Patent Description:
The manufacturing process for integrated circuits continues to improve in many ways, driven by the ongoing efforts to scale down the feature sizes of the individual circuit elements. Many techniques have been developed to reduce parasitic capacitance of semiconductor devices during the fabrication process to improve their performance. Wafer bonding is a packaging technology on wafer-level for microelectromechanical systems, nanoelectromechanical systems, microelectronics, or optoelectronics. Capacitance reduction techniques for semiconductor devices during the wafer bonding process may be desired to further improve the performance after the integrated circuits have been fabricated.

<CIT> discloses an air-cavity module having a thinned semiconductor die and a mold compound. The thinned semiconductor die includes a back-end-of-line (BEOL) layer, an epitaxial layer over the BEOL layer, and a buried oxide (BOX) layer with discrete holes over the epitaxial layer. The epitaxial layer includes an air-cavity, a first device section, and a second device section. Herein, the air-cavity is in between the first device section and the second device section and directly in connection with each discrete hole in the BOX layer. The mold compound resides directly over at least a portion of the BOX layer, within which the discrete holes are located. The mold compound does not enter into the air-cavity through the discrete holes.

<CIT> discloses the use of Tin oxide films to create air gaps during semiconductor substrate processing. Tin oxide films, disposed between exposed layers of other materials, such as SiO2 and SiN can be selectively etched using a plasma formed in an H2-containing process gas. The etching creates a recessed feature in place of the tin oxide between the surrounding materials. A third material, such as SiO2 is deposited over the resulting recessed feature without fully filling the recessed feature, forming an air gap. A method for selectively etching tin oxide in a presence of SiO2, SiC, SiN, SiOC, SiNO, SiCNO, or SiCN, includes, in some embodiments, contacting the substrate with a plasma formed in a process gas comprising at least about <NUM>% H2. Etching of tin oxide can be performed without using an external bias at the substrate and is preferably performed at a temperature of less than about <NUM>° C.

<CIT> discloses a semiconductor structure that includes a semiconductor substrate with fin(s) thereon, FinFET(s) integral with the fin(s), the FinFET(s) including a gate electrode, a gate liner lining the gate electrode, and air-gap(s) in gate trench(es) of the FinFET(s), reducing parasitic capacitance by at least about <NUM> percent as compared to no air-gaps.

<CIT> discloses a method of forming a semiconductor device that includes providing a gate structure on a semiconductor substrate that includes at a gate conductor. Forming a sacrificial material layer on at least the sidewall surfaces of the gate conductor, and forming a raised source region and a raised drain region on the semiconductor substrate, wherein the raised source region and the raised drain are separated from the gate conductor by the sacrificial material layer. The sacrificial material layer is removed to provide a void separating the gate structure from the raised source and drain regions. An encapsulating material layer is formed bridging the gate structure to each of the raised source region and the raised drain region to provide an air gap separating the gate structure from the raised source regions and the raised drain regions.

<CIT> relates to a method of forming a semiconductor device and resulting structures having an air spacer between a gate and a contact by forming a gate on a substrate and over a channel region of a semiconductor fin. A contact is formed on a doped region of the substrate such that a space between the contact and the gate defines a trench. A first dielectric layer is formed over the gate and the contact such that the first dielectric layer partially fills the trench. A second dielectric layer is formed over the first dielectric layer such that an air spacer forms in the trench between the gate and the contact.

<CIT> discloses a method of fabricating adjacent vertical fins with top source/drains having an air spacer and a self-aligned top junction, including, forming two or more vertical fins on a bottom source/drain, forming a top source/drain on each of the two or more vertical fins, wherein the top source/drains are formed to a size that leaves a gap between the adjacent vertical fins, and forming a source/drain liner on the top source/drains, where the source/drain liner occludes the gap between adjacent top source/drains to form a void space between adjacent vertical fins.

<CIT> discloses a transistor, such as a FinFET, that includes a gate structure disposed over a substrate. The gate structure has a width and also a length and a height defining two opposing sidewalls of the gate structure. The transistor further includes at least one electrically conductive channel between a source region and a drain region that passes through the sidewalls of the gate structure; a dielectric layer disposed over the gate structure and portions of the electrically conductive channel that are external to the gate structure; and an air gap underlying the dielectric layer. The air gap is disposed adjacent to the sidewalls of the gate structure and functions to reduce parasitic capacitance of the transistor.

<CIT> discloses a bonded substrate comprising two semiconductor substrates. Each semiconductor substrate includes semiconductor devices. At least one through substrate via is provided between the two semiconductor substrates to provide a signal path therebetween. The bottom sides of the two semiconductor substrate are bonded by at least one bonding material layer that contains a cooling mechanism. In one embodiment, the cooling mechanism is a cooling channel through which a cooling fluid flows to cool the bonded semiconductor substrate during the operation of the semiconductor devices in the bonded substrate. In another embodiment, the cooling mechanism is a conductive cooling fin with two end portions and a contiguous path therebetween. The cooling fin is connected to heat sinks to cool the bonded semiconductor substrate during the operation of the semiconductor devices in the bonded substrate.

