Imec Vzw

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Ku Leuven R&d

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Dcg Systems Gmbh

Imec

Ingrid De Wolf

Eric Beyne

Herve Deslandes

Prasad Sabbineni

Vikas Dubey

Rudolf Schlangen

Antoine Reverdy

Xavier Rottenberg

Philippe Soussan

Jaber Derakhshandeh

Giovanni Capuz

Lin Hou

Kristof J P Jacobs

Piotr Czarnecki

Mahmoud Rasras

A method is disclosed for electrically bonding a first semiconductor component to a second semiconductor component, both components including arrays of contact areas. In one aspect, prior to bonding, layers of an intermetallic compound are formed on the contact areas of the second component. The roughness of the intermetallic layers is such that the intermetallic layers include cavities suitable for insertion of a solder material in the cavities, under the application of a bonding pressure, when the solder is at a temperature below its melting temperature. The components are aligned and bonded, while the solder material is applied between the two. Bonding takes place at a temperature below the melting temperature of the solder. The bond can be established only by the insertion of the solder into the cavities of the intermetallic layers, and without the formation of a second intermetallic layer.

Method for the electrical bonding of semiconductor components

The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor characterization, and more particularly to detecting manufacturing defects in semiconductor regions. In one aspect, a non-destructive method of detecting a manufacturing defect in a semiconductor device includes providing a semiconductor device comprising an electrically isolated conductive via formed in a semiconductor region. The method additionally includes locally heating to cause a temperature change in a volume of the semiconductor region from a first temperature to a second temperature. The method additionally includes applying an electrical bias between the conductive via and the semiconductor region to form a temperature-dependent depletion region in the semiconductor region. The method additionally includes measuring a first capacitance value and a second capacitance value between the conductive via and the semiconductor region corresponding to the first temperature and the second temperature, respectively, of the volume of the semiconductor region. The method further includes detecting the manufacturing defect based on a difference between the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value.

Method of detecting manufacturing defects by thermal stimulation

Alignment of a first micro-electronic component to a receiving surface of a second micro-electronic component is realized by a capillary force-induced self-alignment, combined with an electrostatic alignment. The latter is accomplished by providing at least one first electrical conductor line along the periphery of the first component, and at least one second electrical conductor along the periphery of the location on the receiving surface of the second component onto which the component is to be placed. The contact areas surrounded by the conductor lines are covered with a wetting layer. The electrical conductor lines may be embedded in a strip of anti-wetting material that runs along the peripheries to create a wettability contrast. The wettability contrast helps to maintain a drop of alignment liquid between the contact areas so as to obtain self-alignment by capillary force. By applying appropriate charges on the conductor lines, electrostatic self-alignment is realized, which improves the alignment obtained through capillary force and maintains the alignment during evaporation of the liquid.

Method for aligning micro-electronic components

Controlled amount of heat is injected into a stacked die using a light beam, and the propagated heat is measuring with LIT camera from the other side of the die. The thermal image obtained can be characterized so that it can be used to calibrate the phase shift from a given stack layer, or can be used to identify defects in the stacked die. The process can be repeated for each die in the stack to generate a reference for future testing. The thermal image can be investigated to detect faults, such as voids in vias, e.g., TSV.

Lock in thermal laser stimulation through one side of the device while acquiring lock-in thermal emission images on the opposite side

An electrostatically actuatable micro electromechanical device is provided with enhanced reliability and lifetime. The electrostatically actuatable micro electromechanical device comprises: a substrate, a first conductor fixed to the top layer of the substrate, forming a fixed electrode, a second conductor fixed to the top layer of the substrate, and a substrate area. The second conductor is electrically isolated from the first conductor and comprises a moveable portion, suspended at a predetermined distance above the first conductor, the moveable portion forming a moveable electrode which approaches the fixed electrode upon applying an actuation voltage between the first and second conductors. The selected substrate surface area is defined as the orthogonal projection of the moveable portion on the substrate between the first and second conductors. In the substrate surface area at least one recess is provided in at least the top layer of the substrate.

Method for reducing substrate charging

A photon-emission microscope method and system are described which allow both emission spot localization and continuous spectral analysis of the emited light from the emission spot of a biased electronic circuit. The system includes an emission microscope, a detector and an in-line, direct vision, chromatically dispersing prismatic device. The microscope system advantageously uses only one detector which does not need to be moved to be able to detect both the localization and spectral images. In a particular embodiment, localization of emission spots may be performed using monochromatic light which allows sharp images of the electronic circuit despite the fact that the electronic circuit is viewed through the dispersing device. Further, an improved procedure is described for overcoming errors caused by saturation of the detector at high sensitivities.

Emission microscope and method for continuous wavelength spectroscopy

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Leuven, Belgium

Ingrid De Wolf