Cu-Cu Thermocompression Bonding with a Self-Assembled Monolayer as Oxidation Protection for 3D/2.5D System Integration

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Maria Lykova - , Junior Professorship in Nanomaterials for Electronics Packaging, Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems (Author)
  • Iuliana Panchenko - , Junior Professorship in Nanomaterials for Electronics Packaging, Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration - All Silicon System Integration Dresden (IZM - ASSID) (Author)
  • Martin Schneider-Ramelow - , Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (Author)
  • Tadatomo Suga - , Meisei University, The University of Tokyo (Author)
  • Fengwen Mu - , The University of Tokyo, SABers Co., Ltd. (Author)
  • Roy Buschbeck - , TUD Dresden University of Technology, Chemnitz University of Technology (Author)

Abstract

Cu-Cu direct interconnects are highly desirable for the microelectronic industry as they allow for significant reductions in the size and spacing of microcontacts. The main challenge associated with using Cu is its tendency to rapidly oxidize in air. This research paper describes a method of Cu passivation using a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) to protect the surface against oxidation. However, this approach faces two main challenges: the degradation of the SAM at room temperature in the ambient atmosphere and the monolayer desorption technique prior to Cu-Cu bonding. In this paper, the systematic investigation of these challenges and their possible solutions are presented. The methods used in this study include thermocompression (TC) bonding, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), shear strength testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results indicate nearly no Cu oxidation (4 at.%) for samples with SAM passivation in contrast to the bare Cu surface (27 at.%) after the storage at −18 °C in a conventional freezer for three weeks. Significant improvement was observed in the TC bonding with SAM after storage. The mean shear strength of the passivated samples reached 65.5 MPa without storage. The average shear strength values before and after the storage tests were 43% greater for samples with SAM than for the bare Cu surface. In conclusion, this study shows that Cu-Cu bonding technology can be improved by using SAM as an oxidation inhibitor, leading to a higher interconnect quality.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number1365
Number of pages19
JournalMicromachines
Volume14
Issue number7
Publication statusPublished - 30 Jun 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85166217518
ORCID /0000-0001-8576-7611/work/165877217

Keywords

Keywords

  • Cu-Cu bonding, SAM, SAM desorption, self-assembled monolayers, thermocompression bonding