U.S. patent application number 13/443310 was filed with the patent office on 2013-04-25 for stacked ic devices comprising a workpiece solder connected to the tsv.
This patent application is currently assigned to TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED. The applicant listed for this patent is Donald C. Abbott, Margaret R. Simmons-Matthews. Invention is credited to Donald C. Abbott, Margaret R. Simmons-Matthews.
Application Number | 20130099384 13/443310 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42107989 |
Filed Date | 2013-04-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130099384 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Simmons-Matthews; Margaret R. ;
et al. |
April 25, 2013 |
Stacked IC Devices Comprising a Workpiece Solder Connected to the
TSV
Abstract
A stacked integrated circuit (IC) device with at least one IC
die having a top semiconductor surface and a bottom surface and at
least one through substrate via (TSV) including a tip protruding
beyond the bottom surface to a tip length is provided. The tip has
an outer dielectric tip liner, and an electrically conductive
portion within the outer dielectric tip liner. A compliant layer is
applied to the bottom surface of the IC die. The dielectric tip
liner is removed from a distal portion of the tip to expose an
electrically conductive tip portion. A solder material is deposited
on the exposed distal portion of the tip. The solder material is
reflowed and coalesced to form a solder bump on the distal portion
of the tip.
Inventors: |
Simmons-Matthews; Margaret R.;
(Richardson, TX) ; Abbott; Donald C.; (Norton,
MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Simmons-Matthews; Margaret R.
Abbott; Donald C. |
Richardson
Norton |
TX
MA |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS
INCORPORATED
Dallas
TX
|
Family ID: |
42107989 |
Appl. No.: |
13/443310 |
Filed: |
April 10, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12416694 |
Apr 1, 2009 |
8227295 |
|
|
13443310 |
|
|
|
|
61106065 |
Oct 16, 2008 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
257/772 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 23/481 20130101;
H01L 2225/06541 20130101; H01L 2924/01029 20130101; H01L 2224/0557
20130101; H01L 2924/14 20130101; H01L 2224/114 20130101; H01L
2224/05571 20130101; H01L 2924/01078 20130101; H01L 2924/01082
20130101; H01L 2924/01005 20130101; H01L 23/5384 20130101; H01L
2924/12042 20130101; H01L 2224/13025 20130101; H01L 2924/01074
20130101; H01L 2224/13021 20130101; H01L 21/76898 20130101; H01L
24/11 20130101; H01L 2224/05571 20130101; H01L 24/16 20130101; H01L
2224/1147 20130101; H01L 2224/116 20130101; H01L 2924/00014
20130101; H01L 2924/0002 20130101; H01L 2924/0002 20130101; H01L
25/50 20130101; H01L 2224/0401 20130101; H01L 25/0657 20130101;
H01L 2924/01015 20130101; H01L 24/12 20130101; H01L 2924/01006
20130101; H01L 2224/13099 20130101; H01L 2924/1461 20130101; H01L
2924/01033 20130101; H01L 2924/01075 20130101; H01L 2924/12042
20130101; H01L 2924/30107 20130101; H01L 2225/06513 20130101; H01L
2924/00012 20130101; H01L 2924/014 20130101; H01L 2924/00 20130101;
H01L 2224/05552 20130101; H01L 2924/00 20130101; H01L 2224/05552
20130101; H01L 2924/00014 20130101; H01L 2224/1148 20130101; H01L
2924/1461 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
257/772 |
International
Class: |
H01L 23/538 20060101
H01L023/538 |
Claims
1-12. (canceled)
13. A stacked integrated circuit (IC) device, comprising: a first
IC die comprising a first substrate including a top semiconductor
surface and a bottom surface and at least one through substrate via
(TSV) comprising a tip extending from said top semiconductor
surface to protrude beyond said bottom surface to a tip length,
said tip having an outer dielectric tip liner, and an electrically
conductive portion within said outer dielectric tip liner including
an electrically contactable distal end, and a compliant layer,
thicker than said tip length, attached to said bottom surface of
said IC die lateral to said TSV; a workpiece comprising another IC
die or a package substrate attached to said first IC die, and a
solder comprising joint electrically coupling said another IC die
or said package substrate to said electrically contactable distal
end of said tip of said first IC die.
14. (canceled)
15. The stacked IC device of claim 13, wherein said first IC die is
exclusive of a redistribution layer (RDL) or other pad comprising
layer on top or said bottom surface.
