Methods and semiconductor devices for bonding a first semiconductor device to a second semiconductor device include forming metal pads including a textured microstructure having a columnar grain structure at substantially the same angular direction from the top surface to the bottom surface. The textured crystalline microstructures enables the use of low temperatures and low pressures to effect bonding of the metal pads. Also described are methods of packaging and semiconductor devices.

A process and resultant article of manufacture made by such process comprises forming through vias needed to connect a bottom device layer in a bottom silicon wafer to the one in the top device layer in a top silicon wafer comprising a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. Through vias are disposed in such a way that they extend from the middle of the line (MOL) interconnect of the top wafer to the buried oxide (BOX) layer of the SOI wafer with appropriate insulation provided to isolate them from the SOI device layer.

An article of manufacture is formed by preparing a first silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer with first bonding pads at a first top or back-end-of-line (BEOL) surface thereof, preparing a second SOI wafer with second bonding pads at a second BEOL surface thereof, and attaching the first and second SOI wafers by bonding their bonding pads together, thereby producing a sandwiched wafer with first and second bottom or front-end-of-line (FEOL) surfaces facing outward and with first and second BEOL surfaces facing each other near the midline of the sandwiched wafer. The first SOI wafer then is prepared for packaging by first removing the silicon substrate from the first FEOL surface to reveal a buried oxide (BOX) layer, then fabricating interconnects atop the BOX layer and forming input output pads atop the interconnects.

A microelectronic device has a bump bond structure including an electrically conductive pillar with an expanded head, and solder on the expanded head. The electrically conductive pillar includes a column extending from an I/O pad to the expanded head. The expanded head extends laterally past the column on at least one side of the electrically conductive pillar. In one aspect, the expanded head may have a rounded side profile with a radius approximately equal to a thickness of the expanded head, and a flat top surface. In another aspect, the expanded head may extend past the column by different lateral distances in different lateral directions. In a further aspect, the expanded head may have two connection areas for making electrical connections to two separate nodes. Methods for forming the microelectronic device are disclosed.

A microelectronic device has a bump bond structure including an electrically conductive pillar with an expanded head, and solder on the expanded head. The electrically conductive pillar includes a column extending from an I/O pad to the expanded head. The expanded head extends laterally past the column on at least one side of the electrically conductive pillar. In one aspect, the expanded head may have a rounded side profile with a radius approximately equal to a thickness of the expanded head, and a flat top surface. In another aspect, the expanded head may extend past the column by different lateral distances in different lateral directions. In a further aspect, the expanded head may have two connection areas for making electrical connections to two separate nodes. Methods for forming the microelectronic device are disclosed.

A process includes forming through vias needed to connect a bottom device layer in a bottom silicon wafer to the one in the top device layer in a top silicon wafer including a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. Through vias are disposed in such a way that they extend from the middle of the line (MOL) interconnect of the top wafer to the buried oxide (BOX) layer of the SOI wafer with appropriate insulation provided to isolate them from the SOI device layer. A resultant article of manufacture is also disclosed.

A microelectronic device has a bump bond structure including an electrically conductive pillar with an expanded head, and solder on the expanded head. The electrically conductive pillar includes a column extending from an I/O pad to the expanded head. The expanded head extends laterally past the column on at least one side of the electrically conductive pillar. In one aspect, the expanded head may have a rounded side profile with a radius approximately equal to a thickness of the expanded head, and a flat top surface. In another aspect, the expanded head may extend past the column by different lateral distances in different lateral directions. In a further aspect, the expanded head may have two connection areas for making electrical connections to two separate nodes. Methods for forming the microelectronic device are disclosed.

A microelectronic device has a bump bond structure including an electrically conductive pillar with an expanded head, and solder on the expanded head. The electrically conductive pillar includes a column extending from an I/O pad to the expanded head. The expanded head extends laterally past the column on at least one side of the electrically conductive pillar. In one aspect, the expanded head may have a rounded side profile with a radius approximately equal to a thickness of the expanded head, and a flat top surface. In another aspect, the expanded head may extend past the column by different lateral distances in different lateral directions. In a further aspect, the expanded head may have two connection areas for making electrical connections to two separate nodes. Methods for forming the microelectronic device are disclosed.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a conductive pad disposed on the semiconductor substrate, and a pillar pattern disposed on the conductive pad. The semiconductor device further includes a solder seed pattern disposed on the pillar pattern, and a solder portion disposed on the pillar pattern and the solder seed pattern. A first width of the solder seed pattern is less than a second width of a top surface of the pillar pattern.

A nitride-based Schottky diode includes a nitride-based semiconductor body, a first metal layer forming the anode electrode, a cathode electrode in electrical contact with the nitride-based semiconductor body, and a termination structure including a guard ring and a dielectric field plate. In one embodiment, the cathode electrode is formed on the front side of the nitride-based semiconductor body, in an area away from the anode electrode and the termination structure. In another embodiment, the dielectric field plate includes a first dielectric layer and a recessed second dielectric layer. In another embodiment, the dielectric field plate and the nitride-based epitaxial layer are formed with a slant profile at a side facing the Schottky junction of the Schottky diode. In another embodiment, the dielectric field plate is formed on a top surface of the nitride-based epitaxial layer and recessed from an end of the nitride-based epitaxial layer near the Schottky junction.