Hybrid Bonding Plasma Clean With RPS-RF Residue Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Copper-dielectric hybrid bonding in semiconductor manufacturing faces challenges such as particle and organic residue removal, void formation due to gaseous outgassing, and physical particulates, which affect bonding quality and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing system utilizing a remote plasma source and RF plasma chamber for cleaning and activation, enabling improved hybrid bonding by forming and controlling plasmas to remove residues and particles, and ensuring stable bonding surfaces through tunable and flexible processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If plasma cleaning is performed to remove particles and organic residues, then bonding quality is improved, but processing time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The plasma cleaning process is divided into two distinct stages: a first plasma cleaning step using a hydrocarbon-based gas to remove organic residues and form a carbonaceous layer, followed by a second plasma cleaning step using an oxygen-based gas to remove the carbonaceous layer and particles. This segmentation allows each step to be optimized for its specific function, improving overall bonding quality while managing processing time through targeted cleaning actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The first plasma cleaning step performs a preliminary cleaning action by forming a carbonaceous layer on the surface that traps organic residues and particles. This preliminary action prepares the surface for the second cleaning step, ensuring that the final cleaning is more effective and requires less time to achieve the desired bonding quality.
2Reliability
If plasma cleaning is performed to remove particles and organic residues, then bonding quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plasma processing system is designed to perform multiple functions using a single apparatus: it can execute the first plasma cleaning step with hydrocarbon-based gas, the second plasma cleaning step with oxygen-based gas, and potentially other semiconductor processing operations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated equipment for each cleaning step, thereby managing device complexity while achieving improved bonding quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system manages complexity by changing plasma parameters (gas composition, power levels, pressure, treatment duration) rather than requiring fundamentally different equipment for each cleaning step. The first plasma step uses hydrocarbon-based gas at specific power and pressure conditions, while the second step uses oxygen-based gas with different parameters, allowing one system to handle multiple cleaning requirements through parameter adjustment.
3Reliability
If copper expansion is utilized to eliminate radial-shaped hollows, then bonding reliability is improved, but control over topography and defectivity becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The dual plasma cleaning process is performed as a preliminary action before hybrid bonding to remove particles and organic residues from the copper surface. This preliminary cleaning ensures that copper expansion during bonding occurs on a clean surface, eliminating radial-shaped hollows and improving bonding reliability while maintaining control over topography and defectivity through proper surface preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The plasma cleaning parameters (gas composition, power, pressure, duration) are optimized to clean the copper surface without altering its topography or causing defects. By carefully controlling these parameters, the process removes contaminants while preserving the surface characteristics needed for reliable copper expansion during hybrid bonding.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enhances bonding yields, reduces defectivity, and extends hardware lifetime, achieving high-throughput integration with reduced costs and improved mean time between failures in advanced semiconductor packaging.
Implementation Method 1
dissociate a gas in the at least one radical generator to form a plasma, flow the plasma into the processing volume
Implementation Method 2
dissociate a gas in the at least one radical generator to form a plasma
Implementation Method 3
bias the substrate support using the radio frequency generator to create a second plasma
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the disclosure provided herein include a system and method for plasma cleaning and activation using hybrid bonding. The system includes a processing chamber, a substrate support configured to support a substrate during hybrid bonding substrate processing, a gas delivery system coupled to the processing chamber having at least one radical generator, and a controller configured to cause the substrate processing system to form a first layer on a first substrate, dissociate a gas in the at least one radical generator to form a plasma, flow the plasma into the processing volume of the processing chamber for a period of time, exhaust the plasma, by products, and effluent gas from the processing volume after the period of time, and adhere a second layer disposed on a second substrate onto the first layer using a hybrid bonding technique.