Glass-based substrate processing method and processing device
By bonding a support and a temporary carrier on a glass substrate, continuous rigid support is provided, which solves the problem of warping and cracking of wafers during thinning and grinding, and improves processing stability and production efficiency.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511659106.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-13
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-10
AI Technical Summary
In semiconductor manufacturing, wafers are brittle and large in area, making them prone to deformation, warping, or cracking during the thinning and polishing process, which leads to increased production costs and reduced efficiency.
By bonding a support to a glass substrate and forming a temporary carrier, continuous rigid support is provided, suppressing the risk of warping and cracking during thinning and etching. The support and glass substrate are connected by methods such as anodic bonding, and the temporary carrier is bonded before the support is removed to ensure a stable stress environment.
It improves the processing stability and yield of glass substrates, reduces the risk of warping and breakage, and enhances production efficiency and equipment compatibility.
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Figure CN121494344A_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of semiconductor substrate manufacturing, and particularly relate to a glass substrate processing method and a processing device. BACKGROUND
[0002] In semiconductor preparation, a wafer has a large area and high brittleness. In a thinning and grinding process, the thin wafer is easily affected by stress and is prone to deformation, breakage or warping, which leads to an increase in production and processing costs and a decrease in production efficiency. SUMMARY
[0003] The present application provides a glass substrate processing method and a processing device to improve the processing stability of a glass substrate.
[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a glass substrate processing method, comprising:
[0005] joining a glass substrate with a support body of a first predetermined thickness, so that the support body supports a first surface of the glass substrate;
[0006] performing a thinning process on a second surface of the glass substrate, so that the glass substrate reaches a first target thickness;
[0007] forming a pattern layer on the second surface of the glass substrate, the pattern layer having a pattern, and a deposition material being formed on a side of the pattern layer away from the glass substrate;
[0008] joining the side of the pattern layer away from the glass substrate with a temporary carrier after performing a planarization process on the side of the pattern layer away from the glass substrate;
[0009] sequentially removing the support body and the temporary carrier to obtain a processed glass substrate.
[0010] Optionally, the support body and / or the temporary carrier comprises one or more of a semiconductor material, a glass material and a ceramic material.
[0011] Optionally, the support body and the glass substrate are connected by an anodic bonding, fusion bonding or adhesive bonding method.
[0012] Optionally, the support body is removed by a wet removal method, and the temporary carrier is removed by a laser debonding method.
[0013] Optionally, after the glass substrate is thinned to the first target thickness, the method further comprises: performing a thinning process on a side of the support body away from the glass substrate, so that the support body is thinned to a second target thickness.
[0014] Optionally, the first target thickness is 200 to 500 μm.
[0015] Optionally, the patterned layer may be composed of one or more composite materials selected from silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, and metallic materials.
[0016] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a glass substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
[0017] The first connecting module is used to connect the glass substrate to a support body of a first preset thickness, so that the support body supports the first surface of the glass substrate;
[0018] A thinning module is used to thin the second surface of the glass substrate so that the glass substrate reaches a first target thickness;
[0019] A processing module is configured to form a patterned layer on a second surface of the glass substrate, the patterned layer having a pattern, and to form a deposited material on the side of the patterned layer away from the glass substrate;
[0020] The second connection module is used to planarize the side of the deposited material away from the glass substrate and then combine it with a temporary carrier;
[0021] The removal module is used to sequentially remove the support and the temporary carrier to obtain the processed glass substrate.
[0022] Optionally, the thinning module is further configured to, after thinning the glass substrate to a first target thickness, thin the support away from the glass substrate to a second target thickness.
[0023] The glass substrate processing method provided in this invention ensures that the support is bonded to the glass substrate from the initial stage throughout the complete glass substrate processing flow, continuously providing rigid support. This effectively suppresses the risk of warping, deformation, or breakage caused by the inherent brittleness and low stiffness of the glass during thinning, etching, and high-temperature processing. To further ensure process continuity and structural integrity, a temporary carrier is bonded to one side of the processing surface of the glass substrate before removing the original support. Thus, during the removal of the support, the temporary carrier can directly support the glass substrate, ensuring that the glass substrate remains in a stable stress environment and further improving the processing stability of the glass substrate. Attached Figure Description
[0024] Figure 1 A schematic flowchart of a glass substrate processing method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] Figures 2-6 This is a schematic diagram of an intermediate process in the fabrication of a glass substrate, provided by an embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a glass substrate processing apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0028] In the fabrication of glass-based devices in the visible / near-infrared band, such as image sensors and optoelectronic components, it is often necessary to thin the glass substrate. Common techniques involve using flexible adhesive tape to bond the substrate to the etched front side of the wafer, followed by backside grinding and polishing to achieve the desired thickness. After grinding, the adhesive tape is removed from the front side of the wafer. However, in subsequent processing, the wafer lacks support and is prone to breakage, thus affecting processing costs and efficiency.
