Patent Document

RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application is related to patent applications: “SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE HAVING BACKSIDE PROBE POINTS FOR DIRECT SIGNAL ACCESS FROM ACTIVE AND WELL REGIONS” having docket number AMDA.205PA by Birdsley et al., having Ser. No. 09/166,651; and “ENDPOINT DETECTION FOR THINNING OF A FLIP CHIP BONDED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT” by Birdsley et al., having Ser. No. 09/166,833; all filed concurrent with the present application on, Oct. 5, 1998, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is generally directed to semiconductor structures, and more particularly to a semiconductor structure having a backside protective layer and backside probes. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     During manufacture of an integrated circuit, electronic components are formed upon and within a front side surface of a semiconductor structure having opposed front side and backside surfaces. The components are inter-coupled with electrically conductive interconnect lines to form an electronic circuit. Signal lines that are to be connected to external devices are terminated at flat metal contact regions called input/output (I/O) pads. Following manufacture, the integrated circuit, or “chip,” is typically secured within a protective semiconductor device package. Each I/O pad of the chip is then connected to one or more terminals of the device package. The terminals of a device package are typically arranged about the periphery of the package. The I/O pads of the chip are electrically connected to the terminals of the device package. Some types of device packages have terminals called “pins” for insertion into holes in a printed circuit board (PCB). Other types of device packages have terminals called “leads” for attachment to flat metal contact regions on an exposed surface of a PCB. 
     As integrated circuit fabrication technology improves, manufacturers are able to integrate more and more functions onto single silicon substrates. As the number of functions on a single chip increases, however, the number of signal lines that need to be coupled to external devices also increases. The corresponding numbers of required I/O pads and device package terminals increase as well, as do the complexities and costs of the device packages. Constraints of high-volume PCB assembly operations place lower limits on the physical dimensions of and distances between device package terminals. As a result, the areas of peripheral-terminal device packages having hundreds of terminals are largely proportional to the number of terminals. These larger packages with fine-pitch leads are subject to mechanical damage during handling or testing. Mishandling can result in a loss of lead co-planarity, adversely affecting PCB assembly yields. In addition, the lengths of signal lines from chip I/O pads to device package terminals increase with the number of terminals, and the high frequency electrical performance of larger peripheral-terminal device packages suffers as a result. 
     Grid array semiconductor device packages have terminals arranged in a two-dimensional array across an underside surface of the device package. As a result, the physical dimensions of grid array device packages having hundreds of terminals are much smaller than their peripheral-terminal counterparts. Such smaller packages are highly desirable in portable device applications such as laptop and palmtop computers and hand-held communications devices such as cellular telephones. In addition, the lengths of signal lines from chip I/O pads to device package terminals are shorter, thus the high-frequency electrical performances of grid array device packages are typically better than those of corresponding peripheral-terminal device packages. Grid array device packages also allow the continued use of existing PCB assembly equipment developed for peripheral-terminal devices. 
     An increasingly popular type of grid array device package is the ball grid array (“BGA”) device package. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an example BGA device  10 . The device  10  includes an integrated circuit  12  mounted upon a larger package substrate  14 . Substrate  14  includes two sets of bonding pads: a first set of bonding pads  16  on an upper surface adjacent to integrated circuit  12  and a second set of bonding pads  18  arranged in a two-dimensional array across an underside surface. Integrated circuit  12  includes a semiconductor substrate  20  having multiple electronic components formed within a circuit layer  22  upon a front side surface of semiconductor substrate  20  during wafer fabrication. The electronic components are connected by electrically conductive interconnect lines to form an electronic circuit. Multiple I/O pads  24  are also formed within circuit layer  22 . I/O pads  24  are typically coated with solder to form solder bumps  26 . 
     The integrated circuit is attached to the package substrate using the controlled collapse chip connection method, which is also known as the C4® or flip-chip method. During the C4 mounting operation, solder bumps  26  are placed in physical contact with corresponding members of the first set of bonding pads  16 . Solder bumps  26  are then heated long enough for the solder to reflow. When the solder cools, I/O pads  24  of integrated circuit  12  are electrically and mechanically coupled to the corresponding members of the first set of bonding pads  16  of the package substrate. After integrated circuit  12  is attached to package substrate  14 , the region between integrated circuit  12  and package substrate  14  is filled with an under-fill material  28  to encapsulate the C4 connections and provide additional mechanical benefits. 
     Package substrate  14  includes one or more layers of signal lines that connect respective members of the first set of bonding pads  16  and the second set of bonding pads  18 . Members of the second set of bonding pads  18  function as device package terminals and are coated with solder, forming solder balls  30  on the underside surface of package substrate  14 . Solder balls  30  allow BGA device  10  to be surface mounted to an ordinary PCB. During PCB assembly, BGA device  10  is attached to the PCB by reflow of solder balls  30  just as the integrated circuit is attached to the package substrate. 
