NEGATIVE THERMAL EXPANSION MATERIALS AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present technology is related to semiconductor device interconnects, such as vias, traces, and other contact structures that include materials that have a negative coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE).

BACKGROUND

[0002] Forming semiconductor devices typically includes subjecting a semiconductor substrate or assembly to a series of processing steps for adding, removing, and/or altering material. Cumulatively, these processing steps can precisely form very high densities of electrical components, e.g., transistors, capacitors, and diodes. The electrical components can be connected by complex network connections that typically extend over and through multiple layers. Such network connections from one layer to another layer can be vias formed by selectively etching holes through semiconductor materials in desired patterns and filling the holes with a conductive material. A through-silicon via (TSV) is one type of via that extends through the entirety of a semiconductor substrate. The TSV is isolated from the substrate by a dielectric spacer and electrically intercouples contacts or other conductive features at opposite sides of the substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] Figure 1A is a cross-sectional side view of a semiconductor device having a TSV configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

[0004] Figures IB and 1C are cross-sectional top views of the TSV of Figure 1A at an initial temperature level and at an elevated temperature level, respectively, in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

[0005] Figures 2A-2C are cross-sectional side views showing TSVs with different volumetric ratios of negative thermal expansion materials configured in accordance with selected embodiments of the present technology. [0006] Figures 3A-3E are cross-sectional views illustrating the semiconductor device of Figure 1A at selected steps in a method of manufacture in accordance with selected embodiments of the present technology.

[0007] Figures 4A and 4B are cross-sectional side views of a semiconductor device having a TSV configured in accordance with another embodiment of the present technology.

[0008] Figures 5A-5C are isometric views of interconnect structures configured in accordance with other embodiments of the present technology.

[0009] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a system that incorporates a semiconductor device in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Specific details of several embodiments of the present technology relate to electrodes in semiconductor devices incorporating negative thermal expansion (NTE) materials. The term "semiconductor device" generally refers to a solid-state device that includes semiconductor materials. Semiconductor devices can be logic devices, memory devices, and diodes, among others. Semiconductor devices can also include light emitting semiconductor devices, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes, and other solid state transducer devices. Further, the term "semiconductor device" can refer to a finished device or to an assembly or other structure at various stages of processing before becoming a finished device. The term "interconnect" can refer to any of a variety of conductive structures that extend vertically through and/or laterally across a portion of a semiconductor device or substrate. Examples of interconnects include vias, traces, contact pads, wires, and other conductive structures. Depending upon the context in which it is used, the term "substrate" can refer to a wafer-level substrate and/or to a singulated, die-level substrate. In addition, unless the context indicates otherwise, structures disclosed herein can be formed using conventional semiconductor-manufacturing techniques. Materials can be deposited, for example, using chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, spin coating, and/or other suitable techniques. Similarly, materials can be removed, for example, using plasma etching, wet etching, chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP), or other suitable techniques. Also, materials can be patterned, for example, by adding and/or removing materials using one or more mask materials, such as photoresist materials, hard-mask materials, or other suitable materials. [0011] One problem with conventional interconnect materials (e.g., metallic materials) is that they expand and contract more than many other materials in the substrate in response to temperature changes occurring in many of the manufacturing processes and operation. In general, interconnects expand in size based on their volume and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and typically, the CTE of many interconnect materials is significantly larger than the CTE of materials in the substrate. For example, copper can have a CTE of about 1.7 x 10 ^~5 1/K (linear), whereas silicon can have a CTE of about 2.3 x 10 ^~6 1/K (linear). At elevated temperatures, this disparity in CTE causes the interconnects to expand to a greater extent than adjacent substrate materials. This expansion imposes a stress on the surrounding materials and leads to cracks in the substrate. These cracks can ultimately result in wafer breakage, device malfunction due to silicon lattice damage, device failure, and yield loss. Interconnects configured in accordance with several embodiments of the present technology, however, address these and other limitations of conventional interconnects.

