Method for manufacturing semiconductor device

Abstract

In this method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, a structure M is prepared, the structure M having a support member 10, an interposer 14 fixed on the support member 10 by a temporary fixing material 12 and having a groove part 16 for dividing the interposer into a plurality of regions, and semiconductor chips 20 arranged on each of the regions. Thereafter, each semiconductor chip 20 is sealed with a sealing material so that a sealing material 30 enters the groove part 16. Then, light or heat is applied to the temporary fixing material 12 to separate the support member 10 from the interposer 14, and the sealing material 30 is cut along the groove part 16 to acquire each semiconductor device 1. As the temporary fixing material 12 used for this method, it is preferable to use a temporary fixing material that is peeled by light irradiation. A heat release adhesive sheet may be used.

Description

Semiconductor device manufacturing method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

[0002] In response to demands for higher performance, various semiconductor chip mounting methods have been developed. One known example is 2.5D mounting, in which multiple semiconductor chips are placed on a silicon (Si) interposer and connected to each other via wiring formed on the interposer (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] Semiconductor devices employing such an interposer-based mounting method are manufactured through the following process. For example, first, multiple semiconductor chips are mounted on an interposer, and each semiconductor chip is connected to the wiring formed on the interposer. Next, an encapsulant is placed to cover the semiconductor chips on the interposer. The interposer and the encapsulant are then cut into individual pieces, thereby obtaining multiple semiconductor devices. In another process, a temporary fixing material (see, for example, Patent Document 3) is placed on a support, such as a glass or silicon substrate, and an interposer is placed on top of the temporary fixing material. Then, multiple semiconductor chips are mounted on the interposer, and each semiconductor chip is connected to the wiring formed on the interposer. Next, the semiconductor chips on the interposer are sealed with an encapsulant, and the temporary fixing material is peeled off to separate the support from the interposer. Bumps are formed on the separated interposer, and the interposer and the encapsulant are cut into individual pieces, thereby obtaining multiple semiconductor devices.

[0004] JP 2018-037465 A JP 2016-058655 A International Publication No. 2019 / 107508 International Publication No. 2013 / 042698 International Publication No. 2021 / 131395

[0005] In the above-described process, for example, the interposer and the encapsulant are sequentially cut into individual pieces using a blade rotating at high speed. Because the materials of the interposer and the encapsulant are different from each other, it is necessary to cut the interposer and the encapsulant with different blades suitable for the respective materials. Therefore, after cutting the interposer using a blade for the interposer, the blade is changed to a blade for the encapsulant before cutting the encapsulant. The process of changing the blade during encapsulation hinders the improvement of the manufacturing efficiency of semiconductor devices.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device that can improve the manufacturing efficiency of the semiconductor device.

[0007] [1] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising the steps of: preparing a structure including a support member, an interposer fixed to the support member with a temporary fixing material, the interposer including a first main surface and a second main surface opposite the first main surface, and grooves extending from the first main surface to the second main surface to divide the interposer into a plurality of regions, and a plurality of semiconductor chips arranged on each region, at least one semiconductor chip disposed on each region; encapsulating at least a portion of each of the plurality of semiconductor chips with an encapsulant so that the encapsulant fills at least the grooves; applying at least one of light, heat, and force to the temporary fixing material to separate the support member from the interposer; and cutting the encapsulant along the grooves to separate the structure into the plurality of regions, thereby obtaining a plurality of semiconductor devices.

[0008] In this manufacturing method, after the sealing material fills the grooves that divide the interposer into multiple regions, at least one of light, heat, and force is applied to the temporary fixing material that temporarily fixes the interposer to separate the support member from the interposer. The sealing material that has entered the grooves is then cut to separate the structure (chips), and multiple semiconductor devices are obtained. In this case, the structure is divided into individual chips by cutting the sealing material that has entered the grooves. Therefore, when dividing the structure into individual chips, there is no need to use a blade for cutting the interposer in addition to a blade for cutting the sealing material. This improves the manufacturing efficiency of semiconductor devices.

[0009] Furthermore, in conventional manufacturing processes using 2.5D packaging, when grinding using a different blade, the side of the semiconductor chip is exposed from the encapsulant, exposing portions of the interposer that are vulnerable to impacts and the like. Furthermore, because grinding is performed using a different blade, the blade width may differ before and after the change, which may result in the formation of steps on the side of the singulated semiconductor device. When singulated semiconductor devices having such steps are fixed to a motherboard or the like, thermal deformation of the semiconductor device may cause component peeling starting from the steps. In contrast, the manufacturing method disclosed herein does not require the blade to be replaced when cutting the interposer and the encapsulant, as described above. The interposer, which is vulnerable to impacts and the like, is covered by the encapsulant, and such steps are not formed. Therefore, this manufacturing method allows for the production of a semiconductor device in which the semiconductor chip is reliably protected by the encapsulant and which is less susceptible to peeling due to thermal stress.

