JP2005093964A - Method for manufacturing semiconductor device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device wherein cleaning is enabled safely without causing breaking in a wafer by using a tray which can accommodate the wafer safely after treating a thin layered semiconductor wafer by using an organic solvent. <P>SOLUTION: The method includes a first process wherein the semiconductor wafer 1 in which a semiconductor device is formed on a surface is stuck on a holding substrate and is exfoliated from the holding substrate after grinding the back of the semiconductor wafer, and a second process wherein the semiconductor wafer 1 is accommodated in the tray 6 and cleaned. The tray 6 is constituted of a main body 9 having an aperture, a lid component 7 having an aperture, and a wafer stopping member 8. The semiconductor wafer 1 is mounted on a wafer support 12 and accommodated in the tray 6. The wafer support 12 is formed of quartz whose size is greater than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing method for cleaning a semiconductor wafer after the back surface of the semiconductor wafer is ground and thinned.

  As represented by mobile phones, IC cards, and the like, semiconductor devices used in various electronic devices are increasingly required to be lighter and smaller and thinner. For this reason, generally in the manufacture of semiconductor devices (including integrated circuits, discrete devices), after the device is fabricated on the front side of the semiconductor substrate (wafer), the back side of the wafer is ground to reduce the thickness of the wafer. It is done. When the semiconductor device manufactured in this way is mounted on a circuit package or the like, the heat dissipation efficiency is improved and the electrical characteristics when the back surface of the wafer is grounded can be ensured.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of grinding a back surface of a wafer after manufacturing a device on the front surface side of a semiconductor wafer. In this method, an adhesive protective tape is attached to the front surface side of a wafer on which a device is manufactured and set in a grinding apparatus, and the back surface side of the wafer is ground. Thereafter, the adhesive protective tape is peeled off, and foreign matters and adhesives attached during the working process are removed with an organic solvent, and then the organic solvent is washed away with water. As an organic solvent at this time, the polyimide resin protecting the device on the wafer surface side is not dissolved, and it is possible to remove by washing with water such as butyl acetate chemical solution that does not corrode the wiring material such as aluminum and copper formed on the wafer element surface. The use of various organic solvents is also disclosed.

  In the case of cleaning the wafers one by one at the time of cleaning, a method is disclosed in which the wafer is rotatably supported by a vacuum chuck and an organic solvent and cleaning water are supplied from a nozzle. Further, when simultaneously cleaning a plurality of wafers, it is disclosed that the wafers are immersed in an organic solvent solution in a processing tank using a cassette for storing a plurality of wafers side by side, and are then cleaned with pure water in the processing tank. ing.

  Also in Patent Document 2, after a device is fabricated on the front side of a semiconductor wafer, the wafer is attached to a hard thin plate-like support such as a glass plate or a ceramic plate, and the back surface of the wafer is ground and thinned. A manufacturing method is disclosed. In this patent document 2, it is possible to heat and peel the support without damaging the semiconductor wafer after grinding the wafer to 100 μm or less using wax or a heat-peelable adhesive as an adhesive layer for attaching the wafer to the support. I have to.

Further, Patent Document 3 describes a problem that, when the semiconductor wafer is thinned like the above-described Patent Documents 1 and 2, including a temperature rising process step, it is difficult to bond and peel the wafer and the holding substrate. A method for avoiding this is disclosed. In the description of Example 2 in the document, a GaAs semiconductor wafer bonded on an alumina substrate using a polyimide resin is ground to a thickness of 50 μm, and then subjected to various heat treatments so that the wafer does not warp. -It is disclosed that an alumina substrate and a semiconductor wafer are naturally peeled by being immersed in a methyl-2-pyrrolidone solution.
JP 2000-232085 A JP 2001-326206 A JP 2002-343751 A

  In any of Patent Documents 1 to 3 described above, in order to thin the semiconductor wafer, it is disclosed that the wafer front surface side is attached to the holding plate with an adhesive, and the wafer back surface side is ground and thinned. Has been. Further, when the adhesive for attaching the holding plate and the wafer is removed with an organic solvent, it is also necessary to wash the organic solvent. However, the compound semiconductor wafer has not been studied for the problem from the viewpoint that the silicon semiconductor wafer is brittle and easily broken.

