# US 10,504,756 B2 · Wafer processing method and apparatus

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- Number: US 10,504,756 B2
- Document ID: US10504756B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/830,482
- Filed: 2017-12-04
- Published: 2018-03-29
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2014-01-24
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Inventors: Chih-Hui Huang; Chun-Han Tsao; Sheng-Chau Chen; Yeur-Luen Tu; Chia-Shiung Tsai; Xiaomeng Chen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10504756B2

## CPC

- H10P 72/0428: {Apparatus for mechanical treatment or grinding or cutting}
- H10P 10/128: {by direct semiconductor to semiconductor bonding}
- H10P 72/7611: {characterised by edge profile or support profile}
- H10P 72/78: using vacuum or suction, e.g. Bernoulli chucks
- H10P 90/1914: {using bonding}
- H10W 10/181: {Semiconductor-on-insulator [SOI] isolation regions, e.g. buried oxide regions of SOI wafers}
- H10P 74/203: {Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects}
- Y10T 156/1744: Means bringing discrete articles into assembled relationship
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

An apparatus for and a method of bonding a first substrate and a second substrate are provided. In an embodiment a first wafer chuck has a first curved surface and a second wafer chuck has a second curved surface. A first wafer is placed on the first wafer chuck and a second wafer is placed on a second wafer chuck, such that both the first wafer and the second wafer are pre-warped prior to bonding. Once the first wafer and the second wafer have been pre-warped, the first wafer and the second wafer are bonded together.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of bonding wafers, the method comprising:
physically attaching a first wafer to a first curved surface of a first wafer chuck, wherein the first curved surface is one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, glass, or aluminum oxide and wherein the first curved surface is curved prior to both an application of a first vacuum to the first wafer chuck and an attachment of a plurality of dies within the first wafer and wherein the first curved surface comprises an attachment mechanism to physically attach the first wafer to the first curved surface such that the first wafer is warped and physically in contact with the first curved surface; and
physically attaching a second wafer to a second surface of a second wafer chuck, wherein the second surface is curved prior to both an application of a second vacuum to the second wafer chuck and an attachment of the second wafer, the first wafer chuck and the second wafer chuck being movable relative to each other, wherein the second surface comprises an attachment mechanism to physically attach the second wafer to the second surface such that the second wafer is in contact with the second surface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising contacting the first wafer to the second wafer at a first point after the physically attaching the first wafer to the first curved surface and after the physically attaching the second wafer to the second surface.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising stopping the application of the first vacuum after the contacting the first wafer to the second wafer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying a first temperature of the first wafer using a first temperature controller.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, further comprising modifying a second temperature of the second wafer using a second temperature controller.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first curved surface has a deformation of about 3 μm from a center of the first wafer chuck to an edge of the first wafer chuck.

### Claim 7

A system for bonding wafers comprising:
a first surface of a first wafer chuck, wherein the first surface is one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, glass, or aluminum oxide and the first surface having a convex first curvature greater than zero and being curved prior to both an application of a first vacuum to the first wafer chuck and an attachment of a plurality of dies within a first wafer;
vacuum openings extending through the first curvature of the first surface;
a second surface of a second wafer chuck movable relative to the first surface of the first wafer chuck, the second surface having a convex static second curvature less than the first curvature and greater than zero, having a deformation of less than 2 μm, and wherein the second surface is curved prior to both an application of a second vacuum to the second wafer chuck and an attachment of a second wafer; and
vacuum openings extending through the second curvature of the second surface.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, the first surface being glass.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, the first surface being aluminum oxide.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, the first surface being silicon oxide.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, the first surface being silicon nitride.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, further comprising a temperature controller.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the temperature controller comprises a thermal plate.

### Claim 14 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the first wafer chuck has a first length of between about 250 mm and about 300 mm.

### Claim 15 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, further comprising an alignment monitor.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the alignment monitor is an infrared alignment monitor.

### Claim 17

A system for bonding wafers comprising:
a first surface of a first wafer chuck, the first surface being curved prior to both an application of a first vacuum to the first wafer chuck and an attachment of a plurality of dies within a first wafer, wherein the first surface is glass and wherein the first surface has a first convex curvature and a deformation of less than 2 μm from a center of the first surface to an edge of the first surface;
a second surface of a second wafer chuck movable relative to the first surface of the first wafer chuck, the second surface having a second convex curvature, wherein the second surface is curved prior to both an application of a second vacuum to the second wafer chuck and an attachment of a second wafer, the first convex curvature being smaller than the second convex curvature; and
an alignment unit located to emit infrared energy through the first surface.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the second surface has a curvature of less than about 3 μm from a center of the second wafer chuck to an edge of the second wafer chuck and wherein the first surface has a curvature of about 2 μm from a center of the first wafer chuck to an edge of the first wafer chuck.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, further comprising a temperature controller.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the first wafer chuck has a first length of between about 250 mm and about 300 mm.