Graphene oxide is used as an insulation barrier layer for metal deposition. After patterning and modification, the chemical characteristics of graphene oxide are induced. It can be used as the catalyst for electroless plating in the metallization process, so that the metal is only deposited on the patterned area. It provides the advantages of improving reliability and yield. The metallization structure includes a substrate, a graphene oxide catalytic layer, and a metal layer. It may be widely applied to the metallization of the fine pitch metal of a semiconductor package as well as the fine pitch wires of a printed circuit board (PCB), touch panels, displays, fine electrodes of solar cells, and so on.

A first packaged semiconductor device is provided. The first packaged semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor die having a first terminal, a first electrically conductive lead that is electrically connected to the first terminal, and a first electrically insulating mold compound that encapsulates the first semiconductor die and exposes an end portion of the first lead at an outer surface of the first mold compound. A conductive track is formed in the outer surface of the first mold compound. Forming the conductive track includes activating a portion of the outer surface of the first mold compound for an electroless plating process, and performing the electroless plating process so as to form an electrically conductive material only within the activated portion of the outer surface of the first mold compound.

Metal interconnect structures are reworked to address possible voids or other defects. Etching of initially deposited interconnect metal to open voids is followed by reflow to accumulate interconnect metal at the bottoms of trenches. Additional interconnect metal is deposited over the initially deposited interconnect metal by electroplating and/or electroless plating. Additional diffusion barrier material may be deposited and patterned prior to deposition of the additional interconnect material.

Embodiments include package substrates and a method of forming the package substrates. A package substrate includes a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) layer over a first dielectric, where the SAM layer includes first end groups and second end groups. The second end groups may include a plurality of hydrophobic moieties. The package substrate also includes a conductive pad on the first dielectric, where the conductive pad has a bottom surface, a top surface, and a sidewall, and where the SAM layer surrounds and contacts a surface of the sidewall of the conductive pad. The hydrophobic moieties may include fluorinated moieties. The conductive pad includes a copper material, where the top surface of the conductive pad has a surface roughness that is approximately equal to a surface roughness of the as-plated copper material. The SAM layer may have a thickness that is approximately 0.1 nm to 20 nm.

Techniques for dielectric damage-free interconnects are provided. In one aspect, a method for forming a Cu interconnect structure includes: forming a via and trench in a dielectric over a metal line M1; depositing a first barrier layer into the via and trench; removing the first barrier layer from the via and trench bottoms using neutral beam oxidation, and removing oxidized portions of the first barrier layer such that the first barrier layer remains along only sidewalls of the via and trench; depositing Cu into the via in direct contact with the metal line M1 to form a via V1; lining the trench with a second barrier layer; and depositing Cu into the trench to form a metal line M2. The second barrier layer can instead include Mn or optionally CuMn so as to further serve as a seed layer. A Cu interconnect structure is also provided.

Described are example microelectronic devices including structures, such as build-up layers, formed of a non-homogeneous photoimageable dielectric material. The non-homogeneous photoimageable dielectric material includes two regions forming opposite surfaces of the material. A first region includes a first carbon content, and a second region located above the first region includes a second carbon content which is greater than that of the first region. The second region of the photoimageable dielectric material provides enhanced adhesion with metal that may be deposited above the material, such as a sputtered metal seed layer to facilitate subsequent deposition of an electroless metal over the non-homogeneous photoimageable dielectric material.

A semiconductor package structure includes a conductive trace layer, a semiconductor die over the conductive trace layer, a structure enhancement layer surrounding the semiconductor die, and an encapsulant covering the semiconductor die and the structure enhancement layer. The structure enhancement layer coincides with a mass center plane of the semiconductor package structure. The mass center plane is parallel to a top surface of the semiconductor die. A method for manufacturing the semiconductor package structure is also provided.

Advanced dual damascene interconnects have been provided in which a metallic seed liner composed of an electrically conductive metal or metal alloy having a first bulk resistivity is located on sidewall surfaces and a bottom wall of a first metallic structure that is present in a via portion of a combined via/line opening that is present in an interconnect dielectric material layer. The first metallic structure is composed of an electrically conductive metal or metal alloy that has a second bulk resistivity that is higher than the first bulk resistivity. In some embodiments, a second metal structure is present on a topmost surface of the first metallic structure. The second metallic structure is composed of an electrically conductive metal or metal alloy that differs from the electrically conductive metal or metal alloy of the first metallic structure.

The present disclosure provides a semiconductor substrate, including a first patterned conductive layer, a dielectric structure on the first patterned conductive layer, wherein the dielectric structure having a side surface, a second patterned conductive layer on the dielectric structure and extending on the side surface, and a third patterned conductive layer on the second patterned conductive layer and extending on the side surface. The present disclosure provides a semiconductor package including the semiconductor substrate. A method for manufacturing the semiconductor substrate and the semiconductor package is also provided.

Metal interconnect structures are reworked to address possible voids or other defects. Etching of initially deposited interconnect metal to open voids is followed by reflow to accumulate interconnect metal at the bottoms of trenches. Additional interconnect metal is deposited over the initially deposited interconnect metal by electroplating and/or electroless plating. Additional diffusion barrier material may be deposited and patterned prior to deposition of the additional interconnect material.