Adhesive bonding
Ville Liimatainen05.03.2013
Contents
• Introduction– Adhesive bonding– Process overview– Main features
• Polymer adhesives
• Adhesive bonding technology• Bond characterization
• Applications
• Conclusion
Adhesive bonding
• An intermediate adhesive layer is used to bond two surfaces
• Successfully used in many industries– Cars– Airplanes– Space shuttles
• Initially not significant in semiconductor wafer bonding research– Small bonding areas (chip-level bonding)
• An established wafer bonding method nowadays
Process overview
1. Polymer adhesive applied to one or both surfaces
2. Pressure applied to force the surfaces into close contact
3. Adhesive cured from liquid or viscoelastic state into solid state– UV, heat, pressure...
Main features• Bonding conditions
– From RT to ~400°C– Low to moderate bonding pressure
• Pros and cons+ Low bonding temperature+ Works with practically any materials+ Comparably simple, robust, low-cost- No hermetic bonds- Limited temperature stability- Long-term stability in harsh environments?
• Applications– MEMS– Sensor packaging– 3D IC– Temporary bonds
Polymer adhesivesPolymers are large molecules consisting of linked small molecules (monomers)
• Hardening– Solvent evaporation (drying adhesives)– Solidification upon cooling (hot melts)– Polymerization by chemical reactions (polymer
precursors)• Mixing of two components, heat, light, moisture...
• Deposition on wafer surfaces– Spin coating, spray coating, electrodeposition,
stamping, screen printing, brushing, dispensing– CVD (thin films), lamination of films or sheets
• Selection for wafer bonding– Compatibility– Physical properties: mechanical and thermal stability,
creep strength– Chemical resistance, chemical stability
Epoxies
UV epoxies (e.g. SU8)
Positive and negative photoresists
Benzocyclobutene (BCB)
Flare
Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)
Fluoropolymers
Polyimides
Methylsilsesquioxane (MSSQ)
Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
Thermosetting copolyesters (ATSP)
Thermoplastic copolymers (PVDC)
Parylene
Liquid-crystal polymers (LCP)
Waxes
Adhesive bonding technology
• Tools– Wafer bonders– Substrate lamination tools
• For temporary bonding, CMP, grinding
– Die bonders• For packaging
• Alignment techniques– Back-side alignment,
SmartView, IR, transparent wafer, through-wafer holes etc.
Wafer bonder schematic
Substrate lamination tool schematic
Schematic of the ITEC die bonder principle(NXP Semiconductors)
Adhesive bonding processes• SU-8 and BCB widely established adhesives for
MEMS and electronic component production
• Example process: Benzocyclobutene (BCB)1. Clean the wafers (e.g. H2O2 + H2SO4 or oxygen
plasma)
2. Apply adhesion promoter (spin-coat, spray-coat)
3. Deposit BCB by spin or spray coating (usually 1 – 50µm)
4. Softbake, pattern and dry etch the BCB or Expose and develop
5. Soft curing to remove solvents and volatile substances (< 300°C, ambient air)
6. Bonding in a vacuum chambera. Establish vacuumb. Bring the surfaces in contactc. Apply bonding pressure and heat (180 - 320°C, 30
to 240 minutes)d. Chamber purge, cool down, release pressure
Bond characterization
• Wafer bond quality– Defect rate– Bond strength– Stresses– Hermeticity– Stability
• Common techniques– Bond interface imaging– Bond strength measurement– Bond hermeticity measurement
acoustic imaging
IR imaging
SEM imaging
Applications
• Fabrication of 3D ICs• Integration of ICs with MEMS• Fabrication of microcavities
for packaging• Thin film solar cells• RF components• BioMEMS
3D integrated circuits
Thin film and device transfer for MEMS/IC integration
Thin film solar cells
Microcavities for packaging Hydrophobic valves
Conclusion• Adhesive bonding is an established method
for MEMS, ICs, their integration and packaging• Advantages
– Low bonding temperature < 200°C– Applicable to various wafer materials and structures– Wide selection of adhesives adjusted for MEMS and
electronic components available– Compensation of surface non-uniformities and
contamination– No electric voltage or current involved– Chemical resistance– Simple and low-cost process
• Drawbacks– No hermetic sealing (possible with a diffusion
barrier)– Limited temperature stability– Limited long-term stability in harsh environments– Variance of the gap between the bonded surfaces– (Relatively) low bond strengths