16. The stacked IC device of claim 13, wherein said compliant layer
does not extend beyond a perimeter of said first IC die.
17. The stacked IC device of claim 13, wherein an area of said
older comprising joint is less than or equal to (.ltoreq.) two (2)
times a cross sectional area of said tip.
18. The stacked IC device of claim 13, wherein an area of said
solder comprising joint is less than or equal to (.ltoreq.) a cross
sectional area of said tip.
19. The stacked IC device of claim 13, wherein first substrate
comprises bulk silicon substrate.
20. The stacked IC device of claim 13, wherein said electrically
conductive portion comprises copper.
21. The stacked IC device of claim 13, wherein said workpiece
comprises said package substrate.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Divisional of and claim priority to
U.S. application Ser. No. 12/416,694 filed on Apr. 1, 2009 which
claims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/106,065
entitled "Semiconductor Packages", filed Oct. 16, 2008. Said
applications are herein incorporated by reference.
FIELD
[0002] Embodiments of the present invention relate to integrated
circuits (IC) devices having through substrate vias and packaged
ICs.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Some ICs include through silicon vias (TSVs) which are also
referred to as through wafer vias (TWS). Due to their considerably
shorter length as compared to conventional wire bond connections,
TSVs reduce inductance and resistance and thus improve IC
performance.
[0004] As known in the art of semiconductor package assembly, in
conventional assembly processing for ICs that comprise TSVs, solder
regions are applied to the workpiece which can comprise a package
substrate (e.g. printed circuit board (PCB)) or other IC die. The
IC is aligned such that the TSV tips are aligned to the solder
regions, followed by attachment to the workpiece. Underfill is then
generally applied after attachment.
SUMMARY
[0005] The Present Inventors have realized that assembly of IC die
having a plurality of TSVs including some relatively fine pitched
TSVs having a small stand-off distance between the IC die and the
workpiece (e.g., package substrate or other IC die) that they are
attached to, generally makes conventional underfill processing
difficult. As a result, underfill voids generally result. Moreover,
the very small size of the TSVs (e.g., 10 to 30 .mu.m diameter, or
less) renders them difficult to attach to a workpiece using
conventional approaches that rely on a solder coating on the
workpiece. Moreover, since the attach pads of the workpiece are
typically larger in area as compared to the TSV cross sectional
area dimension (e.g., diameter), solder volume is difficult to
control, often resulting in shorts between neighboring TSVs (e.g.,
when there is too much solder) or open connections (e.g., when
there is not enough solder).
[0006] As used herein, the term "TSV" is defined broadly to include
any wafer or IC die having a through via filled with an
electrically conductive material (e.g., metal such as copper or
tungsten or a degeneratively doped semiconductor such as n+ or p+
silicon). The substrate can be a silicon comprising substrate, such
as a bulk silicon, silicon germanium, or a silicon on insulator
(SOI) substrate. The filled via provides an electrical contact that
extends from the bottom of the wafer or IC die and extends to the
contact level or any of the metal interconnect levels on the top
side wafer or die surface. The TSVs can generally be formed by
either via first or a via last processing.
[0007] Embodiments of the present invention describe processing
comprising applying a compliant layer at the wafer level as part of
the TSV exposure process, thus eliminating the need to apply
conventional underfill at the package level. This aspect of
embodiments of the invention eliminates the above-described
difficulty in filling small gaps, and eliminates a package level
process step which is typically low throughput, thus reducing
assembly time and reducing cost.
[0008] A relatively small and controlled amount of a solder
material is applied to the distal end of the TSV tip at the wafer
or die level which is then used to create the solder joint during
the package assembly process. Better control of the amount of
solder applied provided by embodiments of the invention have been
found to improve joint formation leading to fewer shorted or open
connections as compared to conventional processing. Generally, a
photodefinable masking material is applied at the die or wafer
level to deposit a small, well controlled amount of solder on the
distal end of each TSV tip. The masking material is allowed to
remain behind (non-sacrificial) and serves as underfill in the
final device between the IC die containing the TSV and the
workpiece that generally comprises another die or a package
substrate. Embodiments of the invention generally include solder
reflow processing. Reflow of the solder allows a very thin applied
or a small solder ball to coalesce into a thicker dome shaped
solder bump which facilitates die alignment and solder joint
formation.