[0010] [2] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to [1] above, the temporary fixing material preferably contains a material that absorbs light. In this case, the support member can be separated from the interposer by a simple method such as irradiating the interposer with light, which causes relatively little damage to the interposer. The light may be infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light.

[0011] [3] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to [2] above, the support member may be made of a light-transmitting material. In this case, the support member can be separated by irradiating light onto the temporary fixing material from the support member side, which facilitates the separation of the support member.

[0012] [4] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to [2] or [3] above, in the step of separating the support member, the support member may be separated from the interposer by irradiating the temporary fixing material with light. In this case, the support member can be easily separated from the interposer.

[0013] [5] In the manufacturing method of a semiconductor device described above in [1], the temporary fixing material may include a heat-peelable adhesive sheet, and in the step of separating the support member, the temporary fixing material may be heated to separate the support member from the interposer.

[0014] [6] In any of the semiconductor device manufacturing methods [1] to [5] above, the step of preparing the structure may include a step of attaching the interposer to a support member using a temporary fixing material, a step of forming a groove portion in the interposer so that the groove portion extends from the first main surface to at least the second main surface, and a step of mounting at least one semiconductor chip on each region.

[0015] [7] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to [6] above, in the step of forming the grooves, it is preferable that the grooves are formed so as to extend from the first main surface to the temporary fixing material. In this case, it is ensured that the grooves penetrate from the first surface to the second surface of the interposer, and the semiconductor device can be reliably separated into individual pieces by cutting only the sealing material.

[0016] [8] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to [6] or [7] above, in the step of forming the grooves, the grooves may be formed so as to extend from the first main surface to the support member. In this case, it is ensured that the grooves penetrate from the first surface to the second surface of the interposer, and the semiconductor device can be reliably singulated by cutting only the encapsulant.

[0017] [9] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to [6] or [7] above, in the step of forming the grooves, it is preferable to form the grooves so that they do not reach the support member. In this case, the support member is not damaged by the grooves, and therefore can be easily reused after being separated from the interposer.

[0018]

[10] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of [6] to [9] above, the step of preparing the structure may further include a step of grinding the interposer mounted on the support member to thin it before forming the groove. In this case, by using an interposer having a certain thickness when mounting the interposer on the support member, it is possible to prevent the thin interposer from cracking.

[0019]

[11] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of [6] to

[10] above, the thickness of the interposer immediately before the grooves are formed is preferably 150 μm or less. In this case, the semiconductor devices to be singulated can be made thinner.

[0020]

[12] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of the above [1] to

[11] , the groove is preferably formed by cutting the interposer with a first blade.

[0021]

[13] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to

[12] above, in the step of obtaining a plurality of semiconductor devices, the sealing material may be cut along the groove using a second blade of a different type from the first blade.

[0022]

[14] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to

[13] above, the abrasive grain size of the first blade may be larger than the abrasive grain size of the second blade. In this case, the interposer and the encapsulant can be cut or cut by the first blade and the second blade, each having abrasive grains suitable for the respective materials.

[0023]

[15] In any of the semiconductor device manufacturing methods [1] to

[14] above, the groove portion may include at least two parallel grooves. In this manufacturing method, a portion of the interposer remains between the at least two parallel grooves. However, since this portion of the interposer is not a component of the semiconductor device being manufactured, there is no problem in not using a blade to cut the interposer. Furthermore, when forming the groove portion in the interposer, forming a wide groove corresponding to the cutting width (blade width) during singulation can take a long time. However, according to the above manufacturing method, the width of each groove in the groove portion can be narrowed to shorten the time required to form the groove. Therefore, this manufacturing method can also improve the manufacturing efficiency of semiconductor devices in this respect.

[0024] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the manufacturing efficiency of semiconductor devices.

[0025] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a semiconductor device manufactured by a manufacturing method according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to this embodiment.

[0026] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail, with reference to the drawings as necessary. In the following description, the same or equivalent parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, positional relationships such as up, down, left, and right will be based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

[0027] In the present specification, numerical ranges indicated using "to" include the numerical values ​​before and after "to" as the minimum and maximum values, respectively. In the numerical ranges described in stages in the present specification, the upper or lower limit value described in one numerical range may be replaced with the upper or lower limit value of another numerical range described in stages. Furthermore, in the numerical ranges described in the present specification, the upper or lower limit value of that numerical range may be replaced with a value shown in the examples.

