Disclosed herein are microelectronic assemblies including microelectronic components that are coupled together by direct bonding, as well as related structures and techniques. For example, in some embodiments, a microelectronic assembly may include a first microelectronic component and a second microelectronic component coupled to the first microelectronic component by a direct bonding region, wherein the direct bonding region includes at least part of an inductor.

A bonded structure can comprise a first element and a second element. The first element has a first dielectric layer including a first bonding surface and at least one first side surface of the first element. The second element has a second dielectric layer including a second bonding surface and at least one second side surface of the second element. The second bonding surface of the second element is directly bonded to the first bonding surface of the first element without an adhesive.

Interconnects and methods of fabricating a plurality of interconnects. The method includes depositing a conformal layer of a plating base in each of a plurality of vias, and depositing a photoresist on two portions of a surface of the plating base outside and above the plurality of vias. The method also includes depositing a plating metal over the plating base in each of the plurality of vias, the depositing resulting in each of the plurality of vias being completely filled or incompletely filled, performing a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), and performing metrology to determine if any of the plurality of vias is incompletely filled following the depositing the plating metal. A second iteration of the depositing the plating metal over the plating base is performed in each of the plurality of vias based on determining that at least one of the plurality of vias is incompletely filled.

In an embodiment, a device includes: an interposer; a first integrated circuit device bonded to the interposer with dielectric-to-dielectric bonds and with metal-to-metal bonds; a second integrated circuit device bonded to the interposer with dielectric-to-dielectric bonds and with metal-to-metal bonds; a buffer layer around the first integrated circuit device and the second integrated circuit device, the buffer layer including a stress reduction material having a first Young's modulus; and an encapsulant around the buffer layer, the first integrated circuit device, and the second integrated circuit device, the encapsulant including a molding material having a second Young's modulus, the first Young's modulus less than the second Young's modulus.

A package structure includes a first die, a die stack structure bonded to the first die, a support structure and an insulation structure. The support structure is disposed on the die stack structure, and a sidewall of the support structure is laterally shifted from a sidewall of the die stack structure. The insulation structure is disposed on the first die and laterally wraps around the die stack structure and the support structure.

A semiconductor package includes: a first structure having a first insulating layer disposed on one surface, and first electrode pads and first dummy pads penetrating through the first insulating layer, a second structure having a second insulating layer having the other surface bonded to the one surface and the first insulating layer and disposed on the other surface, and second electrode pads and second dummy pads that penetrate through the second insulating layer, the second electrode pads being bonded to the first electrode pads, respectively, and the second dummy pads being bonded to the first dummy pads, respectively. In the semiconductor chip, ratios of surface areas per unit area of the first and second dummy pads to the first and second insulating layers on the one surface and the other surface gradually decrease toward sides of the first and second structures.

A front-side peripheral region of a first wafer may be edge-trimmed by performing a first pre-bonding edge-trimming process. A second wafer to be bonded with the first wafer is provided. Optionally, a front-side peripheral region of the second wafer may be edge-trimmed by performing a second pre-bonding edge-trimming process. A front surface of the first wafer is bonded to a front surface of a second wafer to form a bonded assembly. A backside of the first wafer is thinned by performing at least one wafer thinning process. The first wafer and a front-side peripheral region of the second wafer may be edge-trimmed by performing a post-bonding edge-trimming process. The bonded assembly may be subsequently diced into bonded semiconductor chips.

Reliable hybrid bonded apparatuses are provided. An example process cleans nanoparticles from at least the smooth oxide top layer of a surface to be hybrid bonded after the surface has already been activated for the hybrid bonding. Conventionally, such an operation is discouraged. However, the example cleaning processes described herein increase the electrical reliability of microelectronic devices. Extraneous metal nanoparticles can enable undesirable current and signal leakage from finely spaced traces, especially at higher voltages with ultra-fine trace pitches. In the example process, the extraneous nanoparticles may be both physically removed and/or dissolved without detriment to the activated bonding surface.

A bonding method can include polishing a first bonding layer of a first element for direct bonding, the first bonding layer comprises a first conductive pad and a first non-conductive bonding region. After the polishing, a last chemical treatment can be performed on the polished first bonding layer. After performing the last chemical treatment, the first bonding layer of the first element can be directly bonded to a second bonding layer of a second element without an intervening adhesive, including directly bonding the first conductive pad to a second conductive pad of the second bonding layer and directly bonding the first non-conductive bonding region to a second nonconductive bonding region of the second bonding layer. No treatment or rinse is performed on the first bonding layer between performing the last chemical treatment and directly bonding.

In an embodiment, a device includes: an interposer; a first integrated circuit device bonded to the interposer with dielectric-to-dielectric bonds and with metal-to-metal bonds; a second integrated circuit device bonded to the interposer with dielectric-to-dielectric bonds and with metal-to-metal bonds; a buffer layer around the first integrated circuit device and the second integrated circuit device, the buffer layer including a stress reduction material having a first Young's modulus; and an encapsulant around the buffer layer, the first integrated circuit device, and the second integrated circuit device, the encapsulant including a molding material having a second Young's modulus, the first Young's modulus less than the second Young's modulus.