Substrate Bonding via Silicon Particle Activation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current substrate bonding techniques face challenges in achieving high bonding strength, especially when bonding thin wafers or materials with different thermal expansion coefficients, and are not suitable for ionic crystals like silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or quartz.
Innovation Solution
A substrate bonding apparatus that uses a vacuum chamber with a surface activation part to irradiate bonding surfaces with silicon particles, employing a fast atom beam or ion beam source, and a substrate moving mechanism to bring the surfaces into contact, while maintaining a high degree of vacuum to enhance bonding strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If high temperature bonding is used to establish electric connection between metal regions, then bonding strength is improved, but it becomes unsuitable for thin wafers and materials with different thermal expansion coefficients
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the bonding parameter from high temperature to low temperature by introducing surface activation treatment. The metal regions are activated by ion beam or fast atom beam irradiation, creating a reactive surface state that enables strong bonding at low temperatures, thus resolving the contradiction between bonding strength and material compatibility
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces thermal diffusion bonding with physical surface activation followed by low-temperature bonding. Instead of relying on high temperature to drive atomic diffusion, the method uses particle beam irradiation to activate surfaces and enable bonding at much lower temperatures, expanding applicability to thin wafers and dissimilar materials
2Temperature
If surface activation treatment is performed by ion beam or fast atom beam irradiation, then bonding can be performed at low temperature, but it is not suitable for bonding ionic crystal members such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or quartz
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces metal particles as an intermediary substance during surface activation. When ion beam or fast atom beam irradiates the ionic crystal surface in the presence of metal particles, the metal acts as a mediator that facilitates surface activation and enables subsequent bonding of ionic crystals at low temperatures, overcoming the limitation of direct ion beam treatment
3Adaptability or versatility
If metal particles are introduced during surface activation to enable ionic crystal bonding, then bonding of ionic crystals becomes possible, but multiple types of metals may be contained in the activated surface causing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by introducing metal particles only at the bonding interface during surface activation, rather than throughout the entire material. This localized introduction of metal particles enables ionic crystal bonding while limiting metal contamination to the specific bonding region, reducing overall complexity
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 significantly increases bonding strength and maintains it even when the vacuum conditions deteriorate, effectively bonding substrates including ionic crystals at relatively low temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
a surface activation part for irradiating two bonding surfaces of two substrates with a particle beam to thereby activate the two bonding surfaces
Implementation Method 2
irradiating the bonding surfaces with silicon particles in parallel with irradiation with the particle beam
Implementation Method 3
employing a fast atom beam or ion beam source
Implementation Method 4
by heating the wafers to a relatively high temperature, diffusion of atoms is caused between the metal regions, to thereby establish the electric connection
Implementation Method 5
the respective bonding surfaces of the wafers are adhered to each other so that the metal regions can come into contact with each other and heated, to thereby bond the wafers
Implementation Method 6
in the vacuum chamber; and a substrate moving mechanism for bringing the two bonding surfaces into contact with each other, to thereby bond the two substrates
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3A
Figure 3B~4B
AI summary
A substrate bonding apparatus (100) includes a vacuum chamber (200), a surface activation part (610) for activating respective bonding surfaces of a first substrate (301) and a second substrate (302), and stage moving mechanisms (403, 404) for bringing the two bonding surfaces into contact with each other, to thereby bond the substrates (301, 302). In order to activate the bonding surfaces in the vacuum chamber (200), the bonding surfaces are irradiated with a particle beam for activating the bonding surfaces, and concurrently the bonding surfaces are also irradiated with silicon particles. It is thereby possible to increase the bonding strength of the substrates (301, 302).