Patent ID: 7678288
Filing Date: 2010-03-16
Classification: G03F,H01L

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing bonded substrate structures, the method comprising: providing a first substrate comprising a first surface region; processing the first surface region of the first substrate to form a first pattern region and a first set of alignment marks using a first photolithographic stepper characterized by a first tolerance criteria for alignment; providing a second substrate comprising a second surface region; forming a second set of alignment marks on the second surface region using the first photolithographic stepper and a third set of alignment marks on the second surface region using a second photolithographic stepper; processing the second surface region of the second substrate through at least one masking process, using the third set of alignment marks, to form a second pattern region using a second photolithographic stepper characterized by a second tolerance criteria for alignment; determining a masking process having a third tolerance criteria for alignment, the third tolerance criteria allowing for a change from the second photographic stepper to the first photographic stepper; processing the second substrate for at least the determined masking process and producing a third pattern region and a fourth set of alignment marks using the first photolithographic stepper, the fourth set of alignment marks being referenced to the second set of alignment marks; and joining the first substrate to the second substrate to form a composite substrate structure with alignment of the substrates determined by registration of at least a portion of the first set of alignment marks on the first substrate with at least a portion of the fourth set of bonding alignment marks on the second substrate.