[0028] (Configuration of Semiconductor Device) Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a semiconductor device manufactured by the manufacturing method according to this embodiment. The semiconductor device 1 shown in Fig. 1 is, for example, a semiconductor package having a CoWoS (Chip on Wafer on Substrate) structure. The semiconductor device 1 includes a semiconductor chip 2, bumps 3, an underfill 4, a rewiring layer 5, an interposer 6, bumps 7, and a sealing material 8. In CoWoS, the semiconductor device 1 having such a configuration is mounted on an organic substrate (not shown).

[0029] The semiconductor chip 2 is, for example, a semiconductor chip such as a processor or a memory. The processor may be, for example, a processor unit such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory may be, for example, a memory unit such as an HBM (High Bandwidth Memory). In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, an example is described in which the semiconductor device 1 includes one semiconductor chip 2. However, the semiconductor device 1 may include multiple semiconductor chips 2, or may include one processor unit and multiple memory units. In this case, two or more semiconductor chips 2 are arranged side by side on the interposer 6 via the redistribution layer 5.

[0030] The semiconductor chip 2 is disposed on the interposer 6 across the rewiring layer 5. The semiconductor chip 2 has an upper surface 2a, a lower surface 2b, and a side surface 2c connecting the upper surface 2a and the lower surface 2b.

[0031] The bumps 3 are arranged between the semiconductor chip 2 and a re-distribution layer 5 (RDL). The bumps 3 are arranged between the bottom surface 2b of the semiconductor chip 2 and a main surface 5a of the re-distribution layer 5 (described later). The bumps 3 are made of a metal material such as solder. The bumps 3 electrically connect the semiconductor chip 2 and the re-distribution layer 5.

[0032] The underfill 4 is disposed between the semiconductor chip 2 and the rewiring layer 5 so as to cover the bumps 3. The underfill 4 is bonded to the semiconductor chip 2 and the rewiring layer 5. The underfill 4 seals and protects the bumps 3.

[0033] The redistribution layer 5 is disposed between the bump 3 and the interposer 6. The redistribution layer 5 has opposing main surfaces 5a and 5b and a side surface 5c connecting the main surfaces 5a and 5b. The bump 3 and underfill 4 are disposed on the main surface 5a. The redistribution layer 5 is disposed directly on the interposer 6. The main surface 5b is in contact with the interposer 6. The redistribution layer 5 has a layered insulating portion 9 and wiring (not shown) formed in the insulating portion 9. The wiring electrically connects the bump 3 and the interposer 6.

[0034] The interposer 6 is a substrate that supports the semiconductor chip 2. The interposer 6 is formed, for example, from rectangular glass or silicon. The material and shape of the interposer 6 are not limited, and the interposer 6 may be formed, for example, in the shape of a circular plate or a polygonal plate other than a rectangle. The interposer 6 has opposing main surfaces 6a and 6b and a side surface 6c connecting the main surfaces 6a and 6b. The main surface 6a is in contact with the main surface 5b of the redistribution layer 5. Wiring is formed on the interposer 6. The wiring may be a through electrode (e.g., a TSV) that penetrates from the main surface 6a to the main surface 6b, or a connection terminal or bonding pad formed on the main surfaces 6a and 6b. The wiring on the interposer 6 electrically connects the wiring on the redistribution layer 5 to bumps 7, which will be described later. Note that in FIG. 1, the side surface 6c of the interposer 6 is covered by the sealing material 8, but it may be partially uncovered.

[0035] The bumps 7 are disposed on the main surface 6b of the interposer 6. The bumps 7 are formed of a metal material such as solder. When the semiconductor device 1 is mounted on another electronic component, the bumps 7 electrically connect the interposer 6 to the electronic component.

[0036] The encapsulant 8 encapsulates the semiconductor chip 2 and the interposer 6. When viewed from the thickness direction of the interposer 6, the encapsulant 8 is formed in a ring shape around the semiconductor chip 2. The encapsulant 8 covers the side surface 2c of the semiconductor chip 2, the surface of the underfill 4, the side surface 5c of the redistribution layer 5, and the side surface 6c of the interposer 6. Covering the semiconductor device 1 with the encapsulant 8 in this manner enhances the durability of the semiconductor device 1. In particular, the interposer 6 is formed of a material that is relatively hard and brittle (e.g., silicon or glass). Even in this case, covering the interposer 6 with the encapsulant 8 ensures reliable protection of the interposer 6. Furthermore, the encapsulant 8 does not cover the top surface 2a of the semiconductor chip 2 or the main surface 6b of the interposer 6. That is, the top surface 2a and the main surface 6b are exposed from the encapsulant 8. In this embodiment, the entire top surface 2a and the main surface 6b are exposed from the encapsulant 8.

