EV Group to Collaborate with Applied Materials On Thin Wafer Bonding Technology for 3D IC DevelopmentEV Group (EVG) today announced a joint effort with Applied Materials, Inc. to develop wafer bonding processes for the manufacture of through-silicon vias (TSVs) in three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC) packaging applications. The two companies will be working together as members of the EMC-3D Semiconductor 3D Equipment and Materials Consortium.Growing consumer demand for smaller, lower-power electronic devices with greater functionality is driving the need for TSV technology - a new approach to increase packaging density by vertically stacking chips. However, while conventional ICs use wafers approximately 750-um thick, 3D ICs require thinner wafers of about 100 um or less. Processed by themselves, these paper-thin wafers lose structural and edge integrity in high-temperature, high-stress processes such as metallization, which poses manufacturing challenges and impacts device reliability. EVG and Applied will work together to address these issues by bonding temporary carrier wafers to device wafers prior to thinning. The carriers will support the ultra-thin device wafers during subsequent process steps and can be removed afterwards.The collaboration will explore the use of silicon and glass carrier wafers to determine substrate stability using EVG's wafer bonding and thin-wafer handling expertise and Applied's advanced etch, CVD, PVD and CMP process systems. The goal of this effort is to yield baseline processes and recommendations for the use of carrier-mounted wafers throughout the individual process steps offered by both parties. Results from the partnership will be shared with EMC-3D member companies. "This is a continuation of our strategy to form alliances with leading equipment suppliers such as EVG to deliver fully-characterized TSV process flows to accelerate customers' time to market," said Hans Stork, group vice president and chief technology officer of Applied's Silicon Systems Group. "We look forward to working with EVG at Applied' ...
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