     The C4 mounting of integrated circuit  12  to package substrate  14  prevents physical access to circuit layer  22  for failure analysis and fault isolation. Thus, an alternative approach is to construct an electrically conductive probe that extends from the backside  40  of the substrate  20  to selected signal lines in the interconnect layer  22 . The criteria for choosing the signal lines are based upon those signal lines that are expected to be at a certain signal level in accordance with a given test. As the density of components on the substrate  20  increases, it is becoming increasingly difficult to construct a probe that extends between the components. That is, there is an increasing risk that the probe may make contact with a component, for example, the drain region of a transistor, or otherwise interfere with the desired electrical characteristics of the component. Therefore, a semiconductor structure that addresses the aforementioned problems associated with flip-chip testing is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one embodiment, the invention is a semiconductor structure that comprises a substrate having a first surface, on which a circuit interconnect layer is formed, and a second surface. A protective layer is formed on the second surface of the substrate, the protective layer being non-reactive with gas used to etch the substrate. A first active region is disposed in the substrate, and first electrically conductive probe extends from the protective layer through the substrate to the first active region. 
     A semiconductor structure having a plurality of electrically conductive probes extending from the protective layer through the substrate to respective, selected ones of the active regions is provided in another embodiment. The structure also comprises a substrate having a first surface, on which a circuit interconnect layer is formed, and a second surface; a plurality of active regions disposed in the substrate; and a protective layer formed on the second surface of the substrate, wherein the protective layer is non-reactive with gas used to etch the substrate. 
     In another embodiment, a method is provided for making a semiconductor structure. The method comprises forming an integrated circuit on a first surface of a substrate, the integrated circuit having a plurality of active regions disposed in the substrate, and the substrate having a second surface. A protective layer is formed on the second surface of the substrate, wherein the protective layer is non-reactive with gas used to etch the substrate. An electrically conductive probe is constructed to extend from the protective layer through the substrate to a selected first one of the active regions. 
     The above summary of the present invention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the present invention. The figures and the detailed description which follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention may be more completely understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an example ball grid array device; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure having a probe that extends from the rear surface of the substrate to an active region; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an example semiconductor structure having two active regions to which probes are to be coupled; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure in which a first cavity has been etched for forming a probe; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure in which a protective layer is formed on the rear surface of a substrate; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure in which probes have been formed and respectively coupled to active regions through the rear surface of a substrate having a protective layer, according to an example embodiment of the invention; and 
     FIG. 7 illustrates an example embodiment in which two example probes are coupled one to the other via an electrically conductive metal trace that is deposited on the rear surface of the substrate over the protective layer. 
    
    
     While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention is believed to be applicable to a variety of flip-chip semiconductor structures. The invention has been found to be particularly advantageous in MOS devices, such as PMOS, NMOS, CMOS, or BiCMOS devices. While the present invention is not so limited, an appreciation of various aspects of the invention is best gained through a is discussion of various example semiconductor structures described below. 
     The invention permits etching a rear surface of a substrate to accommodate placement of probes in close proximity one to another. FIGS. 2-4 illustrate one example problem addressed by the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure having a probe that extends from the rear surface of the substrate to an active region; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an example semiconductor structure having two active regions to which probes are to be coupled; and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor structure of FIG. 3 in which a first cavity has been etched for forming a probe. 
     Referring first to FIG. 2, the structure  100  includes a substrate  102  in which are formed a drain region  104  and a source region  106 . The substrate  102 , along with the drain and source regions  104  and  106  can be constructed using conventional semiconductor processes, and p-type and n-type dopants are used in the various regions in accordance with implementation requirements. The drain and source regions  104  and  106  are example “active” regions of the semiconductor structure  100 . 
     The structure  100  also includes an electrically insulative layer  108  through which electrical conductors  110  and  112  are respectively coupled to the drain and source regions  104  and  106 . A gate electrode  114  is arranged to switch the transistor formed by the drain region  104 , source region  106 , and gate electrode  114 . 
     The electrical conductors  110 ,  112 , and  114  extend into the interconnect and passivation layer  116  where they are coupled to other signal lines (not shown) of the integrated circuit of which the structure  100  is a part. 
     The illustrated shapes of the elements  102 - 116  are intended to serve as examples. Those skilled in the art will recognize that semiconductor structures can assume many different shapes and profiles depending on the particular implementation requirements for the integrated circuit. 
     In accordance with the example embodiment of FIG. 2, an electrically conductive probe  122  extends from the rear surface  124  and is coupled to an example one of the active regions, namely, the drain region  104 . Coupling the probe  122  to the drain region  104  eliminates the need to locate an interconnect signal line (not shown) in the interconnect layer  116  that is coupled to the drain region  104  and that at some location in the integrated circuit is accessible for constructing a probe. 
     The probe  122  includes a pad portion  123  that is large enough to make contact with conventional micro-probe test equipment. In addition, the probe  122  is electrically insulated from the substrate  102  with electrically insulative material  126 . 
     To construct an example probe  122  where various active regions,  104  and  106  for example, have been formed in the substrate  102 , a selected portion of the substrate at the desired location is etched away, leaving approximately 4-5 microns of substrate covering the region to be probed. A focused ion beam system can be used to create the final hole through the substrate to the region  104 . The focused ion beam system can also be used to deposit the electrically insulative material  126 . 