<CIT> discloses a high-frequency semiconductor device, wherein on one surface of a semiconductor substrate, a first insulating layer, an undoped epitaxial polysilicon layer in a state of column crystal, a second insulating layer, and a semiconductor layer are formed in order from a side of the one surface, and a high-frequency transistor is formed in a location of the semiconductor layer facing the undoped epitaxial polysilicon layer with the second insulating layer in between.

Advantageous embodiments are subject to the dependent claims and are described herein below.

The manufacturing process for integrated circuits (IC) or devices may include many steps and operations performed on a device wafer. A device wafer may have a backside at the back of the substrate, and a front side opposite to the backside. Front-end-of-line (FEOL), or simply front end, semiconductor processing and structures may refer to a first portion of integrated circuit fabrication where individual devices (e.g., transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc.) are patterned in a semiconductor substrate or layer at the front side of the device wafer. FEOL generally covers everything up to (but not including) the deposition of metal interconnect layers. A transistor formed in FEOL may also be referred to as a front end transistor. Following the last FEOL operation, the result is typically a wafer with isolated transistors (e.g., without any wires). Back end of line (BEOL), or simply back end, semiconductor processing and structures may refer to a second portion of IC fabrication where the individual devices (e.g., transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc.) are interconnected with wiring on the wafer, e.g., the metallization layer or layers. BEOL includes a metal interconnect, e.g., metal contacts, vias, dielectrics layers, metal levels, and bonding sites for chip-to-package connections. For modern IC processes, more than <NUM> metal layers may be added in the BEOL. Many techniques have been developed to reduce parasitic capacitance of semiconductor during the front end or the back end of the fabrication process.

Wafer bonding is a packaging technology on wafer-level for microelectromechanical systems, nanoelectromechanical systems, microelectronics, or optoelectronics. After the IC or devices have been fabricated in a device wafer going through both the FEOL and BEOL at the front side, the device wafer may be bonded with a carrier wafer for further processing. Capacitance reduction techniques for semiconductor devices during the wafer bonding process or at the wafer bonding stage may be desired to improve further the performance of the semiconductor devices.

Embodiments herein may include methods and apparatus for capacitance reduction of a semiconductor device during the wafer bonding process after an IC has been fabricated on the device wafer. Components of one or more transistors of an IC may be selectively removed, to create low-k dielectric layers or air gaps. Embodiments herein may show air gaps as examples for reducing capacitance. The techniques and systems herein may equally applicable to create low-k dielectric layers and/or air gaps. The selective removing of components of transistors may be performed from the backside of the device wafer after the transistors and back end interconnects have been fully fabricated at the front side of the device wafer. In addition to removing components of transistors, interlayer dielectric material or other components, e.g., components of transistors at the BEOL, from back end interconnect layers (e.g. LI, M0, M1, etc.) may be similarly removed to form air gaps or low-k dielectric layers.

Embodiments herein may provide a semiconductor device including a carrier wafer, and an IC formed on a device wafer bonded to the carrier wafer. The IC includes a front end layer having one or more transistors at front end of the device wafer, and a back end layer having a metal interconnect coupled to the one or more transistors. One or more gaps may be formed by removing components of the one or more transistors. Furthermore, the IC includes a capping layer at backside of the device wafer next to the front end layer of the device wafer, filling at least partially the one or more gaps of the front end layer. Moreover, the IC includes one or more air gaps formed within the one or more gaps, and between the capping layer and the back end layer. The one or more air gaps are to reduce parasitic capacitance of the IC compared to the IC without the one or more air gaps.

Embodiments herein may present a method for forming a semiconductor device. The method includes forming an IC on a device wafer, where the IC includes a front end layer having one or more transistors at front end of the device wafer, and a back end layer having a metal interconnect coupled to the one or more transistors. The method also includes coupling the device wafer to a carrier wafer by coupling the back end layer of the device wafer to the carrier wafer; thinning the device wafer at backside of the device wafer to expose the one or more transistors; and removing one or more components of the one or more transistors to form one or more gaps at the front end layer. Furthermore, the method includes forming a capping layer at the backside of the device wafer to fill at least partially the one or more gaps at the front end layer. The capping layer is next to the front end layer of the device wafer, and one or more air gaps are formed within the one or more gaps, and between the capping layer and the back end layer.

Embodiments herein may present a computing device including a print circuit board (PCB), and a semiconductor device coupled to the PCB. The semiconductor device includes a carrier wafer, and an IC formed on a device wafer bonded to the carrier wafer. The IC includes a front end layer having one or more transistors at front end of the device wafer, and a back end layer having a metal interconnect coupled to the one or more transistors. One or more gaps may be formed by removing components of the one or more transistors. Furthermore, the IC includes a capping layer at backside of the device wafer next to the front end layer of the device wafer, filling at least partially the one or more gaps of the front end layer. Moreover, the IC includes one or more air gaps formed within the one or more gaps, and between the capping layer and the back end layer. The one or more air gaps are to reduce parasitic capacitance of the IC compared to the IC without the one or more air gaps.