[0029] In view of this, Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of a glass substrate processing method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 2-6 This is a schematic diagram of an intermediate process in the fabrication of a glass substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is applicable to the fabrication of substrates for glass-based devices in the visible / near-infrared band. The method can be executed by a glass substrate fabrication apparatus, which can be implemented in hardware and / or software. The method specifically includes the following steps:
[0030] S110, The glass substrate 110 is joined to the support 120 of the first preset thickness, so that the support 120 supports the first surface of the glass substrate 110.
[0031] Specifically, the first preset thickness of the support 120 needs to be reasonably set according to the process limitations of the subsequent processing equipment for the glass substrate 110. For example, if the processing equipment has a maximum allowable value for the total wafer thickness, the thickness of the support 120 should ensure that the overall thickness of the glass substrate 110 and the support 120 combined does not exceed that limit. At the same time, the support 120 should not be too thin, otherwise it will be difficult to provide sufficient mechanical rigidity to effectively suppress the warping or cracking of the glass substrate 110 during the thinning process. For example, the thickness of the support 120 is typically not less than 200 μm to balance support performance and process compatibility.
[0032] Structurally, the support 120 is attached to the first surface of the glass substrate 110 to achieve overall rigid support for the glass substrate 110, thereby ensuring the stability and yield of subsequent thinning, patterning and other processes.
[0033] The bonding between the glass substrate 110 and the support 120 can be achieved by anodic bonding, fusion bonding, or adhesive bonding. Preferably, anodic bonding is used to achieve the connection. Specifically, anodic bonding is typically performed under high temperature and high voltage conditions and is suitable for direct bonding between glass containing alkali metal ions (such as sodium ions) and semiconductor materials such as silicon. This process creates a dense interface with no organic residue and high bond strength; more importantly, the silicon-glass structure after anodic bonding can be selectively removed by standard wet etching (such as KOH, TMAH) or dry etching with minimal damage to the glass substrate 110, significantly simplifying subsequent stripping processes and improving process compatibility and yield. For example, the support 120 includes one or more materials selected from semiconductor materials, glass materials, and ceramic materials. Its intermediate structure is as follows: Figure 2 As shown.
[0034] S120: Thin the second surface of the glass substrate 110 to make the glass substrate 110 reach the first target thickness;
[0035] Specifically, under the rigid support of the support body 120, the second surface of the glass substrate 110 is thinned, for example by mechanical grinding, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), dry etching, or a combination of the above processes, gradually thinning the glass substrate 110 to a preset first target thickness. For example, depending on the application requirements of the glass substrate 110, the thickness of the glass substrate 110 after thinning is typically between 200 and 500 μm. Since the support body 120 is attached to the first surface of the glass substrate 110 and provides uniform and stable reverse support force throughout the processing, it significantly improves the structural rigidity and stress uniformity of the glass substrate 110 during the thinning process. The supporting effect of the support body 120 effectively suppresses defects such as warping, bending, or even cracking caused by local stress concentration or insufficient overall rigidity, thereby ensuring the processing yield and surface flatness of the ultra-thin glass substrate and laying the foundation for subsequent high-precision patterning and integration processes.
[0036] S130, A patterned layer is formed on the second surface of the glass substrate 110. The patterned layer has a pattern, and a deposited material is formed on the side of the patterned layer away from the glass substrate 110.
