A method for controlling a process of manufacturing semiconductor devices, the method including: obtaining a first control grid associated with a first lithographic apparatus used for a first patterning process for patterning a first substrate; obtaining a second control grid associated with a second lithographic apparatus used for a second patterning process for patterning a second substrate; based on the first control grid and second control grid, determining a common control grid definition for a bonding step for bonding the first substrate and second substrate to obtain a bonded substrate; obtaining bonded substrate metrology data including data relating to metrology performed on the bonded substrate; and determining a correction for performance of the bonding step based on the bonded substrate metrology data, the determining a correction including determining a co-optimized correction for the bonding step and for the first patterning process and/or second patterning process.

Various embodiments of the present application are directed towards a method for workpiece-level alignment with low alignment error and high throughput. In some embodiments, the method comprises aligning a first alignment mark on a first workpiece to a field of view (FOV) of an imaging device based on feedback from the imaging device, and further aligning a second alignment mark on a second workpiece to the first alignment mark based on feedback from the imaging device. The second workpiece is outside the FOV during the aligning of the first alignment mark. The aligning of the second alignment mark is performed without moving the first alignment mark out of the FOV. Further, the imaging device views the second alignment mark, and further views the first alignment mark through the second workpiece, during the aligning of the second alignment mark. The imaging device may, for example, perform imaging with reflected infrared radiation.

A method for fabricating a three-dimensional (3D) stacked integrated circuit. Pick-and-place strategies are used to stack the source wafers with device layers fabricated using standard two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor fabrication technologies. The source wafers may be stacked in either a sequential or parallel fashion. The stacking may be in a face-to-face, face-to-back, back-to-face or back-to-back fashion. The source wafers that are stacked in a face-to-back, back-to-face or back-to-back fashion may be connected using Through Silicon Vias (TSVs). Alternatively, source wafers that are stacked in a face-to-face fashion may be connected using Inter Layer Vias (ILVs).

A stacked semiconductor device is disclosed that includes a plurality of semiconductor dies. Each die has oppositely disposed first and second surfaces, with pads formed on each of the surfaces. A plurality of through-vias connect respective pads on the first surface to respective pads on the second surface. The through-vias include a first group of through-vias coupled to respective I/O circuitry on the semiconductor die and a second group of through-vias not coupled to I/O circuitry on the semiconductor die. The plurality of semiconductor dies are stacked such that the first group of through-vias in a first one of the plurality of semiconductor dies are aligned with respective ones of at least a portion of the second group of through-vias in a second one of the plurality of semiconductor dies.

A structure of semiconductor device is provided. The structure includes a first bonding pattern, formed on a first substrate. A first grating pattern is disposed on the first substrate, having a plurality of first bars extending along a first direction. A second bonding pattern is formed on a second substrate. A second grating pattern, disposed on the second substrate, having a plurality of second bars extending along the first direction. The first bonding pattern is bonded to the second bonding pattern. One of the first grating pattern and the second grating pattern is stacked over and overlapping at the first direction with another one of the first grating pattern and the second grating pattern. A first gap between adjacent two of the first bars is different from a second gap between adjacent two of the second bars.

A semiconductor package includes a substrate including a first semiconductor chip including a first wiring structure, a first bonding pad, and a first alignment key on the first wiring structure to be spaced apart in a first direction, a second semiconductor chip including a second wiring structure, a second bonding pad on the second wiring structure and connected to the first bonding pad, and a second alignment key on the second wiring structure to be spaced apart from the second bonding pad and not overlapping the first alignment key in the second direction, the first wiring structure including a first wiring pattern connected to the first bonding pad and not overlapping the first and second alignment keys in the second direction, and the second wiring structure including a second wiring pattern connected to the second bonding pad and not overlapping the first and second alignment keys in the second direction.

A semiconductor device has a first substrate including an element region, a peripheral region that surrounds the element region, a first insulator with a first recess portion in the peripheral region, a first metal layer in the element region, and a first conductor in the peripheral region to surround the element region. A second substrate has an element region, a peripheral region that surrounds the element region, a second insulator with a second recess portion that faces the first recess portion, a second metal layer in contact with the first metal layer, and a second conductor that surrounds the element region of the second substrate.

A semiconductor package includes: a first semiconductor chip including a plurality of front surface pads disposed on a first active surface of a first semiconductor substrate, at least one penetrating electrode penetrating at least a portion of the first semiconductor substrate and connected to the front surface pads, a first rear surface cover layer disposed on a first inactive surface of the first semiconductor substrate, a first rear surface dummy conductive layer penetrating a portion of the first rear surface cover layer; a second semiconductor chip including a second front surface cover layer disposed on a second active surface of a second semiconductor substrate, and a second front surface dummy conductive layer penetrating a portion of the second front surface cover layer; and at least one first bonded pad penetrating the first rear surface cover layer and the second front surface cover layer.

A 3D semiconductor device, the device including: a first level; and a second level, where the first level includes single crystal silicon and a plurality of logic circuits, where the second level is disposed above the first level and includes a plurality of arrays of memory cells, where the single crystal silicon includes an area, and where the area is greater than 1,000 mm.sup.2.

A semiconductor device has a first substrate including an element region, a peripheral region that surrounds the element region, a first insulator with a first recess portion in the peripheral region, a first metal layer in the element region, and a first conductor in the peripheral region to surround the element region. A second substrate has an element region, a peripheral region that surrounds the element region, a second insulator with a second recess portion that faces the first recess portion, a second metal layer in contact with the first metal layer, and a second conductor that surrounds the element region of the second substrate.