US20150170958A1 - Methods and systems for forming semiconductor laminate structures - Google Patents
Methods and systems for forming semiconductor laminate structures Download PDFInfo
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- US20150170958A1 US20150170958A1 US14/105,566 US201314105566A US2015170958A1 US 20150170958 A1 US20150170958 A1 US 20150170958A1 US 201314105566 A US201314105566 A US 201314105566A US 2015170958 A1 US2015170958 A1 US 2015170958A1
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- H—ELECTRICITY
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- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
- H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic System or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
- H01L21/185—Joining of semiconductor bodies for junction formation
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- H—ELECTRICITY
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- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/70—Manufacture or treatment of devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components formed in or on a common substrate or of parts thereof; Manufacture of integrated circuit devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/71—Manufacture of specific parts of devices defined in group H01L21/70
- H01L21/76—Making of isolation regions between components
- H01L21/762—Dielectric regions, e.g. EPIC dielectric isolation, LOCOS; Trench refilling techniques, SOI technology, use of channel stoppers
- H01L21/7624—Dielectric regions, e.g. EPIC dielectric isolation, LOCOS; Trench refilling techniques, SOI technology, use of channel stoppers using semiconductor on insulator [SOI] technology
- H01L21/76251—Dielectric regions, e.g. EPIC dielectric isolation, LOCOS; Trench refilling techniques, SOI technology, use of channel stoppers using semiconductor on insulator [SOI] technology using bonding techniques
- H01L21/76254—Dielectric regions, e.g. EPIC dielectric isolation, LOCOS; Trench refilling techniques, SOI technology, use of channel stoppers using semiconductor on insulator [SOI] technology using bonding techniques with separation/delamination along an ion implanted layer, e.g. Smart-cut, Unibond
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- H—ELECTRICITY
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- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02002—Preparing wafers
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- H—ELECTRICITY
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- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
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- H—ELECTRICITY
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- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
- H01L21/67092—Apparatus for mechanical treatment
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
- H01L21/67155—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations
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- H—ELECTRICITY
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- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/683—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping
- H01L21/687—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches
- H01L21/68707—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a robot blade, or gripped by a gripper for conveyance
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/683—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping
- H01L21/687—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches
- H01L21/68714—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support
- H01L21/6875—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support characterised by a plurality of individual support members, e.g. support posts or protrusions
Definitions
- the present specification generally relates to methods and systems of forming a variety of semiconductor laminate structures from a plurality of fractional components of one or more semiconductor wafers.
- Semiconductor structures can be produced from semiconductor ingots which can be cut into discs and then machined into the semiconductor structure. Semiconductor structures produced in this manner can be limited by the size of the semiconductor ingot and can be expensive to manufacture.
- a method for forming a direct fusion bond between fractional components of a semiconductor laminate structure can include generating one or more direct bonding surfaces on each of a plurality of semiconductor wafers.
- a first fractional component and a second fractional component can be cut from at least one of the plurality of semiconductor wafers.
- the first fractional component can include a first direct bonding surface of the one or more direct bonding surfaces.
- the second fractional component can comprise a second direct bonding surface of the one or more direct bonding surfaces.
- the first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component and the second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component can be dried.
- the first fractional component can be constrained with an assembly block.
- the second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component can be placed into contact with the first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component to define an initial contact area.
- An angle of approach can be formed between the second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component and the first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component.
- the angle of approach between the second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component and the first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component can be closed to create a direct fusion bond of a semiconductor laminate structure.
- the direct fusion bond can be larger than the initial contact area.
- a system for manufacturing semiconductor laminate structures can include a cleanroom, a cutting station, an assembly station, a first robot arm, and a second robot arm.
- the cutting station and the assembly station can each be housed within the cleanroom.
- the cutting station can include a water waveguide laser mounted above a fixture.
- the assembly station can include an assembly table and one or more assembly blocks disposed on the assembly table.
- the first robot arm can be interposed between the cutting station and the assembly station.
- the fixture of the water waveguide laser can be configured to hold a semiconductor wafer as it is cut into a first fractional component and a second fractional component by a laser beam of the water waveguide laser.
- the first robot arm can be configured to grasp the first fractional component and engage the first fractional component with the assembly table of the assembly station.
- the first robot arm can be configured to place a first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component into contact with a second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component at an initial contact end of each fractional component and form an initial contact area and an angle of approach between the first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component and the second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component.
- the second robot arm can be configured to close the angle of approach between the first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component and the second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component to create a direct fusion bond of a semiconductor laminate structure.
- FIG. 1 schematically depicts a semiconductor wafer according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 2 schematically depicts a semiconductor wafer, a plurality of fractional components, and a semiconductor laminate structure according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 3 schematically depicts a semiconductor laminate structure manufacturing system according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 4 schematically depicts a cutting station according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 5A schematically depicts a water waveguide laser according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 5B schematically depicts a partial view of a laminate water jet of a water waveguide laser according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 6 schematically depicts a water waveguide laser cutting a semiconductor wafer according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 7A schematically depicts an assembly table according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 7B schematically depicts the assembly of two fractional components according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 7C schematically depicts a tilted assembly table according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 8 schematically depicts an annealing oven according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 9A schematically depicts an end effector jaw engaged with a fractional component according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 9B schematically depicts a side view of an end effector jaw engaged with a fractional component according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 10 schematically depicts a fractional component of a semiconductor wafer with a laser cut according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 11A schematically depicts a top view of a semiconductor laminate structure according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 11B schematically depicts a partial view of the semiconductor laminate structure depicted in FIG. 11A according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 11C schematically depicts a partial view of the semiconductor laminate structure depicted in FIG. 11A according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 12 schematically depicts a semiconductor laminate structure with fractional components arranged in a stair step structure having an angled edge according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 13A schematically depicts a semiconductor showerhead electrode according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 13B schematically depicts a semiconductor laminate structure with gas flow channels according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 14 schematically depicts a semiconductor laminate structure with gas passages according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein.
- the present disclosure relates to semiconductor laminate structures and methods of manufacturing semiconductor laminate structures, such as, but not limited to, direct bonded semiconductor laminate structures.
- a semiconductor wafer 10 can be a thin, cylindrical slice of semiconductor material. Suitable semiconductor materials include, but are not limited to, silicon, gallium arsenide, sapphire, silicon carbide or any other compound III-V or II-VI material. Additionally, applicants have discovered that the embodiments described herein can be particularly beneficial for use with single crystal silicon. Semiconductor wafers 10 can be used in the fabrication of micro-devices such as, for example, integrated circuits. Moreover, semiconductor wafers 10 can be utilized to fabricate semiconductor laminate structures 100 according to the manufacturing system 200 disclosed herein.
- Semiconductor wafers 10 are available in a variety of diameters D.
- a semiconductor wafer 10 can be formed in a standard size that ranges from about 25 mm to about 450 mm.
- semiconductor wafers 10 can be provided having a variety of thicknesses T that range from about 0.275 mm to about 0.925 mm. It is noted that, a decreased thickness T can reduce manufacturing time because thinner semiconductor wafers 10 can be cut faster than thicker semiconductor wafers 10 .
- semiconductor wafers 10 having relatively small diameters D can be comparatively thinner without increasing the risk of cracking or breaking the semiconductor wafer 10 during the various processes of the present disclosure.
- the machines and stations described herein can be outfitted to process a variety of sizes of semiconductor wafers 10 .
- one or more semiconductor wafers 10 can be cut into fractional components 11 , such as those depicted in FIG. 2 , and assembled into semiconductor laminate structures 100 that are larger than the semiconductor wafer 10 .
- semiconductor laminate structures 100 can be formed from semiconductor wafers 10 with dimensions that exceed the diameter D of the semiconductor wafers 10 .
- a semiconductor laminate structure 100 having a diameter of about 450 mm or more can be created using semiconductor wafers 10 having a 300 mm diameter as the only material input.
- a semiconductor wafer 10 can be cut into fractional components 11 .
- the fractional components 11 of the semiconductor wafer 10 can be assembled via direct bonding.
- the semiconductor wafers 10 comprise direct bonding surfaces 18 that are flat and smooth enough to facilitate direct fusion bonding. In other embodiments, the semiconductor wafers 10 can be cleaned or otherwise surface modified to generate direct bonding surfaces 18 .
- the direct bonding surfaces 18 can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic. Hydrophilic direct bonding surfaces 18 can be characterized by a small contact angle between a drop of water and a direct bonding surface 18 , such as, for example, 5° or less. Hydrophobic direct bonding surfaces 18 can be characterized by a large contact angle between a drop of water and a direct bonding surface 18 , such as, for example, 90° or more.
- Two direct bonding surfaces 18 that are sufficiently smooth, and atomically clean can form a direct fusion bond there between when placed into contact.
- the direct bonding surfaces 18 can have a surface roughness Ra of 50 angstroms or less, such as, for example, 25 angstroms surface roughness Ra or less or, for example, about 1-5 angstroms surface roughness Ra.
- the direct fusion bond can be formed by intermolecular interactions including van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonds, and covalent bonds.
- the fractional components 11 can be used as building blocks to form semiconductor laminate structures 100 having multiple layers formed from fractional components 11 .
- the semiconductor laminate structures 100 described herein can be formed into any predetermined volumetric shape that can be assembled from a plurality of fractional components 11 .
- the predetermined volumetric shape can be defined initially, and then decomposed into a plurality of defined shapes that can be cut from one or more semiconductor wafers 10 .
- the semiconductor laminate structure 100 can be formed with as few as 2 layers of fractional components 11 or as many as 100 layers or more of fractional components 11 .
