ORGANIC COATING TO INHIBIT SOLDER WETTING ON PILLAR SIDEWALLS
The present invention relates generally to and more particularly, to a method of fabricating a pillar interconnect structure with non-wettable sidewalls and the resulting structure. More specifically, the present invention may include exposing only the sidewalls of a pillar to an organic material that reacts with metal of the pillar to form an organo-metallic layer on sidewalls of the pillar. The organo-metallic layer may prevent solder from wetting on the sidewalls of the pillar during subsequent bonding/reflow processes.
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The present invention relates generally to semiconductor structures and methods of manufacture and, more particularly, to solder interconnect structures with non-wettable sidewalls and methods of manufacturing the same.
Copper pillars are a chip-to-chip interconnect technology used to enhance electromigration performance, to reduce the pitch of interconnects, and to provide for a larger gap, or standoff, between individual chips for underfill flow over conventional solder controlled collapse chip connections (C4 connections). In copper pillar technology, a small amount of solder is still required to connect and join the copper pillars of one chip to a pad of another chip or substrate. However, it is difficult to prevent the solder from wetting to the sidewalls of copper pillars. This sidewall wetting may reduce the gap or standoff, therefore limiting underfill flow between the one chip and the other chip or substrate. In addition, the sidewall wetting can sometimes lead to solder bridging or shorting between two adjacent copper pillars in tight pitch applications. Typically, the pitch between copper pillars must be increased to prevent or alleviate the bridging or shorting.
SUMMARYAccording to an embodiment, a method is disclosed. The method may include: forming an organic layer on a pillar, such that only an entire sidewall of the pillar is in direct contact with the organic layer; annealing the pillar and the organic layer, such that an organic material in the organic layer and a metal in the pillar react to form a non-wettable organo-metallic layer along the entire sidewall of the pillar; and removing the organic layer, such that the non-wettable organo-metallic layer remains on the entire sidewall of the pillar.
According to another embodiment, a method is disclosed. The method may include: forming a pillar structure on an underlying layer, the pillar structure having a pillar, a plate on an upper surface of the pillar, and a solder layer on the plate; forming an organic layer on the underlying layer surrounding the pillar structure, the organic layer in direct contact with an entire sidewall of the pillar and not in contact with the upper surface of the pillar; annealing the pillar structure and the organic layer, such that an organic material in the organic layer and a metal in the pillar react to form a non-wettable organo-metallic layer along the entire sidewall of the pillar; and removing the organic layer, such that the non-wettable organo-metallic layer remains on the entire sidewall of the pillar.
According to another embodiment, a structure is disclosed. The structure may include: a pillar on an underlying layer; a plate on the pillar; a solder layer on the plate, wherein the solder layer does not contact any portion of the pillar; and a non-wettable organo-metallic layer along an entire sidewall of the pillar.
The following detailed description, given by way of example and not intended to limit the invention solely thereto, will best be appreciated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which not all structures may be shown.
The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. The drawings are intended to depict only typical embodiments of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements.
Detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods are disclosed herein; however, it can be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the claimed structures and methods that may be embodied in various forms. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of this invention to those skilled in the art.
For purposes of the description hereinafter, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the disclosed structures and methods, as oriented in the drawing figures. It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, region, or substrate is referred to as being “on”, “over”, “beneath”, “below”, or “under” another element, it may be present on or below the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on”, “directly over”, “directly beneath”, “directly below”, or “directly contacting” another element, there may be no intervening elements present. Furthermore, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
In the interest of not obscuring the presentation of embodiments of the present invention, in the following detailed description, some processing steps or operations that are known in the art may have been combined together for presentation and for illustration purposes and in some instances may have not been described in detail. In other instances, some processing steps or operations that are known in the art may not be described at all. It should be understood that the following description is rather focused on the distinctive features or elements of various embodiments of the present invention.
The present invention relates to semiconductor structures and methods of manufacture and, more particularly, to pillar interconnect structures with non-wettable sidewalls and methods of manufacturing the same. More specifically, the present invention utilizes an organic material that reacts with metal of the pillar interconnect to form an organo-metallic layer on sidewalls of the pillar that does not wet solder during subsequent bonding/reflow processes. Embodiments by which to from a non-wettable organo-metallic layer on the sidewalls of a copper pillar are described below in detail with reference to
Referring now to
A conductive layer 104 may be deposited on the liner 102 using any conventional process, such as those listed above. In an embodiment, the conductive layer 104 may be composed of a conductive metal, such as, for example, nickel, copper, or alloys thereof. The conductive layer 104 may include a seed layer (not shown), deposited on the liner 102 first using any conventional process, such as those listed above. The seed layer may encourage the adhesion of the conductive layer 104 to the liner 102. The seed layer may be composed of a metal or metal alloy, such as, for example, titanium, titanium tungsten, or titanium tungsten chrome copper. In an embodiment, the conductive layer 104 may have a thickness T104 ranging from approximately 0.1 μm to 0.6 μm. Together, the substrate 116, the liner 102, and the conductive layer 104 may considered an underlying layer 118.