[0009] Assembled IC comprising stacked devices according to
embodiments of the invention have several unique features. No
redistribution layer is used to connect the TSV's to pads of the
workpiece which are then the solder terminals. The compliant layer
added at the wafer or die level that functions as underfill
material is generally bounded to be within the periphery of the
die. Moreover, the solder joint connecting TSV to the workpiece is
generally .ltoreq.to the area (e.g., diameter) of the distal end of
the TSV tip.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 shows steps in a method of forming IC die having
localized solder on distal ends of the TSV tips, yet within the tip
area, and a compliant layer lateral to the TSV tips, according to a
first embodiment of the invention.
[0011] FIGS. 2A-I show representations of successive steps for a
method of forming an IC die having localized solder on distal end
of the TSV tips, yet being within the tip area, and a compliant
layer lateral to the TSV tips, according to a first embodiment of
the invention.
[0012] FIGS. 3A and B show a variant of the method for forming IC
die having localized solder on distal end of the TSV tips shown in
FIGS. 2A-I, according to a first embodiment of the invention.
[0013] FIGS. 4A-F show successive cross sectional representations
associated with steps in a method for forming IC die having
localized solder on distal end of the TSV tips, yet being within
the tip area, and a compliant layer lateral to the TSV tips,
according to another embodiment of the invention.
[0014] FIGS. 5A-E show successive cross sectional representations
associated with steps in a method for forming IC die having
localized solder on distal end of the TSV tips, yet being within
the tip area, and a compliant layer lateral to the TSV tips,
according to yet another embodiment of the invention.
[0015] FIGS. 6A-D show a variant of the method for forming IC die
having localized solder on distal end of the TSV tips shown in
FIGS. 5A-E, including deposition of solder balls, according to yet
another embodiment of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional depiction of a stacked IC device
comprising a first IC die comprising a substrate having a top
semiconductor surface providing an active portion for the first IC
die and a bottom surface attached via a solder joint to a
workpiece.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] The present invention is described with reference to the
attached figures, wherein like reference numerals are used
throughout the figures to designate similar or equivalent elements.
The figures are not drawn to scale and they are provided merely to
illustrate the instant invention. Several aspects of the invention
are described below with reference to example applications for
illustration. It should be understood that numerous specific
details, relationships, and methods are set forth to provide a full
understanding of the invention. One having ordinary skill in the
relevant art, however, will readily recognize that the invention
can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or
with other methods. In other instances, well-known structures or
operations are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the
invention. The present invention is not limited by the illustrated
ordering of acts or events, as some acts may occur in different
orders and/or concurrently with other acts or events. Furthermore,
not all illustrated acts or events are required to implement a
methodology in accordance with the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 1 shows steps in an exemplary method 100 of forming an
IC die having localized solder material on distal end of the TSV
tips, yet being within the tip area, and a compliant layer lateral
to the TSV tips, according to a first embodiment of the invention.
Although the TSVs are generally herein described as having a
circular cross section, thus having a characterizable radius and
diameter, the TSV may take on other shapes, such as rectangular,
annular, or a variety of irregular shapes. For non-circular cross
sectioned TSVs, the same localized solder material on distal end of
the TSV tips yet being within the tip area can be obtained using
embodiments of the invention as described below.
[0019] Step 101 comprises providing at least one IC die having a
top semiconductor surface and a bottom surface and at least one TSV
comprising a tip extending from the top semiconductor surface to
protrude beyond the bottom surface to a tip length. The TSV may
terminate at the top semiconductor surface anywhere from contact
through metal level n (n metal levels in a multi-layer metal
process). In one embodiment of the invention a wafer provides a
plurality of IC die, such as a Si wafer. The tip has an outer
dielectric liner, and there is an electrically conductive portion
within the outer dielectric liner. In the case of copper, as known
in the art, a barrier layer and a seed layer are also provided.
[0020] Step 102 comprises applying a compliant layer to the bottom
surface of the IC die. The compliant layer is generally a polymer
comprising layer. The compliant layer is generally thicker as
compared to the tip length, but can also be thinner than the tip
length (see the embodiment described below with regard to FIGS.
