III-N Silicon Wafer Structure for Warpage-Resistant Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing silicon semiconductor wafers with nitride layers face warping issues during production and challenges in joining wafers with different crystal orientations, leading to incomplete edge region joining and deformation.
Innovation Solution
A III-N silicon semiconductor wafer design with a thick disk-shaped structure, featuring a nitride layer on a silicon substrate, where the upper layer has a thickness between 30 μm and 950 μm, and the lower layer has a thickness greater than 10 μm, allowing for a connection region with a smaller diameter, reducing warping and enabling economical joining of wafers with a total thickness of at least 1.2 mm.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a thin nitride layer is produced on a silicon wafer, then the production process is efficient, but the wafer experiences significant warping and deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of wafer thickness from conventional thin designs to a minimum of 1.2 mm. This parameter change increases the wafer's mechanical stability and resistance to warping during nitride layer production, while still allowing efficient manufacturing processes to be maintained.
2Adaptability or versatility
If wafers with different crystal orientations are joined, then device functionality is improved, but edge region joining becomes incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the wafer structure into distinct segments: a thick silicon substrate (minimum 1.2 mm) and an upper layer region containing the nitride layer. This segmentation allows different crystal orientations to be accommodated in the upper layer while the thick silicon substrate provides a stable foundation that ensures complete and precise joining at the edges.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the total wafer thickness is increased to reduce warping, then structural stability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a thick silicon substrate as an intermediary layer between the nitride layer and the substrate. This intermediary structure with minimum 1.2 mm thickness acts as a stable platform that simplifies the joining process by providing a rigid foundation, reducing the overall manufacturing complexity despite the increased total thickness.
Data Source
AI summary
A III-N silicon semiconductor wafer having an upper layer region and a lower layer region, wherein the upper layer region has a nitride layer with a formed III-N layer, and the lower layer region includes a silicon layer. The semiconductor wafer has a total thickness of at least 1.2 mm and is disk-shaped, and the semiconductor wafer is divided along a total thickness into the upper layer region and the lower layer region. The upper layer region has a circumferential edge region, and the upper layer region has a first maximum diameter of at least 145 mm, and the upper layer region has a thickness greater than 30 μm and less than 950 μm. The lower layer region has a second maximum diameter, and a connection region is formed between the upper layer region and the lower layer region, wherein the connection region has a third diameter.