- the semiconductor laminate structures 100 can have larger dimensions than the provided semiconductor wafers 10 .
- the semiconductor laminate structure 100 can be formed into various objects such as, for example, electrodes for semiconductor processing chambers, gas manifolds, mass flow controllers, or any other consumable part for a semiconductor processing chamber.
- the present manufacturing system 200 may comprise multiple machines and apparatuses organized in multiple stations to produce semiconductor laminate structures 100 from semiconductor wafers 10 .
- the manufacturing system 200 can be located within a clean room environment.
- the manufacturing system 200 may include a semiconductor wafer handling station 110 for the introduction of semiconductor wafers 10 , a cleaning station 114 for cleaning and activating the direct bonding surfaces of a semiconductor wafer 10 , a cutting station 38 for cutting a semiconductor wafer 10 into fractional components 11 , an assembly station 84 for assembling fractional components 11 into semiconductor laminate structures 100 , and a semiconductor laminate structure handling station 118 .
- the manufacturing system 200 can further comprise an annealing station 116 for annealing the semiconductor laminate structures 100 .
- the manufacturing system 200 can comprise one or more robot arms 98 configured to manipulate semiconductor wafers 10 , fractional components 11 , semiconductor laminate structures 100 or combinations thereof.
- the robot arms 98 can be capable of articulating along one or more axis.
- the one or more robot arms 98 can be configured for use in clean rooms.
- the one or more robot arms 98 can comprise robotic systems such as, for example, Staubli six DOF robots or the like.
- the embodiments described herein can include any robot capable of allowing the manufacturing of semiconductor laminate structures 100 automatically without substantial human intervention.
- the one or more robot arms 98 can be operable to transport semiconductor wafers 10 , fractional components 11 , and semiconductor laminate structures 100 throughout the manufacturing system 200 . Additionally, the one or more robot arms 98 can be operable to assemble fractional components 11 into semiconductor laminate structures 100 .
- the one or more robot arms 98 can be configured to transport the fractional components 11 throughout the manufacturing system 200 .
- one or more robot arms 98 can be positioned at and/or between the cutting station 38 and the assembly station 84 to transport fractional components 11 from the cutting station 38 to the assembly station 84 . Further, robot arms 98 can assemble the fractional components 11 into semiconductor laminate structures at the assembly station 84 .
- the manufacturing system may comprise a cleaning station 114 for removing contaminants, such as, dust, dirt, or other particles, from semiconductor wafers 10 . These contaminants can disrupt direct fusion bonding of fractional components 11 .
- the cleaning station 114 may comprise a cleaning process for cleaning semiconductor wafers 10 without damaging or deleteriously altering the semiconductor wafers 10 .
- the cleaning process environment for semiconductor wafers 10 can meet ISO 14644-1 cleanroom standards, such as, for example, ISO class 2 and ISO class 4 standards.
- semiconductor wafers 10 can be cleaned in an environment that meets FED STD 209 E cleanroom standards, such as, for example, class 1 and class 10 standards. Once cleaned, the semiconductor wafers 10 may comprise one or more direct bonding surfaces 18 .
- the cleaning station 114 can include a cleaning apparatus 50 that removes particles and activates direct bonding surfaces 18 of semiconductor wafers 10 to prepare the direct bonding surfaces 18 for direct fusion bonding.
- the cleaning station 114 uses semiconductor wafer cleaning methods and equipment.
- the semiconductor wafers 10 can be cleaned with weak acids. Additionally, multiple semiconductor wafers 10 can be batch cleaned simultaneously.
- the manufacturing system 200 can comprise a cutting station 38 .
- the cutting station 38 can be located within a clean room.
- the cutting station 38 may be configured to cut provided semiconductor wafers 10 into fractional components 11 .
- the fractional components 11 created at the cutting station 38 can be any predetermined size or shape that can be contained within the semiconductor wafer 10 .
- the cutting station 38 can cut semiconductor wafers 10 into fractional components 11 without disrupting any direct fusion bonding surfaces 18 of the semiconductor wafers 10 and the fractional components 11 .
- the cutting station 38 may comprise a water waveguide laser 40 , which cuts the semiconductor wafers 10 , and a fixture 44 which holds the semiconductor wafers 10 during the cut.
- the cutting station 38 comprises a water waveguide laser 40 for cutting semiconductor wafers 10 into fractional components 11 .
- the water waveguide laser 40 may comprise a laminar water jet 72 which can operate as a waveguide to propagate light waves of a laser beam 42 towards a semiconductor wafer 10 .
- the laminar water jet 72 can also cool the material of semiconductor wafer 10 at the location of the cut, as the laser beam 42 performs the cut.
- the laminar water jet 72 of the water waveguide laser 40 can include oxidizers in the water to oxidize the fractional components 11 as they are being cut.
- Suitable oxidizers include hydrogen peroxide, deionized water saturated with oxygen, ozonated deionized water fluorine, chlorine, nitric acid or any other oxidizing agent suitable for oxidizing semiconductor material. This can prepare the fractional components 11 for an etching step which can remove some or all imperfections created on the surface and edges of a fractional component 11 during the cutting process. For example, when the semiconductor material comprises silicon, the imperfections can comprise silicon dioxide.
- the water waveguide laser 40 may comprise a focusing lens 66 configured to focus a laser beam 42 into a window 68 located on a top surface of a water chamber 70 .
- the water chamber 70 can be pressurized.
- the laser beam 42 can be focused through the water chamber 70 into a laminar water nozzle 74 , located on a bottom surface of a water chamber 70 .
- the laminar water nozzle 74 can release a laminar water jet 72 at various pressures, for example low pressure.
- the geometry of the laminar water nozzle 74 can be arranged such that the laser beam 42 couples with the laminar water jet 72 .
- the laminar water jet 72 can operate as a waveguide for the laser beam 42 .
- a waveguide can be formed because of the total reflection of the laser beam 42 at the transition zone between the laminar water jet 72 and the air.
- This water waveguide can function in a manner analogous to fiber optic waveguides.
- the laser beam 42 and the laminar water jet 72 can strike the semiconductor wafer 10 at substantially the same location.
- the laser beam 42 can cut a cutting width 76 into a semiconductor wafer 10 that is substantially equivalent to a diameter of the laminar water jet 72 .
- the laminar water jet 72 can cool the material of semiconductor wafer 10 on the cut edge 78 and on the surface of the semiconductor wafer 10 .
- the laser beam 42 can be pulsed, creating intervals where only the laminar water jet 72 strikes the semiconductor wafer 10 , to enhance cooling along the cut edge 78 to mitigate thermal damage, which is represented as a section of molten material 80 .
- laser beam 42 of the water waveguide laser 40 can be configured to not compromise the direct bonding surfaces of the fractional components 11 ( FIG. 2 ).
- the water waveguide laser 40 can move vertically and/or horizontally.
- the water waveguide laser 40 can be capable of multi-axis movement such as, for example, six-axis movement.
- An exemplary embodiment of a water waveguide laser 40 is a Synova laser dicing system powered by Laser Microjet®. Other configurations and embodiments of the water waveguide laser 40 are also contemplated.
- the cutting station 38 can further comprise a fixture 44 and a stage 64 .
- a semiconductor wafer 10 can be placed on the fixture 44 which can be configured to support and not damage the semiconductor wafer 10 while the water waveguide laser 40 cuts the semiconductor wafer 10 into fractional components 11 ( FIG. 2 ).
- the fixture 44 can be coupled to the stage 64 , which can provide support for the fixture 44 .
- the stage 64 can be fixed or can provide motion along one or more axis such as, for example, six-axis motion.
- the stage 64 can be directly engaged with the fixture 44 .
- the fixture 44 may comprise pins 46 that translate into and out of the fixture 44 .
- a semiconductor wafer 10 can be delivered to the cutting station 38 and placed on pins 46 which can allow for minimal surface area contact with a semiconductor wafer 10 .
- the pins 46 can be housed within holes of the fixture 44 . In some embodiments, the pins 46 can be localized in one or more cutting areas of a fixture 44 or spread all over the surface of the fixture 44 . Alternatively, the pins 46 can be positioned around the perimeter of the fixture 44 . The pins 46 can be selectively translatable, such that each pin 46 can operate separately from every other pin 46 . After a semiconductor wafer 10 is cut into fractional components 11 ( FIG. 2 ) the pins 46 that are in contact with undesired portions of the semiconductor wafer 10 can descend into the fixture 44 , lowering the undesired portions of the semiconductor wafer 10 away from the fractional components 11 . Accordingly, a robot arm 98 can be provided with space to grip a fractional component 11 and move it away from the cutting station 38 .
- the cutting station 38 can be a wet station. Accordingly, the cutting station 38 can comprise misting nozzles 52 configured to mist water onto semiconductor wafers 10 as they are being transported to the cutting station 38 .
- the misting nozzles 52 can further be configured to mist water onto semiconductor wafers 10 as they are being cut into fractional components 11 with the water waveguide laser 40 .
- the cutting station 38 can further comprise a water drainage basin 57 where water 56 generated by the water waveguide laser 40 and/or the misting nozzles 52 can gather. In some embodiments, the water 56 can be re-circulated to the misting nozzles 52 and the water waveguide laser 40 .
- the fractional components 11 can be dried before they are assembled into semiconductor laminate structures 100 .
- the drying process can remove water without introducing contaminants to the fractional components 11 .
- the manufacturing system 200 may utilize isopropyl alcohol vapor, spin drying, vacuum baking, ultra-pure Nitrogen gas or any other drying process configured to dry the fractional components 11 without introducing contaminants.
- the isopropyl alcohol vapor may comprise nitrogen and isopropyl alcohol.