4A-F). The compliant ager can also serve to "mask" the vertical
sides of the exposed tip of the TSV to prevent loss of solder from
the tip joint area due to wetting of solder down the sides of the
exposed tip. Examples of compliant layers that can be used include
solder resist similar to that used on a printed circuit board
(e.g., epoxy-based), liquid plating resist similar to that used in
selective plating processes, Polyimide (PI) and Polybenzoxazole
(PBO). In one embodiment, the compliant layer can include silicon
filler, with a concentration of silicon filler selected to obtain a
desired coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) for matching to
silicon in the case of silicon substrates.
[0021] In step 103, the dielectric liner is removed from a distal
portion of the tip to expose an electrically conductive tip
portion. A variety of removal processes can be used for this
purpose, such as a dry etch process. In embodiments where the
compliant layer is thicker as compared to the tip length, a process
step is added to expose the dielectric liner on a distal portion of
the tip before step 103, such as a step to thin the compliant
layer.
[0022] Step 104 comprises depositing a solder material on the
exposed distal portion of the tip. A small, controlled amount of
solder is applied to the distal end of the TSV tip. The thickness
range for the solder layer to form a solder bump exclusively on the
tip can be based on parameters including the radius of the distal
end of the TSV as described in more detail below. Generally, the
thickness of the solder layer for embodiments of the invention is
<3 .mu.m, and in some embodiments is <1 .mu.m. Tight control
of the amount of solder applied through controlling the thickness
and area (and thus the volume) of the solder material will improve
joint formation at assembly and has been found to lead to fewer
shorted or open connections.
[0023] As described below, the depositing of a solder material on
the exposed distal end of the tip can be performed by a variety of
processes including electroless plating, electrolytic plating
(electroplating), or solder ball placement. Electroplating
generally requires making electrical contact to the tip to make it
cathodic, making electroless plating in comparison a generally a
simpler process. In the seed layer embodiment described relative to
FIGS. 4A-F below, the seed layer makes electrical contact to the
tip(s) to allow electroplating.
[0024] Step 105 comprises reflowing and coalescing the solder
material to form a solder bump on the distal end of the tip. The
resulting solder bump is generally within (i.e., .ltoreq.to)-a
cross sectional area of the tip. Reflow of the solder allows a very
thin applied layer in certain embodiments or a small solder ball in
another embodiment to coalesce into a thicker dome shaped solder
bump which facilitates die alignment and solder joint
formation.
[0025] The solder bumped IC die is ready for assembly to another IC
die or package substrate (e.g., PCB). The solder bumps are used to
form solder joints to contact the distal end of the TSVs, rather
than conventional processing that relies on the solder to be
supplied by the other surface the via tip is attached to (i.e.,
substrate or other die). Since the compliant layer is applied at
the wafer or die level acts as an underfill layer for embodiments
of the invention, the need for an underfilling step at the package
assembly level is eliminated. Moreover, the reflow of the solder
coating into a bump that is generally dome shaped allows the use of
very thin applied solder layers or small solder balls.
[0026] FIGS. 2A-I show successive cross sectional representations
associated with steps in a method for forming IC die having
localized solder on distal end of the TSV tips, yet within the tip
area, and a compliant layer lateral to the TSV tips, according to a
first embodiment of the invention. The wafer or die 205 shown in
FIG. 2A has at least one TSV 210 having an outer dielectric liner
211 and an electrically conductive portion 212 within the outer
dielectric liner 211. The TSV 210 may have an exemplary diameter of
10 to 30 .mu.m, such as 10 to 15 .mu.m. In one embodiment, a
via-first process is used whereby the TSV 210 is first etched from
the topside of wafer 205, lined with the outer dielectric liner 211
(e.g., silicon oxide), and is then filled with an electrically
conductive material 212 such as copper via plating. Barrier and
seed layer processing generally precede plating.
[0027] FIG. 2B shows a cross section following backgrind and
chemical etch of the bottom of the wafer 205 to expose a TSV tip
215. The tip 215 can be a variety of lengths generally being 5 to
50 .mu.m long, such as 10 to 30 .mu.m long. FIG. 2C shows a cross
section following depositing a compliant layer 218 having a
thickness thicker than the length of the exposed tip using a
process appropriate for the particular compliant material. FIG. 2D
shows a cross section following thinning of the compliant layer
218, using a process appropriate to the material. FIG. 2E shows a
cross section following removal of the TSV tip liner to expose the
electrically conductive portion (e.g., Cu) 212 at the distal end of
the tip 215, using a process appropriate to the liner material.
