Thin wafer handling structure and method

• US 8,871,609 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2010
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Yu, Chen-Hua, Hsu, Kuo-Ching, Chen, Chen-Shien, Hsiao, Ching-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOI, CALVIN Y
• Application Number:
  US12/818,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20100330788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 257/E21.215, 257/E21.294, 257/E21.328, 257/E21.334, 438458-459, 438/514, 438/584, 438/689, 438/795
• US Class Current: 438/458
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/187 by direct bonding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6835 using temporarily an auxiliary support
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/68318 Auxiliary support including means facilitating the separation of a device or wafer from the auxiliary support
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/68327 used during dicing or grinding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/68381 Details of chemical or physical process used for separating the auxiliary support from a device or wafer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1476 Release layer

Abstract

A thin wafer handling structure includes a semiconductor wafer, a release layer that can be released by applying energy, an adhesive layer that can be removed by a solvent, and a carrier, where the release layer is applied on the carrier by coating or laminating, the adhesive layer is applied on the semiconductor wafer by coating or laminating, and the semiconductor wafer and the carrier is bonded together with the release layer and the adhesive layer in between. The method includes applying a release layer on a carrier, applying an adhesive layer on a semiconductor wafer, bonding the carrier and the semiconductor wafer, releasing the carrier by applying energy on the release layer, e.g. UV or laser, and cleaning the semiconductor'"'"'s surface by a solvent to remove any residue of the adhesive layer.

Claims

1. A thin wafer handling structure, comprising:

a semiconductor wafer;

a carrier;

a release layer coated or laminated on the carrier, said release layer being releasable upon application of energy thereto, wherein the release layer has an outer edge spaced radially inward from an outer edge of the carrier and exposes a peripheral portion of the carrier; and

an adhesive layer coated or laminated on the semiconductor wafer, said adhesive layer being removable by a solvent;

wherein the semiconductor wafer and the carrier are bonded together with the release layer and the adhesive layer in between the semiconductor wafer and the carrier, and

wherein an adhesive material of the adhesive layer has a first surface in direct contact with the semiconductor wafer and a second surface in direct contact with the release layer, the adhesive material directly contacts the exposed peripheral portion of the carrier, and the adhesive material extends continuously from the first surface to the second surface.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the carrier and the semiconductor wafer are bonded together by the adhesive which is in a UV-cured or thermally-cured state.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein the outer edge of the release layer is radially, inwardly spaced by 0.1 mm-3 mm from the outer edge of the carrier.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein the release layer is releasable upon application of at least one of UV light or light from a laser.

5. The structure of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is thermal plastic polymer.

6. A method, comprising:

applying a release layer on a carrier by at least one of coating or lamination, the release layer exposing a peripheral portion of the carrier;

applying an adhesive layer to a surface of a semiconductor wafer by at least one of coating or lamination;

bonding the carrier and the semiconductor wafer with the release layer and the adhesive layer in between the carrier and the semiconductor wafer, wherein the adhesive layer is between the semiconductor wafer and the release layer, and the adhesive layer directly contacts the exposed peripheral portion of the carrier;

releasing the carrier by applying energy to the release layer; and

chemically cleaning the surface of the semiconductor wafer with a solvent to remove any residue of the adhesive layer from the surface of the semiconductor wafer.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising performing a post-bonding process on the semiconductor wafer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the post-bonding process includes at least one of grinding or wafer backside processing.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wafer backside processing includes at least one of ion implantation, annealing, etching, sputtering, evaporation or metallization.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the carrier and the semiconductor wafer are bonded together by applying UV light or thermal energy.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the release layer is released by applying UV light or light from a laser.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the adhesive layer is thermal plastic polymer.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

performing an edge bead removal (EBR) process on the release layer to expose the peripheral portion of the carrier after said at least one of coating or lamination of the release layer onto the carrier.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the EBR process removes the outer most 0.1 mm-3 mm of the release layer from an outer edge of the carrier.

15. A method, comprising:

applying a release layer to a carrier by at least one of coating or lamination;

performing an edge bead removal (EBR) process on the release layer, after applying the release layer to the carrier, to remove the outermost 0.1 millimeter (mm) to 3 mm of the release layer from an outer edge of the carrier;

applying an adhesive layer to a surface of a semiconductor wafer by at least one of coating or lamination;

bonding the carrier and the semiconductor wafer with the release layer and the adhesive layer in between the carrier and the semiconductor wafer by applying UV light or thermal energy, wherein said bonding comprises the adhesive layer directly contacting a peripheral portion of the carrier from which the release layer has been removed;

performing a post-bonding process on the semiconductor wafer;

releasing the carrier by applying UV light or light from a laser to the release layer; and

soaking the semiconductor wafer in a solvent to chemically clean any residue of the adhesive layer from the surface of the semiconductor wafer with the solvent,

wherein said bonding is performed after said applying the release layer and said applying the adhesive layer, and in said bonding, an adhesive material of the adhesive layer has a first surface in direct contact with the semiconductor wafer and a second surface in direct contact with the release layer, and the adhesive material extends continuously from the first surface to the second surface.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the post-bonding process includes at least one of grinding or wafer backside processing.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the wafer backside processing includes at least one of ion implantation, annealing, etching, sputtering, evaporation, or metallization.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the adhesive layer is thermal plastic polymer.