[0012] Figure 1A is a cross-sectional side view of a semiconductor device 100 configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology. The semiconductor device 100 includes a substrate 102 and an electrical component 103 (shown schematically). The substrate 102 can include, for example, a silicon substrate, an epitaxial structure, a stack of semiconductor materials, or other suitable structures. The electrical component 103 can be, for example, a transistor, a diode, an LED, a capacitor, an integrated circuit, etc.

[0013] The semiconductor device 100 further includes a network of conductive interconnects 105 configured to route electrical signals to internal components (e.g., the electrical component 103) and/or to external components (e.g., off-chip components). The interconnects 105 can include, for example, a via 106, a contact structure 108, and a trace 109 connecting the via 106 with the contact structure 108. In one aspect of the embodiment of Figure 1A, the interconnects 105 also include a TSV 1 10 formed in a through hole 1 12 that extends through the substrate 102 between a first side 113a (e.g., a top or active side) and a second side 113b (e.g., a bottom or back side). As shown, the TSV 110 is isolated from the substrate 102 by a spacer material (not visible in Figure 1A) and includes at least one outer conductive material 115 and at least one NTE material 116. The outer material includes a positive CTE material, such as aluminum, copper, silver, platinum, ruthenium, titanium, cobalt, etc. The NTE material 1 16, on the other hand, includes a negative CTE material. In one embodiment, the NTE material 1 16 can include a metal-oxide crystalline material. For example, zirconium tungstate (Zr(W0 ₄ ) ₂ ) is one such material that has a negative CTE of approximately - 4.9 x 10 ^~6 1/K. Unlike most crystalline materials, zirconium tungstate has "flexibly-hinged" lattice components (ZrOe and W0 ₄ ) that respond to increases in heat by reordering and/or rotating themselves into more compact configurations within the lattice. Other NTE materials can have lattice components that exhibit similar mechanisms of contraction when heated. For example, ZrW ₂ 0s is a crystalline material that can have a negative CTE of approximately - 11.4 x 10 ^"6 1/K.

[0014] As used herein, the term "NTE material" refers to a material that contracts in volume in response to an increase in temperature. Similar to a positive CTE material, an NTE material has a CTE associated with its magnitude of expansion/contraction over certain ranges temperature. However, unlike a positive CTE material, an NTE material has a negative CTE over certain temperature rages (e.g., -50°C to 250°C). Other material properties, features, and compositions associated with NTE materials are described, for example, in T.A. Mary et al. "Negative Thermal Expansion from 0.3 to 1050 Kelvin in ZrW ₂ 0 _8. " Science 272.5258 (1996): 90-92; D. Keen et al. "Negative thermal expansion in zirconium tungstate. " Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 (2005); H. Liu et al. "Effect of post-deposition annealing on ZrW ₂ Os thin films prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering." Surface and Coatings Technology. 201.9-1 1 (2007):5560-5563; M. S. Sutton et al. "Deposition dependence of zirconium tungstate (ZrW ₂ 0s) based negative thermal expansion films for optical coatings." Optical Interference Coatings (OIC) Tucson, Arizona, June 27, 2004, Deposition of Optical Coatings III (ME); S. Singamaneni et al. "Negative Thermal Expansion in Ultrathin Plasma." Polymerized Film Chm. Mater. 19 (2007): 129-131; Cora Lind. "Two Decades of Negative Thermal Expansion Research: Where Do We Stand?" Materials 2012, 5, 1125-1 154; W. Sleight. "Negative Thermal Expansion." Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 755 2003 Materials Research Society.

