# US 11,443,965 B2 · Wafer to wafer bonding apparatuses > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,443,965 B2 - Document ID: US11443965B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/747,783 - Filed: 2020-01-21 - Published: 2021-01-07 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2019-07-02 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Kyeongbin Lim; Hyeonjun Yun; Gwanghee Jo; Jewon Lee; Minsoo Han; Junhyung Kim; Seungdae Seok - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11443965B2 ## CPC - H10P 72/0428: {Apparatus for mechanical treatment or grinding or cutting} - H10P 72/0604: {Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring} - H10P 72/0606: {Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection} - H10P 72/78: using vacuum or suction, e.g. Bernoulli chucks - H10P 90/1914: {using bonding} - H10P 10/12: {Bonding of semiconductor wafers or semiconductor substrates to semiconductor wafers or semiconductor substrates (preparing SOI wafers using bonding H10P90/1914)} - H10W 72/019: {of bond pads} - H10W 72/0198: {batch processes} - H10W 72/071: {Connecting or disconnecting} - H10W 72/07118: {Means for cleaning, e.g. brushes} - H10W 72/07173: {Means for moving chips, wafers or other parts, e.g. conveyor belts} - H10W 72/07178: {Means for aligning} - H10W 72/07183: {Means for monitoring} - H10W 80/011: {Manufacture or treatment of pads or other interconnections to be direct bonded} - H10W 80/016: {Cleaning} - H10W 80/163: {using active alignment, e.g. detecting marks and correcting position} - H10W 80/301: {Bonding techniques, e.g. hybrid bonding} - 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 ## Abstract A wafer bonding apparatus includes lower and upper stages, lower and upper push rods, a position detection sensor, and processing circuitry. The stages may vacuum suction respective wafers on respective surfaces of the stages based on a vacuum pressure being supplied to respective suction holes in the respective surfaces from a vacuum pump. The push rods are movable through respective center holes in the stages to apply pressure to respective middle regions of the respective wafers. The position detection sensor may generate information indicating a bonding propagation position of the wafers based on detecting at least one wafer through a detection hole in at least one stage. The processing circuitry may process the information to detect the bonding propagation position and cause a change of at least one of a ratio of protruding lengths of the push rods, or a ratio of suction areas of the stages. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A wafer bonding apparatus, comprising: a vacuum pump; a lower stage having a first surface and including a plurality of first suction holes in the first surface, wherein the lower stage is configured to vacuum suction a first wafer on the first surface based on a vacuum pressure being supplied to the plurality of first suction holes from the vacuum pump; an upper stage having a second surface and including a plurality of second suction holes in the second surface, wherein the upper stage is configured to vacuum suction a second wafer on the second surface based on the vacuum pressure being supplied to the plurality of second suction holes from the vacuum pump; a lower push rod movable through a first center hole in a middle portion of the lower stage to contact and apply pressure to a middle region of the first wafer that overlaps with the first center hole; an upper push rod movable through a second center hole in a middle portion of the upper stage to contact and apply pressure to a middle region of the second wafer that overlaps with the second center hole; a position detection sensor configured to generate wafer position information indicating a bonding propagation position of the first wafer and the second wafer based on detecting at least one of the first wafer or the second wafer through a detection hole in at least one stage of the lower stage or the upper stage; a stage driver configured to cause the lower stage and the upper stage to move in relation to each other; a push rod driver configured to move the lower push rod and the upper push rod in a vertical direction; a wherein the vacuum pump is configured to selectively supply the vacuum pressure to both the first suction holes and the second suction holes; and processing circuitry configured to control operations of the stage driver, the push rod driver, and the vacuum pump, the processing circuitry further configured to process the wafer position information to detect the bonding propagation position, the processing circuitry further configured to cause a change, according to the bonding propagation position, of at least one of a ratio of protruding lengths of the lower push rod and the upper push rod, or a ratio of suction areas of the upper stage and the lower stage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the ratio of the protruding lengths of the lower push rod and the upper push rod to increase over time according to the bonding propagation position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the ratio of the protruding lengths of the lower push rod and the upper push rod to increase over time according to the bonding propagation position such that at a bonding initial time, the protruding length of the lower push rod is less than the protruding length of the upper push rod, and at a bonding propagation time that is subsequent to the bonding initial time, the protruding length of the lower push rod is equal to or greater than the protruding length of the upper push rod. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position detection sensor includes a vision camera. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detection hole is positioned within a range between 0.25 R to 0.75 R of a radius (R) from a center of the upper stage to an outer edge of the upper stage or from a center of the lower stage to an outer edge of the lower stage. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the ratio of the suction areas of the upper stage and the lower stage over time according to the bonding propagation position. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the ratio of the suction areas of the upper stage and the lower stage to decrease over time according to the bonding propagation position such that at a bonding initial time, a first suction area is formed in a peripheral region of the upper stage and a second suction area having an area that is less than the first suction area is formed in a peripheral region of the lower stage, and at a bonding propagation time that is subsequent to the bonding initial time, a third suction area having an area that is equal to or less than the second suction area is formed in the peripheral region of the upper stage and a fourth suction area having an area that is equal to the second suction area is formed in the peripheral region of the lower stage. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause a distance between the lower stage and the upper stage to change according to the bonding propagation position. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the distance between the lower stage and the upper stage to change over time according to the bonding propagation position. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first suction holes extend annularly around a center of the lower stage and are at least 0.8 R of a radius (R) from the center of the lower stage to an outer edge of the lower stage, and the second suction holes extend annularly around a center of the upper stage and are at least 0.8 R of a radius (R) from the center of the upper stage to an outer edge of the upper stage. ### Claim 11 A wafer bonding apparatus, comprising: a lower stage having a first surface and including a plurality of first suction holes in the first surface, wherein the lower stage is configured to vacuum suction a first wafer on the first surface based on a vacuum pressure being supplied to the plurality of first suction holes from a vacuum pump; an upper stage having a second surface and including a plurality of second suction holes in the second surface, wherein the upper stage is configured to vacuum suction a second wafer on the second surface based on the vacuum pressure being supplied to the plurality of second suction holes from the vacuum pump; a lower push rod movable through a first center hole in a middle portion of the lower stage to contact and apply pressure to a middle region of the first wafer that overlaps with the first center hole; an upper push rod movable through a second center hole in a middle portion of the upper stage to contact and apply pressure to a middle region of the second wafer that overlaps with the second center hole; a position detection sensor configured to generate wafer position information indicating a bonding propagation position of the first wafer and the second wafer based on detecting at least one of the first wafer or the second wafer through a detection hole in at least one stage of the lower stage or the upper stage; and a processing circuitry configured to process the wafer position information to detect the bonding propagation position, the processing circuitry further configured to cause a change, according to the bonding propagation position, of at least one of a ratio of protruding lengths of the lower push rod and the upper push rod, or a ratio of suction areas of the upper stage and the lower stage, wherein the detection hole is positioned within a range between 0.25 R to 0.75 R of a radius (R) from a center of the upper stage to an outer edge of the upper stage or from a center of the lower stage to an outer edge of the lower stage. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 11, further comprising: a lower push rod driver configured to move the lower push rod according to a control signal generated by the processing circuitry; and an upper push rod driver configured to move the upper push rod according to a separate control signal generated by the processing circuitry. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the ratio of the protruding lengths of the lower push rod and the upper push rod to increase over time according to the bonding propagation position. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the protruding length of the lower push rod and the protruding length of the upper push rod such that, at a bonding initial time, the protruding length of the lower push rod is less than the protruding length of the upper push rod, and at a bonding terminated time that is subsequent to the bonding initial time, the protruding length of the lower push rod is identical to or greater than the protruding length of the upper push rod. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 11, wherein the position detection sensor includes a vision camera. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the ratio of the suction areas of the upper stage and the lower stage to decrease over time according to the bonding propagation position. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the ratio of the suction areas of the upper stage and the lower stage to decrease over time according to the bonding propagation position such that at a bonding initial time, a first suction area is formed in a peripheral region of the upper stage and a second suction area having an area that is less than the first suction area is formed in a peripheral region of the lower stage, and at a bonding propagation time that is subsequent to the bonding initial time, a third suction area having an area that is equal to or less than the second suction area is formed in the peripheral region of the upper stage and a fourth suction area having an area that is equal to the second suction area is formed in the peripheral region of the lower stage. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause a distance between the lower stage and the upper stage to change according to the bonding propagation position. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the distance between the lower stage and the upper stage to change over time according to the bonding propagation position. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The wafer bonding apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first suction holes extend annularly around the center of the lower stage and are at least 0.8 R of a radius (R) from the center of the lower stage to the outer edge of the lower stage, and the second suction holes extend annularly around the center of the upper stage and are at least 0.8 R of a radius (R) from the center of the upper stage to the outer edge of the upper stage.