A photoresist material 106 may be deposited on the conductive layer 104 using any conventional deposition technique, such as those listed above. In an embodiment, the photoresist material 106 may be deposited, for example, using a dry film lamination technique or spin on liquid resist technique. The photoresist material 106 may then be subjected to a conventional lithographic and etching process selective to the conductive layer 104 (i.e., light exposure, development, and ashing) to form an opening (not shown). Thereafter, a pillar 108 may be formed in the opening and in contact with the conductive layer 104 by depositing a conductive material in the opening. In an embodiment, the conductive material may be copper or an alloy thereof. In another embodiment, a different metal/metal alloy may be used for the pillar 108 such as, for example, cobalt or nickel. Although other metals are contemplated by the invention, copper or copper alloys will be referred to hereinafter as the material used with the invention, but this should not be considered a limiting feature. The pillar 108 may have a bottom surface 120 in contact with the conductive layer 104. The pillar 108 may have a height H108 ranging from approximately 20 μm to approximately 60 μm.
Referring now to
Referring now to
In an embodiment, the solder layer 112 may be composed of more than one material, such as a lead-free alloy (e.g., gold, a tin/silver/copper alloy), a lead-containing alloy (e.g., a lead/tin alloy), copper, aluminum, a conductive polymer, or combinations thereof. In an embodiment, the solder layer 112 may be composed of multiple layers including, but not limited to, a lower adhesion layer (not shown), a middle layer (not shown), and a wettable upper layer (not shown). The lower adhesion layer may provide adhesion to the plate 110, and may also serve as a diffusion barrier. The lower adhesion layer may be composed of a conductive material, such as, but not limited to chromium, tantalum, tungsten, titanium, zirconium, and alloys and nitrides thereof. The middle layer may be solderable and may be composed of a conductive material such as, but not limited to, chromium, copper, aluminum, nickel, or alloys thereof. The wettable upper layer may allow for easy solder wetability and a fast reaction with solder. The wettable upper layer may be composed of a conductive material such as, but not limited to, copper.
Referring now to
After the pillar structure 100 is formed, a non-wettable organo-metallic layer may be formed on the sidewalls of the pillar to prevent solder from wetting on sidewalls of the pillar 108 during subsequent reflow/bonding steps. An embodiment by which to form this non-wettable organo-metallic layer is described in detail below by referring to the accompanying drawings
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The organo-metallic layer 402 may form on portions of the pillar sidewalls 114 that are in direct contact with the organic layer 302. It is contemplated that the organo-metallic layer 402 may cover a sufficient portion of the pillar sidewalls 114 to reduce the amount of solder bridging to an adjacent pillar structure. In an embodiment, the organo-metallic layer 402 may cover an entire length of the pillar sidewalls 114. In another embodiment, the organo-metallic layer 402 may only cover a portion of the pillar sidewalls 114.
Referring now to
Referring now to
In an embodiment, a conventional ashing process may be used to remove any trace organic material left on the solder layer 112 after stripping. The ashing process may include using a pressure ranging from approximately 20 mTorr to approximately 150 mTorr, a power ranging from approximately 400 W to approximately 3000 W and a gas flow of approximately 200 sccm to approximately 3000 sccm depending upon the gases used. It should be noted that the ashing technique may only remove the trace organic material from the solder layer 112, and may not affect the organo-metallic layer 402.
Referring now to
After the portion of the liner 102 is removed, an additional ashing process may be used to remove any trace remnants of the liner 102 from the substrate 116. The ashing process may include using a pressure ranging from approximately 20 mTorr to approximately 150 mTorr, a power ranging from approximately 400 W to approximately 3000 W and a gas flow of approximately 200 sccm to approximately 3000 sccm depending upon the gases used.
Another embodiment by which to form the non-wettable organo-metallic layer on the sidewalls of the copper pillar to prevent solder from wetting on the pillar sidewalls during subsequent reflow/bonding steps is described in detail below with reference to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Embodiments of the present invention may prevent solder from wetting on pillar sidewalls during reflow/bonding processes by forming a non-wettable organo-metallic layer on the pillar sidewalls after the pillar structure 100 is formed. The organo-metallic layer may be formed by depositing an organic layer, preferably an adhesive polymide, over the pillar structure, and causing the organic layer to react with copper in the pillar. Typically, the use of adhesive polymides may be avoided while fabricating C4 connections because of their tendency to react with copper capture pads, thereby preventing solder from wetting on the capture pad. Embodiments of the present invention take advantage of this otherwise detrimental effect by directing the formation of the organo-metallic only on areas in which the presence of solder material may be detrimental, specifically, the pillar sidewalls. The organo-metallic layer may prevent solder from wetting on the pillar sidewalls during subsequent reflow/bonding processes, thereby improving underfill flow, reducing solder bridging, and allowing for a tighter pillar pitch.