[0015] Figure IB is a cross-sectional top view of the TSV 1 10 at an initial temperature level Ti (e.g., room temperature), and Figure 1C shows the TSV 1 10 at an elevated temperature level T ₂ (e.g., a manufacturing or operating temperature) in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology. At the initial temperature level Ti (Figure IB), the conductive material 1 15 and the NTE material 116 interface with one another at a first circumference level C _\ . At the elevated temperature level T ₂ (Figure 1C), the conductive material 1 15 has expanded and the NTE material 1 16 has contracted to expose an open space). As a result, a portion of the conductive material 115 can expand into the open space to relax the stress caused by thermal expansion. [0016] Although not visible in Figure 1C, the conductive material 115 can expand in the vertical direction (i.e., into the plane of the page) and the NTE material 116 can contract in the vertical direction between the first and second sides 1 13a and 113b (Figure 1A). In general, the expansion/contraction in the vertical direction does not cause the typical (substrate) cracking, and the other types of damage associated with the conventional lateral expansion/contraction discussed above. In some embodiments, the expansion/contraction in the vertical direction can produce an open space at either ends of the TSV 100 (similar to the open space that be produced due to expansion/contraction in the lateral direction).

[0017] The change in volume of the NTE material 116 can be based, at least in part, on its negative CTE value, initial volume, and the change in temperature (i.e., T ₂ - Ti). In one embodiment, a change in the volume of the NTE material, AVNTE, can be approximated by Equation 1, as follows:

AVNTE = ai X VNTE (T ₂ - Ti)

(1) where ai represents the negative CTE of the NTE material 116 and VNTE represent the initial volume of the NTE material 116 at the initial temperature level Ti.

[0018] The change in the outer volume of the conductive material 1 15 is based, at least in part, on its positive CTE value, initial volume, and the change in temperature. In one embodiment, the change in the volume of the outer material, AVo, can be approximated by Equation 2, as follows:

AVo = a ₂ x V ₀ (T ₂ - T ₁ )

(2) where a ₂ represents the positive CTE of the conductive material 1 15 and Vo represents the initial volume of the conductive material 115 at the initial temperature level Ti.

[0019] In accordance with various embodiments of the present technology, the TSV 110 can have a composite CTE that is based, at least in part, on the CTE of each material in the TSV 1 10 as well as the volume of each material in the TSV 110. In one embodiment, a composite CTE, a _c , can be approximated by Equation 3, as follows:

a _c = β x ai x VNTE + (1 - β) X a ₂ X V ₀

(3) where β is a volumetric ratio associated with the NTE material 1 16. The volumetric ratio β can be approximated by Equation 4, as follows: β ⁼ TE rw T

(4)

where VT is the total volume of the TSV 110 (i.e., the aggregate of the volume of each material in the TSV 1 10).

[0020] In some embodiments, a composite CTE can be customized or engineered to have a particular value by selecting certain types of conductive materials and/or NTE materials. For example, when the conductive material 1 15 is composed of gold in lieu of copper, the composite CTE has a lesser value because gold has a lower CTE than copper. As described below, another way to configure the composite CTE is to change the volumetric ratio β associated with the NTE material 1 16.

[0021] Figures 2A-2C are cross-sectional side views showing TSVs 210 (identified individually as first through third TSVs 210a-210c) with different volumetric ratios β of the NTE material 1 16 in accordance with selected embodiments of the present technology. Referring first to Figure 2A, a first volumetric ratio βι provides a composite CTE having a value of zero (a _c = 0). In Figure 2B, a second volumetric ratio β2 ( < βι) provides a composite CTE having a positive value (a _c > 0). In Figure 2C, a third volumetric ratio β ₃ (> βι) provides a composite CTE having a negative value (a _c < 0).

[0022] Referring to Figures 2A-2C together, when heated, the first TSV 210a can expand or contract in proportion to its composite CTE. For example, when it has the first volumetric ratio βι (i.e., when a _c = 0), the first TSV 210a will not substantially expand or contract when heated. However, with the second volumetric ratio β2 (i.e., when a _c < 0), the second TSV 210b will generally expand when heated, albeit less than the expansion of a volume of the conductive material 115 alone. On the other hand, with the third volumetric ratio β ₃ (i.e., when a _c < 0), the third TSV 210c contracts when heated. In some configurations, the third TSV 210c can contract at the same ratio at which another material expands. For example, the third TSV 210c can contract at the same ratio at which the adjacent substrate 102 expands.

