Method for improving adhesion
AssigneeLexmark International, Inc.
InventorsJames Michael Mrvos, Carl Edmond Sullivan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides a method for improving adhesion between a polymeric planarizing film and a semiconductor chip surface. The method includes deposition resistive, conductive and/or insulative materials to a seimconductor chip surface to provide a semiconductor chip for an ink jet printer. The chip surface is treated with a dry etch process under an oxygen atmosphere for a period of time and under conditions sufficient to activate the surface of the chip. A polymeric planarizing film is applied to the activated surface of the semiconductor chip. As a result of the dry etch process, adhesion of the planarizing film is increased over adhesion between the planarizing film and a semiconductor surface in the absence of the dry etch treatment of the chip surface.
Claims18
A method for improving adhesion of a polymeric planarizing film to a semiconductor chip wafer surface, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a semiconductor chip wafer surface;
- depositing conductive, resistive and/or insulative materials to the semiconductor chip wafer surface and patterning the materials to define a wafer surface containing active devices thereon,
- treating the wafer surface containing active devices thereon with a dry etch process under an oxygen atmosphere for a period of time and under conditions sufficient to substantially activate the surface of the wafer, and
- applying a polymeric planarizing film to the activated surface of the wafer, whereby adhesion between the planarizing film and the activated wafer surface is increased as compared to adhesion between a planarizing film and a wafer surface in the absence of the dry etch treatment of the wafer surface.
A method for making an ink jet printer printhead, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing an ink jet semiconductor chip having a device surface containing resistive, conductive and insulative layers deposited and patterned thereon,
- activating at least a portion of the device surface of the chip using a dry etch process selected from reactive ion etching and inductively coupled plasma etching,
- applying a planarizing film to the activated surface,
- applying a nozzle plate to the semiconductor chip to provide a nozzle plate/chip structure,
- connecting a flexible circuit or tape automated bonding (TAB) circuit to the nozzle plate/chip structure, and
- adhesively attaching the nozzle plate/chip structure and circuit to a printhead body to provide the ink jet printer printhead.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.