ZIPTRONIX DIRECT BOND INTERCONNECT (DBI®) TECHNOLOGY DELIVERS
LOWEST COST 3D IC INTEGRATION
Low temperature process employs nickel for reliable bonding without compression…
October 22, 2008
MORRISVILLE, N.C. – Providing the semiconductor industry with a long sought-after solution to the challenge of economical 3D integration of advanced semiconductors, Ziptronix has unveiled technical details of its patented Direct Bond Interconnect (DBI®) technology, which enables reliable, repeatable, low cost wafer-to-wafer or chip-to-wafer bonding without the need for high temperature compression techniques that can lower yields and raise processing costs.
Ziptronix, Inc., based in Research Triangle Park, NC, is a leader in IP for innovative 3D integration technology for advanced CMOS ICs, with established patent protection for its ZiBond™ low temperature covalent bonding (US Patent 7,387,944) and DBI® direct bond interconnect (US Patent 6,962,835) technologies.
According to Ziptronix CEO Dan Donabedian, a consensus is emerging in the semiconductor industry that a low cost, high throughput, reliable bonding process is necessary to make 3D IC integration a mainstream technology. “While several different bonding schemes have been developed, through silicon vias (TSVs) are clearly going to be part of any large-scale 3D IC process; and the advantages of metal-to-metal bonding technologies have been well-established,” Donabedian explained. “What Ziptronix provides is the final part of the equation – a high throughput, low temperature oxide bond technology that achieves a metal connection without requiring a low throughput, high temperature thermal compression.”
According to a recent study by Yolé Development, an independent semiconductor research analyst firm, the Ziptronix DBI® process was the lowest cost bonding technique when compared to Cu-CuTC (copper-to-copper thermal compression) and adhesive technology. In their revised study results, Yolé concluded that for a typical fab running 500,000 300mm wafers per year using 1 x 20µ vias, the bonding costs per wafer level (including CMP) were: $57 for Cu-Cu; $22 for adhesive; and just $12 for the Ziptronix DBI® technology.
A key feature in the Ziptronix technology is the ability to use nickel as a DBI® metal that reliably interconnects to copper, tungsten or aluminum TSVs, while providing for adequate planarity of the oxide/metal interface to achieve a strong, reliable bond. This process supports both backside and frontside interconnects, and resolves the fundamental problem of non-planar surface depression (dishing), that typically occurs with copper.
By chemically modifying the surface oxide with patented ZiBond™ technology, Ziptronix enables the formation of a strong, reliable oxide bond at a much lower temperature.
Another key element in achieving the lower cost bonding is the elimination of the need for compression of the bonded wafers during the interconnect phase. The bonded wafers can be batch-processed at <300°C without compression to complete both the electrical connection at the Ni-to-Ni interface, as well as form a reliable metallic bond. Because the bonding process can be achieved using standard pick-and-place tools, there is minimal capital expenditure required to implement the Ziptronix process.
The Ziptronix DBI® process can be implemented for face-to-face or back-to-face configurations in wafer-to-wafer or chip-to-wafer formats to achieve high density 3D interconnects (up to 108/cm2) and is scalable to sub 1-micron pitch with improved alignment and placement tools. Ziptronix has demonstrated 3-micron and 1.5-micron pitch interconnects using existing alignment tools.
The Ziptronix 3D IC technology is available for license to OEMs/IDMs, such as manufacturers of high-performance imaging systems and sensor arrays, mobile electronics, consumer electronics and portable gaming systems; to foundries seeking to implement TSV technology and to OSATs (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly & Test) vendors.
For more information about DBI® technology for 3D IC integration, contact Ziptronix at info@ziptronix.com or call 919-459-2400.
About Ziptronix
Ziptronix is a pioneer in the development of low temperature oxide bonding technology for advanced semiconductor applications. Founded in October 2000, Ziptronix was spun out from North Carolina’s RTI International for the purpose of commercializing their revolutionary wafer and die bonding (ZiBond™) and interconnect (DBI®) technologies. The company has an extensive worldwide patent portfolio covering the fundamental concepts behind economical low temperature oxide bonding.
Ziptronix technology provides the lowest cost solution for low temperature wafer-to-wafer and die-to-wafer bonding, delivering significant advantages in size reduction, lower production costs, lower power consumption and increased system performance.
Ziptronix licenses its technology to customers across the entire semiconductor manufacturing supply chain – OEMs/IDMs, foundries, semiconductor equipment manufacturers and OSATs – to enable them to quickly implement reliable, economical 3D IC integration using standard processing equipment.
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