Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Packaging or treatment of packaged semiconductor – Making plural separate devices
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-31
2004-01-13
Pham, Long (Department: 2814)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
Packaging or treatment of packaged semiconductor
Making plural separate devices
C257S620000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06677183
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a thin-film semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For a thin LSI chip, a technique of forming an integrated circuit and the like on a silicon substrate and then thinning the resultant structure from the lower surface side of the substrate using a grinder is known.
However, the integrated circuit and the like are formed only on the upper surface of the silicon substrate. Most parts are ground and wasted. Such a technique does not allow effectively using limited resources.
On the other hand, along with micropatterning and an increase in degree of integration of semiconductor devices, the chip heat density may greatly increase. Hence, there is an urgent need of establishing a technique for thin LSI chips.
A normal semiconductor chip itself has no flexibility. If it is to be mounted on a thin device such as an IC card, the bending strength must be increased. This is because a portable device such as an IC card may receive a bending force when it is accommodated. Hence, an LSI chip and the like which are mounted on a thin device must be thin from the viewpoint of heat dissipation and mechanical flexibility.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-312349 describes a technique for a flexible LSI chip using separation by a porous layer.
More specifically, as shown in
FIG. 4A
, a device formation layer
10
is formed on a semiconductor substrate
11
via a porous layer
12
. The device formation layer and holding substrate
16
are bonded via an adhesive
17
. After that, an external force in a direction in which the semiconductor substrate
11
and holding substrate
16
are separated from each other is applied between the semiconductor substrate
11
and the holding substrate
16
. Then, separation occurs at the mechanically weak porous layer
12
, and the device formation layer
10
separates from the semiconductor substrate
11
together with the holding substrate
16
(FIG.
4
B).
Next, a dicing film
18
that stretches when pulled in the planar direction is jointed to the rigid holding substrate
16
side. Dicing is performed using a dicing apparatus to form a kerf
19
from the device formation layer side (FIG.
4
C). After that, the dicing film is stretched in the planar direction to separate chips. Thus, thin LSI chips are completed.
However, the above thin LSI chip forming technique requires a plurality of processes such as the bonding process to the holding substrate and the joint process to the dicing film.
In addition, when all the device formation layers are connected in separation, some of the device formation layers may be locally distorted to make adverse influence on the device characteristics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration or the above problems, and has as its object to provide a thin-film semiconductor device which is formed by a smaller number of processes with reduced influence on a device formation layer at the time of separation, a method of manufacturing the thin-film semiconductor device, and a thin-film semiconductor device that can be formed by the method.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an economical thin-film semiconductor device manufacturing method which can use a member, that was used to manufacture a thin-film semiconductor device once, to manufacture a semiconductor device again.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a thin-film semiconductor device, comprising the step of preparing a member having, on a separation layer, a semiconductor film having a semiconductor element and/or semiconductor integrated circuit, the step of forming kerfs from the semiconductor film side of the member, and the separation step of, after the kerf formation step, separating a desired region of the semiconductor element and/or semiconductor integrated circuit from the member.
Especially, the separation step can be performed by injecting a fluid into the kerfs.
The member is obtained by forming a porous layer on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, forming the semiconductor film on a surface of the porous layer, and then forming the semiconductor element and/or semiconductor integrated circuit, or by forming the semiconductor element and/or semiconductor integrated circuit on a surface of a semiconductor substrate and implanting ions from the surface side to a predetermined depth to form the separation layer.
The kerfs may be formed in the semiconductor film, or may be formed in a region formed in a process of forming the semiconductor element and/or semiconductor integrated circuit on the semiconductor film.
The kerfs can be formed such that bottom portions thereof are located in the separation layer or at an interface between the semiconductor film and the separation layer. Also, when the member has the separation layer and semiconductor film on a semiconductor region, the kerfs may be formed such that bottom portions thereof are located at an interface between the separation layer and the semiconductor region or in the semiconductor region.
The separation step is performed by injecting a high-pressure fluid from the kerfs, or by injecting the fluid comprising a liquid or a gas to at least some of the kerfs. The separation step may be performed under a static pressure. The desired region can be formed into a plurality of chips by the separation step.
The member may be formed again using a remaining member that is left after the desired region is separated from the member.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a thin-film semiconductor device obtained by processing a member having, on a separation layer, a semiconductor film having a semiconductor element and/or semiconductor integrated circuit, wherein the process comprises the kerf formation step of forming kerfs from the semiconductor film side of the member, and the separation step of, after the kerf formation step, separating a desired region of the semiconductor element and/or semiconductor integrated circuit from the member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising preparing a member which has a separation layer on a base and a semiconductor film having a plurality of chip regions on the separation layer, forming kerfs in the semiconductor film to partition the plurality of chip regions, and forming cracks in the separation layer to separate each of the partitioned chip regions from the base.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device obtained by processing a member having a separation layer on a base and a plurality of chip regions on the separation layer, wherein the process comprises forming kerfs in the semiconductor film to partition the plurality of chip regions, and forming cracks in the separation layer to separate each of the partitioned chip regions from the base.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, for example, kerfs are formed before a device layer having a semiconductor element or semiconductor integrated circuit element is separated from a member. After that, a desired region is separated from the member using a fluid or the like. Hence, a thin-film semiconductor device can be manufactured at high efficiency without any influence on the device layer.
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Sakaguchi Kiyofumi
Yonehara Takao
Le Thao X
Pham Long
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