# US 11,078,075 B2 · Packaging method and associated packaging structure > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,078,075 B2 - Document ID: US11078075B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/088,130 - Filed: 2016-04-01 - Published: 2017-08-10 - Granted: 2021-08-03 - Earliest claimed: 2015-12-31 - Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. - Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. - Inventors: Chih-Ming Chen; Yuan-Chih Hsieh; Chung-Yi Yu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11078075B2 ## CPC - B81C 1/00269: {Bonding of solid lids or wafers to the substrate} - B81B 7/0041: {maintaining a controlled atmosphere with techniques not provided for in B81B7/0038} - B81C 1/00: Manufacture or treatment of devices or systems in or on a substrate (B81C3/00 takes precedence) - B81C 1/00238: {Joining a substrate with an electronic processing unit and a substrate with a micromechanical structure} - H10W 72/20: Bump connectors, e.g. solder bumps or copper pillars; Dummy bumps; Thermal bumps - H10W 90/00: Package configurations - B81B 2201/0235: Accelerometers - B81B 2201/0242: Gyroscopes - B81B 2201/0264: Pressure sensors - B81B 2207/012: the micromechanical device and the control or processing electronics being separate parts in the same package - B81B 2207/093: Conductive package seal - B81C 2201/0132: Dry etching, i.e. plasma etching, barrel etching, reactive ion etching [RIE], sputter etching or ion milling - B81C 2201/019: Bonding or gluing multiple substrate layers - B81C 2203/0118: Bonding a wafer on the substrate, i.e. where the cap consists of another wafer - B81C 2203/035: Soldering - B81C 2203/036: Fusion bonding - H10W 72/072: {of bump connectors} - H10W 72/90: Bond pads, in general - B81C: PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS (making microcapsules or microballoons B01J13/02; processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/01) - B81B: MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICAL DEVICES (piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/00, H10N35/00) - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract The present disclosure provides a packaging method, including: providing a first semiconductor substrate; forming a bonding region on the first semiconductor substrate, wherein the bonding region of the first semiconductor substrate includes a first bonding metal layer and a second bonding metal layer; providing a second semiconductor substrate having a bonding region, wherein the bonding region of the second semiconductor substrate includes a third bonding layer; and bonding the first semiconductor substrate to the second semiconductor substrate by bringing the bonding region of the first semiconductor substrate in contact with the bonding region of the second semiconductor substrate; wherein the first and third bonding metal layers include copper (Cu), and the second bonding metal layer includes Tin (Sn). An associated packaging structure is also disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A packaging method, comprising: providing a first semiconductor substrate; forming a bonding region on the first semiconductor substrate, wherein the bonding region of the first semiconductor substrate includes a first copper bonding layer and a tin bonding layer, wherein the first copper bonding layer physically contacts the tin bonding layer in the bonding region of the first semiconductor substrate; wherein forming the bonding region, includes: providing a sensing substrate on the first semiconductor substrate; depositing the first copper bonding layer and the tin bonding layer across the sensing substrate; patterning the first copper bonding layer and the tin bonding layer, wherein during the patterning, the sensing substrate is etched to a first depth to form a first bonding mesa and a second bonding mesa; after patterning the first copper bonding layer and the tin bonding layer, etching the sensing substrate to a second depth greater than the first depth, wherein the etching forms a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) structure of the sensing substrate; providing a second semiconductor substrate having a bonding region, wherein the bonding region of the second semiconductor substrate includes a second copper bonding layer; bonding the first semiconductor substrate to the second semiconductor substrate by bringing the tin bonding layer of the first bonding mesa of the first semiconductor substrate in physical contact with the second copper bonding layer of the second bonding mesa of the second semiconductor substrate; and while the tin bonding layer of the first semiconductor substrate is in physical contact with the second copper bonding layer of the second semiconductor substrate, providing a bonding temperature and a bonding pressure to form an alloy of Cu3Sn by mixing tin (Sn) from the tin bonding layer and copper (Cu), wherein the Cu is provided from each of the first copper bonding layer and the second copper bonding layer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the bonding temperature is in a range from about 240 degrees Celsius to about 300 degrees Celsius. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the bonding pressure is a force being about 1 MPa to about 2 MPa per unit area or below in order to press the first and second semiconductor substrates against each other. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the alloy of Cu3Sn is performed until the tin of the tin bonding layer is substantially fully consumed. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first bonding mesa after the etching the sensing substrate includes a first width adjacent the first copper bonding layer and the tin bonding layer and a second width at a second region, the second width greater than the first width. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing a dielectric layer between the first semiconductor substrate and the sensing substrate; and wherein the etching the sensing substrate to the second depth exposes the dielectric layer. ### Claim 7 A packaging method, comprising: providing a first semiconductor substrate; forming a bonding region on the first semiconductor substrate, wherein the bonding region of the first semiconductor substrate includes a first bonding metal layer including copper (Cu), wherein the bonding region includes an upper region including the first bonding metal layer having a first width and a lower region having a second width, the second width greater than the first width; providing a second semiconductor substrate having a dielectric layer having an opening exposing a bonding region, wherein the bonding region of the second semiconductor substrate includes a second bonding metal layer including copper (Cu), wherein the opening has a third width greater than the second width; after forming the bonding region on the first semiconductor substrate and providing the second semiconductor substrate having the bonding region, bonding the bonding region of the first semiconductor substrate with the bonding region of the second semiconductor substrate providing the upper region of the bonding region of the first semiconductor substrate within the opening such that sidewalls of the upper region of the bonding region do not contact sidewalls of the opening, wherein the bonding includes: applying a bonding temperature and a pressing force being about 1 MPa to about 2 MPa per unit area or below in order to press the first and second semiconductor substrates against each other, wherein the bonding temperature and the pressing force create an alloy of Cu3Sn by reacting Cu of the first bonding metal layer and Cu of the second bonding metal layer with an ancillary bonding metal of Tin (Sn). ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the bonding temperature is in a range from about 240 degrees Celsius to about 300 degrees Celsius. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: reacting forms Cu3Sn until the Sn of the ancillary bonding metal is substantially fully consumed. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the bonding of the bonding region of the first semiconductor substrate with the bonding region of the second semiconductor substrate by utilizing the ancillary bonding metal comprises: applying the ancillary bonding metal on the first bonding metal layer before the bonding. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the bonding of the bonding region of the first semiconductor substrate with the bonding region of the second semiconductor substrate by utilizing the ancillary bonding metal comprises: applying the ancillary bonding metal on the second bonding metal layer before the bonding. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the formation of the bonding region on the first semiconductor substrate comprises: depositing the first bonding metal layer over the first semiconductor substrate; and etching a portion of the first bonding metal layer to form the upper region of the bonding region having the first width; and after etching the portion of the first bonding metal layer, etching a layer over the first semiconductor substrate and under the first bonding metal layer to form a lower portion of the bonding region having the second width. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the etching the layer over the first semiconductor substrate forms a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) structure. ### Claim 14 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the second semiconductor substrate includes an opening in a dielectric layer formed over a surface of the second semiconductor substrate thereof, and a metal layer in the second semiconductor substrate is exposed at a bottom of through the opening to form the bonding region of the second semiconductor substrate. ### Claim 15 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the first semiconductor substrate includes a sensing substrate, wherein the before the bonding a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) device is etched in the sensing substrate. ### Claim 16 A method of fabricating a semiconductor device packaging structure, the method comprising: providing a first semiconductor substrate having a first bonding region thereon, wherein providing the first bonding region includes: depositing a copper layer over the first semiconductor substrate; depositing a tin (Sn) layer directly on the copper layer; and performing a first patterning process and a first etching process on the copper layer and the Sn layer to form an upper portion of the first bonding region having a stack of the copper and Sn with substantially aligned sidewalls over the first semiconductor substrate; performing a second patterning process and a second etching process to form a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) device on the first semiconductor substrate, wherein the second patterning process and the second etching process includes forming a lower portion of the first bonding region below the upper portion of the first bonding region, the lower portion having a greater width than the upper portion; providing a second semiconductor substrate having a second bonding region thereon; bonding the first bonding region with the second bonding region to form a bonding interface including Cu3Sn by applying a bonding temperature and a bonding pressure to the first semiconductor substrate and the copper layer and the Sn while pressing the Sn to the second bonding region to react the copper layer, the tin layer, and the second bonding region; and removing a portion of the first semiconductor substrate to expose a bonding pad region disposed over the second semiconductor substrate after bonding the first bonding region with the second bonding region to form the bonding interface including Cu3Sn. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the second bonding region is another copper layer. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising patterning the first semiconductor substrate to form a trench that extends from a first side of the first semiconductor substrate to an opposing second side of the first semiconductor substrate after bonding the first bonding region with the second bonding region to form a bonding interface including Cu3Sn. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the second bonding region is part of an interconnect structure disposed over the second semiconductor substrate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein providing the second semiconductor substrate having the second bonding region includes: providing a top metal layer of an interconnect structure; forming a dielectric layer over the top metal layer having a plurality of openings exposing the top metal layer; defining the second bonding region at a bottom of at least one of the plurality of openings.