Patent Abstract:
The invention provides a method for improving adhesion between a polymeric planarizing film and a semiconductor chip surface. The method includes deposition resistive, conductive and/or insulative materials to a seimconductor chip surface to provide a semiconductor chip for an ink jet printer. The chip surface is treated with a dry etch process under an oxygen atmosphere for a period of time and under conditions sufficient to activate the surface of the chip. A polymeric planarizing film is applied to the activated surface of the semiconductor chip. As a result of the dry etch process, adhesion of the planarizing film is increased over adhesion between the planarizing film and a semiconductor surface in the absence of the dry etch treatment of the chip surface.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to ink jet printers and to improved methods for making printheads for ink jet printers.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Ink jet printers continue to evolve to provide print engines having increased resolution at higher page throughput. However, higher throughput often means the printheads must operate with higher ejection frequencies which often increase the printhead temperature. Higher printhead operating temperatures and more chemically aggressive inks require more robust construction or modification in fabrication techniques to enhance the ability of the components of the printhead to withstand more extreme operating conditions and inks. For example, increased operating temperatures may cause failure of adhesives used to attached printhead components to one another. Failure of adhesion between protective layers attached to the semiconductor surface may invite corrosion from ink contact with unprotected surfaces including the electrical devices on the semiconductor surface.  
           [0003]    What is needed therefore is an improved method for fabricating ink jet printheads to reduce the potential for corrosion from ink over the life of the printhead.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    With regard to improving manufacturing techniques so as to provide printheads having increase reliability over the life thereof, a method for improving adhesion between a polymeric planarizing film and a semiconductor chip surface is provided. The method includes depositing resistive, conductive and/or insulative materials to a silicon wafer surface to provide semiconductor chips for ink jet printers. The wafer surface is treated with a dry etch process under an oxygen atmosphere for a period of time and under conditions sufficient to activate the surface of the wafer. A polymeric planarizing film is applied to the activated surface of the wafer. As a result of the dry etch process, adhesion between the planarizing film and the wafer surface is increased over adhesion between a planarizing film and a wafer surface in the absence of the dry etch treatment of the wafer surface.  
           [0005]    In another aspect, the invention provides a semiconductor chip for an ink jet printhead. The chip includes silicon having a device surface and one or more metal or metal oxide layers providing active devices on the device surface. The device surface is activated for bonding a planarizing film thereto. A planarizing film is attached to and covers at least a portion of the activated surface of the semiconductor chip. The surface is activated by treating the surface with a dry etch process under oxygen atmosphere to provide increased adhesion between the planarizing film and the device surface.  
           [0006]    An important advantage of the invention is that the printhead exhibits improved life even when operating at higher temperatures and when using more chemically aggressive inks. A factor in the improved life of the printhead is the decreased tendency for the planarizing film to delaminate from the device surface of the chip when a printhead is made by the process of the invention. Because the planarizing film of the invention is more prone to remain completely attached to the device surface, corrosion of the device surface by ink contact therewith is significantly reduced. In comparison, printheads made by planarizing unactivated device surfaces are more prone to delamination between the planarizing film and chip surface than printheads made according to the invention. Delamination of the planarizing film provides an avenue for ink corrosion of the device surface of the chip. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    Further advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the detailed description when considered in conjunction with the figures, which are not to scale, wherein like reference numbers indicate like elements through the several views, and wherein:  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view, not to scale, of a portion of semiconductor chip containing a planarizing surface applied to the chip according to the invention;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, not to scale, of a portion of a printhead made according to the invention; and  
         [0010]    FIGS.  3 - 7  are cross-sectional views, not to scale, of a portion of a semiconductor chip during the manufacturing processes therefor. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]    With reference to FIG. 1, a semiconductor chip  10  for an ink jet printhead is shown. The chip  10  includes a silicon substrate  12  containing a plurality of layers including insulating, conductive, resistive and passivating layers which together provide a device layer  14  on the silicon substrate  12 . The chip  10  is made from a silicon wafer having a thickness ranging from about 200 to about 800 microns and the device layer  14  preferably has an overall thickness ranging from about 1 micron to about 5 microns, most preferably from about 2 to about  3  microns. A planarizing layer  16  is deposited over the device layer  14  to provide a substantially planar surface  18  for attaching a nozzle plate  20  (FIG. 2) thereto.  