  A compound semiconductor wafer is a wafer having a diameter of 100 mm (about 4 inches), and even a wafer having a thickness of about 620 μm is easily broken. For example, it may crack even if it falls naturally from a height of 30 cm. However, in the case of a silicon semiconductor wafer, if it has the same diameter and the same thickness, it will not easily break even if it is attempted to crack by applying force. In particular, when the wafer thickness is 100 μm or less, it is generally difficult to process a compound semiconductor wafer thinned to about 30 μm to 100 μm using a normal wafer processing jig. For example, when pinching a wafer, vacuum tweezers are used, but the wafer may even be cracked by vacuum suction.

  Patent Document 1 discloses that an organic solvent is used to remove the adhesive and foreign matter remaining on the wafer peeled from the holding plate, and then the organic solvent is washed away. However, the semiconductor wafer is a silicon wafer and the thickness of the wafer is 150 μm or more. Further, although there is a description that it is required to make the thickness of the semiconductor wafer 50 μm or less in the future, there is no disclosure about implementation at 100 μm or less and no disclosure about the use of the compound semiconductor wafer. The cleaning method disclosed in Patent Document 1 is to hold a wafer with an adsorption chuck and spray a cleaning liquid onto the wafer with a nozzle, or place a plurality of wafers in a cassette and perform batch cleaning in a cleaning tank. In this configuration, it is not considered that the semiconductor wafer can be safely cleaned without damaging the thinned and brittle semiconductor wafer, and no sufficient disclosure is made for this purpose.

  Patent Document 2 discloses that the thickness is reduced to 100 μm or less, and the wafer peeled off from the holding plate is cleaned as necessary. However, although there is disclosure about implementation on silicon semiconductor wafers, there is no disclosure about compound semiconductors. Further, although it is possible to clean the wafer after being peeled off from the holding plate, there is no disclosure about a specific cleaning method or cleaning apparatus. Therefore, according to Patent Document 2, it is not clear about a method for safely cleaning without damaging a thin and brittle semiconductor wafer.

Patent Document 3 discloses that a GaAs semiconductor wafer is used as the semiconductor wafer, and that the wafer is ground to a thickness of 50 μm. However, although it is shown that the holding plate is cleaned and reused after the holding plate is peeled off, there is no disclosure about cleaning the wafer.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and after processing a thinned semiconductor wafer using an organic solvent, a tray that can be easily stored is used, and the wafer can be safely produced without causing cracks. An object is to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device that can be cleaned.

  A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a first step of attaching a semiconductor wafer having a semiconductor device formed on a surface thereof to a holding substrate, grinding the back surface of the semiconductor wafer, and then peeling the semiconductor wafer from the holding substrate; And a second step of cleaning the semiconductor wafer by storing the wafer in a tray, and the tray is constituted by a main body having an opening, a lid member having an opening, and a wafer holding member.

  In the semiconductor device manufacturing method according to the present invention, the semiconductor wafer is placed on the wafer support member and stored in the tray. This wafer support member is made of quartz larger than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer is formed of a compound semiconductor and is thinned to 30 μm to 200 μm by grinding in the first step. In the second step, ultrasonic cleaning is performed with a cleaning liquid containing isopropyl alcohol. Are used together.

  The thinned semiconductor wafer is elastically held in the tray without wobbling by the wafer holding member, and stored without receiving stress that causes cracking, and can be cleaned stably. Can be improved.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a tray used for cleaning a semiconductor wafer in the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a semiconductor wafer, 1a is a device fabrication surface (wafer surface), 1b is a wafer back surface, 2 is a resist layer, 3 is an adhesive layer, 4 is a holding substrate, 5 is a metal layer, 6 is a tray, 7 is Lid member, 7a is a cylindrical part, 7b is a restraining part, 7c is an opening, 8 is a wafer restraining member, 8a is a leg piece, 8b is a central convex part, 9 is a tray body, 9a is a cylindrical part, 9b is a receiving part, 9c Indicates an opening, and 9d indicates a rib.

  FIG. 1 shows a process for processing a semiconductor wafer in FIG. 1A on the left side, and a schematic diagram of the process on the right side. The semiconductor wafer 1 shown in step S1 is, for example, a compound semiconductor wafer such as GaAs, the wafer outer diameter is about 100 mm, and the wafer thickness is standard 620 ± 5 μm. A field effect transistor and a plurality of wirings that are electrically connected through the transistor are formed on one surface of the semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a device fabrication surface or wafer surface).