- the drying can occur between the cutting station 38 and the assembly station 84 .
- the isopropyl alcohol vapor nozzles 54 can spray a mist of isopropyl alcohol vapor to dry the fractional components 11 .
- Isopropyl alcohol vapor drying can be configured to not destroy the direct bonding surfaces 18 of the fractional components 11 .
- the fractional components 11 can be dried using a Marangoni drying process.
- the fractional components 11 can be dried as they are transported between the cutting station 38 and the assembly station 84 .
- a separate drying station for storing and drying the fractional components 11 can be added to the manufacturing system 200 between the cutting station 38 and the assembly station 84 .
- the manufacturing system 200 can further comprise an assembly station 84 for assembling fractional components 11 into semiconductor laminate structures 100 .
- the manufacturing system 200 can produce semiconductor laminate structures 100 that are larger than the semiconductor wafers 10 .
- a first fractional component 12 can be placed on the assembly table 86 and a second fractional component 14 can be placed into contact with the first fractional component 12 at an initial contact end 13 of each fractional component 12 and 14 .
- This initial contact can create an angle of approach a between the two fractional components 12 and 14 .
- the angle of approach a can then be reduced, creating a wave front which removes the void between the first fractional component 12 to the second fractional component 14 and direct fusion bonds the fractional components 12 and 14 .
- a direct bond can be created between the two fractional components, 12 and 14 .
- the two direct bonded fractional components 12 and 14 can form a part of a semiconductor laminate structure 100 .
- the semiconductor laminate structure 100 can remain secured by the assembly table 86 while additional fractional components 11 are direct fusion bonded to the semiconductor laminate structure 100 .
- the assembly table 86 can provide a semiconductor contacting surface 87 free of contaminants for assembly of semiconductor laminate structures 100 .
- the assembly table 86 can be located in a cleanroom which can be optionally N 2 purged.
- the assembly table 86 can comprise assembly blocks 88 configured to laterally engage fractional components 11 during a direct bonding assembly process.
- the assembly blocks 88 can be outer diameter posts or wall bumps arranged around the outer diameter of the assembly table 86 .
- the assembly table 86 can be fixed. Alternatively, the assembly table 86 can be configured to tilt to adjust the angle of fractional components 11 .
- the assembly table 86 can tilt to adjust a tilt angle ⁇ measured from the semiconductor contacting surface 87 of the assembly table 86 and a level plane 93 , i.e., representing a level surface orthogonal to gravity.
- the fractional component 11 can be constrained with one or more assembly blocks 88 .
- one or more robot arms 98 can be located between the cutting station 38 and the assembly station 84 . The one or more robot arms 98 can be configured to move the fractional components 11 from the cutting station 38 to the assembly station 84 .
- the one or more robot arms 98 can comprise a robotic end effecter 58 for arranging a first fractional component 12 and a second fractional component 14 on the semiconductor contacting surface 87 of the assembly table 86 .
- the robot arm 98 can be outfitted with a robotic end effecter 58 for holding the first fractional component 12 , the second fractional component 14 , or both.
- a robotic end effecter 58 can be mounted to the one or more robot arms 98 such that the one or more robot arms 98 is operable to move the robotic end effecter 58 along one or more axis of motion.
- the robotic end effecter 58 can comprise jaw members 60 that articulate with respect to the robotic end effecter 58 to provide a gripping or clamping action.
- each of the jaw members 60 can comprise enhanced lateral force gripper tips 62 for grasping fractional components 12 , 14 .
- the enhanced lateral force gripper tips 62 can taper to a peak that provides a contacting tip portion for contacting the fractional components 12 , 14 .
- the enhanced lateral force gripper tips can be configured to be non-marring or can be configured to create a small plastic deformation in the semiconductor material.
- the enhanced lateral force gripper tips 62 can comprise material suitable for handling semiconductor material having a lower hardness than the semiconductor material such as, for example, plastic, or the like.
- the peak of the enhanced lateral force gripper tips 62 can comprise material suitable for handling semiconductor material having a higher hardness than the semiconductor material such as, for example, diamond, or the like. Accordingly, the enhanced lateral force gripper tips 62 can be urged into the material with sufficient force to change the phase of the semiconductor material and form a small plastic indentation in the semiconductor material.
- the assembly station 84 can further comprise a second robot arm 198 for urging the first fractional component 12 and the second fractional component 14 into contact with one another.
- the second robot arm 198 can comprise a pusher member 90 configured to urge the first fractional component 12 and the second fractional component 14 into contact from an initial contact end 13 towards a non-contacting end 15 , in order to place the first fractional component 12 and the second fractional component 14 into complete and direct contact with one another.
- the pusher member 90 can comprise material suitable for handling semiconductor material.
- the manufacturing system 200 may further comprise an annealing oven 96 .
- Annealing a semiconductor laminate structure 100 can increase the bond strength between the bonded fractional components 11 of a semiconductor laminate structure 100 .
- Annealing can also increase the durability of the semiconductor laminate structure 100 and can drive oxygen out of a semiconductor laminate structure 100 .
- the annealing process may comprise heating the semiconductor laminate structure 100 above a critical temperature, maintaining the critical temperature, and then cooling the semiconductor laminate structure 100 .
- the annealing process can be performed in an annealing oven 96 such as, for example, a linear continuous oven operating from about 800° C.-1,000° C.
- Other annealing oven 96 temperatures can be used, such as, for example, between about 150° C.-300° C., about 300° C.-700° C., and above 700° C.
- an annealing temperature between about 150° C.-300° C. can cause Si—F—H—Si bonds to form in the direct fusion bonds of semiconductor laminate structures 100 , an annealing temperature above 300° C.
- the direct fusion bonds can cause redundant hydrogen atoms to diffuse in the direct fusion bonds of semiconductor laminate structures 100 , resulting in covalent Si—Si bonds in the bond layers, and an annealing temperature at or above 700° C.
- the direct fusion bonds comprise covalent Si—Si bonds.
- direct fusion bonds comprising covalent Si—Si bonds can increase the bond strength of a semiconductor laminate structure 100 .
- the annealing oven 96 may comprise a top heater 102 located above a conveyer belt 106 of the annealing oven 96 and a bottom heater 104 located below the conveyer belt 106 .
- Each of the top heater 102 and the bottom heater 104 can comprise a quartz infrared heater.
- the conveyer belt 106 can be configured to carry parts through the annealing oven 96 along a conveying direction (generally indicated by arrows), and a nitrogen purge to introduce nitrogen into the annealing process.
- the fractional components 11 can be annealed before they are assembled into semiconductor laminate structures 100 .
- one or more sharp corners of a semiconductor laminate structure 100 can be rounded using scanning atmospheric reactive-ion and/or reactive-atom etching after the annealing process.
- the semiconductor laminate structures 100 described herein can be formed from fractional components 11 using the manufacturing system 200 . Exemplary methods are described below for forming semiconductor laminate structures 100 from fractional components 11 . It is noted that the methods described herein are provided for clarity and are not intended to limit the embodiments described herein.
- a semiconductor wafer 10 can be loaded into the manufacturing system 200 at the semiconductor wafer handling station 110 .
- one or more robot arms 98 can be configured to receive and transport the semiconductor wafer 10 .
- the semiconductor wafer 10 can then be transported robotically to the cleaning station 114 .
- the semiconductor wafer 10 can be cleaned, removing contaminants from the semiconductor wafer 10 .
- Exemplary cleaning processes can include, for example, a pre-diffusion cleaning process, a particle removal process using chemical or mechanical scrubbing, a metallic ion removal cleaning process, and a film removal cleaning process.
- the film removal cleaning process may comprise oxide, nitride, silicon, and metal etching and stripping. Accordingly, direct bonding surfaces 18 of the semiconductor wafer 10 can be prepared or enhanced for direct fusion bonding.
- the semiconductor wafer 10 can be transported to the cutting station 38 where the semiconductor wafer 10 can be cut into fractional components 11 .
- the semiconductor wafer 10 can be placed on the pins 46 of a fixture 44 .
- the water waveguide laser 40 can be directed to cut the semiconductor wafer 10 into fractional components 11 such that each of the fractional components 11 corresponds to a predetermined shape.
- the predetermined shape can comprise arcs, rectangles, squares or any other shape suitable for assembly into a semiconductor laminate structure 100 .
- the water waveguide laser 40 can impart defects upon the fractional components 11 .
- the methods described herein can further comprise oxidizing the fractional components 11 and removing the defects from the fractional components 11 after they are oxidized.
- the defects can be oxidized by including additives in the laminar water jet 72 of the water waveguide laser 40 .
- the laminar water jet 72 can oxidize the defects that cannot be prevented by the cooling effect of the water.
- the laminar water jet 72 of the water waveguide laser 40 can be oxidized by saturating the deionized water of the laminar water jet 72 with oxygen such as, for example, with a bubbling mechanism.
- the deionized water of the laminar water jet 72 can be ozonated (O 3 ).
- the laminar water jet 72 can comprise hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) for oxidizing the undesired defects.
- the defects can include a section of molten material 80 near the cut edge 78 of the semiconductor wafer 10 , a burr 82 of material added during cutting a fractional component 11 , or both. While not intended to be bound to theory, it is believed that when the laminar water jet 72 includes oxidizing additives, the semiconductor material of the semiconductor wafer 10 reacts with the additive to oxidize the defect as it is created. For example, should the semiconductor wafer 10 be formed from silicon, the oxidizing additives can react with the silicon to form silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ).
- the oxidized defect can be removed from the semiconductor wafer 10 or the fractional component 11 to smooth the direct bonding surfaces 18 in preparation for direct bonding, i.e., the silicon can be smoothed by preferentially etching the silicon dioxide.