     It will be appreciated that a larger dimension probe cavity requires less precision than does a relatively smaller dimension probe cavity having a greater height. The methods used to insulate and fill such a cavity with conductive material generally depends upon the aspect ratio of the hole, that is the ratio of depth:width. In one example method, the entire hole is filled with electrically insulative material, and the insulative material is then etched back to a selected width to expose a portion of the desired region. Then, a metal such as copper or aluminum is deposited to make contact with the desired region. A pad  123  is then deposited on the surface of the substrate to provide for electrical contact with, for example, a micro-probe or electron beam system. 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, two example, adjacent active regions  202  and  204  in substrate  102  are to have probes coupled thereto from the rear surface  124  of the substrate. To construct such probes, cavities must first be etched in the substrate  102  to accommodate the probes. Using the above described methods, the cavities are etched one at a time. For example, first a cavity is etched for active region  202 , and then a cavity is etched for active region  204 . 
     FIG. 4 illustrates one example problem resulting from the above described method. If the cavity  254  for active region  202  is etched first, it can be seen that the rear surface  124  is splayed in an area surrounding the cavity  254 , as illustrated by portion  256  of the rear surface  124 . In an example method, a focused ion beam is used in combination with xenon di-flouride to remove the desired material. The xenon di-flouride is highly reactive with the silicon substrate, thereby splaying the surface of the substrate. Line  258  illustrates the rear surface of the substrate prior to application of the focused ion beam and xenon di-flouride gas. In an alternate method, chlorine gas can be substituted for xenon di-flouride. However, chlorine is also highly reactive with a silicon substrate and also creates a splayed surface surrounding the cavity  254 , but to a lesser degree. 
     The splayed portion  256  of the substrate  102  creates a problem in forming a cavity for the adjacent active region  204 . The problem is that the splayed portion  256  of the substrate  102  overlaps the portion  260  of the substrate  102  to be etched. When the portion  260  is etched, the splayed portion causes the cavity  260  to be etched further than desired, i.e., into the active region  204 . This can damage or destroy the device by etching away the active region and effectively removing part of the electrical circuit. 
     Another example problem created by the aforementioned etching techniques is found in locating areas of the substrate at which cavities are to be etched. Generally, a conventional infrared (IR) camera is used for such course navigation. However, if the surface  124  of the substrate  102  is not smooth, the view of structures below the surface is obscured. A rough surface results in diffraction of the IR light. Thus, the excess etching of the substrate resulting from the gas can cause severe problems in locating areas to be etched. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure  300  in which a protective layer  302  is formed on the rear surface  124  of substrate  102 . The protective layer  302  is a material that is not reactive with the gas selected for use with the focused ion beam system. Example materials include silicon dioxide and silicon nitride. It is also desirable that layer  302  be electrically insulative. The thickness of the protective layer  302  can vary from hundreds of Angstroms to a few microns, depending upon the quality of the film and the particular gas chemistry used for etching. 
     The protective layer  302  is applied to the entire rear surface  124  of the substrate  102 . When a cavity  308  is etched, the focused ion beam removes the protective layer from a selected area,  306  for example, and the gas reacts only with silicon in the selected area. Thus, the portion of the rear surface  124  surrounding the cavity  308  is not splayed as shown in FIG.  5 . 
     The protective layer  302  permits a cavity  310  to be etched in relative proximity to cavity  308  while maintaining a desired depth from the rear surface  124  of the substrate  102 , and hence a desired separation between the cavity  310  and the active region  312 . The protective layer  302  also permits location of adjacent active regions with a conventional IR camera because a smooth surface  314  is maintained adjacent to the cavity  308 . 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure  352  in which probes  354  and  356  have been formed and coupled to active regions  358  and  360  through the rear surface  124  of a substrate  102  having a protective layer  302 , according to an example embodiment of the invention. The structure  352  also includes respective, electrically insulative regions  362  and  364  for the probes  354  and  356 . Contact pads  366  and  368  are formed on the probes  362  and  364 , respectively, for making contact with conventional micro-probe test equipment to permit gathering of signals. It will be appreciated that additional probes can be constructed to respectively connect with additional active regions (not shown) of the semiconductor structure  352 . 
     FIG. 7 illustrates an example embodiment in which probes  402  and  404  are coupled one to the other via an electrically conductive metal trace  406  that is deposited on the rear surface of the substrate over the protective layer  302 . The protective layer  302  having electrically insulative characteristics, insulates the electrically conductive substrate  102  from the metal trace  406 . The protective layer  302  deposited over the entire rear surface of the substrate effectively provides the necessary insulation before recognition of where signals will be routed on the rear surface of the substrate. 
     As noted above, the present invention is applicable to a number of different semiconductor structures and arrangements. Accordingly, the present invention should not be considered limited to the particular examples described above, but rather should be understood to cover all aspects of the invention as fairly set out in the attached claims. Various modifications, equivalent structures, as well as numerous structures to which the present invention may be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of the present specification. The claims are intended to cover such modifications and devices.

Technology Category: 5