[0037] (Method of Manufacturing Semiconductor Device) A method of manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic cross-sectional views showing the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to this embodiment. The semiconductor device 1 is manufactured, for example, through the following steps (a) to (f): (a) attaching an interposer to a support member using a temporary fixing material; (b) forming grooves in the interposer; (c) mounting at least one semiconductor chip on each region; (d) encapsulating multiple semiconductor chips with an encapsulant so that the encapsulant fills the grooves; (e) applying at least one of light, heat, and force to the temporary fixing material to separate the support member from the interposer; and (f) cutting the encapsulant along the grooves to separate the structure having the interposer with the grooves formed therein and the semiconductor chips into multiple regions, thereby obtaining multiple semiconductor devices.

[0038] [Step (a)] In step (a), as shown in FIG. 2A, an interposer 14 is attached to a support member 10 using a temporary fixing material 12. The support member 10 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a glass substrate, a silicon substrate, a resin substrate, or the like. The thickness of the support member 10 is, for example, 0.1 mm to 2 mm. When the temporary fixing material 12 is a light-releasable adhesive, the support member 10 is preferably formed from a light-transmitting material. The interposer 14 is, for example, a glass interposer or a silicon interposer. The thickness of the interposer 14 may be, for example, 50 μm to 150 μm, or 100 μm to 150 μm, and is, for example, 150 μm or less. The interposer 14 has a main surface 14 a (first main surface) and a main surface 14 b (second main surface) opposite to the main surface 14 a. Such an interposer 14 is attached to the support member 10 by the temporary fixing material 12. After an interposer 14 thicker than 150 μm (e.g., 500 μm to 1000 μm) is attached to the support member 10 by the temporary fixing material 12, the entire interposer 14 may be ground to be thinned before forming the grooves in step (b). In this case, the thickness of the interposer 14 after being ground is thinned to, for example, 50 μm to 150 μm. Furthermore, wiring is formed on the interposer 14. The wiring may be a through-silicon via (TSV) that penetrates from the main surface 14 a to the main surface 14 b, or may include a terminal electrode or the like formed on the main surface 14 a or the main surface 14 b.

[0039] The temporary fixing material 12 used in step (a) is a member for temporarily fixing the support member 10 and the interposer 14. The temporary fixing material 12 is configured to separate the support member 10 from the interposer 14 when at least one of light, heat, and force is applied. When the temporary fixing material 12 is a light-removable adhesive sheet, the temporary fixing material 12 contains a light-absorbing material. The light to be absorbed includes infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light. The light-absorbing material may be, for example, conductive particles that absorb light and generate heat. The temporary fixing material 12 may be composed of a curable resin composition containing such conductive particles and a curable resin component. The curable resin component here is a curable resin component that hardens when exposed to heat or light, and is formed, for example, by containing a thermoplastic resin, a polymerizable monomer, and a polymerization initiator.

[0040] For example, a sheet having the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 3 (WO 2019 / 107508) can be used as the light-releasable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet. The conductive particles contained in this sheet are not particularly limited as long as they absorb light and generate heat. One example is particles that absorb infrared light and generate heat. The conductive particles may be, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of silver powder, copper powder, nickel powder, aluminum powder, chromium powder, iron powder, brass powder, tin powder, titanium alloy, gold powder, copper alloy powder, copper oxide powder, silver oxide powder, tin oxide powder, and conductive carbon powder. From the viewpoint of handleability and safety, the conductive particles may be at least one selected from the group consisting of silver powder, copper powder, silver oxide powder, copper oxide powder, and carbon powder. Furthermore, the conductive particles may be particles having a resin or metal core plated with a metal such as nickel, gold, or silver. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of dispersibility in a solvent, the conductive particles may be particles whose surfaces have been treated with a surface treatment agent. The surface treatment agent may be, for example, a silane coupling agent.

[0041] In the above-described light-peelable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet, after the support member 10 and the interposer 14 are temporarily fixed together, when the conductive particles absorb light, heat is instantaneously generated, which may cause melting of the cured product of the curable resin component at the interface, stress between the support member 10 and the interposer 14, scattering of the conductive particles, etc. When such a phenomenon occurs, the temporarily fixed interposer 14 easily separates from the support member 10.

