A semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor chip having a first bonding layer and a second semiconductor chip stacked on the first semiconductor chip and having a second bonding layer. The first bonding layer includes a first bonding pad, a plurality of first internal vias, and a first interconnection connecting the first bonding pad and the plurality of first internal vias. The second bonding layer includes a second bonding pad bonded to the first bonding pad. An upper surface of the first interconnection and an upper surface of the first bonding pad are coplanar with an upper surface of the first bonding layer. The first interconnection is electrically connected to the plurality of different first internal lines through the plurality of first internal vias.

A semiconductor device includes a lower structure and an upper structure on the lower structure. The lower structure includes a first semiconductor substrate, a first pad and a first dielectric layer. The first dielectric layer surrounds the first pad and exposes a top surface of the first pad. The upper structure includes a second semiconductor substrate, a second pad and a second dielectric layer. The second dielectric layer surrounds the second pad and exposes a bottom surface of the second pad. The first pad and the second pad are bonded to each other across an interfacial layer to couple the upper and lower structures to each other. The first and second pads and the interfacial layer include a same metallic material. The first and second pads have a substantially same average grain size and the interfacial layer has a different average grain size than the first and second pads.

Devices and methods for forming semiconductor devices are disclosed. The semiconductor device can include a plurality of semiconductor wafers. The plurality of semiconductor wafers can have a dielectric bonding layer disposed thereupon. The dielectric bonding layers can be treated to increase a bonding energy with other semiconductor wafers. A wafer having a treatment applied to a bonding layer can be bonded to another wafer.

A surface treatment solution includes a fluoride source; a first solvent; and a water transforming agent to transform water produced during wafer surface treatment into a second solvent, which can be the same as, or different from, the first solvent. The solution can be used, for example, in surface preparation for wafers having a backend including an electrical interconnect that includes aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

An element, a bonded structure including the element, and a method of forming the same are disclosed. The bonded structure can include a first element having a first nonconductive field region and a first conductive feature. A surface of the first nonconductive field region and a surface of the first conductive feature at least partially defining a bonding surface of the first element. The first conductive feature includes a first portion and a second portion over the first portion and at least partially defines the surface of the first conductive feature. The first portion includes aluminum. The first conductive feature has a continuous sidewall along the first portion and the second portion. The second portion includes different metal composition from the first portion or comprising fluorine at the surface of the first conductive feature. The bonded structure can include a second element having a second nonconductive field region and a second conductive feature. A surface of the second nonconductive field region is directly bonded to the first nonconductive field region without an intervening adhesive along a bond interface and a surface of the second conductive feature is directly bonded to the second conductive feature without an intervening adhesive along the bond interface.

Technologies for plasma oxidation protection during hybrid bonding of semiconductor devices includes forming a blocking layer on a metallic bonding pad formed in a bonding surface of a semiconductor device to be bonded and performing a surface treatment on the bonding surface to increase the bonding strength of the bonding surface and contemporaneously remove the blocking layer from the metallic bonding pad. In an illustrative embodiment, the blocking layer is embodied as a self-assembled monolayer (SAM), and the surface treatment is embodied as a surface activation plasma (SAP) treatment. A diffusion barrier layer, such as a silicon carbon nitride layer, may form the bonding surface in some embodiments to reduce diffusion of the metallic bonding pad during an annealing treatment of the bonding process.

A method for bonding chips to a landing wafer is disclosed. In one aspect, a volume of alignment liquid is dispensed on a wettable surface of the chip so as to become attached to the surface, after which the chip is moved towards the bonding site on the wafer, the bonding site equally being provided with a wettable surface. A liquid bridge is formed between the chip and the bonding site on the substrate wafer, enabling self-alignment of the chip. Dispensing alignment liquid on the chip and not the wafer is advantageous in terms of mitigating unwanted evaporation of the liquid prior to bonding.

A method for bonding a first substrate with a second substrate, characterized in that the first substrate and/or the second substrate is/are thinned before the bonding.

A bonding system includes a substrate transfer device configured to transfer a first substrate and a second substrate to a bonding apparatus, a first holding plate configured to hold the first substrate from an upper surface side, and a second holding plate disposed below the first holding plate and configured to hold the second substrate from a lower surface side so that the second substrate faces the first substrate. The substrate transfer device includes a first holding part capable of holding the first substrate from the upper surface side, and a second holding part disposed below the first holding part and capable of holding the second substrate from the lower surface side. The first holding part and the second holding part are configured to receive and hold the first substrate and the second substrate at the same time from the first holding plate and the second holding plate.

A method for bonding a first substrate with a second substrate, characterized in that the first substrate and/or the second substrate is/are thinned before the bonding.