  In step S2, an adhesive layer 3 for attaching the holding substrate 4 to the wafer surface 1a on which the device is produced is applied and formed with the resist layer 2 interposed. The resist layer 2 planarizes the wafer surface side and prevents the adhesive layer 3 from coming into direct contact with the device. The resist layer 2 is repeatedly applied and removed on the wafer even in the device fabrication process, and the influence on the wafer is regarded as no problem. However, the influence of the characteristics on the direct contact of the adhesive with the wafer or device may be uncertain, and it is preferable to provide the adhesive layer 3 through the resist layer 2.

  The resist layer 2 is formed by, for example, a spin coat coating method in which a wafer is rotated and a resist material dropped on the wafer is spread over the entire surface of the wafer by centrifugal force. According to this coating method, it is possible to prevent the unevenness of the wafer surface from being covered with the resist layer 2 to be applied, and the adhesive to be applied next to enter the unevenness, making it difficult to remove it. Note that the coating thickness of the resist layer 2 is 1.3 to 1.5 μm, and the adhesive layer 3 is made of, for example, a wax or a heat-peelable adhesive as disclosed in Patent Document 2, The thickness is about 5 μm.

  In step S3, the semiconductor wafer 1 is attached to the holding substrate 4 made of, for example, a quartz plate having a thickness of about 1.6 mm. In addition to the quartz plate, alumina, carbon, silicon wafer, or the like can be used as the holding substrate 4 and is appropriately selected depending on the processing conditions on the back surface of the wafer. When the semiconductor wafer 1 is affixed to the holding substrate 4, the temperature is raised in a state where the adhesive layer 3 applied to the semiconductor wafer 1 is opposed to the holding substrate 4 to soften the adhesive layer 3. Further, it is desirable to remove the air remaining in the adhesive by evacuating at the time of the temperature rise. With the adhesive layer 3 heated and softened, the semiconductor wafer 1 is placed on the holding substrate 4 and pressed to complete the application of the holding substrate 4 to the semiconductor wafer 1.

  In the next step S4, the wafer back surface 1b is ground. The semiconductor wafer 1 can be ground by mechanical grinding (image of scraping the wafer with a scissors), mechanical polishing, chemical polishing, chemical etching or the like alone or in combination. In the embodiment of the present invention, for example, the wafer thickness is reduced from about 620 μm to about 70 μm by mechanical grinding. After this grinding, the wafer back surface 1b is etched with, for example, sulfuric acid (sulfuric acid + hydrogen peroxide + water).

  By performing etching after the wafer grinding, it is possible to remove the strain generated in the semiconductor wafer by grinding and to avoid the influence of the characteristics of the device formed on the wafer surface side due to the strain stress. The etchant is not limited to sulfuric acid, and any etchant that does not affect the adhesive layer 3 can be used. However, even if the adhesive is slightly etched with the etching solution, the exposed surface of the adhesive layer 3 is practically scarce, so it is not fatal.

  Next, in step S5, it is desirable to form a metal layer 5 as a back electrode as shown in Patent Document 1 on the etched wafer back surface 1b. The metal layer 5 can be formed using, for example, a sputtering method and plating. Specifically, first, a thin metal layer of Pt / Ti / Au with a thickness of 50 nm / 30 nm / 60 nm is formed by sputtering. This thin metal layer Pt is for ensuring the adhesion of the formed metal to the wafer back surface 1b. The last Au is to function as one electrode when Au plating is performed.

  After forming a thin metal layer made of Pt / Ti / Au by sputtering, Au plating is applied to the entire back surface of the wafer. In this case, the thin metal layer formed on the wafer by sputtering is used as one electrode immersed in an electrolytic solution of Au. By applying a DC voltage between both electrodes, Au in the electrolytic solution is deposited on a thin Au layer which is the other electrode. The thickness of the Au plating layer formed by this plating is 10 μm or more.

  After forming the metal layer 5, the holding substrate 4 is peeled off in the next step S6. When the holding substrate 4 is peeled off, it is set on a heat block (not shown) so that the back side of the wafer is in contact, and the temperature of the heat block is raised. Since the adhesive layer 3 is softened by this temperature rise, the semiconductor wafer 1 is gently peeled off from the holding substrate 4 in view of this softened state. At this time, even if the adhesive layer 3 adheres to the holding substrate 4 side and is partially removed, a part or all of the adhesive layer 3 also remains on the semiconductor wafer 1 side.

