Abstract: In some embodiments, a circuit structure comprises a semiconductor substrate, an opening passing through the substrate between a first side of the substrate and a second side of the substrate, and a plurality of conductive layers in the opening. In some embodiments, one conductive layer provides an electromagnetic shield that shields the substrate from AC signals carried by a contact pad made from another conductive layer on a backside of the substrate. The conductive layers can also be used to form capacitor/rectifier networks. Manufacturing methods are also provided.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer is diced before thinning. The wafer is diced only part of the way through, to form grooves which are at least as deep as the final thickness of each chip to be obtained from the wafer. Then the wafer backside is etched with a dry etch, for example, atmospheric pressure plasma etch. The wafer is thinned until the grooves are exposed from the backside. The dry etch leaves the chip's backside smooth. After the grooves have been exposed, the dry etch is continued to remove damage from the chip sidewalls and to round the chips' bottom edges and corners. The grooves' aspect ratio is large to reduce the lateral etch rate of the chip sidewalls and thus allow more area for on-chip circuitry.

Abstract: A plasma apparatus separately measures multiple plasma jets upstream of where the plasma jets converge into a combined plasma stream. The separate plasma jets can be separately adjusted to place the separate jets in a configuration that provides the combined stream with desired properties for a plasma treatment. The system can include an injector for a neutral jet that becomes part of the combined plasma stream. With an injector, the positions of the plasma jets can be measured relative to the injector so that the plasma jets and the neutral jet are properly aligned to form a combine plasma stream having the properties desired.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a dynamic brake that applies restraining frictional force to a wafer in a wafer holder while the wafer holder is substantially at rest, but releases the restraining force as the processing carousel containing several wafer holders rotates about a central axis of the carousel. This dynamic brake preferably comprises a boot that passes through an opening in the wafer holder to rest on the surface of the wafer in an exclusion zone near the wafer's edge. The exclusion zone is typically no more than about 3 mm in extent. The frictional force between the boot and wafer is sufficient to prevent unwanted motion of the wafer in the holder. As the wafer holder rotates about a central axis of the processing carousel, centrifugal forces applied to the brake arising from such rotation cause the boot to pivot upward, releasing the frictional force on the wafer.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer is diced before thinning. The wafer is diced only part of the way through, to form grooves which are at least as deep as the final thickness of each chip to be obtained from the wafer. Then, the wafer is placed into a non-contact wafer holder, and the wafer backside is blanket etched with a dry etch, for example, atmospheric pressure plasma etch. The wafer is thinned until the grooves are exposed from the backside. The dry etch leaves the chip's backside smooth. After the grooves have been exposed, the dry etch is continued to remove damage from the chip sidewalls and to round the chips' bottom edges and coners. As a result, the chip becomes more reliable, and in particular more resistant to thermal and other stresses.

Abstract: A non-contact holder including one or more chucks holds a planar workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer, particularly a thin wafer. Each chuck in the holder includes a cavity that opens to a surface adjacent to the workpiece. A tangential orifice introduces a tangential gas flow into the cavity to create a vortex having a central, low-pressure region. A central orifice directs a gas flow into the low-pressure region of the vortex. The combination of gas flows creates a more uniform vacuum attraction holding a workpiece in close proximity to the chuck. The gas exiting from the chuck provides a cushion that prevents contact between wafer and chuck. Small diameter chucks located close to each other help avoid distortion when processing very thin workpieces. In addition to equalizing pressure, the central gas flow increases the angular spread of gas exiting from each chuck and thus simplifies the design of a holder providing a gas flow that inhibits entry of contaminants between the holder and the workpiece.

Abstract: A plasma apparatus separately measures multiple plasma jets upstream of where the plasma jets converge into a combined plasma stream. The separate plasma jets can be separately adjusted to place the separate jets in a configuration that provides the combined stream with desired properties for a plasma treatment. The system can include an injector for a neutral jet that becomes part of the combined plasma stream. With an injector, the positions of the plasma jets can be measured relative to the injector so that the plasma jets and the neutral jet are properly aligned to form a combine plasma stream having the properties desired.