[0037] Specifically, patterning of the patterned layer can be achieved using photolithography. For example, a patterned layer is formed on the second surface of a thinned glass substrate 110. This patterned layer may be composed of one or more composite materials selected from silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, and metallic materials (such as copper, aluminum, and titanium). The specific material selection depends on the functional requirements of the subsequent device, such as serving as a passivation layer, conductive wiring, adhesion layer, or etching mask. Subsequently, a layer of photoresist with etching resistance (such as positive or negative photoresist) is uniformly spin-coated onto the surface of the patterned layer. A photomask with a predetermined electronic component layout pattern is aligned and placed over the photoresist, and exposed using ultraviolet light or other wavelength light sources. After development, the photoresist in the exposed areas (for positive photoresist) or unexposed areas (for negative photoresist) is selectively removed, thereby accurately reproducing the micron or submicron-level pattern defined by the mask on the patterned layer. To further control the electrical properties of the patterned layer, especially when the patterned layer is a semiconductor or dielectric material, doping processes can be introduced. For example, impurity elements such as boron (B) and phosphorus (P) can be introduced through ion implantation or in-situ doping to adjust their conductivity type, carrier concentration, or dielectric constant. After patterning is completed, functional thin film materials can be selectively deposited on the exposed glass substrate 110 region or the patterned layer according to device design requirements. This deposition process can employ techniques such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), or electrochemical deposition (ECD) to deposit materials such as metals, oxides, and nitrides. The intermediate structure is as follows: Figure 3 As shown.
[0038] S140. The side of the patterned layer away from the glass substrate 110 is planarized and then combined with the temporary carrier 140.
[0039] Specifically, after the deposition of the functional thin film material is completed, the side of the deposited layer away from the glass substrate 110 is planarized. Commonly used planarization techniques include chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), dry etching back, or plasma-assisted polishing. This can eliminate surface irregularities that may occur during the deposition process, thereby ensuring that the deposited layer has a smooth surface. The temporary carrier 140 is then tightly bonded to the treated deposited layer. The temporary carrier 140 has sufficient rigidity and thermal stability to support stress changes during subsequent processing and should also be easily peeled off without damage after the process is completed. For example, the temporary carrier 140 includes one or more materials selected from semiconductor materials, glass materials, and ceramic materials. The temporary carrier 140 can be firmly connected by anodic bonding, melt bonding, adhesive bonding, or UV-curable adhesives. For example, when using UV-curable temporary bonding adhesive, a thin layer of adhesive is first uniformly coated on the surface of the deposited layer, then the temporary carrier 140 is aligned and attached to it, and finally the adhesive layer is rapidly cured by short-term UV irradiation to form a high-strength temporary bonding interface. Its intermediate structure is as follows:Figure 4 As shown.
[0040] S150, the support 120 and temporary carrier 140 are removed sequentially to obtain the processed glass substrate 110. Its intermediate structure is as follows: Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown.
[0041] The glass substrate 110 processing method provided in this embodiment of the invention involves a support 120 bonded to the glass substrate 110 from the initial stage throughout the complete processing flow, continuously providing rigid support and effectively suppressing the risk of warping, deformation, or cracking caused by the brittleness and low stiffness of the glass itself during thinning, etching, and high-temperature processing. To further ensure process continuity and structural integrity, a temporary carrier 140 is bonded to one side of the processing surface of the glass substrate 110 before removing the original support 120. Thus, during the removal of the support 120, the temporary carrier 140 can directly support the glass substrate 110, ensuring that the glass substrate 110 remains in a stable stress environment and further improving the processing stability of the glass substrate 110.
[0042] Based on the above embodiments, optionally, the support 120 and / or temporary carrier 140 include one or more of semiconductor materials, glass materials, or ceramic materials. Semiconductor materials include, for example, monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon; glass materials include, for example, borosilicate glass and quartz; and ceramic materials include, for example, alumina and aluminum nitride. These materials not only possess good mechanical rigidity, thermal stability, and process compatibility, but also have key advantages in optical properties.
[0043] The glass substrate 110 is typically a highly transparent medium. When directly fed into semiconductor manufacturing equipment (such as lithography machines, alignment systems, or automated inspection platforms), its high transmittance can make it difficult for the built-in optical recognition systems (such as infrared alignment sensors, laser interferometers, or machine vision systems) to effectively capture the substrate edges or marks, leading to process problems such as alignment and positioning drift. In this embodiment of the invention, by bonding an opaque or semi-transparent support 120 and / or a temporary carrier 140 to the glass substrate 110, the transmittance of the overall structure can be significantly reduced, enhancing its ability to reflect or scatter optical signals, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio and positioning reliability of the equipment recognition system. For example, the silicon-based support 120 has strong absorption characteristics in the visible to near-infrared band, effectively shielding against background interference; while dark ceramic or doped glass carriers can also provide stable optical contrast, improving equipment adaptability without requiring modifications to existing equipment.
