Seal Ring Bonding Pad Layout for Planar Semiconductor Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of forming reliable semiconductor devices at smaller sizes is exacerbated by the increasing complexity of fabrication processes due to decreasing feature sizes, which affects the formation of bonding pads and the reliability of semiconductor devices.
Innovation Solution
The formation of additional bonding pads within the seal ring region of semiconductor devices, utilizing a multi-layer structure with conductive plugs and bonding pads, enhances bondability and reliability by increasing the bonding area and improving the planarity of the bonding pads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If feature sizes continue to decrease to increase functional density, then production efficiency increases and costs decrease, but fabrication process complexity and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the chip structure into multiple segments by introducing additional bonding pads in the seal ring region, allowing the chip to be separated into multiple individual chips more easily. This segmentation approach addresses the fabrication complexity issue by providing clear separation points without requiring smaller feature sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds bonding pads in the seal ring region, which is a different spatial dimension/location from the traditional device region bonding pads. This dimensional change provides additional bonding areas without reducing the size of existing features, thus maintaining fabrication simplicity while improving chip separation capability.
2Quantity of substance
If feature sizes continue to decrease, then functional density increases, but manufacturing reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different properties to different regions of the chip by placing additional bonding pads specifically in the seal ring region, which has different local characteristics from the device region. This local quality approach allows the seal ring area to serve dual purposes: maintaining its sealing function while providing additional bonding areas for improved reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates bonding pads in the seal ring region during the initial fabrication process, before chip separation occurs. This preliminary action ensures that bonding structures are already in place and properly formed, improving manufacturing reliability by avoiding post-fabrication modifications that would be more difficult at smaller scales.
3Reliability
If additional bonding pads are formed in the seal ring region, then bondability and reliability improve, but fabrication process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the seal ring structure with the bonding pad formation process by integrating additional bonding pads directly into the seal ring region. This merging eliminates the need for separate processes to add bonding pads, as the seal ring fabrication steps simultaneously create the bonding structures, thus improving bondability without significantly increasing overall process complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device structure is provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a substrate having a device region and a seal ring region surrounding the device region. The semiconductor device structure includes a seal ring structure over the seal ring region. The seal ring structure surrounds the device region. The semiconductor device structure includes a bonding film over the seal ring structure and the substrate. The semiconductor device structure includes a bonding pad embedded in the bonding film. The bonding pad overlaps the seal ring structure along an axis perpendicular to a first top surface of the substrate, and a second top surface of the bonding pad is substantially level with a third top surface of the bonding film.