[0028] FIG. 2F shows a cross section following plating (e.g.
electrolessly) a thin layer of solder material 221 on the bottom
side of the wafer 205. The exemplary target thickness range for
solder layer 221 is described below. FIG. 2G shows a cross section
following applying a masking layer such as photoresist and
patterning the masking layer to provide features 222 to protect
solder material layer 221 over TSV 210. FIG. 2H shows a cross
section following etch of the solder material layer 221 using the
photoresist feature as a mask and after removing the photoresist
feature 222. Parameter r.sub.1 is shown as the radius of the TSV
tip 215, parameter r.sub.2 as the radius of the patterned solder
layer 221 (before reflow), and t as the thickness of the solder
layer 221 (before reflow). FIG. 2I shows a cross section following
reflow and coalescing the solder material 221 to form a solder bump
224 on the exposed (electrically conductive) distal end of the TSV
tip 215. Following reflow and coalescing the resulting solder bump
224 can be seen to be entirely within radius of the TSV tip 215
shown as r.sub.1.
[0029] For the embodiment shown, an exemplary target thickness (t)
range for solderable layer 221 shown in FIG. 2F after plating can
be found using parameters r.sub.1 and r.sub.2 defined above. A
minimum thickness (tmin) assuming a 25% sphere of solder material
after reflow to form solder bump 224 is found by calculating
tmin=r.sub.1.sup.3/3r.sub.2.sup.2. A maximum thickness (tmax)
assuming a 75% sphere of solder material after reflow is found by
calculating tmax=r.sub.1.sup.3/r.sub.2.sup.2.
[0030] A variant of the method for forming IC die having localized
solder on the distal end of the TSV tips, yet within the tip area,
and a compliant layer lateral to the TSV tips shown in FIGS. 2A-I,
is shown in FIGS. 3A-B. Beginning with the cross section shown in
FIG. 2E, a masking layer 226 such as photoresist is deposited on
the IC die or wafer 205 and a patterned open feature 227 over the
TSV tip 215 is formed that has a dimension that is larger than the
dimension (e.g., diameter) of the TSV tip 215, resulting in the
cross section shown in FIG. 3A. A thin layer of solder material 228
is then deposited (e.g., electrolessly plated) in the patterned
open feature 227, with the resulting cross section shown in FIG.
3B. The masking layer 226 is removed followed by reflow and
coalescing the solder material 228 to form a solder bump 224 to
result in a structure analogous to that shown in FIG. 2I.
[0031] FIGS. 4A-F show successive cross sectional representations
associated with steps in a method for forming IC die having
localized solder on the distal end of the TSV tips, yet within the
tip area, and a compliant layer lateral to the TSV tips, according
to another embodiment of the invention. Beginning with the cross
section shown in FIG. 2E modified only so that the compliant layer
218 is now thinner as compared to the length of the TSV tip 215, a
thin blanket seed layer 231 (e.g., copper) is formed on the bottom
surface of the wafer or die 205 with the resulting cross section
shown in FIG. 4A. A dielectric layer 232 is then formed over the
seed layer 231 with the resulting cross section shown in FIG. 4B.
Following grinding or polishing the dielectric layer 232 with an
appropriate process to expose the electrically conductive material
212 of the TSV tip 215 results in the cross section shown in FIG.
4C. Solder material 233 is then electroplated on the exposed distal
end of the TSV tip 215 using the dielectric layer 232 as mask and
the seed layer 231 as a plating bus resulting in the cross section
shown in FIG. 4D. Although the solder material 233 is shown
rectangular shaped in FIG. 4D, the shape is more generally hill
shaped, unless a photo-imagible plating resist is used to allow
thickness build-up. In one embodiment the dielectric layer 232 is
plating resist and the TSV tip 215 is exposed by developing the
resist, so that only the resist directly over the TSV tip 215 is
removed. In this embodiment, the thickness of the resist defines
the height of the solder material 233 after plating. The dielectric
layer 232 and seed layer 231 are stripped off with appropriate
processes resulting in the cross section shown in FIG. 4E.
Following reflow and coalescing of the solder material 233 as shown
in the cross section of FIG. 4F a solder bump 234 is formed on the
exposed distal end of the TSV tip 215. If the solder material 233
as plated and patterned has a radius dimension r, then the
thickness range can be found to be r/3 (25% sphere after reflow) to
r (75% sphere after reflow).
