A method and an apparatus for determining expansion compensation in a photoetching process, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device are provided. A relative vector misalignment value of a first wafer and a second wafer after being bonded is obtained based on a relative position relationship between a first alignment pattern of the first wafer and a second alignment pattern of the second wafer in a boding structure. A relative expansion value of the first wafer and the second wafer is obtained based on the relative vector misalignment value. A developing expansion compensation value in the photoetching process is obtained. The expansion compensation value is used to the photoetching process of a first conductor layer including the first alignment pattern of the first wafer and/or a second conductor layer including the second alignment pattern of the second wafer.

A method for bonding a first surface provided with at least one copper area surrounded by a silicon oxide area to a second surface includes an operation of treatment of the first surface by a plasma, before placing the first surface in contact with the second surface. The plasma is formed from a gas source containing a silicon oxide nitriding agent and a copper oxide reducing agent containing hydrogen. The gas source may include an N.sub.2 and NH.sub.3 and/or H.sub.2 gas mixture or a N.sub.2O and H.sub.2 gas mixture, or ammonia, which is then used both as a nitriding agent and as a reducing agent. The plasma obtained from this gas source then necessarily contains nitrogen and hydrogen, which enables, in a single operation, to provide a high-performance bonding between the first and second surfaces.

A substrate includes a polycrystalline ceramic core; a first adhesion layer encapsulating the polycrystalline ceramic core; a conductive layer encapsulating the first adhesion layer; a second adhesion layer encapsulating the conductive layer; a barrier layer encapsulating the second adhesion layer, and a bonding layer coupled to the barrier layer, and a substantially single crystalline silicon layer coupled to the bonding layer.

Techniques related to a three-dimensional integration for qubits on multiple height crystalline dielectric and method of fabricating the same are provided. A superconductor structure can comprise a first buried layer that can comprise a first patterned superconducting layer of a first wafer bonded to a second patterned superconducting layer of a second wafer. The superconductor structure can also comprise a patterned superconducting film attached to the second wafer. Further, the superconductor structure can comprise a second buried layer that can comprise a third patterned superconducting layer of a third wafer bonded to the patterned superconducting film that can be attached to the second wafer.

A 3D semiconductor device, the device including: a first level including a first single crystal layer, the first level including first transistors, where the first transistors each include a single crystal channel; first metal layers interconnecting at least the first transistors; and a second level including a second single crystal layer, the second level including second transistors, where the second level overlays the first level, where the second level is bonded to the first level, where the bonded includes oxide to oxide bonds, where the bonded includes metal to metal bonds, and where through the first metal layers power is provided to at least one of the second transistors.

A multi-level semiconductor device, the device including: a first level including integrated circuits; a second level including a structure designed to conduct electromagnetic waves in a confined manner, where the second level is disposed above the first level, where the first level includes crystalline silicon, where the second level includes crystalline silicon; and an oxide layer disposed between the first level and the second level, where the second level is bonded to the oxide layer, and where the bonded includes oxide to oxide bonds.

A metal-dielectric bonding method includes providing a first semiconductor structure including a first semiconductor layer, a first dielectric layer on the first semiconductor layer, and a first metal layer on the first dielectric layer, where the first metal layer has a metal bonding surface facing away from the first semiconductor layer; planarizing the metal bonding surface; applying a plasma treatment on the metal bonding surface; providing a second semiconductor structure including a second semiconductor layer, and a second dielectric layer on the second semiconductor layer, where the second dielectric layer has a dielectric bonding surface facing away from the second semiconductor layer; planarizing the dielectric bonding surface; applying a plasma treatment on the dielectric bonding surface; and bonding the first semiconductor structure with the second semiconductor structure by bonding the metal bonding surface with the dielectric bonding surface.

A multi-level semiconductor device, the device including: a first level including integrated circuits; a second level including a structure designed to conduct electromagnetic waves in a confined manner, where the second level is disposed above the first level, where the first level includes crystalline silicon, where the second level includes crystalline silicon; and an oxide layer disposed between the first level and the second level, where the second level is bonded to the oxide layer, and where the bonded includes oxide to oxide bonds.

A process for attaching a first substrate to a second substrate by direct bonding includes the successive steps of: a) providing the first and second substrates, each comprising a first surface and an opposite second surface, b) bonding the first substrate to the second substrate by direct bonding between the first surfaces of the first and second substrates, step b) being carried out under a first gaseous atmosphere having a first relative humidity level denoted by .sub.1, and c) applying a thermal annealing treatment to the bonded first and second substrates at a thermal annealing temperature of between 20 C. and 700 C., step c) being carried out under a second gaseous atmosphere having a second humidity level denoted by .sub.2, satisfying .sub.2.sub.1.

A wafer processing method includes a polyester sheet providing step of positioning a wafer in an inside opening of a ring frame and providing a polyester sheet on a back side of the wafer and on a back side of the ring frame, a uniting step of heating the polyester sheet as applying a pressure to the polyester sheet to thereby unite the wafer and the ring frame through the polyester sheet by thermocompression bonding, a dividing step of applying a laser beam to the wafer to form division grooves in the wafer, thereby dividing the wafer into individual device chips, and a pickup step of blowing air to each device chip through the polyester sheet to push up each device chip, thereby picking up each device chip from the polyester sheet after performing the dividing step.