- hydrofluoric acid (HF) can be utilized to etch away the silicon dioxide without damaging the silicon. It is noted that, while oxidization and etching are described with respect to silicon, the oxidization and etching can be applied to any of the semiconductor materials described herein.
- the fractional components 11 can be dried prior to proceeding to the direct bonding step.
- the fractional components 11 can be dried with isopropyl alcohol vapor, which can be supplied via the isopropyl alcohol vapor nozzles 54 .
- isopropyl alcohol vapor promotes drying without deleterious effects to the direct bonding surfaces 18 of the fractional components 11 .
- the fractional components 11 can be transported by the one or more robot arms 98 to the assembly station 84 for assembly into a semiconductor laminate structure 100 .
- the fractional components 11 can be assembled into semiconductor laminate structures 100 at the assembly table 86 of the assembly station.
- assembly blocks 88 can be arranged around the perimeter of an assembly table 86 and fractional components 11 can be placed into lateral contact with the assembly blocks 88 . Accordingly, the assembly blocks 88 and the semiconductor contacting surface 87 of the assembly table 86 can cooperate to constrain the motion of the fractional components 11 .
- assembly blocks 88 are depicted as being arranged circumferentially around the assembly table 86 , the assembly blocks 88 and the assembly table 86 can form any desired fixture to constrain the fractional components 11 while being assembled into a semiconductor laminate structure 100 .
- the fractional components 11 can be manipulated via the jaw members 60 of the one or more robot arms 98 .
- the enhanced lateral force gripper tips 62 can engage the fractional component 11 , while avoiding contact with the direct bonding surface 18 . Accordingly, the cleanliness of the direct bonding surfaces 18 can be maintained at a level suitable for direct fusion bonding.
- the enhanced lateral force gripper tips 62 can make three-point contact with a non-bonding side of the fractional component 11 .
- a divot can be formed at the location of contact.
- the use of a relatively low number of enhanced lateral force gripper tips 62 can limit deformation of the sides of a fractional component 11 . Additionally, the enhanced lateral force gripper tips 62 can be spaced from one another in a predetermined manner such that the location of deformations can be tracked during assembly. In embodiments of fractional components 11 comprising silicon, the deformations can be divots by the enhanced lateral force gripper tips 62 . The divots can range in depth from about 10 nm to hundreds of nanometers. Alternatively or additionally, plastic grippers can be utilized to grip the edges of the fractional component 11 .
- a first fractional component 12 can be placed by a robotic end effecter 58 onto the semiconductor contacting surface 87 of the assembly table 86 and into lateral contact with the assembly blocks 88 of the assembly table 86 . Accordingly, the assembly blocks 88 and the semiconductor contacting surface 87 keep the first fractional component 12 in a predetermined location with the direct bonding surface 18 of the first fractional component 12 available for direct fusion bonding.
- the robotic end effecter 58 can then grasp a second fractional component 14 and move the direct bonding surface 18 of the second fractional component towards the direct bonding surface 18 of first fractional component 11 .
- the one or more robot arms 98 can be configured to place the direct bonding surface 18 of the second fractional component 14 into contact with the direct bonding surface 18 of the first fractional component 12 at an initial contact end 13 of each of the fractional components 12 , 14 to define an initial contact area 19 .
- an angle of approach a can be formed there between.
- the direct bonding surfaces 18 can be spaced from one another, with the space growing from the initial contact end 13 to a non-contacting end 15 according to the angle of approach a.
- the direct fusion bond can be formed by closing the angle of approach a.
- the direct fusion bond can be larger than the initial contact area 19 .
- a wave front can be created along the direct bonding surfaces 18 as the direct bonding surfaces 18 are placed further into contact starting from the initial contact area 19 and moving towards the non-contacting end 15 .
- the wave front can remove substantially all the air between the direct bonding surfaces 18 of the fractional components 12 , 14 and reduce the occurrence of voids between the fractional components 12 , 14 .
- a second robot arm 198 can be configured to urge the second fractional component 14 into more complete contact with the first fractional component 12 such that the direct bonding surfaces 18 overlap the desired amount.
- the second robot arm 198 can close the angle of approach a between the direct bonding surfaces 18 of the fractional components 12 , 14 to create the direct fusion bond.
- the second robot arm 198 can comprise pusher member 90 operable to close the angle of approach 92 between the first fractional component 12 and the second fractional component 14 .
- the pusher member 90 can contact an outer surface 21 of the second fractional component 14 at initial contact end 13 .
- the pusher member 90 can then slide across the outer surface 21 of the second fractional component 14 towards the non-contacting end 15 to generate the wave front for the direct fusion bond.
- the wave front can be created by initially contacting the fractional components 12 , 14 at a wave front center and radially propagating the wave front, as described, above from the central contact point.
- the assembly table 86 can be rotated to enhance direct bonding and reduce defective bonding.
- the fractional component 11 can be inverted, i.e., the tilt angle ⁇ of the table can be set from about 90° to about 270° such as, for example, about 180° in one embodiment.
- the assembly table 86 can include an engagement means for securing the fractional component 11 to the semiconductor contacting surface 87 such as, for example, electrostatic charge member or a suction member. Inverting the fractional components 11 can reduce the probability of particles landing on the direct bonding surfaces 18 of the fractional components 11 .
- a silicon laminate structure 120 can be assembled into an edge ring.
- the silicon laminate structure 120 can comprise a first fractional component 212 , a second fractional component 214 , and a third fractional component 216 assembled in an alternating courses structure 24 .
- the first fractional component 212 is adjacent to the second fractional component 214 .
- the first fractional component 12 and the second fractional component 14 can each be direct bonded to a portion of the third fractional component 216 . It is noted that, while one alternating courses structure 24 is depicted in FIG.
- the embodiments described herein can comprise a plurality of alternating courses structures 24 .
- the silicon laminate structure 120 can further comprise a stair step structure 26 .
- the stair step structure 26 can be formed by two fusion bonded fractional components 11 that do not completely overlap.
- the second fractional component 214 can be direct fusion bonded with the third fractional component 216 such that a portion of the second fractional component 214 is uncovered by the third fractional component 216 .
- the stair step structure 26 can be repeated multiple times to form a staggered section of a semiconductor laminate structure 100 or an angled section of a semiconductor laminate structure 100 .
- a semiconductor laminate structure 122 can comprise an angled surface 30 .
- the semiconductor laminate structure 122 can be formed from a plurality of fractional components 11 .
- the angled surface 30 can be formed by smoothing a stair step structure 26 ( FIG. 11C ), by cutting each of the fractional components 11 prior to assembly, of combinations thereof.
- a semiconductor laminate structure 124 can be formed into a semiconductor showerhead electrode for a semiconductor processing chamber.
- a plurality of pie-shaped fractional components 32 can be assembled into the semiconductor laminate structure 124 .
- An exemplary embodiment of the semiconductor laminate structure 124 can be formed into a semiconductor showerhead electrode having a thickness T E of about 10 mm thick and a diameter of about 500 to about 600 mm.
- the fractional components 11 , 32 can be drilled prior to assembly.
- the pre-drilled holes can create gas flow channels 36 in the semiconductor laminate structures 124 for permitting gas to flow through the semiconductor laminate structures 124 .
- the gas flow channels 36 can facilitate air removal during the assembly process which can remove contaminants from the direct bonding surfaces 18 .
- electron beams or through silicon via (TSV) technology can be utilized to drill the gas flow channels 36 into the fractional components 11 , 32 .
- TSV through silicon via
- the semiconductor wafers 10 can be drilled before introduction to the manufacturing system 200 .
- the semiconductor laminate structures 100 can further comprise gas passages 34 for permitting the flow of gas within the semiconductor laminate structures 100 .
- the fractional components 11 can be assembled such that the gas passages 34 are formed from voids between adjacent ones of the fractional components 11 .
- the semiconductor laminate structures 100 can be formed into objects having a plurality of gas passages 34 such as, for example, manifolds, showerhead electrodes, wafer end effecters, mass flow controllers, or the like.
- the semiconductor laminate structures 100 can be annealed after being assembled.
- the semiconductor laminate structures 100 can be annealed in an annealing oven 96 to strengthen the direct fusion bonds.
- the parts can be packaged by the one or more robot arms 98 while still in a clean room environment.
- the embodiments described herein can be utilized to form a variety of semiconductor laminate structures from a plurality fractional components of one or more semiconductor wafer. Compared to cutting large discs from a semiconductor ingot and machining the disc into a usable part (e.g., a showerhead electrode), the use of semiconductor wafers can reduce manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the fractional components can be formed into any predetermined shape, which can yield semiconductor laminate structures than cannot be machined.
Abstract
Description
- The present specification generally relates to methods and systems of forming a variety of semiconductor laminate structures from a plurality of fractional components of one or more semiconductor wafers. Semiconductor structures can be produced from semiconductor ingots which can be cut into discs and then machined into the semiconductor structure. Semiconductor structures produced in this manner can be limited by the size of the semiconductor ingot and can be expensive to manufacture.
- Accordingly, a need exists for alternative methods and systems of producing semiconductor parts without relying on semiconductor ingot machining.
- In one embodiment, a method for forming a direct fusion bond between fractional components of a semiconductor laminate structure can include generating one or more direct bonding surfaces on each of a plurality of semiconductor wafers. A first fractional component and a second fractional component can be cut from at least one of the plurality of semiconductor wafers. The first fractional component can include a first direct bonding surface of the one or more direct bonding surfaces. The second fractional component can comprise a second direct bonding surface of the one or more direct bonding surfaces. The first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component and the second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component can be dried. The first fractional component can be constrained with an assembly block. The second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component can be placed into contact with the first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component to define an initial contact area. An angle of approach can be formed between the second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component and the first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component. The angle of approach between the second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component and the first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component can be closed to create a direct fusion bond of a semiconductor laminate structure. The direct fusion bond can be larger than the initial contact area.
