US-20260130161-A1 - SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING TOOL AND METHODS OF OPERATION

US20260130161A1US 20260130161 A1US20260130161 A1US 20260130161A1US-20260130161-A1

Abstract

A splash prevention system includes one or more devices that are configured to reduce the likelihood of errant sealant particles landing on a top and/or a bottom surface of a wafer stack during an edge sealing operation. An injector nozzle may dispense sealant into the groove around the wafer stack as a chuck is used to rotate the wafer stack. A vacuum device of the splash prevention system may provide a negative-pressure gas flow at the edge of the wafer stack, and the negative-pressure gas flow is used to collect errant sealant particles. Additionally and/or alternatively, an air curtain device may provide a positive-pressure gas flow at the edge of the wafer stack, and the positive-pressure gas flow may be used to dispel errant sealant particles away from the edge of the wafer stack.

Inventors

Kuo-Ming Wu
Min-Chang CHING
Chung-Ying LIU
HAU-YI HSIAO
Chien-Ming Wang
Che Wei Yang
Sheng-Chau Chen
Chung-Yi Yu
Cheng-Yuan Tsai

Assignees

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241107

Claims (20)

1 . A method, comprising: receiving a wafer stack on a chuck of a wafer edge sealing tool; and dispensing a sealant into a groove around a perimeter of the wafer stack, wherein a device, of a splash prevention system of the wafer edge sealing tool, pulls errant sealant particles away from a bottom surface of the wafer stack using a negative-pressure gas flow.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is positioned under the wafer stack and is located inward from the perimeter of the wafer stack by a distance.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is positioned under the wafer stack and is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the wafer stack by a distance.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the distance is adjusted, during dispensing the sealant, using an adjustment member coupled to the vacuum device.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the adjustment member extends through a main body of the splash prevention system; and wherein the adjustment member moves the device within a recess in the main body.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the vacuum device pulls the errant sealant particles into one or more device holes located on the device.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the negative-pressure gas flow is provided through the one or more device holes.
8 . A method, comprising: receiving a wafer stack on a chuck of a wafer edge sealing tool; and dispensing a sealant into a groove around a perimeter of the wafer stack, wherein a device, of a splash prevention system of the wafer edge sealing tool, pushes errant sealant particles away from a bottom surface of the wafer stack using a positive-pressure gas flow.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the device provides the positive-pressure gas flow outward away from the perimeter of the wafer stack.
10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the device provides the positive-pressure gas flow toward the bottom surface of the wafer stack.
11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the device provides the positive-pressure gas flow along a baffle device of the splash prevention system toward the bottom surface of the wafer stack.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the device provides the positive-pressure gas flow between the baffle device and the bottom surface of the wafer stack.
13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the device provides the positive-pressure gas flow from a gas inlet, through a gas supply line in a main body of the splash prevention system, and from one or more holes in the device.
14 . A splash prevention system, for use in a wafer edge sealing tool, comprising: a vacuum device comprising a plurality of vacuum holes through which the vacuum device is to receive sealant particles using a negative-pressure gas flow; and an air curtain device facing a backside surface of the vacuum device, comprising a plurality of air holes through which the air curtain device is to dispel the sealant particles using a positive-pressure gas flow.
15 . The splash prevention system of claim 14 , wherein the splash prevention system further comprises: a main body, wherein the air curtain device extends from the main body, and wherein the vacuum device is configured to be movable within a recess in the main body.
16 . The splash prevention system of claim 15 , wherein the splash prevention system further comprises: a mounting flange, coupled to the main body, configured to be mounted to a top surface of a base of the wafer edge sealing tool.
17 . The splash prevention system of claim 14 , wherein the backside surface of the vacuum device is oriented at an acute angle relative to a frontside surface of the air curtain device.
18 . The splash prevention system of claim 14 , wherein the vacuum device further comprises: sidewalls on opposing sides of the backside surface of the vacuum device, wherein the sidewalls extend away from the backside surface and toward a frontside surface of the air curtain device.
19 . The splash prevention system of claim 18 , wherein the sidewalls and the backside surface of the vacuum device define an air baffle through which the positive-pressure gas flow is to flow; and wherein the plurality of air holes of the air curtain device are facing the air baffle.
20 . The splash prevention system of claim 19 , wherein the vacuum device further comprises: extension wings that extend laterally outward from the air baffle, wherein the extension wings comprise grooves through which the positive-pressure gas flow is to be distributed.

Description

BACKGROUND A three-dimensional integrated circuit (3DIC) assembly may include two or more integrated circuit (IC) dies that are stacked vertically and bonded along a bonding interface. The 3DIC assembly may be formed by stacking two or more semiconductor substrates, each including a subset of the two or more IC dies, using a wafer bonding operation such as a wafer-on-wafer (WoW) bonding operation. After the bonding operation, the 3DIC assembly including the two or more IC dies may be diced from the stack of two or more semiconductor substrates and encapsulated in a semiconductor die package. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is noted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion. FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams of an example semiconductor processing tool described herein. FIG. 2 illustrates an example implementation of an edge sealing operation described herein. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams of an example implementation of an air curtain device of a splash prevention system described herein. FIGS. 4A-4C are diagrams of an example implementation of a vacuum device of a splash prevention system described herein. FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example implementation of a vacuum device of a splash prevention system described herein. FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example implementation of a vacuum device of a splash prevention system described herein. FIG. 7 illustrates an example implementation of an edge sealing operation described herein. FIG. 8 illustrates an example implementation of an edge sealing operation described herein. FIG. 9 is a diagram of example components of a device described herein. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an example process associated with performing an edge sealing operation described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of the provided subject matter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of a first feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed between the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed. Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly. In some cases, a partially completed wafer stack of substrates (e.g., semiconductor wafers or another type of wafers) used to form a stacked integrated circuit die product may include a groove that corresponds to a beveled region around a perimeter of the wafer stack. The groove may be located between edges of the substrates in the wafer stack, and may occur because of incomplete bonding of the edges of the substrates and/or because of the edges of the substrates having a curvature, among other examples. In some cases, the groove around the perimeter of the wafer stack is filled with a sealant. The sealant prevents or reduces the likelihood of ingress of contaminants such as humidity, hydrogen, and/or oxygen from being exposed to the substrates through the groove. The sealant may also provide increased structural stability around the perimeter of the wafer stack, and may prevent or reduce the likelihood of cracking and/or delamination of the substrates that might otherwise originate at the groove. The sealant may be dispensed into the groove around the wafer stack using a wafer edge sealing tool. The wafer stack may be placed on a chuck in a processing chamber of the wafer edge sealing tool, and an injector nozzle of the wafer edge sealing tool may dispense the sealant into the groove around the wafer stack as the chuck is u