[0042] Furthermore, when the temporary fixing material 12 used in step (a) is a thermally peelable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet, the temporary fixing material 12 includes an energy ray-curable elastic layer and a thermally peelable pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and the thermally peelable pressure-sensitive adhesive layer contains heat-expandable microspheres. The energy ray-curable elastic layer preferably hardens after irradiation with energy rays while becoming an elastic body. From this perspective, the energy ray-curable elastic layer preferably uses a base material (adhesive) chemically modified with an energy ray-reactive functional group, or is composed of a composition in which an energy ray-curable compound (or energy ray-curable resin) is blended into an elastic base material. Examples of base materials that can be used include natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and rubber-based pressure-sensitive adhesives using these. Examples of such thermally peelable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheets include sheets having the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 4 (WO 2013 / 042698). This sheet further includes an organic coating layer on the outer side of the energy ray-curable elastic layer on the support member 10 side.

[0043] Furthermore, the temporary fixing material 12 used in step (a) is not limited to the sheet member described above. A liquid material may be applied to the support member 10 to form the temporary fixing material 12, which temporarily fixes the support member 10 and the interposer 14. Such a temporary fixing material 12 may be formed from an adhesive composition containing a light absorber, polyisocyanate, and polyol, or may be formed from an adhesive composition containing a light absorber, a urethane resin containing a polymerizable carbon-carbon unsaturated bond, and a polymerization initiator. In such a curable adhesive composition, the polyisocyanate and polyol form a urethane bond upon heating, crosslinking, and hardening, thereby temporarily fixing the support member 10 and the interposer 14 together. For example, the adhesive composition disclosed in Patent Document 5 (WO 2020 / 042616) can be used as such a liquid material.

[0044] Furthermore, when the temporary fixing material 12 used in step (a) is to be peeled off by mechanical peeling (force) in step (e) described below, it is preferable that the temporary fixing material 12 be formed using a resin material or other material that is easy to peel off mechanically and that is unlikely to leave damage on the interposer 14 after peeling.

[0045] A rewiring layer may be formed on the main surface 14a of the interposer 14 that was temporarily fixed to the support member 10 in step (a). The rewiring layer on the main surface 14a of the interposer 14 is separated into individual pieces in a later step to form the rewiring layer 5 of the semiconductor device 1 shown in FIG. 1. The rewiring layer is formed over the entire main surface 14a of the interposer 14. The rewiring layer has a layered insulating portion and wiring formed within the insulating portion. The insulating portion of the rewiring layer is formed from an organic material. The organic material forming the insulating portion may be polyimide resin, maleimide resin, epoxy resin, phenoxy resin, polybenzoxal resin, acrylic resin, or acrylate resin. The insulating portion of the rewiring layer may be formed using, for example, a photosensitive insulating material (e.g., AH Series (trade name, manufactured by Resonac Co., Ltd.)).

[0046] The wiring in the rewiring layer is formed from a metal material such as copper. The material forming the insulating portion may be photosensitive. If the material forming the insulating portion is photosensitive, a portion of the insulating portion may be removed by exposure and development, and wiring may be formed in the removed portion using electrolytic plating or the like. The insulating portion may be removed by laser irradiation. If laser irradiation is used, the material forming the insulating portion does not need to be photosensitive. The wiring in the rewiring layer is electrically connected to the wiring in the interposer 14.

[0047] [Step (b)] In step (b), as shown in FIG. 2B, a cutting blade (first blade) is used to form grooves 16 in the interposer 14. The grooves 16 are formed in the shape of slits, passing from the main surface 14a of the interposer 14 through the main surface 14b to the temporary fixing material 12. The grooves 16 may be formed to reach the support member 10, or may be formed partway through the temporary fixing material 12 so as not to reach the support member 10. When the grooves 16 are formed to reach the support member 10, the interposer 14 can be reliably divided into the regions 14A and 14B. On the other hand, when the grooves 16 are formed so as not to reach the support member 10, the support member 10 can be used to form other components.

[0048] The grooves 16 are formed using, for example, a blade. As an example, the grooves 16 are formed by moving a blade rotating at high speed from the main surface 14a of the interposer 14 toward the main surface 14b to cut the interposer 14. The blade used to cut the interposer 14 may be, for example, a dicing blade. The grit size (grit) of the abrasive grains of the blade used to cut the interposer 14 may be, for example, #2000 to #4000. The larger the # value indicating the grit size, the smaller the grain size of the abrasive grains. The abrasive grains may be diamond abrasive grains (SD). The method for forming the grooves 16 is not limited, and the grooves 16 may be formed, for example, by laser irradiation. If a rewiring layer is formed on the interposer 14, the portions of the rewiring layer corresponding to the grooves 16 may be removed in advance, or the corresponding portions of the rewiring layer may be removed during the formation of the grooves 16. In the former case, the blade is less likely to come into contact with the rewiring layer when forming the multiple grooves 16 in the interposer 14 using the blade. This can prevent peeling and chipping (micro-defects) of the rewiring layer. The portions of the rewiring layer corresponding to the grooves 16 may be removed by exposing and developing the rewiring layer.

