Wafer Surface Hydrophobic Treatment for Uniform Pre-Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high bond wave speed on hydrophilic wafer surfaces during pre-bonding leads to distortion and potential trapping of air bubbles or moisture during wafer bonding processes, which can compromise the integrity of the bonding process.
Innovation Solution
A surface treatment process is applied to convert hydrophilic wafer surfaces to hydrophobic surfaces using chemicals like Hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), or (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTMS), reducing the bond wave speed and minimizing distortion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If pre-bonding is performed on hydrophilic wafer surfaces, then bonding can proceed without additional surface treatment, but the high bond wave speed causes distortion and air bubble trapping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies surface treatment (such as plasma treatment or chemical treatment with HMDS) to the wafer surfaces before the pre-bonding step. This preliminary action modifies the surface properties to be hydrophobic, which then enables the pre-bonding to proceed with reduced bond wave speed and minimal distortion, eliminating the need for additional distortion compensation measures during bonding
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the surface property parameter from hydrophilic to hydrophobic through surface treatment. This parameter change directly affects the bond wave speed during pre-bonding, reducing it from a high value that causes distortion to a controlled value that enables uniform bonding without air bubble trapping
2Productivity
If pre-bonding is performed on hydrophilic wafer surfaces, then the process can be completed quickly, but distortion and air bubble trapping occur
Solution Approach 1:
The surface treatment is performed as a preliminary step before pre-bonding to establish hydrophobic surface properties. This preparation enables the subsequent pre-bonding to proceed quickly without the harmful effects of high bond wave speed, thus maintaining both high productivity and high reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The surface treatment creates a preliminary anti-action by making the surface hydrophobic, which counteracts the tendency for high bond wave speed and associated distortion. This preliminary counter-measure prevents the occurrence of bonding defects before they can happen during the pre-bonding process
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 treatment results in a more uniform bond wave propagation, reducing distortion and air/moisture trapping, thereby enhancing the bonding process and improving the quality of the wafer connections.
Implementation Method 1
performing a first treatment process on the first wafer, wherein the first treatment process results in the first wafer to be more hydrophobic than before the first treatment process
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes performing a plasma treatment on a first wafer, performing a treatment process on the first wafer, wherein the treatment process results in the first wafer to be more hydrophobic than before the treatment process, pre-bonding the first wafer to a second wafer through wafer-to-wafer bonding, and performing an annealing process to bond the first wafer to the second wafer.