Protective Layer Formation After Polishing for Oxidation-Free Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate bonding methods face issues with oxidation of metal regions and adhesion of cutting chips and particles, leading to connection failures and contamination, especially when there is a long delay between polishing and bonding processes.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus that includes a polishing device, a protective layer forming device using silane coupling agents or resin protective film agents, and a control device to form a protective layer immediately after polishing, minimizing oxidation and adhesion risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If substrates are temporarily stored after polishing before bonding, then production flexibility is improved, but metal regions oxidize forming oxide films that cause connection failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming a protective layer on the metal regions immediately after polishing, before the substrates are temporarily stored. This protective layer prevents oxidation during the storage period, allowing the substrates to be stored for extended periods without compromising connection reliability. The protective layer is removed just before bonding, ensuring the metal surfaces remain oxidation-free throughout the storage period.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an inert environment by applying a protective layer that acts as a barrier between the metal regions and oxygen in the air. This effectively isolates the reactive metal surfaces from the oxidizing atmosphere during temporary storage, preventing oxide film formation and maintaining connection reliability throughout the storage period.
2Duration of action of moving object
If polishing is performed early to enable temporary storage, then production flexibility is improved, but cutting chips and particles adhere to bonding surfaces during storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing the polishing operation well in advance and forming a protective layer immediately afterward, allowing substrates to be stored with polished surfaces. The protective layer prevents adhesion of cutting chips and particles during the storage period, and is removed just before bonding to ensure clean bonding surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the polishing operation from the immediate pre-bonding sequence and performs it earlier in the process, allowing temporary storage. The protective layer acts as a barrier that prevents contamination during this extracted storage period, enabling the polishing step to be decoupled from the bonding step.
3Reliability
If surface activation treatment and hydrophilic treatment are performed after polishing, then bonding quality is improved, but these treatments become ineffective or require re-application after long storage periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing surface activation and hydrophilic treatments immediately after polishing, before temporary storage. The protective layer preserves the activated and hydrophilized surface conditions throughout the storage period, eliminating the need for re-treatment before bonding and maintaining bonding quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective layer creates an inert environment that preserves the chemically activated and hydrophilized surface conditions during storage. By isolating the treated surfaces from atmospheric exposure, the protective layer prevents degradation of the surface treatments, allowing them to remain effective throughout the storage period without requiring re-application.
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 apparatus effectively protects metal regions from oxidation and adhesion, enabling reliable bonding without the need for surface activation and hydrophilic treatments, while ensuring the protective layer is formed before oxidation occurs.
Implementation Method 1
protect the surfaces of the metal regions after the polishing process from oxidation
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus and a protective layer forming method that can protect surfaces of metal regions after a polishing process from oxidation and adhesion of cutting chips and particles caused in a process after polishing. The substrate processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a polishing device for polishing a semiconductor substrate, a protective layer forming device for forming a protective layer on a surface of the substrate using a silane coupling agent or a resin protective film agent, and a control device. The control device controls the polishing device and the protective layer forming device such that the protective layer forming device forms the protective layer on the substrate after the polishing device finishes polishing the substrate.