In the following description, various aspects of the illustrative implementations will be described using terms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced with only some of the described aspects. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrative implementations. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the illustrative implementations.

Various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations, in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the present disclosure. However, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations may not be performed in the order of presentation.

The terms "over," "under," "between," "above," and "on" as used herein may refer to a relative position of one material layer or component with respect to other layers or components. For example, one layer disposed over or under another layer may be directly in contact with the other layer or may have one or more intervening layers. Moreover, one layer disposed between two layers may be directly in contact with the two layers or may have one or more intervening layers. In contrast, a first layer "on" a second layer is in direct contact with that second layer. Similarly, unless explicitly stated otherwise, one feature disposed between two features may be in direct contact with the adjacent features or may have one or more intervening features.

The term "coupled with," along with its derivatives, may be used herein. "Coupled" may mean one or more of the following. "Coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, "coupled" may also mean that two or more elements indirectly contact each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other, and may mean that one or more other elements are coupled or connected between the elements that are said to be coupled with each other. The term "directly coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct contact.

In various embodiments, the phrase "a first feature formed, deposited, or otherwise disposed on a second feature" may mean that the first feature is formed, deposited, or disposed over the second feature, and at least a part of the first feature may be in direct contact (e.g., direct physical and/or electrical contact) or indirect contact (e.g., having one or more other features between the first feature and the second feature) with at least a part of the second feature.

Where the disclosure recites "a" or "a first" element or the equivalent thereof, such disclosure includes one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Further, ordinal indicators (e.g., first, second, or third) for identified elements are used to distinguish between the elements, and do not indicate or imply a required or limited number of such elements, nor do they indicate a particular position or order of such elements unless otherwise specifically stated.

Circuitry may include one or more transistors. As used herein, "computer-implemented method" may refer to any method executed by one or more processors, a computer system having one or more processors, a mobile device such as a smartphone (which may include one or more processors), a tablet, a laptop computer, a set-top box, a gaming console, and so forth.

Implementations of the disclosure may be formed or carried out on a substrate, such as a semiconductor substrate. In one implementation, the semiconductor substrate may be a crystalline substrate formed using a bulk silicon or a silicon-on-insulator substructure. In other implementations, the semiconductor substrate may be formed using alternate materials, which may or may not be combined with silicon, that include but are not limited to germanium, indium antimonide, lead telluride, indium arsenide, indium phosphide, gallium arsenide, indium gallium arsenide, gallium antimonide, or other combinations of group III-V or group IV materials. Although a few examples of materials from which the substrate may be formed are described here, any material may be used that may serve as a foundation upon which a semiconductor device may be built.

A plurality of transistors, such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET or simply MOS transistors), may be fabricated on the substrate. In various implementations of the disclosure, the MOS transistors may be planar transistors, nonplanar transistors, or a combination of both. Nonplanar transistors include FinFET transistors such as double-gate transistors and tri-gate transistors, and wrap-around or all-around gate transistors such as nanoribbon and nanowire transistors. Although the implementations described herein may illustrate only planar transistors, it should be noted that the disclosure may also be carried out using nonplanar transistors.

Each MOS transistor includes a gate stack formed of at least two layers, a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode layer. The gate dielectric layer may include one layer or a stack of layers. The one or more layers may include silicon oxide, silicon dioxide (SiO2) and/or a high-k dielectric material. The high-k dielectric material may include elements such as hafnium, silicon, oxygen, titanium, tantalum, lanthanum, aluminum, zirconium, barium, strontium, yttrium, lead, scandium, niobium, and zinc. Examples of high-k materials that may be used in the gate dielectric layer include, but are not limited to, hafnium oxide, hafnium silicon oxide, lanthanum oxide, lanthanum aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, zirconium silicon oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, barium strontium titanium oxide, barium titanium oxide, strontium titanium oxide, yttrium oxide, aluminum oxide, lead scandium tantalum oxide, and lead zinc niobate. In some embodiments, an annealing process may be carried out on the gate dielectric layer to improve its quality when a high-k material is used.

The gate electrode layer is formed on the gate dielectric layer and may consist of at least one P-type work function metal or N-type work function metal, depending on whether the transistor is to be a PMOS or an NMOS transistor. In some implementations, the gate electrode layer may consist of a stack of two or more metal layers, where one or more metal layers are work function metal layers and at least one metal layer is a fill metal layer. Further metal layers may be included for other purposes, such as a barrier layer.

For a PMOS transistor, metals that may be used for the gate electrode include, but are not limited to, ruthenium, palladium, platinum, cobalt, nickel, and conductive metal oxides, e.g., ruthenium oxide. A P-type metal layer will enable the formation of a PMOS gate electrode with a work function that is between about <NUM> eV and about <NUM> eV. For an NMOS transistor, metals that may be used for the gate electrode include, but are not limited to, hafnium, zirconium, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, alloys of these metals, and carbides of these metals such as hafnium carbide, zirconium carbide, titanium carbide, tantalum carbide, and aluminum carbide. An N-type metal layer will enable the formation of an NMOS gate electrode with a work function that is between about <NUM> eV and about <NUM> eV.

