Disclosed herein are 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.

The present application discloses a semiconductor device with a recessed pad layer and a method for fabricating the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a first die, a second die positioned on the first die, a pad layer positioned in the first die, a filler layer including an upper portion and a recessed portion, and a barrier layer positioned between the second die and the upper portion of the filler layer, between the first die and the upper portion of the filler layer, and between the pad layer and the recessed portion of the filler layer. The upper portion of the filler layer is positioned along the second die and the first die, and the recessed portion of the filler layer is extending from the upper portion and positioned in the pad layer.

A production of voids between substrates is prevented when the substrates are bonded together, and the substrates are bonded together at a high positional precision while suppressing a strain. A method for bonding a first substrate and a second substrate includes a step of performing hydrophilization treatment to cause water or an OH containing substance to adhere to bonding surface of the first substrate and the bonding surface of the second substrate, a step of disposing the first substrate and the second substrate with the respective bonding surfaces facing each other, and bowing the first substrate in such a way that a central portion of the bonding surface protrudes toward the second substrate side relative to an outer circumferential portion of the bonding surface, a step of abutting the bonding surface of the first substrate with the bonding surface of the second substrate at the respective central portions, and a step of abutting the bonding surface of the first substrate with the bonding surface of the second substrate across the entirety of the bonding surfaces, decreasing a distance between the outer circumferential portion of the first substrate and an outer circumferential portion of the second substrate with the respective central portions abutting each other at a pressure that maintains a non-bonded condition.

A production of voids between substrates is prevented when the substrates are bonded together, and the substrates are bonded together at a high positional precision while suppressing a strain. A method for bonding a first substrate and a second substrate includes a step of performing hydrophilization treatment to cause water or an OH containing substance to adhere to bonding surface of the first substrate and the bonding surface of the second substrate, a step of disposing the first substrate and the second substrate with the respective bonding surfaces facing each other, and bowing the first substrate in such a way that a central portion of the bonding surface protrudes toward the second substrate side relative to an outer circumferential portion of the bonding surface, a step of abutting the bonding surface of the first substrate with the bonding surface of the second substrate at the respective central portions, and a step of abutting the bonding surface of the first substrate with the bonding surface of the second substrate across the entirety of the bonding surfaces, decreasing a distance between the outer circumferential portion of the first substrate and an outer circumferential portion of the second substrate with the respective central portions abutting each other at a pressure that maintains a non-bonded condition.

A metal-dielectric bonding method includes providing a first semiconductor structure and a second semiconductor structure. The first semiconductor structure includes: a first semiconductor layer including a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor device, a first dielectric layer on the first semiconductor layer, and a first metal layer on the first dielectric layer, the first metal layer having a metal bonding surface. The metal bonding surface is planarized and a plasma treatment is applied thereto. The second semiconductor structure includes a second semiconductor layer including a pixel wafer, and a second dielectric layer on the second semiconductor layer, the second dielectric layer having a dielectric bonding surface. The dielectric bonding surface is planarized and a plasma treatment is applied thereto. The first and second semiconductor structures are bonded together by bonding the metal bonding surface with the dielectric bonding surface.

Devices and techniques including process steps make use of recesses in conductive interconnect structures to form reliable low temperature metallic bonds. A fill layer is deposited into the recesses prior to bonding. The fill layer is composed of noble metal (such as copper) and active metal (such as Zn). Then the fill metal layer is turned into a metal alloy after annealing. A dealloying is performed to the metal alloy to remove the active metal from the metal alloy while the noble metal remains to self-assemble into porous (nanoporous) structure metal. First conductive interconnect structures are bonded at ambient temperatures to second metallic interconnect structures using dielectric-to-dielectric direct bonding techniques, with the fill nanoporous metal layer in the recesses in one of the first and second interconnect structures. After the following batch annealing, the fill nanoporous metal layer turns into pure bulk metal same as conductive interconnect structures due to the heat expansion of conductive interconnect structures and nanoporous metal densification.

To provide a semiconductor device having a structure suitable for higher integration. This semiconductor device includes: a first semiconductor substrate; and a second semiconductor substrate. The first semiconductor substrate is provided with a first electrode including a first protruding portion and a first base portion. The first protruding portion includes a first abutting surface. The first base portion is linked to the first protruding portion and has volume greater than volume of the first protruding portion. The second semiconductor substrate is provided with a second electrode including a second protruding portion and a second base portion. The second protruding portion includes a second abutting surface that abuts the first abutting surface. The second base portion is linked to the second protruding portion and has volume greater than volume of the second protruding portion. The second semiconductor substrate is stacked on the first semiconductor substrate.

A semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor chip that includes a first conductive pad whose top surface is exposed; and a second semiconductor chip that includes a second conductive pad whose top surface is exposed and in contact with at least a portion of the top surface of the first conductive pad. The first semiconductor chip may include a first diffusion barrier in contact with a bottom surface of the first conductive pad, and a second diffusion barrier in contact with a lateral surface of the first conductive pad, and the first diffusion barrier and the second diffusion barrier may include different materials from each other.

A package structure includes a first die, a die stack structure, a support structure and an insulation structure. The die stack structure is bonded to the first die. The support structure is disposed on the die stack structure. A width of the support structure is larger than a width of the die stack structure and less than a width of the first die. The insulation structure at least laterally wraps around the die stack structure and the support structure.

A manufacturing method of a semiconductor structure includes at least the following steps. Forming a first portion includes forming a first patterned conductive pad with a first through hole on a first interconnect structure over a first semiconductor substrate; patterning a dielectric material over the first interconnect structure to form a first patterned dielectric layer with a first opening that passes through a portion of the dielectric material formed inside the first through hole to accessibly expose the first interconnect structure; and forming a conductive material inside the first opening and in contact with the first interconnect structure to form a first conductive connector laterally isolated from the first patterned conductive pad by the first patterned dielectric layer. A singulation process is performed to cut off the first patterned dielectric layer, the first interconnect structure, and the first semiconductor substrate to form a continuous sidewall of a semiconductor structure.