Patent EP0570321A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0570321A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Bonded wafer structure having a buried insulator layer
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1993-04-19
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2013-04-19
Abstract
Abstract A wafer structure and a method of making the same, upon which semiconductor devices may be formed, comprises first and second wafers. The first wafer (20) comprises a first substrate (24) having a thin oxide layer (26a) formed on a bottom surface thereof ; the said first substrate having a characteristic thermal expansion coefficient. The second wafer (22) comprises a second substrate (28) having an insulation layer (30) formed on a top surface thereof, the insulation layer having a characteristic thermal expansion coefficient substantially matched with the characteristic thermal expansion coefficient of the first substrate and further having a high thermal conductivity. The second wafer further comprises a thin oxide layer (26b) formed on a top surface of the insulation layer, wherein the first thin oxide layer of the first wafer is bonded to the second thin oxide layer of the second wafer, to form a typical bonded wafer structure (10) that can be advantageously used in the fabrication of high speed high density integrated circuits.
Inventors
- 👤 Klaus Dietrich Beyer
- 👤 Louis Lu-Chen Hsu
- 👤 Tsorng-Dih Yuan
- 👤 Chang-Ming Hsieh
- 👤 David Edward Kotecki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 15:58
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P90/00; H10P90/19; H10P90/1904; H10P90/1906; H10W; H10W10/00; H10W10/01; H10W10/061; H10W10/10; H10W10/181; H10P90/1914; H10W10/011; H10W10/014; H10W10/041; H10W10/17; H10W10/40; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/012; Y10S148/135
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
155 words
A wafer structure upon which semiconductor devices may subsequently be formed, said structure comprising: a) a first wafer comprising a first substrate having a first thin oxide layer formed on a bottom surface of the first substrate, the first substrate further having a characteristic thermal expansion coefficient; and b) a second wafer comprising a second substrate having an insulation layer deposited on a top surface of the second substrate, the insulation layer having a characteristic thermal expansion coefficient substantially matched with the characteristic thermal expansion coefficient of the first substrate of said first wafer, the insulation layer further having high thermal conductivity, said second wafer further having a second thin oxide layer formed on a top surface of the insulation layer, the second thin oxide layer further being planarized to a desired thickness, wherein the first thin oxide layer of said first wafer is bonded to the second thin oxide layer of said second wafer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
155 words
A wafer structure upon which semiconductor devices may subsequently be formed, said structure comprising: a) a first wafer comprising a first substrate having a first thin oxide layer formed on a bottom surface of the first substrate, the first substrate further having a characteristic thermal expansion coefficient; and b) a second wafer comprising a second substrate having an insulation layer deposited on a top surface of the second substrate, the insulation layer having a characteristic thermal expansion coefficient substantially matched with the characteristic thermal expansion coefficient of the first substrate of said first wafer, the insulation layer further having high thermal conductivity, said second wafer further having a second thin oxide layer formed on a top surface of the insulation layer, the second thin oxide layer further being planarized to a desired thickness, wherein the first thin oxide layer of said first wafer is bonded to the second thin oxide layer of said second wafer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
100 words
The wafer structure of claim 1 wherein said second wafer comprises: a second substrate having (i) an insulation layer deposited on a top surface of the second substrate, the insulation layer having a characteristic thermal expansion coefficient substantially matched with the characteristic thermal expansion coefficient of the first substrate of said first wafer, the insulation layer further having a high thermal conductivity, (ii) a buffer layer formed on a top surface of the insulation layer, the buffer layerfurther being planarized to a predetermined thickness, and (iii) a second thin oxide layer formed on a top surface of the buffer layer.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
A wafer structure according to claim 1, wherein: the first thin oxide layer of said first wafer comprises a thickness less than 0.05µm; the insulation layer of said second wafer comprises a thickness less than 1.0µm; and the second thin oxide layer of said second wafer comprises a thickness less than 0.05µm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The wafer structure of claim 1, or 3, wherein the substrate of said first wafer comprises a substrate thinned down to a predetermined thickness.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The wafer structure of claim 1, or 3, wherein the first substrate of said first wafer comprises a silicon substrate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The wafer structure of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the insulation layer of said second wafer comprises a diamond layer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The wafer structure of claim 6, wherein the diamond layer comprises a CVD diamond film layer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The wafer structure of claim 3, wherein the first thin oxide layer of said first wafer and the second thin oxide layer of said second wafer comprise silicon oxide layers.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The wafer structure of claim 2, wherein the buffer layer of said second wafer comprises a polycrystalline layer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