  After the holding substrate 4 is peeled from the semiconductor wafer 1, a cleaning process is performed in the next step S7 in order to remove the adhesive layer 3. The tray 6 shown in FIG. 2 is used for cleaning the semiconductor wafer 1. As shown in FIG. 2A, the tray 6 is composed of three members, for example, a tray body 9, a wafer holding member 8, and a lid member 7, which are formed of a transparent material made of a synthetic resin such as polyethylene. The The tray 6 has a circular thin shape that can accommodate one semiconductor wafer 1. After the semiconductor wafer 1 is placed on the tray body 9, the tray 6 is held by the wafer holding member 8 and held and fixed by the lid member 7. Stored.

  FIG. 2 (B) shows the lid member 7, which has a holding portion 7b at one end of an annular tube portion 7a, and an opening 7c is provided in the holding portion 7b. FIG. 2C shows the wafer holding member 8, which is formed in a star shape having a plurality of leg pieces 8a radially from the central convex portion 8b, and the central convex portion 8b has a mountain shape. FIG. 2 (D) shows the tray main body 9, which has a receiving portion 9b inclined so as to be recessed in the inner diameter direction for placing the wafer on one end portion of the annular cylindrical portion 9a. The receiving portion 9b has an opening 9c. A plurality of ribs 9d are provided at equal intervals on the surface opposite to the receiving portion 9b of the tray body 9 for reinforcement.

  The semiconductor wafer 1 in the state where the tray 6 having the above structure is thinned and the holding substrate is peeled off is mounted so that the surface side to which the adhesive is applied does not face the receiving portion 9b of the tray main body 9. Placed. This is because the opening 9c is provided to prevent the wafer surface side from being touched through this opening. Next, the peripheral portion on the wafer back surface side is restrained by a plurality of leg pieces 8a of the wafer restraining member 8 which is elastically bent, and the lid member 7 is fitted, whereby the state is held and fixed. The central convex portion 8b of the wafer holding member 8 is held so as to be exposed from the opening 7c of the lid member 7, and is assembled in such a shape that the cleaning liquid enters the tray 6 from the gap portion between the opening 7c and the plurality of leg pieces 8a. . Further, the plurality of leg pieces 8a are positioned by the lid member 7 so that the wafer holding member 8 does not rotate or rattle in the tray.

  2 shows the configuration of a tray for cleaning one semiconductor wafer, but a plurality of semiconductor wafers are accommodated by a plurality of tray main bodies 9, a plurality of wafer holding members 8 and one lid member 7. These can also be configured to be cleaned simultaneously. In this case, the lower side of the cylindrical portion 9a of the tray main body 9 is configured such that the tray main bodies can be connected to each other, and the upper tray main body functions as a lid member. Alternatively, a plurality of tray bodies may be stacked and fixed together using a connecting member or the like later.

  3 and 4 are diagrams showing an example in which a semiconductor wafer is cleaned using the tray described above. In the figure, 10 is a cleaning tank, 11 is a cleaning solution, 12 is a wafer support member, 12a is an opening, and the other reference numerals are the same as those used in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a case where only the semiconductor wafer is housed in the tray 6 for cleaning. As described with reference to FIG. 2, the surface of the tray main body 9 with the adhesive applied is directed upward. Then, the wafer is held by the lid member 7 so that the wafer holding member 8 does not rattle. The cleaning tank 10 can use a processing method as shown in FIG. 17 of Patent Document 1, but can also be efficiently cleaned using an ultrasonic cleaning method. As the cleaning liquid 11, an organic solvent for removing the adhesive layer 3 remaining on the wafer surface is used. When wax is used for the adhesive, for example, isopropyl alcohol can be used. Further, after the adhesive layer 3 is dissolved and removed, the semiconductor wafer 1 can be stored in the tray 6 and washed with pure water.

  The cleaning liquid or the cleaning water can freely enter the tray 6 through the opening provided in the tray main body 9 of the tray 6 and the opening of the lid member 7, dissolve the adhesive layer 3, and wash the whole with pure water. Can do. However, a large opening is provided so that cleaning liquid and pure water can enter and exit from the tray. However, if the opening is large, it is not desirable to leave a state in which a hand is easily touched during handling or contact with the outside is likely to occur. . In addition, when the cleaning liquid enters and exits, the wafer cracks in the liquid.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of improving the above points, and a wafer support member 12 different from the holding substrate on which the semiconductor wafer 1 is stuck and held is prepared. The wafer support member 12 can be made of a material such as a quartz plate or a ceramic plate having a thickness of about 1 mm. The wafer support member 12 has a diameter slightly larger than that of the semiconductor wafer 1 to be cleaned. For example, when the wafer diameter is 100 mm, the wafer support member 12 preferably has a diameter of about 125 mm. The tray 6 is also a size that is slightly larger than the wafer support member 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the wafer support member 12 is provided with a plurality of openings 12a having a diameter of about 5 mm radially from the center. The size, number, arrangement, etc. of the apertures 12a are arbitrary and can be appropriately formed. The cleaning liquid and cleaning water freely enter and exit through these openings 12a, and the mounting surface of the semiconductor wafer 1 is immersed and cleaned.

