Semiconductor Bonding Pad Structure for Uneven Surface Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor bonding technologies face challenges in achieving high yield and low fabrication costs due to stringent requirements for surface flatness and cleanliness, leading to issues like bonding failures and degraded electrical performance.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor structure design featuring a dielectric layer with distinct regions, including a conductive pad with a recessed or protruded top surface and a bonding pad exposed above it, which mitigates height differences and improves bonding quality by controlling the impact of uneven surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If CMP technologies or cleaning technologies are used to optimize surface flatness and cleanliness, then bonding quality is improved, but fabrication costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding pad structure is designed with a height greater than the conductive pad height before bonding occurs. This preliminary structural arrangement compensates for surface height differences, eliminating the need for post-fabrication CMP processes to achieve adequate bonding surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The bonding pad is designed with localized elevated height specifically at the bonding interface region, while other parts of the structure maintain their original heights. This localized quality adjustment ensures optimal bonding surface contact without requiring global planarization of the entire wafer surface.
2Productivity
If surface processing is performed to ensure extreme cleanliness and low roughness, then bonding yield increases, but fabrication complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elevated bonding pad structure is formed during the standard fabrication process before bonding. This preliminary action built into the fabrication flow ensures bonding surface readiness without requiring separate, complex surface processing steps afterward.
Solution Approach 2:
The bonding pad structure itself serves the dual function of both electrical connection and bonding interface. The elevated height automatically compensates for surface variations, making the structure self-correcting and eliminating the need for additional surface preparation processes.
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
This design enhances bonding yield and reduces fabrication costs by minimizing the need for extensive planarization processes, ensuring reliable connections and maintaining electrical performance.
Implementation Method 1
Direct bonding (Direct Bonding) is a micro-electronic fabrication technology, and means that two semiconductor wafers or other planar materials are tightly connected by means of direct contact and interaction of inter-atomic forces in case of no intermediates
Implementation Method 2
Hybrid bonding (Hybrid Bonding) is one of semiconductor integration technologies, and combines features of direct bonding and metal interconnection
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a semiconductor structure, including: a substrate, where the substrate is covered with a dielectric layer, and the dielectric layer includes a first region and a second region that surrounds the first region; a first conductive pad disposed in the dielectric layer of the first region, where a top surface of the first conductive pad has a recessed or protruded part, and the dielectric layer covers the top surface of the first conductive pad; and a first bonding pad disposed in the dielectric layer of the second region, where the first bonding pad is disposed around the first conductive pad, the first bonding pad has a top surface exposed to the dielectric layer, and a bottom surface of the first bonding pad is higher than the top surface of the first conductive pad.