US 7,193,423 B1Granted

Wafer-to-wafer alignments

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsTimothy Joseph Dalton, Jeffrey Peter Gambino, Mark David Jaffe, Stephen Ellinwood Luce, Edmund Juris Sprogis

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Abstract

Structures for aligning wafers and methods for operating the same. The structure includes (a) a first semiconductor wafer including a first capacitive coupling structure, and (b) a second semiconductor wafer including a second capacitive coupling structure. The first and second semiconductor wafers are in direct physical contact with each other via a common surface. If the first and second semiconductor wafers are moved with respect to each other by a first displacement distance of 1 nm in a first direction while the first and second semiconductor wafers are in direct physical contact with each other via the common surface, then a change of at least 10−18 F in capacitance of a first capacitor comprising the first and second capacitive coupling structures results. The first direction is essentially parallel to the common surface.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A wafer alignment method, comprising:

providing a structure which includes (a) a first semiconductor wafer comprising a first capacitive coupling structure, and (b) a second semiconductor wafer comprising a second capacitive coupling structure;
measuring a capacitance of a first capacitor comprising the first and second capacitive coupling structures;
and
moving the first and second semiconductor wafers with respect to each other in a first direction while the first and second semiconductor wafers are in direct physical contact with each other via a common surface, until the first capacitor has a first maximum capacitance as measured in said measuring the capacitance of the first capacitor, wherein the first direction is essentially parallel to the common surface, wherein said moving the first and second semiconductor wafers comprises:
using a stepping motor to move the first semiconductor wafer with respect to the second wafer in equal steps through a plurality of relative positions;
using a processor to collect capacitances of the first capacitor at the plurality of relative positions;
generating a fitting curve fitted to said collected capacitances verses relative position of the plurality of relative positions if there are two consecutive capacitance drops in said collected capacitances;
determining a maximum point of the fitting curve;
and
using the stepping motor to move the first semiconductor wafer to a relative position of the plurality of relative positions that is closest to a relative position associated with the maximum point.

7 more elements

A wafer alignment method, comprising:

providing a structure which includes (a) a first semiconductor wafer comprising first and third capacitive coupling structures and (b) a second semiconductor wafer comprising second and fourth capacitive coupling structures,
wherein each capacitive coupling structure of the first and second capacitive coupling structures comprises M capacitive coupling fingers of a first finger width, M being an integer greater than 1,
wherein each capacitive coupling structure of the third and fourth capacitive coupling structures comprises N capacitive coupling fingers of a second finger width, N being an integer greater than 1, and
wherein the first finger width is at least twice the second finger width;
measuring a capacitance of a first capacitor comprising the first and second capacitive coupling structures;
moving the first and second semiconductor wafers with respect to each other in a first direction while the first and second semiconductor wafers are in direct physical contact with each other via a common surface, until the first capacitor has a first maximum capacitance as measured in said measuring the capacitance of the first capacitor, wherein the first direction is essentially parallel to the common surface;
measuring a capacitance of a second capacitor comprising the third and fourth capacitive coupling structures;
and
after said moving the first and second semiconductor wafers until the first capacitor has the first maximum capacitance, moving the first and second semiconductor wafers with respect to each other in the first direction while the first and second semiconductor wafers are in direct physical contact with each other via the common surface, until the second capacitor has a second maximum capacitance as measured in said measuring the capacitance of the second capacitor.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.