In some implementations, when viewed as a cross-section of the transistor along the source-channel-drain direction, the gate electrode may consist of a "U"-shaped structure that includes a bottom portion substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate and two sidewall portions that are substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate. In another implementation, at least one of the metal layers that form the gate electrode may simply be a planar layer that is substantially parallel to the top surface of the substrate and does not include sidewall portions substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate. In further implementations of the disclosure, the gate electrode may consist of a combination of U-shaped structures and planar, non-U-shaped structures. For example, the gate electrode may consist of one or more U-shaped metal layers formed atop one or more planar, non-U-shaped layers.

In some implementations of the disclosure, a pair of sidewall spacers may be formed on opposing sides of the gate stack that bracket the gate stack. The sidewall spacers may be formed from a material such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride doped with carbon, and silicon oxynitride. Processes for forming sidewall spacers are well known in the art and generally include deposition and etching process operations. In an alternate implementation, a plurality of spacer pairs may be used, for instance, two pairs, three pairs, or four pairs of sidewall spacers may be formed on opposing sides of the gate stack.

As is well known in the art, source and drain regions are formed within the substrate adjacent to the gate stack of each MOS transistor. The source and drain regions are generally formed using either an implantation/diffusion process or an etching/deposition process. In the former process, dopants such as boron, aluminum, antimony, phosphorous, or arsenic may be ion-implanted into the substrate to form the source and drain regions. An annealing process that activates the dopants and causes them to diffuse further into the substrate typically follows the ion implantation process. In the latter process, the substrate may first be etched to form recesses at the locations of the source and drain regions. An epitaxial deposition process may then be carried out to fill the recesses with material that is used to fabricate the source and drain regions. In some implementations, the source and drain regions may be fabricated using a silicon alloy such as silicon germanium or silicon carbide. In some implementations the epitaxially deposited silicon alloy may be doped in situ with dopants such as boron, arsenic, or phosphorous. In further embodiments, the source and drain regions may be formed using one or more alternate semiconductor materials such as germanium or a group III-V material or alloy. And in further embodiments, one or more layers of metal and/or metal alloys may be used to form the source and drain regions.

One or more interlayer dielectrics (ILD) are deposited over the MOS transistors. The ILD layers may be formed using dielectric materials known for their applicability in integrated circuit structures, such as low-k dielectric materials. Examples of dielectric materials that may be used include, but are not limited to, silicon dioxide (SiO2), carbon doped oxide (CDO), silicon nitride, organic polymers such as perfluorocyclobutane or polytetrafluoroethylene, fluorosilicate glass (FSG), and organosilicates such as silsesquioxane, siloxane, or organosilicate glass. The ILD layers may include pores or air gaps to further reduce their dielectric constant.

<FIG> schematically illustrate air gaps in semiconductor devices including a carrier wafer and an integrated circuit formed on a device wafer bonded to the carrier wafer. For example, as shown in <FIG>, an air gap <NUM> or an air gap <NUM> are in a semiconductor device <NUM> including an integrated circuit <NUM> formed on a device wafer <NUM> bonded to a carrier wafer <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, an air gap <NUM> or an air gap <NUM> are in a semiconductor device <NUM> including an integrated circuit <NUM> formed on a device wafer <NUM> bonded to a carrier wafer <NUM>.

In embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the semiconductor device <NUM> includes the IC <NUM> formed on the device wafer <NUM> bonded to the carrier wafer <NUM>. The device wafer <NUM> may be bonded to the carrier wafer <NUM> by direct bonding, surface activated bonding, adhesive bonding, reactive bonding, glass frit bonding, or hybrid bonding. The carrier wafer <NUM> may be a glass wafer, a sapphire wafer, a polymer wafer, a silicon wafer, or some other wafer.

In embodiments, the IC <NUM> includes a front end layer <NUM> and a back end layer <NUM>, which are both at the front side of the device wafer <NUM>. The front end layer <NUM> has one or more transistors, e.g., a transistor <NUM>, at front end of the device wafer <NUM>. The transistor <NUM> includes a channel <NUM>, a gate electrode <NUM>, a source electrode <NUM>, and a drain electrode <NUM>. The one or more transistors may include a nanowire transistor, a nanotube transistor, a nanoribbon transistor, a FinFET transistor, a tri-gate FinFET transistor, a multiple-gate field-effect transistor (MuGFET) transistor, or a gate-all-around FET transistor.

In embodiments, one or more gaps are formed by removing components of the one or more transistors, e.g., the transistor <NUM>. For example, a gap may be formed between the gate electrode <NUM> and the source electrode <NUM>, by removing at least a part of a spacer between the source electrode <NUM> and the gate electrode <NUM>. Similarly, a gap may be formed between the gate electrode <NUM> and the drain electrode <NUM>, by removing at least a part of a spacer between the drain electrode <NUM> and the gate electrode <NUM>. The gap between the source electrode <NUM> and the gate electrode <NUM>, or the gap between the drain electrode <NUM> and the gate electrode <NUM>, may have a width in a range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>. When a gap is formed by removing a part of a spacer between the source electrode and the gate electrode, the transistor may still include a partial spacer between the source electrode and the gate electrode.

