Protection of reactive metal surfaces of semiconductor devices during shipping by providing an additional protection layer
AssigneeGlobalfoundries Inc.
InventorsMatthias Lehr, Joerg Hohage, Andreas Ott
Life of this patent
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Abstract
When forming complex metallization systems on the basis of copper, the very last metallization layer may receive contact regions on the basis of copper, the surface of which may be passivated on the basis of a dedicated protection layer, which may thus allow the patterning of the passivation layer stack prior to shipping the device to a remote manufacturing site. Hence, the protected contact surface may be efficiently re-exposed in the remote manufacturing site on the basis of an efficient non-masked wet chemical etch process.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- forming a final metallization layer of a metallization system of a semiconductor device in a first manufacturing environment, said metallization system being formed above a substrate comprising a plurality of die regions, said final metallization layer comprising contact regions having a copper-containing contact surface;
- forming a passivation layer stack above said final metallization layer;
- patterning said passivation layer stack so as to form an opening above a portion of said copper-containing contact surface of each of said contact regions;
- and
- forming a protection layer on at least said portion of said copper-containing contact surface of each of said contact regions prior to processing said semiconductor device in a second manufacturing environment that is remote from said first manufacturing environment.
A method, comprising:
- forming a metallization system of a semiconductor device on the basis of copper in a manufacturing environment, said metallization system comprising a final metallization layer comprising a plurality of metal contact regions;
- forming a protection layer on said final metallization layer;
- forming a passivation layer stack above said protection layer;
- and
- performing an etch process in said manufacturing environment so as to form an opening in said passivation layer stack above each of said plurality of metal contact regions without etching through said protection layer.
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a plurality of die regions formed on a carrier material, each of said die regions comprising a metallization system, said metallization system comprising a final metallization layer having a copper-based metal region including a copper-containing contact surface;
- a cap layer formed above said final metallization layer;
- a passivation layer stack formed above said cap layer and comprising an opening positioned above and aligned with a portion of said copper-containing contact surface;
- and
- a protection layer formed on said portion of said copper-containing contact surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.