[0044] Based on the above embodiments, optionally, the support 120 (e.g., silicon-based material) can be removed by a selective wet etching process, such as using potassium hydroxide, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, or anisotropic silicon etching solution, to efficiently peel off the support structure without damaging the glass substrate 110. The temporary carrier 140 can be non-destructively separated by laser debonding technology. A pulsed laser of a specific wavelength is irradiated on the back of the temporary carrier 140, causing the adhesive layer bonded to the temporary carrier 140 and the glass substrate 110 to decompose or soften under heat, thereby achieving rapid and clean peeling of the temporary carrier 140 under mild conditions, avoiding mechanical impact or thermal damage to the glass substrate 110 and the structure formed on it.
[0045] Optionally, after thinning the glass substrate 110 to the first target thickness, the method further includes: thinning the support 120 on the side away from the glass substrate 110 to thin the support 120 to the second target thickness.
[0046] Specifically, based on the final thinning target of the glass substrate 110, a flexible and customized thinning strategy can be formulated to simultaneously meet the processing requirements of multiple thickness specifications. For example, in actual production, if subsequent process equipment (such as lithography machines, etching machines, or bonding platforms) has clear limitations on the total thickness of the wafer (such as a maximum allowable total thickness of 775 μm), then the overall thickness of the glass substrate 110 combined with the support 120 needs to be precisely controlled.
[0047] In this scenario, given the known target thickness of the glass substrate 110, the support 120 can be further thinned to a corresponding second target thickness. For example, if the target thickness of the glass substrate 110 is 300 μm, the support 120 can be thinned to 375 μm, ensuring that both meet the upper limit thickness requirements of the equipment. This not only ensures process compatibility but also avoids incompatibility issues caused by excessively thick substrates.
[0048] More importantly, by dynamically adjusting the thinning amount of the support 120, the thickness of the glass substrate 110 required for different batches or applications can be flexibly adapted, such as 200μm, 350μm, or 500μm, without the need for frequent changes to dedicated carriers, recalibration of equipment parameters, or reconstruction of the entire process flow. Adjusting the thickness of the support 120 improves compatibility with switching between multiple product specifications, shortens process changeover time, and increases equipment utilization and overall production efficiency.
[0049] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a glass substrate processing apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present invention. See also: Figure 7 ,include:
[0050] The first connecting module 1 is used to connect the glass substrate 110 to the support 120 of the first preset thickness, so that the support 120 supports the first surface of the glass substrate 110.
[0051] The thinning module 2 is used to thin the second surface of the glass substrate 110 so that the glass substrate 110 reaches the first target thickness.
[0052] The processing module 3 is used to form a patterned layer on the second surface of the glass substrate 110, the patterned layer having a pattern, and to form a deposited material on the side of the patterned layer away from the glass substrate 110.
[0053] The second connection module 4 is used to planarize the side of the deposited material away from the glass substrate 110 and then combine it with the temporary carrier 140.
[0054] The removal module 5 is used to sequentially remove the support 120 and the temporary carrier 140 to obtain the processed glass substrate 110.
[0055] Specifically, the first preset thickness of the support 120 needs to be reasonably set according to the process limitations of the subsequent processing equipment for the glass substrate 110. For example, if the processing equipment has a maximum allowable value for the total thickness of the wafer, the thickness of the support 120 should ensure that the overall thickness of the glass substrate 110 and the support 120 combined does not exceed this limit. At the same time, the support 120 should not be too thin, otherwise it will be difficult to provide sufficient mechanical rigidity to effectively suppress the warping or cracking of the glass substrate 110 during the thinning process. For example, the thickness of the support 120 is usually not less than 200 μm to balance support performance and process compatibility. The first connecting module 1 attaches the support 120 to the first surface of the glass substrate 110 to achieve overall rigid support for the glass substrate 110, thereby ensuring the stability and yield of subsequent thinning, patterning and other processes.
[0056] Under the rigid support of the support body 120, the thinning module 2 performs thinning treatment on the second surface of the glass substrate 110. The thinning method of the thinning module 2 can be mechanical grinding, chemical mechanical polishing, dry etching or a combination of the above processes, gradually thinning the glass substrate 110 to the preset first target thickness.