- In another embodiment, a system for manufacturing semiconductor laminate structures can include a cleanroom, a cutting station, an assembly station, a first robot arm, and a second robot arm. The cutting station and the assembly station can each be housed within the cleanroom. The cutting station can include a water waveguide laser mounted above a fixture. The assembly station can include an assembly table and one or more assembly blocks disposed on the assembly table. The first robot arm can be interposed between the cutting station and the assembly station. The fixture of the water waveguide laser can be configured to hold a semiconductor wafer as it is cut into a first fractional component and a second fractional component by a laser beam of the water waveguide laser. The first robot arm can be configured to grasp the first fractional component and engage the first fractional component with the assembly table of the assembly station. The first robot arm can be configured to place a first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component into contact with a second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component at an initial contact end of each fractional component and form an initial contact area and an angle of approach between the first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component and the second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component. The second robot arm can be configured to close the angle of approach between the first direct bonding surface of the first fractional component and the second direct bonding surface of the second fractional component to create a direct fusion bond of a semiconductor laminate structure.
- These and additional features provided by the embodiments described herein will be more fully understood in view of the following detailed description, in conjunction with the drawings.
- The embodiments set forth in the drawings are illustrative and exemplary in nature and not intended to limit the subject matter defined by the claims. The following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments can be understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which:
-
FIG. 1 schematically depicts a semiconductor wafer according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 2 schematically depicts a semiconductor wafer, a plurality of fractional components, and a semiconductor laminate structure according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 3 schematically depicts a semiconductor laminate structure manufacturing system according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 4 schematically depicts a cutting station according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 5A schematically depicts a water waveguide laser according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 5B schematically depicts a partial view of a laminate water jet of a water waveguide laser according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 6 schematically depicts a water waveguide laser cutting a semiconductor wafer according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 7A schematically depicts an assembly table according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 7B schematically depicts the assembly of two fractional components according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 7C schematically depicts a tilted assembly table according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 8 schematically depicts an annealing oven according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 9A schematically depicts an end effector jaw engaged with a fractional component according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 9B schematically depicts a side view of an end effector jaw engaged with a fractional component according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 10 schematically depicts a fractional component of a semiconductor wafer with a laser cut according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 11A schematically depicts a top view of a semiconductor laminate structure according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 11B schematically depicts a partial view of the semiconductor laminate structure depicted inFIG. 11A according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 11C schematically depicts a partial view of the semiconductor laminate structure depicted inFIG. 11A according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 12 schematically depicts a semiconductor laminate structure with fractional components arranged in a stair step structure having an angled edge according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 13A schematically depicts a semiconductor showerhead electrode according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; -
FIG. 13B schematically depicts a semiconductor laminate structure with gas flow channels according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; and -
FIG. 14 schematically depicts a semiconductor laminate structure with gas passages according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein. - As is noted above, the present disclosure relates to semiconductor laminate structures and methods of manufacturing semiconductor laminate structures, such as, but not limited to, direct bonded semiconductor laminate structures.
- Referring now to
FIG. 1 , asemiconductor wafer 10 is depicted. Asemiconductor wafer 10 can be a thin, cylindrical slice of semiconductor material. Suitable semiconductor materials include, but are not limited to, silicon, gallium arsenide, sapphire, silicon carbide or any other compound III-V or II-VI material. Additionally, applicants have discovered that the embodiments described herein can be particularly beneficial for use with single crystal silicon.Semiconductor wafers 10 can be used in the fabrication of micro-devices such as, for example, integrated circuits. Moreover,semiconductor wafers 10 can be utilized to fabricatesemiconductor laminate structures 100 according to themanufacturing system 200 disclosed herein. -
Semiconductor wafers 10 are available in a variety of diameters D.A semiconductor wafer 10 can be formed in a standard size that ranges from about 25 mm to about 450 mm. In thepresent manufacturing system 200,semiconductor wafers 10 can be provided having a variety of thicknesses T that range from about 0.275 mm to about 0.925 mm. It is noted that, a decreased thickness T can reduce manufacturing time becausethinner semiconductor wafers 10 can be cut faster thanthicker semiconductor wafers 10. Furthermore,semiconductor wafers 10 having relatively small diameters D can be comparatively thinner without increasing the risk of cracking or breaking thesemiconductor wafer 10 during the various processes of the present disclosure. The machines and stations described herein can be outfitted to process a variety of sizes ofsemiconductor wafers 10. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 1 and 2 , one ormore semiconductor wafers 10 can be cut intofractional components 11, such as those depicted inFIG. 2 , and assembled intosemiconductor laminate structures 100 that are larger than thesemiconductor wafer 10. For example,semiconductor laminate structures 100 can be formed fromsemiconductor wafers 10 with dimensions that exceed the diameter D of thesemiconductor wafers 10. For example, in one embodiment, asemiconductor laminate structure 100 having a diameter of about 450 mm or more can be created usingsemiconductor wafers 10 having a 300 mm diameter as the only material input. Asemiconductor wafer 10 can be cut intofractional components 11. Thefractional components 11 of thesemiconductor wafer 10 can be assembled via direct bonding. In some embodiments, thesemiconductor wafers 10 comprise direct bonding surfaces 18 that are flat and smooth enough to facilitate direct fusion bonding. In other embodiments, thesemiconductor wafers 10 can be cleaned or otherwise surface modified to generate direct bonding surfaces 18. The direct bonding surfaces 18 can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic. Hydrophilic direct bonding surfaces 18 can be characterized by a small contact angle between a drop of water and adirect bonding surface 18, such as, for example, 5° or less. Hydrophobic direct bonding surfaces 18 can be characterized by a large contact angle between a drop of water and adirect bonding surface 18, such as, for example, 90° or more. Two direct bonding surfaces 18 that are sufficiently smooth, and atomically clean can form a direct fusion bond there between when placed into contact. The direct bonding surfaces 18 can have a surface roughness Ra of 50 angstroms or less, such as, for example, 25 angstroms surface roughness Ra or less or, for example, about 1-5 angstroms surface roughness Ra. The direct fusion bond can be formed by intermolecular interactions including van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonds, and covalent bonds. - Accordingly, the
fractional components 11 can be used as building blocks to formsemiconductor laminate structures 100 having multiple layers formed fromfractional components 11. Thesemiconductor laminate structures 100 described herein can be formed into any predetermined volumetric shape that can be assembled from a plurality offractional components 11. For example, the predetermined volumetric shape can be defined initially, and then decomposed into a plurality of defined shapes that can be cut from one ormore semiconductor wafers 10. Thesemiconductor laminate structure 100 can be formed with as few as 2 layers offractional components 11 or as many as 100 layers or more offractional components 11. As a result, thesemiconductor laminate structures 100 can have larger dimensions than the providedsemiconductor wafers 10. Thus, thesemiconductor laminate structure 100 can be formed into various objects such as, for example, electrodes for semiconductor processing chambers, gas manifolds, mass flow controllers, or any other consumable part for a semiconductor processing chamber. - Referring now to
FIG. 3 , thepresent manufacturing system 200 may comprise multiple machines and apparatuses organized in multiple stations to producesemiconductor laminate structures 100 fromsemiconductor wafers 10. In some embodiments, themanufacturing system 200 can be located within a clean room environment. Themanufacturing system 200 may include a semiconductorwafer handling station 110 for the introduction ofsemiconductor wafers 10, a cleaningstation 114 for cleaning and activating the direct bonding surfaces of asemiconductor wafer 10, a cuttingstation 38 for cutting asemiconductor wafer 10 intofractional components 11, anassembly station 84 for assemblingfractional components 11 intosemiconductor laminate structures 100, and a semiconductor laminatestructure handling station 118. In some embodiments, themanufacturing system 200 can further comprise anannealing station 116 for annealing thesemiconductor laminate structures 100. - In some embodiments, the
manufacturing system 200 can comprise one ormore robot arms 98 configured to manipulatesemiconductor wafers 10,fractional components 11,semiconductor laminate structures 100 or combinations thereof. Therobot arms 98 can be capable of articulating along one or more axis. Optionally, the one ormore robot arms 98 can be configured for use in clean rooms. Accordingly, the one ormore robot arms 98 can comprise robotic systems such as, for example, Staubli six DOF robots or the like. Although reference is made to a particular robotic system, the embodiments described herein can include any robot capable of allowing the manufacturing ofsemiconductor laminate structures 100 automatically without substantial human intervention. As is explained in greater detail herein, the one ormore robot arms 98 can be operable to transportsemiconductor wafers 10,fractional components 11, andsemiconductor laminate structures 100 throughout themanufacturing system 200. Additionally, the one ormore robot arms 98 can be operable to assemblefractional components 11 intosemiconductor laminate structures 100. - In some embodiments, after