In embodiments, the back end layer <NUM> includes a metal interconnect coupled to the one or more transistors. The metal interconnect includes metal contacts in multiple metal layers, and vias coupling two metal contacts together, e.g., a metal contact <NUM>, a metal contact <NUM>, and a via <NUM>. The IC <NUM> further includes power wires or bumps, e.g., a wire <NUM>, coupled to the metal interconnect.

In embodiments, the IC <NUM> further includes a capping layer <NUM> at backside of the device wafer <NUM>, next to the front end layer <NUM> of the device wafer <NUM>, filling at least partially the one or more gaps of the front end layer <NUM>. For example, the capping layer <NUM> fills partially a gap between the gate electrode <NUM> and the source electrode <NUM>, or between the gate electrode <NUM> and the drain electrode <NUM>. The capping layer <NUM> may include a low-k dielectric material with a dielectric constant in a range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the capping layer <NUM> is bonded to the carrier wafer <NUM>.

Furthermore, one or more air gaps are formed within the one or more gaps, and between the capping layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM>. For example, the air gap <NUM> is between the capping layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM> on the top and bottom sides, and also between the gate electrode <NUM> and the source electrode <NUM>. The air gap <NUM> is between the capping layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM> on the top and bottom sides, and also between the gate electrode <NUM> and the drain electrode <NUM>. The one or more air gaps are to reduce parasitic capacitance of the IC <NUM> compared to the IC <NUM> without the one or more air gaps. The lower dielectric constant of air also allows for smaller gaps between the gate electrode and source electrode or drain electrode. For example, a gap between the gate electrode and source electrode may be reduced from about <NUM> to about <NUM>. The saved space of the gap may be used to increase the contact surface area in source electrode or drain electrode, to scale the gate pitch (e.g. reduce about <NUM> pitch to about <NUM> pitch), or any combination thereof.

In embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the semiconductor device <NUM> includes the IC <NUM> formed on the device wafer <NUM> bonded to the carrier wafer <NUM>. The IC <NUM> includes a front end layer <NUM> and a back end layer <NUM>, which are both at the front side of the device wafer <NUM>. The front end layer <NUM> has one or more transistors, e.g., a transistor <NUM>, at front end of the device wafer <NUM>. The transistor <NUM> includes a channel <NUM>, a gate electrode <NUM>, a source electrode <NUM>, and a drain electrode <NUM>.

In embodiments, one or more gaps are formed by removing components of the one or more transistors, e.g., the transistor <NUM>. For example, a gap may be formed between the gate electrode <NUM> and the source electrode <NUM>, by removing at least a part of a spacer between the source electrode <NUM> and the gate electrode <NUM>. Similarly, a gap may be formed between the gate electrode <NUM> and the drain electrode <NUM>, by removing at least a part of a spacer between the drain electrode <NUM> and the gate electrode <NUM>.

In embodiments, the back end layer <NUM> includes a metal interconnect coupled to the one or more transistors. The metal interconnect includes metal contacts in multiple metal layers, and vias coupling two metal contacts together, e.g., a metal contact <NUM>, a metal contact <NUM>, and a via <NUM>. The back end layer <NUM> is bonded to the carrier wafer <NUM>.

In embodiments, the IC <NUM> further includes a capping layer <NUM> at backside of the device wafer <NUM>, next to the front end layer <NUM> of the device wafer <NUM>, filling at least partially the one or more gaps of the front end layer <NUM>. For example, the capping layer <NUM> fills at least partially a gap between the gate electrode <NUM> and the source electrode <NUM>, or between the gate electrode <NUM> and the drain electrode <NUM>. In embodiments, the IC <NUM> further includes a second metal interconnect within the capping layer <NUM> at the backside of the device wafer. The second metal interconnect includes metal contacts in multiple metal layers, and vias coupling two metal contacts together, e.g., a metal contact <NUM>, and a via <NUM>. The IC <NUM> further includes power wires or bumps, e.g., a wire <NUM>, coupled to the second metal interconnect within the capping layer <NUM>.

Furthermore, one or more air gaps are formed within the one or more gaps, and between the capping layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM>. For example, the air gap <NUM> is between the capping layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM> on the top and bottom sides, and also between the gate electrode <NUM> and the source electrode <NUM>. The air gap <NUM> is between the capping layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM> on the top and bottom sides, and also between the gate electrode <NUM> and the drain electrode <NUM>. The one or more air gaps are to reduce parasitic capacitance of the IC <NUM> compared to the IC <NUM> without the one or more air gaps.

There may be more embodiments, e.g., as shown in <FIG>, to implement air gaps or create low-k dielectric layers in semiconductor devices including an IC formed on a device wafer bonded to a carrier wafer. For simplicity, only part of the IC formed on a device wafer is shown in <FIG>. The IC is formed on a device wafer, which is bonded to a carrier wafer.

In embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, an IC <NUM> includes a front end layer <NUM> and a back end layer <NUM>, which are both at the front side of the device wafer. The front end layer <NUM> has one or more transistors that may include one or more fins, nanowires, or other channel structures, e.g., a fin <NUM>, a fin <NUM>. The back end layer <NUM> includes a metal interconnect coupled to the one or more transistors. The metal interconnect includes metal contacts in multiple metal layers, and vias coupling two metal contacts together. Components, e.g., dielectric materials, at the front end layer <NUM> or the back end layer <NUM> may be removed to form gaps within the front end layer <NUM> or the back end layer <NUM>, e.g., a gap <NUM> or a gap <NUM>. For example, gaps may be formed by removing at least a part of a subfin dielectric layer around a fin of a transistor, an isolation wall of the front end layer between the one or more transistors, or a part of an inter-layer dielectric layer of the metal interconnect.

In embodiments, the IC <NUM> further includes a capping layer <NUM> at backside of the device wafer, next to the front end layer <NUM>, filling at least partially the one or more gaps of the front end layer <NUM> or the back end layer <NUM>. One or more air gaps are formed within the one or more gaps, and between the capping layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM>. For example, an air gap is formed by the gap <NUM> between the capping layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM> on the top and bottom side. Similarly, an air gap is formed by the gap <NUM> between the capping layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM> on the top and bottom side. In general, air gaps are formed by air within a gap formed by removing at least a part of a subfin dielectric layer around a fin of a transistor, an isolation wall of the front end layer between the one or more transistors, or a part of an inter-layer dielectric layer of the metal interconnect.

The IC <NUM> is formed on a device wafer, which is bonded to a carrier wafer. The device wafer may be bonded to the carrier wafer by bonding the capping layer <NUM> to the carrier wafer, or by bonding the back end layer <NUM> to the carrier wafer.

In embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, an IC <NUM> includes a front end layer <NUM> and a back end layer <NUM>, which are both at the front side of a device wafer. The front end layer <NUM> has one or more transistors that may include one or more fins, nanowires, or other channel structures, e.g., a fin <NUM>. The back end layer <NUM> includes a metal interconnect coupled to the one or more transistors. The metal interconnect includes metal contacts in multiple metal layers, and vias coupling two metal contacts together. Components, e.g., dielectric materials, at the front end layer <NUM> or the back end layer <NUM> may be removed to form gaps within the front end layer <NUM> or the back end layer <NUM>. For example, gaps may be formed by removing at least a part of a subfin dielectric layer around a fin of a transistor, an isolation wall of the front end layer between the one or more transistors, or a part of an inter-layer dielectric layer of the metal interconnect.

In embodiments, the IC <NUM> further includes a capping layer <NUM> at backside of the device wafer, next to the front end layer <NUM>, filling at least partially the one or more gaps of the front end layer <NUM> or the back end layer <NUM>. When the capping layer <NUM> is being formed to fill the gaps, some capping layer material may accumulate around the fin <NUM>, and form a partial coverage <NUM> of the fin <NUM>. One or more air gaps are formed within the one or more gaps, and between the capping layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM>. For example, an air gap <NUM> is formed by the gap between the capping layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM> on the top and bottom side. In general, air gaps are formed by air within a gap formed by removing at least a part of a subfin dielectric layer around a fin of a transistor, an isolation wall of the front end layer between the one or more transistors, or a part of an inter-layer dielectric layer of the metal interconnect. In addition, the IC <NUM> includes a low-k dielectric material <NUM> within the one or more gaps formed by removing components of the one or more transistors. In some embodiments, the low-k dielectric material has a dielectric constant in a range of about <NUM> to about <NUM>.

The IC <NUM> is formed on the device wafer, which is bonded to a carrier wafer. The device wafer may be bonded to the carrier wafer by bonding the capping layer <NUM> to the carrier wafer, or by bonding the back end layer <NUM> to the carrier wafer.

<FIG> schematically illustrates a process <NUM> for forming air gaps in semiconductor devices including a carrier wafer and an integrated circuit formed on a device wafer bonded to the carrier wafer, in accordance with some embodiments. In embodiments, the process <NUM> may be applied to form the air gap <NUM> in the semiconductor device <NUM> including the integrated circuit <NUM> formed on the device wafer <NUM> bonded to the carrier wafer <NUM> in <FIG>, the air gap <NUM> in the semiconductor device <NUM> including the integrated circuit <NUM> formed on the device wafer <NUM> bonded to the carrier wafer <NUM> in <FIG>. <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, schematically illustrate more details of the process <NUM> for forming air gaps in semiconductor devices including an integrated circuit formed on a device wafer bonded to a carrier wafer.

At block <NUM>, the process <NUM> may include forming an IC on a device wafer, wherein the IC includes a front end layer having one or more transistors at front end of the device wafer, and a back end layer having a metal interconnect coupled to the one or more transistors. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the process <NUM> may include forming the IC <NUM> on the device wafer <NUM>. The IC <NUM> includes the front end layer <NUM> having the transistor <NUM> at front end, and the back end layer <NUM> having a metal interconnect.

In embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the process <NUM> may include forming an IC on a device wafer <NUM>. The device wafer <NUM> includes a substrate <NUM>. The IC is formed on the substrate <NUM>, and includes a front end layer <NUM> having one or more transistors at front end of the device wafer <NUM>, and a back end layer <NUM> having a metal interconnect coupled to the one or more transistors. The front end layer <NUM> may include a dielectric layer between the substrate <NUM> and the one or more transistors. Both the front end layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM> are formed at the front side of the substrate <NUM> and the front side of the device wafer <NUM>. In addition, the IC may include a power wire or bump <NUM> formed further on top of the back end layer <NUM>. The device wafer <NUM> has a backside <NUM>, which is also the backside of the substrate <NUM> opposite to the front side of the substrate <NUM>.

In embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the process <NUM> may include forming an IC on a device wafer <NUM>. The device wafer <NUM> includes a substrate <NUM>. The IC is formed on the substrate <NUM>, and includes a front end layer <NUM> having one or more transistors at front end of the device wafer <NUM>, and a back end layer <NUM> having a metal interconnect coupled to the one or more transistors. The front end layer <NUM> may include a dielectric layer between the substrate <NUM> and the one or more transistors. Both the front end layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM> are formed at the front side of the substrate <NUM> and the front side of the device wafer <NUM>. The device wafer <NUM> has a backside <NUM>, which is also the backside of the substrate <NUM> opposite to the front side of the substrate <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the process <NUM> may include coupling the device wafer to a carrier wafer by coupling the back end layer of the device wafer to the carrier wafer.

In embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the process <NUM> may include coupling the device wafer <NUM> to a carrier wafer <NUM> by coupling the back end layer <NUM> of the device wafer <NUM> to the carrier wafer <NUM>. The device wafer <NUM> may be flipped upside down so that the back end layer <NUM> is coupled to the carrier wafer <NUM>. The device wafer <NUM> may be bonded temporarily to the carrier wafer <NUM> by a glue layer <NUM>. The glue layer <NUM> may include adhesive materials for temporary bonding. The power wire or bump <NUM> may be embedded in the glue layer <NUM>.

In embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the process <NUM> may include coupling the device wafer <NUM> to a carrier wafer <NUM> by coupling the back end layer <NUM> of the device wafer <NUM> to the carrier wafer <NUM>. The device wafer <NUM> may be flipped upside down so that the back end layer <NUM> is coupled to the carrier wafer <NUM>. The device wafer <NUM> may be bonded temporarily to the carrier wafer <NUM> by a glue layer <NUM>. The glue layer <NUM> may include adhesive materials for temporary bonding.

In embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the process <NUM> may include coupling the device wafer <NUM> to a carrier wafer <NUM> by coupling the back end layer <NUM> of the device wafer <NUM> to the carrier wafer <NUM>. The device wafer <NUM> may be flipped upside down so that the back end layer <NUM> is coupled to the carrier wafer <NUM>. The device wafer <NUM> may be bonded permanently to the carrier wafer <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the process <NUM> may include thinning the device wafer at backside of the device wafer to expose the one or more transistors.

In embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the process <NUM> may include thinning the device wafer <NUM> at the backside <NUM> of the device wafer <NUM> to expose the one or more transistors at the front end layer <NUM>. As a result, the substrate <NUM> below the one or more transistors may be removed. In some embodiments, a dielectric layer between the transistors and the substrate may be exposed first, and selective etching may be performed on the dielectric layer to expose the one or more transistors.

At block <NUM>, the process <NUM> may include removing one or more components of the one or more transistors to form one or more gaps at the front end layer. At block <NUM>, the process <NUM> may include forming a capping layer at the backside of the device wafer to fill at least partially the one or more gaps at the front end layer. The capping layer is next to the front end layer of the device wafer, and one or more air gaps are formed within the one or more gaps, and between the capping layer and the back end layer.

In embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the process <NUM> may include removing one or more components of the one or more transistors at the front end layer <NUM> to form one or more gaps at the front end layer <NUM>. Afterwards, the process <NUM> may include forming a capping layer <NUM> at the backside to fill at least partially the one or more gaps at the front end layer <NUM>. The capping layer <NUM> is next to the front end layer <NUM>, and one or more air gaps, e.g., an air gap <NUM>, are formed within the one or more gaps, and between the capping layer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM>.