The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiment, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A method comprising:
- forming a pillar on an underlying layer, the underlying layer comprising a liner formed on a substrate and a conductive layer on the liner, wherein the liner extends beyond a width of the pillar structure and the conductive layer comprises a sidewall that is substantially flush with the sidewall of the pillar;
- forming a plate on an upper surface of the pillar;
- forming a solder layer only on an upper surface of the plate;
- forming an organic layer on the underlying layer surrounding the pillar, such that a sidewall of the pillar and not an upper surface or bottom surface of the pillar is in direct contact with the organic layer;
- annealing the pillar and the organic layer, such that an organic material in the organic layer and a metal in the pillar react to form a non-wettable organo-metallic layer along the sidewall of the pillar; and
- removing the organic layer, such that the non-wettable organo-metallic layer remains on the sidewall of the pillar.
- removing a portion of the liner after removing the organic layer, such that a remaining portion of the liner has a sidewall that is substantially flush with an outer sidewall of the organo-metallic layer.
2. (canceled)
3. (canceled)
4. (canceled)
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the underlying layer comprises:
- a liner formed on a substrate, the liner having a sidewall that is substantially flush with the sidewall of the pillar; and
- a conductive layer formed on the liner, the conductive layer having a sidewall that is substantially flush with the sidewall of the pillar.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- removing a top portion of the organic layer before the removing the organic layer.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the removing the organic layer comprises:
- using a stripper to remove substantially all of the organic layer; and
- performing an ashing process to remove any remaining portions of the organic layer.
8. A method comprising:
- forming an underlying layer comprising a liner formed on a substrate and a conductive layer on the liner;
- forming a pillar structure on the underlying layer, the pillar structure having a pillar, a plate on an upper surface of the pillar, and a solder layer on the plate, wherein the liner extends beyond a width of the pillar structure and the conductive layer comprises a sidewall that is substantially flush with the sidewall of the pillar;
- forming an organic layer on the underlying layer surrounding the pillar structure, the organic layer in direct contact with a sidewall of the pillar and not in contact with the upper surface of the pillar;
- annealing the pillar structure and the organic layer, such that an organic material in the organic layer and a metal in the pillar react to form a non-wettable organo-metallic layer along the sidewall of the pillar; and
- removing the organic layer, such that the non-wettable organo-metallic layer remains on the sidewall of the pillar
- removing a portion of the liner after the removing the organic layer, such that a remaining portion of the liner has a sidewall that is substantially flush with an outer sidewall of the organo-metallic layer.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the forming the pillar structure on the underlying layer comprises:
- forming a photoresist layer on the underlying layer;
- forming an opening in the photoresist layer to expose an upper surface of the underlying layer;
- forming the pillar on the upper surface of the underlying layer;
- forming the plate on the upper surface of the pillar;
- forming the solder layer on an upper surface of the plate; and
- removing the photoresist layer.
10. (canceled)
11. (canceled)
12. The method of claim 8, wherein the underlying layer comprises:
- a liner formed on a substrate, the liner having a sidewall that is substantially flush with the sidewall of the pillar; and
- a conductive layer formed on the liner, the conductive layer having a sidewall that is substantially flush with the sidewall of the pillar.
13. The method of claim 8, wherein the organic layer comprises a polymide adhesive.
14. The method of claim 8, wherein the removing the organic layer comprises:
- using a stripper to remove the organic material selective to the pillar structure, the organo-metallic layer, and the underlying layer.
15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
- removing a top portion of the organic layer before the removing the organic layer.
16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
- performing an ashing process after the removing the organic layer.
17. A structure comprising:
- a pillar on an underlying layer, wherein the underlying layer comprises a liner on a substrate, the liner having a sidewall that is substantially flush with an outer sidewall of the non-wettable organo-metallic layer;
- a conductive layer on the liner, the conductive layer having a sidewall that is substantially flush with the sidewall of the pillar;
- a plate on the pillar;
- a solder layer on the plate, wherein the solder layer does not contact any portion of the pillar; and
- a non-wettable organo-metallic layer along a sidewall of the pillar.
18. (canceled)
19. The structure of claim 17, wherein the underlying layer comprises:
- a liner on a substrate, the liner having a sidewall that is substantially flush with the sidewall of the pillar; and
- a conductive layer on the liner, the conductive layer having a sidewall that is substantially flush with the sidewall of the pillar.
20. The structure of claim 17, wherein the solder layer has a sidewall that is substantially flush with a sidewall of the plate.
Type: Application
Filed: May 15, 2014
Publication Date: Nov 19, 2015
Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION (Armonk, NY)
Inventors: Charles L. Arvin (Savannah, GA), Brian M. Erwin (Lagrangeville, NY), Eric D. Perfecto (Poughkeepsie, NY), Wolfgang Sauter (Eagle-Vail, CO), Thomas A. Wassick (Lagrangeville, NY)
Application Number: 14/277,832