[0032] FIGS. 5A-E show successive cross sectional representations
associated with steps in a method for forming IC die having
localized solder on the distal end of the TSV tips, yet within the
tip area, and a compliant layer lateral to the TSV tips, according
to another embodiment of the invention. Beginning with the cross
section shown in FIG. 2B, FIG. 5A shows a cross section following
depositing a compliant (e.g. polymer comprising) layer 236 having a
thickness thicker than the length of the exposed tip 215 using a
process appropriate for the particular compliant material. FIG. 5B
shows a cross section following laser opening a feature 237 in the
compliant layer 236 over the TSV tip 215. The TSV tip liner 211 is
then removed, using a process appropriate to the liner material
with the result shown in FIG. 5C. A thin layer of a solder material
238 is deposited (e.g., electrolessly plated or applied in a paste
form in the opening 237 that had been in the compliant layer 236
resulting in the cross section shown in FIG. 5D. Following reflow
and coalescing of the solder material 238 as shown in the cross
section of FIG. 5E a solder bump 239 is formed on the exposed
distal end of the TSV tip 215. Using parameters r.sub.1 and r.sub.2
defined above relative to FIG. 2H, a minimum thickness (tmin)
assuming a 25% sphere of solder material after reflow to form
solder bump 224 is found by calculating
tmin=r.sub.1.sup.3/3r.sub.2.sup.2. A maximum thickness (tmax)
assuming a 75% sphere of solder material after reflow is found by
calculating tmax=r.sub.1.sup.3/r.sub.2.sup.2.
[0033] A variant of the method for forming IC die having localized
solder on the distal end of the TSV tips, yet within the tip area,
and a compliant layer lateral to the TSV tips, shown in FIGS. 5A-E,
is shown as FIGS. 6A-D. Beginning with the cross section shown in
FIG. 5A, the compliant layer 236 is laser opened over the TSV tip
215 to form open feature 241. The opening 241 is approximately the
same (e.g., within 40%) of the area dimension (e.g., diameter) as
the TSV tip 215 as shown in FIG. 6A. The TSV tip liner 211 is
removed, using a process appropriate to the liner material,
resulting in the cross section shown in FIG. 6B. A solder ball 242
is placed in the opening in the compliant layer 236, resulting in
the cross section shown in FIG. 6C. FIG. 6D shows the resulting
cross section after reflow and coalescing the solder ball 242 to
form a solder bump 243 on the exposed TSV tip 215. Using the
r.sub.1 parameter defined above and r.sub.2 as the radius of the
solder ball 242, the min radius (r.sub.2 min) of the solder ball
242 for a 25% sphere after reflow can be found to be
(r.sub.1.sup.3/4).sup.1/3 and the maximum radius (r.sub.2max) of
the solder ball 242 for a 75% sphere after reflow can be found to
be (3r.sub.1.sup.3/4).sup.1/3.
[0034] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional depiction of a stacked IC device
700 comprising a first IC die 702 comprising a substrate 705 having
a top semiconductor surface 703 providing an active portion (having
function circuitry (not shown)) for the first IC die 702 and a
bottom surface 704. IC die 702 includes TSVs 721 and 722 which each
comprise a tip 215 extending from the top semiconductor surface 703
to protrude beyond the bottom surface 704 to a tip length (L). The
tips 215 have an outer dielectric liner 211, and an electrically
conductive portion 212 within the outer dielectric liner 211, and a
compliant layer 730 thicker than the tip length (L) attached to the
bottom surface 704 of the first IC die 702 lateral to the TSVs 721
and 722. A workpiece 740 that can comprise another IC die or the
package substrate (e.g., PCB) 740 shown comprising surface attach
pads 741 and 742 is attached to the first IC die 702 by a joint
comprising solder material 725 electrically coupling pads 741 and
742 of the PCB 740 to an electrically contactable distal end of the
tip 215 of the first IC die 702. The first IC die 702 is exclusive
of a redistribution layer (RDL) or other pad comprising layer on
the entire bottom surface 704. It can be seen that the joint
comprising solder material 725 is confined to a small area
proximate to the electrically contactable distal end of the tip
215. During assembly the generally dome shaped solder material
described above collapses after reflow, and depending on its volume
generally wets the electrically contactable distal end of the tips
215 and the pads 741 and 42 completely resulting in the generally
wasp-waist appearance in cross section shown. It can also be seen
that the compliant layer 730 does not extend beyond a perimeter of
the first IC die 702 (thus no overflow beyond the perimeter of the
IC die 702).