         [0012]    With regard to providing device layer  14 , reference is made to FIGS.  3 - 7 . The first layer applied to the silicon substrate  12  is an insulating layer  22  (FIG. 3) which is preferably a metal oxide layer, most preferably silicon dioxide having a thickness ranging from about 1.0 to about 2.0 microns. However, other passivating or insulating layers may be used for layer  22 .  
         [0013]    The next layer is a phosphorous silicon glass (PSG) layer  24  (FIG. 4) having a thickness ranging from about 1000 to about 1200 Ångstroms which is deposited over the insulating layer  22 . Other materials which may be used for layer  24  include boron phosphorous silicon glass (BPSG) or other dielectric materials known to those skilled in the art. The PSG layer  24  is preferably deposited over the entire insulating layer  22  surface.  
         [0014]    A resistive layer  26  of tantalum/aluminum, or alpha phase tantalum is next deposited on at least a portion of the PSG layer  24  (FIG. 5). The resistive layer  26  provides heater resistors  28  which are disposed adjacent an ink chamber  30  and ink ejection nozzle hole  32  (FIG. 2) provided in the nozzle plate  20  attached to the chip  10 . Upon activation of the heater resistors  28 , ink in the ink chamber  30  is heated and a portion of the heated ink vaporizes causing a gas bubble which urges ink from the ink chamber  30  through the nozzle hole  32 . The resistive layer  26  preferably has a thickness ranging from about 900 to about 1100 Ångstroms.  
         [0015]    Conductive layers  34   a  and  34   b  (FIG. 5) made of an aluminum/copper alloy, gold, beta phase tantalum, aluminum and the like are deposited on one or more portions of the resistive layer  26 . The conductive layers  34   a  and  34   b  provide electrical connection between the resistors  28  and the printer controller. Conductive layers  34   a  and  34   b  each preferably have a thickness ranging from about 5000 to about 6000 Ångstroms.  
         [0016]    In order to protect the conductive and resistive layers from ink corrosion, passivation layers  36  and  38  (FIGS. 5 and 6) are preferably deposited over the resistive layer  26  and conductive layers  34   a  and  34   b.  The passivation layers  36  and  38  may be a composite layer of silicon nitride and silicon carbide, or may be individual layers  36  and  38  of silicon nitride and silicon carbide, respectively. The passivation layers  36  and  38  are preferably deposited directly on the conductive layers  34   a  and  34   b  and the resistive layer  26 . It is preferred that the silicon carbide layer  38  have a thickness ranging from about 2000 to about 3000 Ångstroms, most preferably about 2600 Ångstroms. The silicon nitride layer  36  preferably has a thickness ranging from about 4000 to about 5000 Ångstroms, most preferably about 4400 Ångstroms.  
         [0017]    A cavitation or additional passivation layer  40  (FIG. 6) of tantalum or diamond like carbon (DLC) is preferably deposited over at least a portion of the passivation layers  36  and  38 , most preferably adjacent the heater resistor  28  adjacent the ink chamber  30 . The cavitation layer  40  provides protection to the heater resistor  28  during ink ejection operations which could cause mechanical damage to the heater resistor  28  in the absence of the cavitation layer  40 . The cavitation layer  40  is believed to absorb energy from a collapsing ink bubble after ejection of ink from the nozzle hole  32 . Cavitation layer thickness may range from about 2500 to about 7000 Ångstroms or more.  
         [0018]    As seen in cross-sectional view in FIG. 6, the insulative, conductive, resistive and passivative layers providing device layer  14  deposited on the silicon  12  result in a non-planar chip surface  42 . Each of these layers may be deposited and patterned as by conventional thin film integrated circuit processing techniques including chemical vapor deposition, photoresist deposition, masking, developing, etching and the like.  
         [0019]    In order to adhesively attach the nozzle plate  20  to the chip surface  42 , the planarizing layer  16  (FIG. 7) is preferably spun or coated onto the chip surface  42  as an intermediate layer to provide a planarized surface  18 . The planarizing layer  16  is preferably a radiation and/or heat curable polymeric film layer preferably containing a difunctional epoxy material, a polyfunctional epoxy material and suitable cure initiators and catalyst. A suitable material for planarizing layer  16  is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,333 to Patil et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth.  