The wafer structure of claim 9, wherein the polycrystalline layer comprises polysilicon.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
The wafer structure of claim 11, wherein the buffer layer of said second wafer comprises amorphous silicon.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
The wafer structure of claim 2, wherein the first thin oxide layer of said first wafer and the second thin oxide layer of said second wafer comprise silicon oxide.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
65 words
A wafer structure according to claim 2, wherein: the first thin oxide layer of said first wafer comprises a thickness less than 0.05wm; the insulation layer of said second wafer comprises a thickness less than 1.0µm; the buffer layer of said second wafer comprises a thickness less than 0.1µm; and the second thin oxide layer of said second wafer comprises a thickness less than 0.05wm.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
119 words
A method of producing a wafer structure upon which semiconductor devices may subsequently be formed, said method comprising the steps of: a) forming a first thin oxide layer on a bottom surface of a first substrate, the first substrate having a characteristic thermal expansion coefficient; b) depositing an insulation layer on a top surface of a second substrate, the insulation layer having a characteristic thermal expansion coefficient substantially matched with the characteristic thermal expansion coefficient of the first substrate, c) forming a second thin oxide layer on a top surface of the insulation layer and planarizing the second thin oxide layer to a predetermined thickness; and d) bonding the first thin oxide layer to the second thin oxide layer.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
119 words
A method of producing a wafer structure upon which semiconductor devices may subsequently be formed, said method comprising the steps of: a) forming a first thin oxide layer on a bottom surface of a first substrate, the first substrate having a characteristic thermal expansion coefficient; b) depositing an insulation layer on a top surface of a second substrate, the insulation layer having a characteristic thermal expansion coefficient substantially matched with the characteristic thermal expansion coefficient of the first substrate, c) forming a second thin oxide layer on a top surface of the insulation layer and planarizing the second thin oxide layer to a predetermined thickness; and d) bonding the first thin oxide layer to the second thin oxide layer.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 14 wherein said insulation layer further has a high thermal conductivity.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 14 or 15 wherein step c) consists of: c1) forming a buffer layer on a top surface of the insulation layer and planarizing the buffer layer to a desired thickness; and, c2) forming a second thin oxide layer on a top surface of the buffer layer.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 14, 15 or 16, further comprising the step of: e) thinning the first substrate of said first wafer down to a desired thickness.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 14, 15 or 16, wherein said step of forming a first thin oxide layer on a first substrate comprises forming the first thin oxide layer on a silicon substrate.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 14, 15 or 16, wherein said step of depositing an insulation layer comprises depositing diamond.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method claim 19, wherein depositing diamond comprises depositing CVD diamond.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein: said step of forming a first thin oxide layer comprises forming silicon oxide; and said step of forming a second thin oxide layer comprises forming silicon oxide.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
72 words
The method of claim 14 or 15, further wherein: said step of forming a first thin oxide layer comprises forming a first thin oxide layer of a thickness less than 0.05µm; said step of depositing an insulation layer comprises depositing an insulation layer of a thickness less than 1.0µm; and said step of forming a second thin oxide layer comprises forming a second thin oxide layer of a thickness less than 0.05wm.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of to claim 16, wherein said step of forming a buffer layer comprises depositing a polycrystalline layer.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of to claim 23, wherein depositing the polycrystalline layer comprises depositing polysilicon.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 16, wherein said step of forming a buffer layer comprises depositing amorphous silicon.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 16, wherein: said step of forming a first thin oxide layer comprises forming silicon oxide; and said step of forming a second thin oxide layer comprises forming silicon oxide.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
88 words
The method of claim 16, further wherein: said step of forming a first thin oxide layer comprises forming a first thin oxide layer of a thickness less than 0.05µm; said step of depositing an insulation layer comprises depositing an insulation layer of a thickness less than 1.0µm; said step of forming a buffer layer comprises forming a buffer layer of a thickness less than 0.1µm; and said step of forming a second thin oxide layer comprises forming a second thin oxide layer of a thickness less than 0.05µm.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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