Bonding method including adjusting surface contours of a bonding system

• US 9,978,628 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2016
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Lin, Yu-Liang, Wu, Weng-Jin, Lin, Jing-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): KOCH, GEORGE R
• Application Number:
  US15/075,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20160204014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 156358, 156359, 156360, 156581, 1565831, 1565833, 15658391, 100258 A, 100258 R
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67092 Apparatus for mechanical treatment or grinding or cutting, see the relevant groups in subclasses B24B or B28D
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67109 mainly by convection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6835 using temporarily an auxiliary support
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6836 Wafer tapes, e.g. grinding or dicing support tapes adhesive tapes in general C09J7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/12 for structural parameters, e.g. thickness, line width, refractive index, temperature, warp, bond strength, defects, optical inspection, electrical measurement of structural dimensions, metallurgic measurement of diffusions electrical measurement of diffusions H01L22/14
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/26 Acting in response to an ongoing measurement without interruption of processing, e.g. endpoint detection, in-situ thickness measurement endpoint detection arrangements in CMP apparatus B24B37/013, in discharge apparatus H01J37/32
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/68327 used during dicing or grinding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/6834 used to protect an active side of a device or wafer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0401 Bonding areas specifically adapted for bump connectors, e.g. under bump metallisation [UBM]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05009 Bonding area integrally formed with a via connection of the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05552 in top view
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0557 the external layer being disposed on a via connection of the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/06181 On opposite sides of the body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13025 the bump connector being disposed on a via connection of the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/131 with a principal constituent of the material being a metal or a metalloid, e.g. boron [B], silicon [Si], germanium [Ge], arsenic [As], antimony [Sb], tellurium [Te] and polonium [Po], and alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13147 Copper [Cu] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16146 the bump connector connecting to a via connection in the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73204 the bump connector being embedded into the layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/81 using a bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/81005 : being a temporary or sacrificial substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/81191 : wherein the bump connectors are disposed only on the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/81192 : wherein the bump connectors are disposed only on another item or body to be connected to the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/94 : at wafer-level, i.e. with connecting carried out on a wafer comprising a plurality of undiced individual devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/97 : the devices being connected to a common substrate, e.g. interposer, said common substrate being separable into individual assemblies after connecting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06513 : Bump or bump-like direct electrical connections between devices, e.g. flip-chip connection, solder bumps
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06541 : Conductive via connections through the device, e.g. vertical interconnects, through silicon via [TSV] manufacturing via connections per se H01L21/76898
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06548 : Conductive via connections through the substrate, container, or encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/05 : of an individual bonding area
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/13 : of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/16 : of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/73 : Means for bonding being of different types provided for in two or more of groups H01L24/10, H01L24/18, H01L24/26, H01L24/34, H01L24/42, H01L24/50, H01L24/63, H01L24/71
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/81 : using a bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0652 : the devices being arranged next and on each other, i.e. mixed assemblies
• 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 2924/00014 : the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1461 : MEMS
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3511 : Warping

Abstract

A method of wafer bonding includes bonding a wafer to a carrier in a bonding system. The method further includes measuring thickness profile of the bonded wafer. The method further includes modifying surface contours of at least one of an upper plate or a lower plate of the bonding system during a bonding operation to improve planarity of bonded wafers based on the measured thickness profile, wherein modifying the surface contours of at least one of the upper plate or the lower plate comprises modifying the surface contours using a plurality of height adjusters.

Claims

1. A bonding method comprising:

bonding a wafer to a carrier in a bonding system;

measuring thickness profile of the bonded wafer; and

modifying surface contours of at least one of an upper plate or a lower plate of the bonding system during a bonding operation to improve planarity of bonded wafers based on the measured thickness profile, wherein modifying the surface contours of at least one of the upper plate or the lower plate comprises modifying the surface contours by mechanically adjusting a height of at least one height adjuster of a plurality of height adjusters.

2. The bonding method of claim 1, wherein surfaces of the upper plate and the lower plate that are configured to face the wafer are re-shaped to compensate for a non-planarity of the bonded wafer.

3. The bonding method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of height adjusters is placed under the bonding system to adjust the surface contour of the lower plate being configured to face the wafer.

4. The bonding method of claim 1, wherein heating elements for the bonding system are re-designed to include a plurality of upper heating elements in an upper assembly and a plurality of lower heating elements in a lower assembly, and wherein the plurality of upper heating elements and the plurality of lower heating elements are controlled in zones.

5. The bonding method of claim 1, modifying the surface contours comprises individually controlling at least one height adjuster of the plurality of height adjusters.

6. The bonding method of claim 1, wherein the total thickness variation of bonded wafers is less than about 2 μ

m.

7. A bonding method comprising:

bonding a wafer to a carrier in a bonding system;

measuring a thickness profile of the bonded wafer; and

modifying surface contours of at least one of an upper plate or a lower plate of a bonding system based on the measured thickness profile, wherein modifying the surface contours of at least one of the upper plate or the lower plate comprises inserting a shim between a support structure of the bonding system and at least one of the upper plate or the lower plate.

8. The bonding method of claim 7, wherein inserting the shim comprises inserting the shim comprising a curved surface facing the at least one upper plate or lower plate.

9. The bonding method of claim 7, wherein inserting the shim comprises inserting the shim comprising a stepped surface facing the at least one upper plate or lower plate.

10. The bonding method of claim 7, wherein modifying the surface contours further comprises heating the upper plate and heating the lower plate.

11. The bonding method of claim 10, wherein heating the upper plate comprises uniformly heating the upper plate.

12. The bonding method of claim 10, wherein heating the upper plate comprises non-uniformly heating the upper plate.

13. The bonding method of claim 12, wherein non-uniformly heating the upper plate comprises controlling heating elements arranged in a concentric pattern.

14. The bonding method of claim 12, wherein non-uniformly heating the upper plate comprises controlling heating elements arranged in a non-concentric pattern.

15. A bonding method comprising:

bonding a wafer to a carrier in a bonding system;

measuring thickness profile of the bonded wafer; and

modifying surface contours of at least one of an upper plate or a lower plate of a bonding system based on the measured thickness profile, wherein modifying the surface contours of at least one of the upper plate or the lower plate comprises;

heating the upper plate;

heating the lower plate; and

exerting a physical force on the at least one of the upper plate or the lower plate by mechanically adjusting a height of at least one height adjuster of a plurality of height adjusters or by inserting a shim between a support structure of the bonding system and the at least one of the upper plate or the lower plate, wherein the physical force is exerted on a surface of the at least one of the upper plate or the lower plate opposite a surface configured to contact a wafer.

16. The bonding method of claim 15, wherein exerting the physical force comprises exerting the physical force using the plurality of height adjusters.

17. The bonding method of claim 16, wherein exerting the physical force comprises individually controlling at least one height adjusters of the plurality of height adjusters.

18. The bonding method of claim 15, wherein heating the lower plate comprises individually controlling a first plurality of heating elements adjacent to the lower plate.

19. The bonding method of claim 18, wherein heating the upper plate comprises individually controlling a second plurality of heating elements adjacent to the upper plate.

20. The bonding method of claim 15, wherein the inserting of the shim comprises inserting the shim comprising a curved surface facing the at least one upper plate or lower plate.