Abstract: To fabricate back side contact pads that are suitable for use in a vertical integrated circuit, vias are made in the face side of a wafer, and dielectric and contact pad metal are deposited into the vias. Then the wafer back side is etched until the metal is exposed. When the etch exposes the insulator at the via bottoms, the insulator is etched slower than the wafer material (e.g. silicon). Therefore, when the dielectric is etched off and the metal is exposed, the dielectric protrudes down from the wafer back side around the exposed metal contact pads, by about 8 &mgr;m in some embodiments. The protruding dielectric portions improve insulation between the wafer and the contact pads when the contact pads are soldered to an underlying circuit. In some embodiments, before the contact pads are soldered, additional dielectric is grown on the wafer back side without covering the contact pads.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a dynamic brake that applies restraining frictional force to a wafer in a wafer holder while the wafer holder is substantially at rest, but releases the restraining force as the processing carousel containing several wafer holders rotates about a central axis of the carousel. This dynamic brake preferably comprises a boot that passes through an opening in the wafer holder to rest on the surface of the wafer in an exclusion zone near the wafer's edge. The exclusion zone is typically no more than about 3mm in extent. The frictional force between the boot and wafer is sufficient to prevent unwanted motion of the wafer in the holder. As the wafer holder rotates about a central axis of the processing carousel, centrifugal forces applied to the brake arising from such rotation cause the boot to pivot upward, releasing the frictional force on the wafer.

Abstract: A plasma apparatus separately measures multiple plasma jets upstream of where the plasma jets converge into a combined plasma stream. The separate plasma jets can be separately adjusted to place the separate jets in a configuration that provides the combined stream with desired properties for a plasma treatment. The system can include an injector for a neutral jet that becomes part of the combined plasma stream. With an injector, the positions of the plasma jets can be measured relative to the injector so that the plasma jets and the neutral jet are properly aligned to form a combine plasma stream having the properties desired.

Abstract: A first level packaging wafer is made of a semiconductor or insulating material. The bumps on the wafer are made using vertical integration technology, without solder or electroplating. More particularly, vias are etched part way into a first surface of the substrate. Metal is deposited into the vias. Then the substrate is blanket-etched from the back side until the metal is exposed and protrudes from the vias to form suitable bumps. Dicing methods and vertical integration methods are also provided. Solder or electroplating are used in some embodiments.

Abstract: To move an article in and out of plasma during plasma processing, the article is rotated by a first drive around a first axis, and the first drive is itself rotated by a second drive. As a result, the article enters the plasma at different angles for different positions of the first axis. The plasma cross-section at the level at which the plasma contacts the article is asymmetric so that those points on the article that move at a greater linear velocity (due to being farther from the first axis) move longer distances through the plasma. As a result, the plasma processing time becomes more uniform for different points on the article surface. In some embodiments, two shuttles are provided for loading and unloading the plasma processing system. One of the shuttles stands empty waiting to unload the processed articles from the system, while the other shuttle holds unprocessed articles waiting to load them into the system.

Abstract: To move an article in and out of plasma during plasma processing, the article is rotated by a first drive around a first axis, and the first drive is itself rotated by a second drive, so that the article enters the plasma at different angles for different positions of the first axis. The plasma cross-section at the level at which the plasma contacts the article is such that those points on the article that move at a greater linear velocity (due to being farther from the first axis) move longer distances through the plasma. As a result, the plasma processing time becomes more uniform for different points on the article surface. The direction of rotation of the first and/or second drive changes during processing to improve processing uniformity. The article is allowed to be processed with the plasma only during one-half of each revolution of the second drive.

Abstract: To move an article in and out of plasma during plasma processing, the article is rotated by a first drive around a first axis, and the first drive is itself rotated by a second drive, so that the article enters the plasma at different angles for different positions of the first axis. The plasma cross-section at the level at which the plasma contacts the article is such that those points on the article that move at a greater linear velocity (due to being farther from the first axis) move longer distances through the plasma. As a result, the plasma processing time becomes more uniform for different points on the article surface. The direction of rotation of the first and/or second drive changes during processing to improve processing uniformity. The article is allowed to be processed with the plasma only during one-half of each revolution of the second drive.