         [0020]    The planarizing layer  16  is relatively thick compared to the insulative, conductive, resistive and passivating layers described above and may have a thickness ranging from about 1 micron to about 20 microns, preferably about 2 to about 3 microns and most preferably about 2.5 microns. It is preferred to deposit the planarizing layer  16  over the entire chip surface  42  and then selective remove the layer in selected areas, i.e., “pattern” the layer, to provide the ink chamber  30  and electrical connections to conductive layers  34   a  and  34   b  on the chip  10 . Patterning the planarizing layer  16  may be conducted by conventional photolithographic techniques.  
         [0021]    Once the surface  42  of the chip  10  is substantially planarized with planarizing layer  16 , the nozzle plate  20  may be attached to the planarizing layer  16  using adhesive  44  (FIG. 2). The nozzle plate  20  may be made of metals or plastics and is preferably made of a polyimide polymer which is laser ablated to provide the ink chamber  30 , nozzle hole  32  and an ink supply channel  46  therein. The adhesive layer  44  is preferably any B-stageable material, including some thermoplastics. Examples of B-stageable thermal cure resins include phenolic resins, resorcinol resins, urea resins, epoxy resins, ethylene-urea resins, furane resins, polyurethanes, and silicon resins. Suitable thermoplastic, or hot melt, materials include ethylene-vinyl acetate, ethylene ethylacrylate, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyamides, polyesters and polyurethanes. The adhesive layer  44  is about 1 to about 25 microns in thickness. In the most preferred embodiment, the adhesive layer  44  is a phenolic butyral adhesive such as that used in RFLEX R1100 or RFLEX R1000 films, commercially available from Rogers of Chandler, Ariz.  
         [0022]    A flexible circuit or tape automated bonding (TAB) circuit is attached to the nozzle plate/chip assembly 20/10 to provide a printhead structure. The printhead structure is preferably adhesively attached to a printhead body portion to provide a printhead for an ink jet printer.  
         [0023]    As set forth above, the invention significantly improves adhesion between the planarizing layer  16  and the chip surface  42 . While not desiring to be bound by theory, it is believed that dry etching the chip surface  42  in an oxygen atmosphere prior to attaching the planarizing layer  16  to the surface  42  may sufficiently oxygenate and/or clean the surface  42  and provide adhesion improvement between the planarizing layer  16  and the surface  42 . It is believed that reactive ion etching (RIE) deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) or inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching generates gaseous oxygen ions which impact the chip surface  42  substantially perpendicular to the chip surface  42 . The directionality of the gaseous ions in the etching chamber distinguishes such processes from a non-directional movement of ions in conventional plasma processes.  
         [0024]    Operating parameters for the etching process are also important to achieving the desired adhesion improvement. The same adhesion enhancing effect is not evident with all operating parameters. For example, the preferred RF power for RIE ranges from about 200 to about 400 watts with about 300 watts being particularly preferred. The reaction chamber pressure is also important to achieving suitable results. The pressure preferably ranges from about 200 to about 650 milliTorr, most preferably from about 450 to about 600 milliTorr. The gas used to generate plasma in the reaction chamber is particularly important to effective enhancement of adhesion. Accordingly, it is preferred to use a plasma gas consisting essentially of oxygen. Oxygen is delivered to the reaction chamber at a flow rate ranging from about 100 to about 300 standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm), most preferably from about 200 to about 250 sccm. RIE treating time should be sufficiently long to effect oxygenation and/or cleaning of the chip surface but not so long that significant reduction in the surface layers is effected. A preferred RIE treating time ranges from about 30 to about 120 seconds, most preferably about 60 seconds. For example, RIE at 100 watts power, 100 millitorr and pure oxygen for 1 to 10 minutes was not found to increase adhesion between the surface  42  of a semiconductor chip and a planarizing layer  16  applied to the surface  42 .  
         [0025]    While the foregoing invention has been described with reference to a thermal ink jet printer, the invention is adaptable to use in fabricating a piezoelectric ink jet printer. In this case, the chip surface to which the planarizing layer  16  is applied is on a side of the silicon  12  opposite the surface to which the nozzle plate  20  is attached. However, since the chip  10  containing the piezoelectric devices is adhesively attached to a printhead body, it is desirable to include planarizing layer  16  to provide a planar surface for such adhesive attachment. Activation of the device surface of a piezoelectric type chip to improve adhesion between the planarizing layer  16  and the device surface provides similar advantages for the construction of piezoelectric printheads.  
         [0026]    Having described various aspects and embodiments of the invention and several advantages thereof, it will be recognized by those of ordinary skills that the invention is susceptible to various modifications, substitutions and revisions within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1