Ion-Implanted Substrate Separation to Prevent Edge Peeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The semiconductor industry faces challenges in reducing substrate thickness uniformly and avoiding edge peeling issues during the removal of temporary substrates, which affects the integration density and efficiency of semiconductor devices.
Innovation Solution
The use of ion implantation combined with annealing, specifically employing hydrogen and helium ions and a pulsed laser or furnace annealing, to separate the implantation region from the remainder region of the substrate, allowing for the reuse of the cut substrate and addressing thickness uniformity and edge peeling problems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional substrate removal methods are used, then substrate thickness can be reduced, but thickness uniformity deteriorates and edge peeling occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is divided into two distinct regions through ion implantation: an implantation region where ions are introduced to weaken bonding, and a remainder region that maintains original properties. This segmentation allows selective removal of the implantation region while preserving the remainder region, achieving uniform thickness reduction without edge peeling.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the substrate are given different properties through selective ion implantation. The implantation region has modified material properties (weakened bonding) compared to the remainder region (original bonding strength), enabling localized removal while maintaining overall substrate integrity and preventing edge peeling.
2Manufacturing precision
If substrate thickness is reduced for higher integration density, then manufacturing precision improves, but substrate reliability deteriorates due to edge peeling
Solution Approach 1:
Ion implantation is performed as a preliminary action before substrate removal. This pre-treatment modifies the implantation region's properties by introducing ions that weaken atomic bonding, preparing the substrate for subsequent selective removal while preventing edge peeling during the process.
Solution Approach 2:
The atomic bonding strength in the implantation region is changed through ion implantation, transforming the material properties from strong bonding to weakened bonding. This parameter change enables selective removal of the implantation region while maintaining the remainder region's integrity, achieving uniform thickness without edge peeling.
3Productivity
If traditional substrate removal processes are used, then substrate can be removed, but cost and throughput are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The ion implantation process creates self-propagating separation planes that enable automatic, clean separation of the implantation region from the remainder region. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for complex mechanical separation processes, reducing manufacturing cost and improving throughput simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical substrate removal process is replaced with a field-based approach using ion implantation and annealing. Instead of mechanical cutting or breaking, the substrate is separated through controlled material property modification and thermal processing, achieving higher precision, better reliability, and improved cost-efficiency.
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 method provides cost and throughput advantages while ensuring uniformity, enabling efficient substrate removal and reuse, thereby improving the integration density and performance of semiconductor devices.
Implementation Method 1
ions are implanted in a substrate to form an implantation region of the substrate
Implementation Method 2
An annealing process using a pulsed laser or a furnace is applied to separate the implantation region from a remainder region of the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of ion implantation combined with annealing using a pulsed laser or a furnace for cutting substrate in forming semiconductor devices and semiconductor devices including the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method includes forming a transistor structure of a device on a first semiconductor substrate; forming a front-side interconnect structure over a front side of the transistor structure; bonding a carrier substrate to the front-side interconnect structure; implanting ions into the first semiconductor substrate to form an implantation region of the first semiconductor substrate; and removing the first semiconductor substrate. Removing the first semiconductor substrate includes applying an annealing process to separate the implantation region from a remainder region of the first semiconductor substrate. The method also includes forming a back-side interconnect structure over a back side of the transistor structure.