[0035] Although not shown, additional circuitry can be stacked on
the first IC die 702. In one embodiment, one or more additional ICs
are stacked on the first IC die 702, such as at least one memory
comprising die.
[0036] As described above, embodiments of the invention apply an
underfill-like material at the wafer or die level, rather than at
the package assembly level. Embodiments of the invention apply a
solder coating to the distal end of the TSV tip, ready for
attachment at the package level rather than relying on the solder
to be supplied by the other surface the via tip is attached to
(i.e., package substrate or other IC die). Moreover, reflow of the
solder coating into a dome shaped bump allows the use of very thin
applied solder layers or small solder balls.
[0037] Embodiments of the invention provide several significant
advantages. Embodiments of the invention eliminate the need to
apply underfill in a very small standoff area at the package level
which allows eliminating incomplete filling, voiding, resin bleed,
and other known conventional underfill process issues. The
controlled amount of solder aspect of embodiments of the invention
for the TSV attachment process, significantly improves control of
solder joint formation and minimizes the possibility of shorted or
open connections. The controlled volume of solder will also result
in a very thin solder joint, eliminating the need for a further gap
filling of the resulting stand-off beyond the compliant layer
applied at the wafer level.
[0038] Although generally described for backside processing of
TSVs, embodiments of the invention may also be extended to
processing on the active (i.e. top) surface of the IC die for
extended electrically conductive contacts, such as pillars. In a
typical example of this embodiment, solder to and an underfill
material are applied around metal (e.g. Cu) pillars that are
fabricated on the active (i.e. top) surface of the IC die. Pillars
may be present on an IC die without TSV's, or on an IC die with
TSV's (on opposite sides of the IC die). In the embodiment where
the pillar and TSV embodiments are combined, the sequential attach
process can be accomplished to keep reflow of an already attached
joint from being a problem when reflowing to make the second joint.
In one exemplary sequential attach process embodiment, a suitable
compliant layer is applied on the side of the IC die containing the
TSV's such that it has properties that allow it to "gap fill" under
heat/pressure. Next, the TSV's are attached to the mating surface
(other IC die). The heat/pressure applied during this step is
intended to make the solder joints and also be sufficient to get
the compliant layer to gap fill. Finally, the combined 2 (or more)
die stack is attached to the package substrate by joining the
pillars to the substrate by solder reflow. The joints made in the
TSV attachment step are generally contained in area within the area
of the compliant layer.
[0039] Embodiments of the invention can be integrated into a
variety of process flows to form a variety of devices and related
products. The semiconductor substrates may include various elements
therein and/or layers thereon. These can include barrier layers,
other dielectric layers, device structures, active elements and
passive elements including source regions, drain regions, bit
lines, bases, emitters, collectors, conductive lines, conductive
vias, etc. Moreover, the invention can be used in a variety of
processes including bipolar, CMOS, BiCMOS and MEMS.
[0040] While various embodiments of the present invention have been
described above, it should be understood that they have been
presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Numerous
changes to the disclosed embodiments can be made in accordance with
the disclosure herein without departing from the spirit or scope of
the invention. For example, although embodiments of the invention
are generally described for applying solder to and an underfill
material around the exposed tip of a TSV, as described above those
having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that embodiments of
the invention can also be used to apply solder to and an underfill
material around metal (e.g. Cu) pillars that are fabricated on
certain ICs on the active (i.e. top) surface of the die. Thus, the
breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by
any of the above described embodiments. Rather, the scope of the
invention should be defined in accordance with the following claims
and their equivalents, as well as the related embodiment comprising
application of solder to and an underfill material around metal
pillars that are fabricated on the top surface of the IC die.
[0041] Although the invention has been illustrated and described
with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations
and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the
reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed
drawings. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention
may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several
implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more
other features of the other implementations as may be desired and
advantageous for any given or particular application.
[0042] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and
"the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, to the extent
that the terms "including", "includes", "having", "has", "with", or
variants thereof are used in either the detailed description and/or
the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner
similar to the term "comprising."
[0043] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and
scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this
invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such
as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be
interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their
meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be
interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly
so defined herein.
[0044] The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37
C.F.R. .sctn.1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the
reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure.
It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to
interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the following
claims.
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