive patterns has a substantially equal distance from the remaining of the plurality of conductive patterns.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive patterns are formed in a lowest metallization layer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive patterns are formed between a lowest metallization layer and a substrate of the semiconductor wafer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive patterns are diffusion regions in a substrate of the semiconductor wafer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the through-wafer via is formed in a scribe line of the wafer.

11. A method of forming a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising:

providing the semiconductor wafer having a semiconductor substrate;

forming a through-wafer via in the semiconductor substrate;

forming a central conductive pattern substantially over the through-wafer via, wherein the through-wafer via has a top surface contacting a bottom surface of the central conductive pattern;

forming a plurality of surrounding conductive patterns symmetrically surrounding the central conductive pattern, wherein the central conductive pattern and the plurality of surrounding conductive patterns are coplanar; and

forming a plurality of bonding pads on a surface of the semiconductor wafer, wherein each of the plurality of bonding pads is connected to one of the central conductive pattern and the plurality of surrounding conductive patterns;

wherein the central conductive pattern and the plurality of surrounding conductive patterns are electrically disconnected from active and passive devices.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of forming the through-wafer via is performed using a via-last method.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising measuring a connectivity status between the plurality of bonding pads to determine a misalignment status of through-wafer vias in the semiconductor wafer.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the central conductive pattern and the plurality of surrounding conductive patterns have a distance less than cross-sectional dimensions of the through-wafer via.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the central conductive pattern and the plurality of surrounding conductive patterns are formed in a metallization layer.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the central conductive pattern and the plurality of surrounding conductive patterns are contacts.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the steps of forming the central conductive pattern and the plurality of surrounding conductive patterns comprise forming doped polysilicons.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the steps of forming the conductive pattern and the plurality of surrounding conductive patterns comprise forming diffusion regions in the semiconductor substrate.

19. A method of forming a semiconductor wafer, comprising:

providing the semiconductor wafer having a semiconductor substrate;

forming a through-wafer via in the semiconductor substrate,

forming a plurality of surrounding conductive patterns substantially over a portion of the through-wafer via, at least one of the surrounding conductive patterns having a bottom surface contacting a top surface of the through-wafer via, wherein the plurality of surrounding conductive patterns are co-planar; and

forming a plurality of bonding pads on the surface of the semiconductor wafer, at least one of the plurality of bonding pads being connected to one of the plurality of surrounding conductive patterns;

wherein the plurality of surrounding conductive patterns are electrically disconnected from active and passive devices.