In addition, the process <NUM> may include further operations. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the process <NUM> may include removing the glue layer <NUM> between the carrier wafer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM> of the device wafer <NUM>, and permanently bonding the capping layer <NUM> with the carrier wafer <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the process <NUM> may include removing the glue layer <NUM> between the carrier wafer <NUM> and the back end layer <NUM> of the device wafer <NUM>, and permanently bonding the capping layer <NUM> with the carrier wafer <NUM>. Furthermore, the process <NUM> may also include forming power wires or bumps, e.g., a bump <NUM>, coupled to the metal interconnect of the back end layer <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the process <NUM> may include forming a second metal interconnect within the capping layer <NUM> at the backside of the device wafer <NUM>. The process <NUM> may further include forming power wires or bumps, e.g., a bump <NUM>, coupled to the metal interconnect of capping layer <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a computing device <NUM> in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure. The computing device <NUM> may include a number of components. In one embodiment, these components are attached to one or more motherboards. In an alternate embodiment, some or all of these components are fabricated onto a single system-on-a-chip (SoC) die, such as a SoC used for mobile devices. The components in the computing device <NUM> include, but are not limited to, an integrated circuit die <NUM> and at least one communications logic unit <NUM>. In some implementations the communications logic unit <NUM> is fabricated within the integrated circuit die <NUM> while in other implementations the communications logic unit <NUM> is fabricated in a separate integrated circuit chip that may be bonded to a substrate or motherboard that is shared with or electronically coupled to the integrated circuit die <NUM>. The integrated circuit die <NUM> may include a processor <NUM> as well as on-die memory <NUM>, often used as cache memory, which can be provided by technologies such as embedded DRAM (eDRAM), or SRAM. In embodiments, the processor <NUM> or the on-die memory <NUM> may be formed on the device wafer <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, the device wafer <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, the device wafer <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, the device wafer <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, the device wafer <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

In embodiments, the computing device <NUM> may include a display or a touchscreen display <NUM>, and a touchscreen display controller <NUM>. A display or the touchscreen display <NUM> may include a FPD, an AMOLED display, a TFT LCD, a micro light-emitting diode (µLED) display, or others.

The computing device <NUM> may include other components that may or may not be physically and electrically coupled to the motherboard or fabricated within a SoC die. These other components include, but are not limited to, volatile memory <NUM> (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), non-volatile memory <NUM> (e.g., ROM or flash memory), a graphics processing unit <NUM> (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) <NUM>, a crypto processor <NUM> (e.g., a specialized processor that executes cryptographic algorithms within hardware), a chipset <NUM>, at least one antenna <NUM> (in some implementations two or more antenna may be used), a battery <NUM> or other power source, a power amplifier (not shown), a voltage regulator (not shown), a global positioning system (GPS) device <NUM>, a compass, a motion coprocessor or sensors <NUM> (that may include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a compass), a microphone (not shown), a speaker <NUM>, user input devices <NUM> (such as a keyboard, mouse, stylus, and touchpad), and a mass storage device <NUM> (such as hard disk drive, compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), and so forth). The computing device <NUM> may incorporate further transmission, telecommunication, or radio functionality not already described herein. In some implementations, the computing device <NUM> includes a radio that is used to communicate over a distance by modulating and radiating electromagnetic waves in air or space. In further implementations, the computing device <NUM> includes a transmitter and a receiver (or a transceiver) that is used to communicate over a distance by modulating and radiating electromagnetic waves in air or space.

The communications logic unit <NUM> enables wireless communications for the transfer of data to and from the computing device <NUM>. The communications logic unit <NUM> may implement any of a number of wireless standards or protocols, including but not limited to Wi-Fi (IEEE <NUM> family), WiMAX (IEEE <NUM> family), IEEE <NUM>, long term evolution (LTE), Ev-DO, HSPA+, HSDPA+, HSVPA+, EDGE, GSM, GPRS, CDMA, TDMA, DECT, Infrared (IR), Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth, derivatives thereof, as well as any other wireless protocols that are designated as <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and beyond. The computing device <NUM> may include a plurality of communications logic units <NUM>. For instance, a first communications logic unit <NUM> may be dedicated to shorter range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi, NFC, and Bluetooth and a second communications logic unit <NUM> may be dedicated to longer range wireless communications such as GPS, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, Ev-DO, and others.

The processor <NUM> of the computing device <NUM> includes one or more devices, such as transistors. The term "processor" may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data from registers and/or memory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data that may be stored in registers and/or memory. The communications logic unit <NUM> may also include one or more devices, such as transistors.

Claim 1:
A semiconductor device (<NUM>), comprising:
a carrier wafer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>); and
an integrated circuit, IC (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), formed on a device wafer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) and bonded to the carrier wafer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), wherein the IC (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) includes:
a front end layer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) having one or more transistors (<NUM>) at a front side of the device wafer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), and one or more gaps (<NUM>, <NUM>) formed by removing components of the one or more transistors (<NUM>);
a back end layer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) having a metal interconnect coupled to the one or more transistors (<NUM>) of the front end layer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>); and
a capping layer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) at backside (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the device wafer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) which is opposite the front side of the device wafer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), filling at least partially the one or more gaps (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the front end layer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), wherein the capping layer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) is next to the front end layer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) of the device wafer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), wherein the capping layer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) is bonded to the carrier wafer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>); and
wherein one or more air gaps (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) are formed within the one or more gaps (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the front end layer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) and between the capping layer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) and the back end layer (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>),
wherein the one or more air gaps (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) are to reduce parasitic capacitance of the IC (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) compared to the IC (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) without the one or more air gaps (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>).