[0023] Figures 3A-3E are cross-sectional views illustrating the semiconductor device 100 at selected steps in a method of manufacture in accordance with selected embodiments of the present technology. As shown in Figure 3 A, a dielectric material 321 (e.g., oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, etc.) has been formed on the substrate 102, and an opening 320 has been formed through the first side 1 13a of the substrate 102 and the dielectric material 321. In some embodiments, the dielectric material 321 can be employed as a stopping material in a CMP process during TSV isolation. The opening 320 includes a recessed surface 322 and sidewalls 323 extending to an intermediate depth within, but not completely through, the substrate 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the opening 320 has a circular (or ovular) shape (viewed from, e.g., the first side 113a of the semiconductor device 100). In other embodiments, however, the opening 320 can have a different configuration. For example, the opening 320 can be a trench. Figure 3B shows the semiconductor device 100 after a dielectric liner 324 (e.g., an oxide liner) and a conductive material 315 have been formed, respectively, in the opening 320. In the illustrated embodiment, the conductive material 315 toward the bottom of the opening 320 is thicker than the conductive material toward the sidewalls in the opening 320. In one embodiment, a bottom-up plating process can be used to form relatively thicker metal (e.g., copper) at the bottom of the opening followed by more uniform plating along the sidewalls once the thicker metal has been formed. The conductive material 315 can include, for example, copper, tungsten, gold, silver, platinum, aluminum, etc. In some embodiments, the conductive material 315 is an electroplated material that lines the recessed surface 322, the side walls 323, and an outer surface 325 of the substrate 102. The semiconductor device 100 can also include a barrier and/or seed materials 327 between the conductive material 315 and portions of the substrate 102. The barrier and/or seed materials 327 can include, for example, tantalum, tantalum nitride, tungsten, ruthenium, copper, titanium, titanium nitride, or other suitable materials.

[0024] Figure 3C shows the semiconductor device 100 after an NTE material 316 has been deposited on the conductive material 315. The NTE material 316 can be deposited, for example, using chemical vapor deposition or other suitable techniques. As discussed above, the NTE material 316 can include a metal oxide such as zirconium tungstate. Another suitable NTE material can include ZrV ₂ 07. In other embodiments, suitable NTE materials can include members of the 'A"M' ₂ 0 ₈ family of compounds and/or the 'A' ₂ ('M'0 ₄ )3 family of compounds, where 'A' can include zirconium or hafnium and 'B' can include molybdenum or tungsten.

[0025] Figure 3D shows the semiconductor device 100 after forming other device features. In the illustrated embodiment, an additional conductive material 329 forms an interconnect structure that connects the conductive material 315 with the contact 106. As shown, an additional dielectric material 31 1 has been formed on the dielectric material 321 and the NTE material 316, a portion of the dielectric material has been removed (e.g., etched) to form openings in the dielectric materials 311, 321, and the openings formed in the dielectric materials 31 1, 321 have been filled with portions of the conductive material 329. In some embodiments, the conductive material 329 can be deposited on at least a portion of the NTE material 316 at the first side 113a.

[0026] Figure 3E shows the semiconductor device 100 after removing portions of the conductive material 315 and the substrate 102 to expose portions of the conductive material 315 at the second side 113b. Material can be removed by, for example, backgrinding, etching, CMP and/or other suitable removal methods. Also, various passivation materials (not shown in Figure 3E) can be employed at the second side 113b to protect the substrate 102 and prevent contamination (e.g., metallic contamination). In one embodiment, a thinning process may use exposure of the dielectric material of the liner 324 at the second side 1 13b (to detect when the removal process should be stopped, such as an endpoint detection, to enhance process control in subsequent processing. In another embodiment, conductive materials (e.g., the conductive material 315 and/or the barrier seed materials 327) can provide endpoint detection. After exposing portions of the conductive material 315, processing can continue, for example, to form other features (e.g., the contact structure 108 (Figure 1A) as well as to device singulation, testing, and/or packaging.