semiconductor wafers 10 are cut intofractional components 11, the one ormore robot arms 98 can be configured to transport thefractional components 11 throughout themanufacturing system 200. Specifically, one ormore robot arms 98 can be positioned at and/or between the cuttingstation 38 and theassembly station 84 to transportfractional components 11 from the cuttingstation 38 to theassembly station 84. Further,robot arms 98 can assemble thefractional components 11 into semiconductor laminate structures at theassembly station 84. - Still referring to
FIG. 3 , the manufacturing system may comprise acleaning station 114 for removing contaminants, such as, dust, dirt, or other particles, fromsemiconductor wafers 10. These contaminants can disrupt direct fusion bonding offractional components 11. The cleaningstation 114 may comprise a cleaning process for cleaningsemiconductor wafers 10 without damaging or deleteriously altering thesemiconductor wafers 10. In some embodiments, the cleaning process environment forsemiconductor wafers 10 can meet ISO 14644-1 cleanroom standards, such as, for example, ISO class 2 and ISO class 4 standards. In some embodiments,semiconductor wafers 10 can be cleaned in an environment that meets FED STD 209E cleanroom standards, such as, for example, class 1 andclass 10 standards. Once cleaned, thesemiconductor wafers 10 may comprise one or more direct bonding surfaces 18. - The cleaning
station 114 can include acleaning apparatus 50 that removes particles and activates direct bonding surfaces 18 ofsemiconductor wafers 10 to prepare the direct bonding surfaces 18 for direct fusion bonding. In some embodiments, the cleaningstation 114 uses semiconductor wafer cleaning methods and equipment. In some embodiments, thesemiconductor wafers 10 can be cleaned with weak acids. Additionally,multiple semiconductor wafers 10 can be batch cleaned simultaneously. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 3 and 4 , themanufacturing system 200 can comprise a cuttingstation 38. In some embodiments, the cuttingstation 38 can be located within a clean room. The cuttingstation 38 may be configured to cut providedsemiconductor wafers 10 intofractional components 11. Thefractional components 11 created at the cuttingstation 38 can be any predetermined size or shape that can be contained within thesemiconductor wafer 10. Additionally, the applicant has discovered that the cuttingstation 38 can cutsemiconductor wafers 10 intofractional components 11 without disrupting any direct fusion bonding surfaces 18 of thesemiconductor wafers 10 and thefractional components 11. The cuttingstation 38 may comprise awater waveguide laser 40, which cuts thesemiconductor wafers 10, and afixture 44 which holds thesemiconductor wafers 10 during the cut. - In some embodiments, the cutting
station 38 comprises awater waveguide laser 40 for cuttingsemiconductor wafers 10 intofractional components 11. Thewater waveguide laser 40 may comprise alaminar water jet 72 which can operate as a waveguide to propagate light waves of alaser beam 42 towards asemiconductor wafer 10. Thelaminar water jet 72 can also cool the material ofsemiconductor wafer 10 at the location of the cut, as thelaser beam 42 performs the cut. Additionally, thelaminar water jet 72 of thewater waveguide laser 40 can include oxidizers in the water to oxidize thefractional components 11 as they are being cut. Suitable oxidizers include hydrogen peroxide, deionized water saturated with oxygen, ozonated deionized water fluorine, chlorine, nitric acid or any other oxidizing agent suitable for oxidizing semiconductor material. This can prepare thefractional components 11 for an etching step which can remove some or all imperfections created on the surface and edges of afractional component 11 during the cutting process. For example, when the semiconductor material comprises silicon, the imperfections can comprise silicon dioxide. - Referring now to
FIGS. 5A and 5B , an embodiment of thewater waveguide laser 40 is schematically depicted. Thewater waveguide laser 40 may comprise a focusing lens 66 configured to focus alaser beam 42 into awindow 68 located on a top surface of awater chamber 70. In some embodiments, thewater chamber 70 can be pressurized. Thelaser beam 42 can be focused through thewater chamber 70 into alaminar water nozzle 74, located on a bottom surface of awater chamber 70. Thelaminar water nozzle 74 can release alaminar water jet 72 at various pressures, for example low pressure. The geometry of thelaminar water nozzle 74 can be arranged such that thelaser beam 42 couples with thelaminar water jet 72. - Referring now to
FIG. 6 , thelaminar water jet 72 can operate as a waveguide for thelaser beam 42. A waveguide can be formed because of the total reflection of thelaser beam 42 at the transition zone between thelaminar water jet 72 and the air. This water waveguide can function in a manner analogous to fiber optic waveguides. In operation, thelaser beam 42 and thelaminar water jet 72 can strike thesemiconductor wafer 10 at substantially the same location. Thelaser beam 42 can cut acutting width 76 into asemiconductor wafer 10 that is substantially equivalent to a diameter of thelaminar water jet 72. In some embodiments, thelaminar water jet 72 can cool the material ofsemiconductor wafer 10 on thecut edge 78 and on the surface of thesemiconductor wafer 10. Thelaser beam 42 can be pulsed, creating intervals where only thelaminar water jet 72 strikes thesemiconductor wafer 10, to enhance cooling along thecut edge 78 to mitigate thermal damage, which is represented as a section ofmolten material 80. Further, the applicant has discovered that when used in the various embodiments described herein,laser beam 42 of thewater waveguide laser 40 can be configured to not compromise the direct bonding surfaces of the fractional components 11 (FIG. 2 ). In some embodiments, thewater waveguide laser 40 can move vertically and/or horizontally. In some embodiments, thewater waveguide laser 40 can be capable of multi-axis movement such as, for example, six-axis movement. An exemplary embodiment of awater waveguide laser 40 is a Synova laser dicing system powered by Laser Microjet®. Other configurations and embodiments of thewater waveguide laser 40 are also contemplated. - Referring again to
FIG. 4 , the cuttingstation 38 can further comprise afixture 44 and astage 64. Asemiconductor wafer 10 can be placed on thefixture 44 which can be configured to support and not damage thesemiconductor wafer 10 while thewater waveguide laser 40 cuts thesemiconductor wafer 10 into fractional components 11 (FIG. 2 ). Referring still toFIG. 4 , thefixture 44 can be coupled to thestage 64, which can provide support for thefixture 44. Thestage 64 can be fixed or can provide motion along one or more axis such as, for example, six-axis motion. In some embodiments, thestage 64 can be directly engaged with thefixture 44. Additionally, thefixture 44 may comprisepins 46 that translate into and out of thefixture 44. In the present manufacturing system, asemiconductor wafer 10 can be delivered to the cuttingstation 38 and placed onpins 46 which can allow for minimal surface area contact with asemiconductor wafer 10. - In some embodiments, the
pins 46 can be housed within holes of thefixture 44. In some embodiments, thepins 46 can be localized in one or more cutting areas of afixture 44 or spread all over the surface of thefixture 44. Alternatively, thepins 46 can be positioned around the perimeter of thefixture 44. Thepins 46 can be selectively translatable, such that eachpin 46 can operate separately from everyother pin 46. After asemiconductor wafer 10 is cut into fractional components 11 (FIG. 2 ) thepins 46 that are in contact with undesired portions of thesemiconductor wafer 10 can descend into thefixture 44, lowering the undesired portions of thesemiconductor wafer 10 away from thefractional components 11. Accordingly, arobot arm 98 can be provided with space to grip afractional component 11 and move it away from the cuttingstation 38. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 2 and 4 , in some embodiments, the cuttingstation 38 can be a wet station. Accordingly, the cuttingstation 38 can comprise mistingnozzles 52 configured to mist water ontosemiconductor wafers 10 as they are being transported to the cuttingstation 38. The mistingnozzles 52 can further be configured to mist water ontosemiconductor wafers 10 as they are being cut intofractional components 11 with thewater waveguide laser 40. The cuttingstation 38 can further comprise awater drainage basin 57 wherewater 56 generated by thewater waveguide laser 40 and/or the mistingnozzles 52 can gather. In some embodiments, thewater 56 can be re-circulated to the mistingnozzles 52 and thewater waveguide laser 40. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 2-4 , thefractional components 11 can be dried before they are assembled intosemiconductor laminate structures 100. The drying process can remove water without introducing contaminants to thefractional components 11. Accordingly, themanufacturing system 200 may utilize isopropyl alcohol vapor, spin drying, vacuum baking, ultra-pure Nitrogen gas or any other drying process configured to dry thefractional components 11 without introducing contaminants. In embodiments using isopropyl alcohol vapor, the isopropyl alcohol vapor may comprise nitrogen and isopropyl alcohol. The drying can occur between the cuttingstation 38 and theassembly station 84. In some embodiments, the isopropylalcohol vapor nozzles 54 can spray a mist of isopropyl alcohol vapor to dry thefractional components 11. Isopropyl alcohol vapor drying can be configured to not destroy the direct bonding surfaces 18 of thefractional components 11. In some embodiments, thefractional components 11 can be dried using a Marangoni drying process. In some embodiments, thefractional components 11 can be dried as they are transported between the cuttingstation 38 and theassembly station 84. Alternatively, a separate drying station for storing and drying thefractional components 11 can be added to themanufacturing system 200 between the cuttingstation 38 and theassembly station 84. - The
manufacturing system 200 can further comprise anassembly station 84 for assemblingfractional components 11 intosemiconductor laminate structures 100. As is noted above, themanufacturing system 200 can producesemiconductor laminate structures 100 that are larger than thesemiconductor wafers 10. As depicted inFIGS. 7A and 7B , a firstfractional component 12 can be placed on the assembly table 86 and a secondfractional component 14 can be placed into contact with the firstfractional component 12 at aninitial contact end 13 of eachfractional component fractional components fractional component 12 to the secondfractional component 14 and direct fusion bonds thefractional components fractional components semiconductor laminate structure 100. In some embodiments, thesemiconductor laminate structure 100 can remain secured by the assembly table 86 while additionalfractional components 11 are direct fusion bonded to thesemiconductor laminate structure 100. - The assembly table 86 can provide a