[0049] [Step (c)] In step (c), as shown in FIG. 2C, at least one semiconductor chip 20 is mounted on each of the regions 14A and 14B of the interposer 14 via bumps 22. The semiconductor chip 20 is disposed on each of the regions 14A and 14B of the interposer 14. In this embodiment, one semiconductor chip 20 is disposed on each of the regions 14A and 14B. Two or more semiconductor chips 20 may be disposed in each of the regions 14A and 14B. In this case, for example, one processor (e.g., a GPU) and multiple memories (e.g., HBMs) may be disposed as multiple semiconductor chips 20 in one region 14A or 14B. After the semiconductor chips 20 are mounted, underfill 4 may be disposed between the multiple semiconductor chips 20 and the main surface 14a of the interposer 14 (see FIG. 1). Step (c) completes the preparation of the structure M, which includes the support member 10, the interposer 14 with the grooves 16 formed therein, and the semiconductor chips 20.

[0050] [Step (d)] In step (d), as shown in FIG. 3A, the semiconductor chips 20 are encapsulated with the encapsulant 30 so that the encapsulant fills the grooves 16. In this step, the semiconductor chips 20 are encapsulated with the encapsulant 30 so that the encapsulant fills (is placed) the entire grooves 16. The encapsulant 30 is also placed between the semiconductor chips 20. The encapsulant 30 is placed over the entire interposer 14 so as to cover the semiconductor chips 20 and the redistribution layer (not shown). The encapsulant 30 is placed so as to cover the top and side surfaces of each semiconductor chip 20. The encapsulant 30 may be made of a material containing, for example, an epoxy resin. The encapsulant may be an epoxy molding compound (EMC).

[0051] [Step (e)] In step (e), as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, at least one of light, heat, and force is applied to the temporary fixing material 12 to separate the support member 10 from the interposer 14. In this separation, if the temporary fixing material 12 is a light-releasable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet or a light-releasable adhesive, infrared light or ultraviolet light is irradiated onto the temporary fixing material 12 to separate the support member 10 from the interposer 14. The irradiation may be performed by a laser. The irradiated light may be light other than infrared light or ultraviolet light. At this time, the light is irradiated onto the temporary fixing material 12 so that the irradiated light passes through the support member 10. The irradiated light may be irradiated from the semiconductor chip 20 side.

[0052] Furthermore, in step (e), when the temporary fixing material 12 is a heat-peelable adhesive sheet, the temporary fixing material 12 is heated at a predetermined temperature to separate the support member 10 from the interposer 14. The temperature for heat-peeling the temporary fixing material 12 is preferably higher than the temperature at which the semiconductor chip 20 is mounted. Note that, when peeling is performed without using light or heat in step (e), the support member 10 may be separated from the interposer 14 using mechanical peeling, in which force is applied to the temporary fixing material 12, etc. to peel it off. After separating the support member 10, bumps 35 are formed on terminals, etc., provided on the main surface 14b (lower surface) of the interposer 14, as shown in FIG. 3B. Note that, when separating the support member 10 from the interposer 14, the back surface (main surface 14b) of the interposer 14 may be subjected to a process such as polishing.

[0053] 3B and 3C, the sealing material 30 is cut along the grooves 16 to separate the structure M1, which includes the interposer 14 with the grooves 16 formed therein and the semiconductor chips 20, into a plurality of regions 14A, 14B, thereby obtaining a plurality of semiconductor devices 1. In the step (f), the sealing material 30 that has entered the grooves 16 is cut in the thickness direction of the interposer 14. Specifically, the portions of the sealing material 30 that are arranged in the grooves 16 and the portions of the sealing material 30 that are arranged between the plurality of semiconductor chips 20 are cut together. As a result, the structure M1 is separated into a plurality of regions.