  In FIG. 4, a wafer support member 12 is first placed on the tray body 9, and the semiconductor wafer 1 is placed thereon. In this case, the semiconductor wafer 1 coated with the adhesive is placed with the front side facing up, the wafer back side facing the wafer support member 12, and held by the wafer holding member 8 to the extent that it does not rattle. Hold at 7. In FIG. 4, the surface side on which the device is formed is in contact with the wafer support member 12 to avoid scratches and the like. The cleaning tank 10 and the cleaning liquid 11 are the same as described in FIG.

  When the semiconductor wafer 1 is accommodated in the tray 6 described above, even when the compound semiconductor wafer 1 thinned to 100 μm or less is accommodated by using the wafer support member 12, the usual care should be taken. It becomes possible to handle.

  The thinned semiconductor wafer 1 is cleaned by the above-described method and then dried. In this state, the resist layer 2 that is the base of the adhesive is still left. Although the resist layer 2 is also dissolved by immersing it in an isopropyl alcohol cleaning solution, the resist dissolving power is not so great, and the cleaning is completed with a part of the resist layer 2 remaining on the wafer. If the resist layer 2 remains even partially, for example, the wire may not be properly attached to the device during the wire bonding step of electrically connecting the device portion formed on the wafer surface 1a side. is there. Further, if a foreign object remains on the device, bonding is performed on the foreign object, so that the wire is easily disconnected or disconnected.

  Therefore, after cleaning the wafer, the resist layer 2 is removed in step S8. For removing the resist, for example, ashing (a method of ashing and removing the resist on the substrate by dry etching) is performed by oxygen radical, and the remaining resist layer 2 is completely removed. By this ashing, the processing process for the semiconductor wafer 1 is completed. Thereafter, the semiconductor wafer 1 is divided into a dicing process for separating each device, a die bonding process for storing each separated device in a package, a wire bonding process for electrically connecting the device and a lead pin of the package, and a package. The semiconductor device (packaged transistor, IC, etc. as a commercial product) is made through a sealing process or the like that covers the substrate.

It is a flowchart explaining the outline of the semiconductor wafer processing process by this invention. It is a figure explaining an example of the tray used for washing | cleaning of a semiconductor wafer in this invention. It is a figure explaining an example of the washing | cleaning method of the semiconductor wafer by this invention. It is a figure explaining the other example to which the cleaning method of the semiconductor wafer by this invention was improved.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Semiconductor wafer, 1a ... Device preparation surface (wafer surface), 1b ... Wafer back surface, 2 ... Resist layer, 3 ... Adhesive layer, 4 ... Holding substrate, 5 ... Metal layer, 6 ... Tray, 7 ... Cover member, 7a: cylinder part, 7b: holding part, 7c ... opening, 8 ... wafer holding member, 8a ... leg piece, 8b ... central convex part, 9 ... tray body, 9a ... cylinder part, 9b ... receiving part, 9c ... opening, 9d ... ribs, 10 ... cleaning tank, 11 ... cleaning liquid, 12 ... wafer support member, 12a ... opening.

Claims (5)

A first step of attaching a semiconductor wafer having a semiconductor device formed on the front surface to a holding substrate, grinding the back surface of the semiconductor wafer and then peeling the semiconductor wafer from the holding substrate; and storing the semiconductor wafer in a tray And a second step of cleaning the semiconductor wafer,
The tray is composed of a main body having an opening, a lid member having an opening, and a wafer holding member.   The semiconductor wafer is placed on a wafer support member after the first step and before the second step, and the wafer support member and the semiconductor wafer are stored in the tray. 2. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to 1.   The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the wafer support member is made of quartz larger than a diameter of the semiconductor wafer.   4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor wafer is formed of a compound semiconductor and is thinned to a thickness of 30 μm to 200 μm by the first step. 5. Production method.   5. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second step uses ultrasonic cleaning with a cleaning liquid containing isopropyl alcohol.

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