semiconductor contacting surface 87 free of contaminants for assembly ofsemiconductor laminate structures 100. The assembly table 86 can be located in a cleanroom which can be optionally N2 purged. In some embodiments, the assembly table 86 can comprise assembly blocks 88 configured to laterally engagefractional components 11 during a direct bonding assembly process. The assembly blocks 88 can be outer diameter posts or wall bumps arranged around the outer diameter of the assembly table 86. In some embodiments, the assembly table 86 can be fixed. Alternatively, the assembly table 86 can be configured to tilt to adjust the angle offractional components 11. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 3 and 7C , the assembly table 86 can tilt to adjust a tilt angle θ measured from thesemiconductor contacting surface 87 of the assembly table 86 and alevel plane 93, i.e., representing a level surface orthogonal to gravity. Thefractional component 11 can be constrained with one or more assembly blocks 88. In some embodiments, one ormore robot arms 98, can be located between the cuttingstation 38 and theassembly station 84. The one ormore robot arms 98 can be configured to move thefractional components 11 from the cuttingstation 38 to theassembly station 84. - Referring now to
FIG. 7B , the one ormore robot arms 98 can comprise arobotic end effecter 58 for arranging a firstfractional component 12 and a secondfractional component 14 on thesemiconductor contacting surface 87 of the assembly table 86. Therobot arm 98 can be outfitted with arobotic end effecter 58 for holding the firstfractional component 12, the secondfractional component 14, or both. Arobotic end effecter 58 can be mounted to the one ormore robot arms 98 such that the one ormore robot arms 98 is operable to move therobotic end effecter 58 along one or more axis of motion. Therobotic end effecter 58 can comprisejaw members 60 that articulate with respect to therobotic end effecter 58 to provide a gripping or clamping action. In some embodiments, each of thejaw members 60 can comprise enhanced lateralforce gripper tips 62 for graspingfractional components force gripper tips 62 can taper to a peak that provides a contacting tip portion for contacting thefractional components force gripper tips 62 can comprise material suitable for handling semiconductor material having a lower hardness than the semiconductor material such as, for example, plastic, or the like. In embodiments configured for creating small plastic deformations, the peak of the enhanced lateralforce gripper tips 62 can comprise material suitable for handling semiconductor material having a higher hardness than the semiconductor material such as, for example, diamond, or the like. Accordingly, the enhanced lateralforce gripper tips 62 can be urged into the material with sufficient force to change the phase of the semiconductor material and form a small plastic indentation in the semiconductor material. In some embodiments, theassembly station 84 can further comprise asecond robot arm 198 for urging the firstfractional component 12 and the secondfractional component 14 into contact with one another. Specifically, thesecond robot arm 198 can comprise apusher member 90 configured to urge the firstfractional component 12 and the secondfractional component 14 into contact from aninitial contact end 13 towards anon-contacting end 15, in order to place the firstfractional component 12 and the secondfractional component 14 into complete and direct contact with one another. Thepusher member 90 can comprise material suitable for handling semiconductor material. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 3 and 8 , themanufacturing system 200 may further comprise an annealingoven 96. Annealing asemiconductor laminate structure 100 can increase the bond strength between the bondedfractional components 11 of asemiconductor laminate structure 100. Annealing can also increase the durability of thesemiconductor laminate structure 100 and can drive oxygen out of asemiconductor laminate structure 100. The annealing process may comprise heating thesemiconductor laminate structure 100 above a critical temperature, maintaining the critical temperature, and then cooling thesemiconductor laminate structure 100. - The annealing process can be performed in an
annealing oven 96 such as, for example, a linear continuous oven operating from about 800° C.-1,000° C.Other annealing oven 96 temperatures can be used, such as, for example, between about 150° C.-300° C., about 300° C.-700° C., and above 700° C. Forsemiconductor laminate structures 100 formed fromsemiconductor wafers 10 comprising silicon, an annealing temperature between about 150° C.-300° C. can cause Si—F—H—Si bonds to form in the direct fusion bonds ofsemiconductor laminate structures 100, an annealing temperature above 300° C. can cause redundant hydrogen atoms to diffuse in the direct fusion bonds ofsemiconductor laminate structures 100, resulting in covalent Si—Si bonds in the bond layers, and an annealing temperature at or above 700° C., the direct fusion bonds comprise covalent Si—Si bonds. In some embodiments, direct fusion bonds comprising covalent Si—Si bonds can increase the bond strength of asemiconductor laminate structure 100. In some embodiments, the annealingoven 96 may comprise atop heater 102 located above aconveyer belt 106 of the annealingoven 96 and abottom heater 104 located below theconveyer belt 106. Each of thetop heater 102 and thebottom heater 104 can comprise a quartz infrared heater. Theconveyer belt 106 can be configured to carry parts through the annealingoven 96 along a conveying direction (generally indicated by arrows), and a nitrogen purge to introduce nitrogen into the annealing process. Alternatively or additionally, thefractional components 11 can be annealed before they are assembled intosemiconductor laminate structures 100. In some embodiments, one or more sharp corners of asemiconductor laminate structure 100 can be rounded using scanning atmospheric reactive-ion and/or reactive-atom etching after the annealing process. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 2 and 3 , thesemiconductor laminate structures 100 described herein can be formed fromfractional components 11 using themanufacturing system 200. Exemplary methods are described below for formingsemiconductor laminate structures 100 fromfractional components 11. It is noted that the methods described herein are provided for clarity and are not intended to limit the embodiments described herein. - A
semiconductor wafer 10 can be loaded into themanufacturing system 200 at the semiconductorwafer handling station 110. For example, one ormore robot arms 98 can be configured to receive and transport thesemiconductor wafer 10. Thesemiconductor wafer 10 can then be transported robotically to the cleaningstation 114. At the cleaningstation 114, thesemiconductor wafer 10 can be cleaned, removing contaminants from thesemiconductor wafer 10. Exemplary cleaning processes can include, for example, a pre-diffusion cleaning process, a particle removal process using chemical or mechanical scrubbing, a metallic ion removal cleaning process, and a film removal cleaning process. The film removal cleaning process may comprise oxide, nitride, silicon, and metal etching and stripping. Accordingly, direct bonding surfaces 18 of thesemiconductor wafer 10 can be prepared or enhanced for direct fusion bonding. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 3 and 4 , thesemiconductor wafer 10 can be transported to the cuttingstation 38 where thesemiconductor wafer 10 can be cut intofractional components 11. In some embodiments, thesemiconductor wafer 10 can be placed on thepins 46 of afixture 44. Thewater waveguide laser 40 can be directed to cut thesemiconductor wafer 10 intofractional components 11 such that each of thefractional components 11 corresponds to a predetermined shape. The predetermined shape can comprise arcs, rectangles, squares or any other shape suitable for assembly into asemiconductor laminate structure 100. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 3 , 5A, 5B and 6, applicant has discovered that thewater waveguide laser 40 can impart defects upon thefractional components 11. Accordingly, the methods described herein can further comprise oxidizing thefractional components 11 and removing the defects from thefractional components 11 after they are oxidized. In some embodiments, the defects can be oxidized by including additives in thelaminar water jet 72 of thewater waveguide laser 40. In addition to cooling thesemiconductor wafer 10 as cuts are made to reduce the quantity of defects, thelaminar water jet 72 can oxidize the defects that cannot be prevented by the cooling effect of the water. Thelaminar water jet 72 of thewater waveguide laser 40 can be oxidized by saturating the deionized water of thelaminar water jet 72 with oxygen such as, for example, with a bubbling mechanism. Alternatively or additionally, the deionized water of thelaminar water jet 72 can be ozonated (O3). Moreover, thelaminar water jet 72 can comprise hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for oxidizing the undesired defects. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 6 and 10 , the defects can include a section ofmolten material 80 near thecut edge 78 of thesemiconductor wafer 10, aburr 82 of material added during cutting afractional component 11, or both. While not intended to be bound to theory, it is believed that when thelaminar water jet 72 includes oxidizing additives, the semiconductor material of thesemiconductor wafer 10 reacts with the additive to oxidize the defect as it is created. For example, should thesemiconductor wafer 10 be formed from silicon, the oxidizing additives can react with the silicon to form silicon dioxide (SiO2). Accordingly, the oxidized defect can be removed from thesemiconductor wafer 10 or thefractional component 11 to smooth the direct bonding surfaces 18 in preparation for direct bonding, i.e., the silicon can be smoothed by preferentially etching the silicon dioxide. Specifically, hydrofluoric acid (HF) can be utilized to etch away the silicon dioxide without damaging the silicon. It is noted that, while oxidization and etching are described with respect to silicon, the oxidization and etching can be applied to any of the semiconductor materials described herein. - Referring again to
FIGS. 3 and 4 , in embodiments where thefractional components 11 are cut in a wet environment, thefractional components 11 can be dried prior to proceeding to the direct bonding step. As is noted above, thefractional components 11 can be dried with isopropyl alcohol vapor, which can be supplied via the isopropylalcohol vapor nozzles 54. The applicant has discovered that isopropyl alcohol vapor promotes drying without deleterious effects to the direct bonding surfaces 18 of thefractional components 11. - Referring collectively to FIGS. 3 and 7A-7C, the
fractional components 11 can be transported by the one ormore robot arms 98 to theassembly station 84 for assembly into asemiconductor laminate structure 100. Thefractional components 11 can be assembled intosemiconductor laminate structures 100 at the assembly table 86 of the assembly station. In some embodiments, assembly blocks 88 can be arranged around the perimeter of an assembly table 86 andfractional components 11 can be placed into lateral contact with the assembly blocks 88. Accordingly, the assembly blocks 88 and thesemiconductor contacting surface 87 of the assembly table 86 can cooperate to constrain the motion of thefractional components 11. It is noted that, while the assembly blocks 88 are depicted as being arranged circumferentially around the assembly table 86, the assembly blocks 88 and the assembly table 86 can form any desired fixture to constrain thefractional components 11 while being assembled into asemiconductor laminate structure 100. - Referring collectively to FIGS. 3 and 9A-9B, the