[0027] Figure 4A shows a TSV 410 including the conductive material 315 and the NTE material 316 (e.g., after the stage of Figure 3D) after the substrate 102 has been thinned to expose the dielectric liner 324 at the second side 1 13b such that portions of the dielectric liner 324 and the conductive material 315 project beyond the substrate material at the second side 1 13b. A dielectric material 417 is then formed at the second side 113b. The dielectric material 417 can be a conformal or non-conformal material, including a low-temperature dielectric that initially covers the TSV 410 at the second side 1 13b. A subsequent material removal process (having a higher controllability) can expose the conductive material 315 (or, alternatively, the conductive material 315 along with a portion of the NTE material 316) by removing portions of the thick dielectric material 417 and the dielectric liner 324.

[0028] Figure 4B shows a thick dielectric material 440 (e.g., low temperature oxide, nitride, carbide, etc.) that is deposited on the dielectric material 417 and the exposed conductive material 315 of Figure 4A. In the illustrated embodiment, an additional conductive material 419 can form an electrical contact. For example, the thick dielectric material 440 and the conductive material 419 can form a damascene structure.

[0029] Figures 5A-5C are isometric views of interconnect structures configured in accordance with other embodiments of the present technology. Similar to the TSVs discussed above, the interconnect structures of Figures 5A-5C can be configured to incorporate NTE materials. Figure 5A is an example that shows a conductive trace 530a that includes an outer conductive material 515a arranged in parallel lines 532 and an inner NTE material 516a between the parallel lines 532. Figure 5B shows an example of a contact pad 530b having an outer conductive material 515b arranged in a square pattern 533 and an inner NTE material 516b in the center of the square 533. Figure &C is an example of an interlevel dielectric 535 having an outer dielectric material 517 (e.g., an oxide) and an inner NTE material 516c configured as a via 530c. Unlike the TSVs discussed above, the via 530c does not include an outer conductive material. In one embodiment, the NTE material 516c is configured such that at elevated temperatures the NTE material 516c contracts at the same ratio at which the outer dielectric material 517 expands (and vice versa).

[0030] Any one of the semiconductor devices having the features described above with reference to Figures 1A-5 can be incorporated into any of a myriad of larger and/or more complex systems, a representative example of which is system 690 shown schematically in Figure 6. The system 690 can include a processor 692, a memory 694 (e.g., SRAM, DRAM, flash, and/or other memory devices), input/output devices 696, and/or other subsystems or components 698. The semiconductor assemblies, devices, and device packages described above with reference to Figures 1A-5C can be included in any of the elements shown in Figure 6. The resulting system 690 can be configured to perform any of a wide variety of suitable computing, processing, storage, sensing, imaging, and/or other functions. Accordingly, representative examples of the system 690 include, without limitation, computers and/or other data processors, such as desktop computers, laptop computers, Internet appliances, hand-held devices (e.g., palmtop computers, wearable computers, cellular or mobile phones, personal digital assistants, music players, etc.), tablets, multi-processor systems, processor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network computers, and minicomputers. Additional representative examples of the system 690 include lights, cameras, vehicles, etc. With regard to these and other examples, the system 690 can be housed in a single unit or distributed over multiple interconnected units, e.g., through a communication network. The components of the system 690 can accordingly include local and/or remote memory storage devices and any of a wide variety of suitable computer- readable media.

[0031] From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the present technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the disclosure. In various embodiments, the above-described interconnects can vary in shape, size, number, and other characteristics. For example, the NTE material 1 16 (Figure 1) can be formed such that a gap or void is incorporated (or naturally occurs) within the center of the TSV 100 (Figure 1). Also, in some embodiments, the NTE 1 16 material can be deposited such that it covers or encapsulates the conductive material 115 (Figure 1). For example, in some embodiments, the conductive material 115 can form the interior portion of the TSV 100 and the NTE material 1 16 can be employed as a capping material. In addition, certain aspects of the disclosure described in the context of particular embodiments may be combined or eliminated in other embodiments. Further, while advantages associated with certain embodiments have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages. Not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure and associated technology can encompass other embodiments not expressly shown or described herein.