[0054] The sealing material 30 in the groove 16 is cut using, for example, a blade (second blade). As an example, the sealing material is cut using a blade rotating at high speed. The blade for cutting the sealing material may be, for example, a dicing blade. The abrasive grain size (grit) of the blade for cutting the sealing material 30 in the groove 16 may be, for example, #320 to #600. The abrasive grain may be diamond abrasive grain (SD). The abrasive grain size of the blade for cutting the interposer 14 in step (b) may be larger than the abrasive grain size of the blade for cutting the sealing material in the groove 16 in step (f). Note that, since only the sealing material 30 is cut in this step (f), cutting can be completed with a single blade. Therefore, there is no need to change to a blade with a different blade width midway, and no steps are formed on the side of the cut semiconductor device.

[0055] In step (f), the structure is singulated into individual semiconductor devices 1 (see FIG. 1 ). The interposers 14 after singulation correspond to the interposers 6 of the semiconductor devices 1. This completes the manufacturing process for the semiconductor device 1. Note that in FIG. 3C, the sealing material on the side surfaces of the interposers 6 is omitted.

[0056] As described above, according to the manufacturing method of the semiconductor device 1 of this embodiment, after the sealing material 30 has entered the grooves 16 that divide the interposer 14 into the multiple regions 14A and 14B, at least one of light, heat, and force is applied to the temporary fixing material 12 that temporarily fixes the interposer 14, thereby separating the support member 10 from the interposer 14. The sealing material 30 that has entered the grooves 16 is then cut to separate the structure M1 (chips), thereby obtaining multiple semiconductor devices 1. By cutting the sealing material 30 that has entered the grooves 16 in this manner, the structure M1 is separated into individual pieces. Therefore, when separating the structure M1, it is not necessary to use a blade for cutting the sealing material 30, in addition to a blade for cutting the interposer 14. This improves the manufacturing efficiency of semiconductor devices.

[0057] Furthermore, in a conventional manufacturing process using 2.5D packaging, if a blade is changed during the singulation process in step (f), the side surfaces of the semiconductor chip are exposed from the encapsulant, exposing portions of the interposer that are vulnerable to impacts and the like. Furthermore, because the blade is changed during the grinding process, the blade width may differ before and after the change, resulting in the formation of steps on the side surfaces of the singulated semiconductor devices. When a singulated semiconductor device having such steps is fixed to a motherboard or the like, thermal deformation of the semiconductor device can cause the steps to initiate peeling of components in the semiconductor device. In contrast, the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment does not require the blade to be changed when cutting the interposer 14 and the encapsulant 30. The interposer, which is vulnerable to impacts and the like, is covered by the encapsulant, and such steps are not formed. Therefore, this manufacturing method provides a semiconductor device in which the semiconductor chip 20 is reliably protected by the encapsulant and is less susceptible to peeling due to thermal stress.

[0058] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to this embodiment, the temporary fixing material 12 preferably contains a material that absorbs light, so that the support member 10 can be separated from the interposer 14 by a simple method such as light irradiation.

[0059] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to this embodiment, the support member 10 may be made of a light-transmitting material, which allows the support member 10 to be separated by irradiating the temporary fixing material 12 with light from the support member 10 side, making it easy to separate the support member 10.

[0060] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to this embodiment, when separating the support member 10, the temporary fixing material 12 may be irradiated with light to separate the support member 10 from the interposer 14. This allows the support member 10 to be easily separated from the interposer 14.

[0061] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to this embodiment, when forming the grooves 16, it is preferable to form the grooves 16 so that the grooves 16 extend from the main surface 14a of the interposer 14 to the temporary fixing material 12. This ensures that the grooves 16 penetrate from the main surface 14a to the main surface 14b of the interposer 14, and the semiconductor device can be reliably singulated by cutting only the sealing material 30.

[0062] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to this embodiment, when forming the grooves 16, the grooves 16 may be formed so that they extend from the main surface 14a of the interposer 14 to the support member 10. This ensures that the grooves 16 penetrate from the main surface 14a to the main surface 14b of the interposer 14, and the semiconductor device can be reliably singulated by cutting only the sealing material 30.

[0063] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to this embodiment, when forming grooves 16, it is preferable to form grooves 16 so that grooves 16 do not reach support member 10. This prevents grooves 16 from damaging support member 10, making it possible to easily reuse support member 10 after it has been separated from interposer 14.

[0064] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to this embodiment, the interposer 14 attached to the support member 10 may be ground to be thinned before forming the grooves 16. In this way, by using an interposer having a certain thickness when attaching the interposer 14 to the support member 10, it is possible to prevent the thin interposer from cracking during attachment.

[0065] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to this embodiment, it is preferable that the thickness of the interposer 14 immediately before the grooves 16 are formed be 150 μm or less. This allows the semiconductor devices 1 to be separated into individual pieces to be thinner.