fractional components 11 can be manipulated via thejaw members 60 of the one ormore robot arms 98. Specifically, the enhanced lateralforce gripper tips 62 can engage thefractional component 11, while avoiding contact with thedirect bonding surface 18. Accordingly, the cleanliness of the direct bonding surfaces 18 can be maintained at a level suitable for direct fusion bonding. For example, the enhanced lateralforce gripper tips 62 can make three-point contact with a non-bonding side of thefractional component 11. When the enhanced lateralforce gripper tips 62 grip the sides of afractional component 11, a divot can be formed at the location of contact. The use of a relatively low number of enhanced lateralforce gripper tips 62 can limit deformation of the sides of afractional component 11. Additionally, the enhanced lateralforce gripper tips 62 can be spaced from one another in a predetermined manner such that the location of deformations can be tracked during assembly. In embodiments offractional components 11 comprising silicon, the deformations can be divots by the enhanced lateralforce gripper tips 62. The divots can range in depth from about 10 nm to hundreds of nanometers. Alternatively or additionally, plastic grippers can be utilized to grip the edges of thefractional component 11. - Referring now to
FIG. 7B , a firstfractional component 12 can be placed by arobotic end effecter 58 onto thesemiconductor contacting surface 87 of the assembly table 86 and into lateral contact with the assembly blocks 88 of the assembly table 86. Accordingly, the assembly blocks 88 and thesemiconductor contacting surface 87 keep the firstfractional component 12 in a predetermined location with thedirect bonding surface 18 of the firstfractional component 12 available for direct fusion bonding. Therobotic end effecter 58 can then grasp a secondfractional component 14 and move thedirect bonding surface 18 of the second fractional component towards thedirect bonding surface 18 of firstfractional component 11. - In some embodiments, the one or
more robot arms 98 can be configured to place thedirect bonding surface 18 of the secondfractional component 14 into contact with thedirect bonding surface 18 of the firstfractional component 12 at aninitial contact end 13 of each of thefractional components initial contact area 19. When thefractional components initial contact end 13 to anon-contacting end 15 according to the angle of approach a. The direct fusion bond can be formed by closing the angle of approach a. The direct fusion bond can be larger than theinitial contact area 19. Accordingly, a wave front can be created along the direct bonding surfaces 18 as the direct bonding surfaces 18 are placed further into contact starting from theinitial contact area 19 and moving towards thenon-contacting end 15. The wave front can remove substantially all the air between the direct bonding surfaces 18 of thefractional components fractional components - In some embodiments, a
second robot arm 198 can be configured to urge the secondfractional component 14 into more complete contact with the firstfractional component 12 such that the direct bonding surfaces 18 overlap the desired amount. Specifically, thesecond robot arm 198 can close the angle of approach a between the direct bonding surfaces 18 of thefractional components second robot arm 198 can comprisepusher member 90 operable to close the angle of approach 92 between the firstfractional component 12 and the secondfractional component 14. Thepusher member 90 can contact anouter surface 21 of the secondfractional component 14 atinitial contact end 13. Thepusher member 90 can then slide across theouter surface 21 of the secondfractional component 14 towards thenon-contacting end 15 to generate the wave front for the direct fusion bond. In further embodiments, the wave front can be created by initially contacting thefractional components - Referring again to
FIG. 7C , the assembly table 86 can be rotated to enhance direct bonding and reduce defective bonding. In some embodiments, thefractional component 11 can be inverted, i.e., the tilt angle θ of the table can be set from about 90° to about 270° such as, for example, about 180° in one embodiment. When inverted, the assembly table 86 can include an engagement means for securing thefractional component 11 to thesemiconductor contacting surface 87 such as, for example, electrostatic charge member or a suction member. Inverting thefractional components 11 can reduce the probability of particles landing on the direct bonding surfaces 18 of thefractional components 11. In some embodiments, it can be possible to break the cleanroom environment after the assembly process. Aftersemiconductor laminate structures 100 are bonded and assembled, one or more surfaces that are not sensitive to contamination can remain exposed. - Referring collectively to FIGS. 3 and 11A-11C, the embodiments described herein can be utilized to assemble the
semiconductor laminate structures 100 of various shapes. In some embodiments, asilicon laminate structure 120 can be assembled into an edge ring. Thesilicon laminate structure 120 can comprise a firstfractional component 212, a secondfractional component 214, and a thirdfractional component 216 assembled in an alternatingcourses structure 24. In the alternatingcourses structure 24, the firstfractional component 212 is adjacent to the secondfractional component 214. The firstfractional component 12 and the secondfractional component 14 can each be direct bonded to a portion of the thirdfractional component 216. It is noted that, while one alternatingcourses structure 24 is depicted inFIG. 11B , the embodiments described herein can comprise a plurality of alternatingcourses structures 24. Thesilicon laminate structure 120 can further comprise astair step structure 26. Thestair step structure 26 can be formed by two fusion bondedfractional components 11 that do not completely overlap. For example, the secondfractional component 214 can be direct fusion bonded with the thirdfractional component 216 such that a portion of the secondfractional component 214 is uncovered by the thirdfractional component 216. Thestair step structure 26 can be repeated multiple times to form a staggered section of asemiconductor laminate structure 100 or an angled section of asemiconductor laminate structure 100. - Referring now to
FIG. 12 asemiconductor laminate structure 122 can comprise anangled surface 30. For example, thesemiconductor laminate structure 122 can be formed from a plurality offractional components 11. Theangled surface 30 can be formed by smoothing a stair step structure 26 (FIG. 11C ), by cutting each of thefractional components 11 prior to assembly, of combinations thereof. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 13A and 13B , asemiconductor laminate structure 124 can be formed into a semiconductor showerhead electrode for a semiconductor processing chamber. In some embodiments, a plurality of pie-shapedfractional components 32 can be assembled into thesemiconductor laminate structure 124. An exemplary embodiment of thesemiconductor laminate structure 124 can be formed into a semiconductor showerhead electrode having a thickness TE of about 10 mm thick and a diameter of about 500 to about 600 mm. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 3 and 13B , thefractional components gas flow channels 36 in thesemiconductor laminate structures 124 for permitting gas to flow through thesemiconductor laminate structures 124. Thegas flow channels 36 can facilitate air removal during the assembly process which can remove contaminants from the direct bonding surfaces 18. In some embodiments, electron beams or through silicon via (TSV) technology can be utilized to drill thegas flow channels 36 into thefractional components semiconductor wafers 10 can be drilled before introduction to themanufacturing system 200. - Referring collectively to
FIGS. 2 , 3 and 14, thesemiconductor laminate structures 100 can further comprisegas passages 34 for permitting the flow of gas within thesemiconductor laminate structures 100. In some embodiments, thefractional components 11 can be assembled such that thegas passages 34 are formed from voids between adjacent ones of thefractional components 11. Accordingly, thesemiconductor laminate structures 100 can be formed into objects having a plurality ofgas passages 34 such as, for example, manifolds, showerhead electrodes, wafer end effecters, mass flow controllers, or the like. - Referring again to
FIG. 3 , thesemiconductor laminate structures 100 can be annealed after being assembled. For example, thesemiconductor laminate structures 100 can be annealed in anannealing oven 96 to strengthen the direct fusion bonds. After annealing, the parts can be packaged by the one ormore robot arms 98 while still in a clean room environment. - It should now be understood that the embodiments described herein can be utilized to form a variety of semiconductor laminate structures from a plurality fractional components of one or more semiconductor wafer. Compared to cutting large discs from a semiconductor ingot and machining the disc into a usable part (e.g., a showerhead electrode), the use of semiconductor wafers can reduce manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the fractional components can be formed into any predetermined shape, which can yield semiconductor laminate structures than cannot be machined.
- It is noted that the terms “substantially” and “about” may be utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. These terms are also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.
- While particular embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, although various aspects of the claimed subject matter have been described herein, such aspects need not be utilized in combination. It is therefore intended that the appended claims cover all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Claims (26)
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JP2014244552A JP6465633B2 (en) | 2013-12-13 | 2014-12-03 | Method and apparatus for forming a semiconductor stacked structure |
TW103143205A TWI657479B (en) | 2013-12-13 | 2014-12-11 | Methods and systems for forming semiconductor laminate structures |
KR1020140179232A KR20150069548A (en) | 2013-12-13 | 2014-12-12 | Methods and systems for forming semiconductor laminate structures |
CN201410767481.9A CN104716021B (en) | 2013-12-13 | 2014-12-12 | Form the method and system of semiconductor laminated structure |
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US11257706B2 (en) * | 2018-10-23 | 2022-02-22 | Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., Ltd. | Semiconductor device flipping apparatus |
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CN114043074A (en) * | 2021-11-25 | 2022-02-15 | 哈尔滨工业大学 | Small water-guide laser processing system and method with flexible processing capacity |
CN114346474B (en) * | 2022-01-17 | 2023-05-16 | 博捷芯(深圳)半导体有限公司 | Full-automatic laser wafer cutting device and cutting method |
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Also Published As
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KR20150069548A (en) | 2015-06-23 |
TW201543535A (en) | 2015-11-16 |
CN104716021A (en) | 2015-06-17 |
US9070745B1 (en) | 2015-06-30 |
JP2015122490A (en) | 2015-07-02 |
CN104716021B (en) | 2019-04-09 |
JP6465633B2 (en) | 2019-02-06 |
TWI657479B (en) | 2019-04-21 |
SG10201407521YA (en) | 2015-07-30 |
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