[0057] Processing module 3 forms a patterned layer on the second surface of the thinned glass substrate 110, and uniformly spin-coates a photoresist with etching resistance onto the patterned layer surface. A photomask with a predetermined electronic component layout pattern is aligned and placed over the photoresist, and exposed using ultraviolet light or other wavelength light sources. After development, the pattern defined by the photomask is accurately reproduced on the patterned layer. After patterning, functional thin film materials can be selectively deposited on the exposed glass substrate 110 area or the patterned layer according to device design requirements.
[0058] After the functional thin film material is deposited, the second connection module 4 plans the side of the deposited material away from the glass substrate 110. Commonly used planarization techniques include chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), dry etching back, or plasma-assisted polishing. This can eliminate surface irregularities that may occur during the deposition process, thereby ensuring that the deposited material has a smooth surface. The temporary carrier 140 is then tightly bonded to the treated deposited material.
[0059] The removal module 5 removes the support 120 and the temporary carrier 140 in sequence to obtain the processed glass substrate 110.
[0060] Furthermore, the thinning module is also used to thin the support 120 away from the glass substrate 110 after thinning the glass substrate 110 to the first target thickness, so that the support 120 is thinned to the second target thickness.
[0061] Specifically, based on the final thinning target of the glass substrate 110, a flexible and customized thinning strategy can be formulated to simultaneously meet the processing requirements of multiple thickness specifications. For example, in actual production, if subsequent process equipment (such as lithography machines, etching machines, or bonding platforms) has clear limitations on the total thickness of the wafer (such as a maximum allowable total thickness of 775 μm), then the overall thickness of the glass substrate 110 combined with the support 120 needs to be precisely controlled.
[0062] In this scenario, given the known target thickness of the glass substrate 110, the thinning module can further thin the support 120 to a corresponding second target thickness. For example, if the target thickness of the glass substrate 110 is 300 μm, the support 120 can be thinned to 375 μm, ensuring that both meet the equipment's thickness limit requirements. This not only ensures process compatibility but also avoids incompatibility issues caused by ultra-thickness equipment.
[0063] By dynamically adjusting the thinning amount of the support 120 using the thinning module, the thickness of the glass substrate 110 required for different batches or applications can be flexibly adapted, eliminating the need for frequent changes to dedicated carriers, recalibration of equipment parameters, or reconstruction of the entire process flow. Adjusting the thickness of the support 120 improves compatibility with switching between multiple product specifications, shortens process changeover time, and increases equipment utilization and overall production efficiency.
[0064] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.
Claims
1. A method for processing a glass substrate, characterized in that, include: A glass substrate is joined to a support of a first predetermined thickness, such that the support supports the first surface of the glass substrate. The second surface of the glass substrate is thinned to achieve the first target thickness. A patterned layer is formed on the second surface of the glass substrate, the patterned layer having a pattern, and a deposited material is formed on the side of the patterned layer away from the glass substrate; The side of the patterned layer away from the glass substrate is planarized and then combined with a temporary carrier; The support and the temporary carrier are removed sequentially to obtain the processed glass substrate.
2. The glass substrate processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support and / or the temporary carrier comprises one or more of semiconductor materials, glass materials, and ceramic materials.
3. The glass substrate processing method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The support is connected to the glass substrate by anodic bonding, fusion bonding or adhesive bonding.
4. The glass substrate processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support is removed by wet removal; the temporary carrier is removed by laser debonding.
5. The glass substrate processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After thinning the glass substrate to a first target thickness, the method further includes: thinning the support on the side away from the glass substrate to a second target thickness.
6. The glass substrate processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the first target is 200 to 500 μm.
7. The glass substrate processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The patterned layer is composed of one or more composite materials selected from silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, and metallic materials.
8. A glass substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: The first connecting module is used to connect the glass substrate to a support body of a first preset thickness, so that the support body supports the first surface of the glass substrate; A thinning module is used to thin the second surface of the glass substrate so that the glass substrate reaches a first target thickness; A processing module is configured to form a patterned layer on a second surface of the glass substrate, the patterned layer having a pattern, and to form a deposited material on the side of the patterned layer away from the glass substrate; The second connection module is used to planarize the side of the deposited material away from the glass substrate and then combine it with a temporary carrier; The removal module is used to sequentially remove the support and the temporary carrier to obtain the processed glass substrate.
9. The glass substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The thinning module is further configured to, after thinning the glass substrate to a first target thickness, thin the support away from the glass substrate to a second target thickness.