[0066] In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to this embodiment, the grooves 16 are formed by cutting the interposer 14 with a first blade, and when singulating the semiconductor device, a second blade, which is a different type from the first blade used to cut the interposer, is used to cut the sealing material along the grooves 16. The abrasive grain size of the first blade is larger than the abrasive grain size of the second blade. This allows the interposer 14 and the sealing material 30 in the grooves 16 to be cut or cut with blades having abrasive grains suitable for the respective materials.

[0067] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the groove portion 16 is formed from a single groove has been described, but this is not limiting. That is, the groove portion 16 may include at least two parallel grooves. In this case, a portion of the interposer 14 remains between the at least two parallel grooves. However, since this portion of the interposer 14 is not a component of the semiconductor device to be manufactured, there is no problem in not using a blade to cut the interposer. Furthermore, when forming the groove portion 16 in the interposer 14, forming a wide groove corresponding to the cutting width (blade width) during singulation may take a long time to form the groove. However, according to the above-described manufacturing method, the width of each groove in the groove portion can be narrowed to shorten the time required to form the groove. Therefore, this manufacturing method can also improve the manufacturing efficiency of semiconductor devices in this respect.

[0068] The width of each of the parallel grooves may be 20 μm to 50 μm. In this case, the amount of cutting waste generated during groove formation can be reduced, preventing contamination from adhering to the semiconductor device. This reduces the defect rate of semiconductor devices and further improves the manufacturing efficiency of semiconductor devices. Furthermore, convex portions may be provided between the parallel grooves, and the width of the convex portions may be 100 μm to 200 μm. In this case, similar to the above, cutting during individualization can be performed quickly, further improving the manufacturing efficiency of semiconductor devices. Furthermore, the parallel grooves may be formed in a lattice pattern including parallel first grooves extending along a first direction and parallel second grooves extending along a second direction intersecting (perpendicular to) the first direction. Furthermore, the spacing between two adjacent pairs of parallel first grooves may be 10 mm to 100 mm. The spacing between two adjacent pairs of parallel second grooves may be 20 mm to 100 mm. When a semiconductor device is manufactured using this structure by the above manufacturing method, a highly versatile semiconductor device having a size that can be mounted on a general electronic component can be manufactured. The spacing between the grooves referred to here means the spacing between adjacent grooves in the first and second sets of grooves.

[0069] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1... semiconductor device, 2, 20... semiconductor chip, 6, 14... interposer, 8, 30... sealing material, 10... support member, 12... temporary fixing material, M, M1... structure.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: preparing a structure having a support member; an interposer fixed onto the support member with a temporary fixing material, the interposer including a first main surface and a second main surface opposite the first main surface, the interposer having grooves extending from the first main surface to the second main surface and dividing the interposer into a plurality of regions; and a plurality of semiconductor chips arranged at least one on each of the regions; sealing at least a portion of each of the plurality of semiconductor chips with a sealing material so that the sealing material fills at least the grooves; applying at least one of light, heat, and force to the temporary fixing material to separate the support member from the interposer; and cutting the sealing material along the grooves to separate the structure into the plurality of regions, thereby obtaining a plurality of semiconductor devices.

2. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the temporary fixing material contains a material that absorbs light.

3. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the support member is made of a light-transmitting material.

4. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein in the step of separating the support member, the support member is separated from the interposer by irradiating the temporary fixing material with light.

5. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the temporary fixing material includes a heat-peelable adhesive sheet, and the step of separating the support member comprises heating the temporary fixing material to separate the support member from the interposer.

6. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the step of preparing the structure comprises the steps of: attaching the interposer onto the support member using the temporary fixing material; forming the groove in the interposer so that the groove extends from the first main surface to at least the second main surface; and mounting at least one semiconductor chip on each of the regions.

7. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein in the step of forming the groove portion, the groove portion is formed so as to extend from the first main surface to the temporary fixing material.

8. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein in the step of forming the groove portion, the groove portion is formed so as to extend from the first main surface to the support member.

9. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein in the step of forming the groove portion, the groove portion is formed so as not to reach the support member.

10. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the step of preparing the structure further comprises a step of grinding and thinning the interposer mounted on the support member before forming the groove portion.

11. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the thickness of the interposer just before the groove is formed is 50 μm or more and 150 μm or less.

12. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the groove is formed by cutting the interposer with a first blade.

13. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein in the step of obtaining the plurality of semiconductor devices, the sealing material is cut along the groove using a second blade of a different type from the first blade.

14. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the grain size of the abrasive grains of the first blade is larger than the grain size of the abrasive grains of the second blade.

15. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the groove portion includes at least two parallel grooves.

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