A wafer-to-wafer bonding structure includes a first wafer including a first conductive pad in a first insulating layer and a first barrier layer surrounding a lower surface and side surfaces of the first conductive pad, a second wafer including a second conductive pad in a second insulating layer and a second barrier layer surrounding a lower surface and side surfaces of the second conductive pad, the second insulating layer being bonded to the first insulating layer, and at least a portion of an upper surface of the second conductive pad being partially or entirely bonded to at least a portion of an upper surface of the first conductive pad, and a third barrier layer between portions of the first and second wafers where the first and second conductive pads are not bonded to each other.

An electronic device integration method and integrated electronic device. The integration method may include the steps of preparing a first electronic device by forming an electrically conductive trace overlying a substrate, forming a barrier layer overlying the electrically conductive trace, forming one or more electrically conductive interconnects on the barrier layer, and forming a bonding layer overlying the trace and/or at least partially surrounding the one or more interconnects. The barrier layer is configured to prevent formation of an intermetallic compound between the trace and interconnect structures, while still enabling electrical communication between the trace and interconnect. The integration method may further include the steps of direct bonding the first electronic device to a second electronic device, direct bonding a third electronic device to the second electronic device, and so on. A high-temperature treatment and functional testing of the vertically integrated electronic device may be conducted after each stack sequence.

A semiconductor device includes a first die, a second die on the first die, and a third die on the second die, the second die being interposed between the first die and the third die. The first die includes a first substrate and a first interconnect structure on an active side of the first substrate. The second die includes a second substrate, a second interconnect structure on a backside of the second substrate, and a power distribution network (PDN) structure on the second interconnect structure such that the second interconnect structure is interposed between the PDN structure and the second substrate.

A method for forming a direct hybrid bond and a device resulting from a direct hybrid bond including a first substrate having a first set of metallic bonding pads, preferably connected to a device or circuit, capped by a conductive barrier, and having a first non-metallic region adjacent to the metallic bonding pads on the first substrate, a second substrate having a second set of metallic bonding pads capped by a second conductive barrier, aligned with the first set of metallic bonding pads, preferably connected to a device or circuit, and having a second non-metallic region adjacent to the metallic bonding pads on the second substrate, and a contact-bonded interface between the first and second set of metallic bonding pads capped by conductive barriers formed by contact bonding of the first non-metallic region to the second non-metallic region.

A solid-state imaging device is provided that comprises a first substrate that includes a first multi-layered wiring layer stacked on a first semiconductor substrate, a second substrate that includes a second multi-layered wiring layer and an insulating layer stacked on a second semiconductor substrate, and a third substrate that includes a third multi-layered wiring layer stacked on a third semiconductor substrate. A first coupling structure electrically couples the first and second substrates to each other. A second coupling structure exists on bonding surfaces of the second and third substrates, and includes an electrode junction structure in which electrodes formed on respective bonding surfaces are in direct contact with each other. A first via penetrates the second semiconductor substrate and electrically couples a first electrode to a wiring in the second multi-layered wiring layer. A second via electrically couples the second electrode to another wiring in the third multi-layered wiring layer.

A semiconductor device includes a first interconnect structure over first substrate, a first bonding layer over the first interconnect structure, multiple first bonding pads disposed in a first region of the first bonding layer, the first bonding pads having a first pitch, and multiple second bonding pads disposed in a second region of the first bonding layer, the second region extending between a first edge of the first bonding layer and the first region, the second bonding pads having the first pitch, the multiple second bonding pads including multiple pairs of adjacent second bonding pads, wherein the second bonding pads of each respective pair are connected by a first metal line.

Embodiments include a wafer-on-wafer bonding where each wafer includes a seal ring structure around die areas defined in the wafer. Embodiments provide a further seal ring spanning the interface between the wafers. Embodiments may extend the existing seal rings of the wafers, provide an extended seal ring structure separate from the existing seal rings of the wafers, or combinations thereof.

An interfacial structure, along with methods of forming such, are described. The structure includes a first interfacial layer having a first dielectric layer, a first conductive feature disposed in the first dielectric layer, and a first thermal conductive layer disposed on the first dielectric layer. The structure further includes a second interfacial layer disposed on the first interfacial layer. The second interfacial layer is a mirror image of the first interfacial layer with respect to an interface between the first interfacial layer and the second interfacial layer. The second interfacial layer includes a second thermal conductive layer disposed on the first thermal conductive layer, a second dielectric layer disposed on the second thermal conductive layer, and a second conductive feature disposed in the second dielectric layer.

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.

Embodiments of semiconductor devices and fabrication methods thereof are disclosed. In an example, a semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor structure and a second semiconductor structure. The first semiconductor structure includes a first bonding layer having a plurality of first bonding contacts, and a first via structure extending vertically through the first bonding layer and into the first semiconductor structure. The second semiconductor structure includes a second bonding layer having a plurality of second bonding contacts, and a second via structure extending vertically through the second bonding layer and into the second semiconductor structure. The first bonding contacts are in contact with the second bonding contacts at the bonding interface, the first via structure is in contact with the second via structure, and sidewalls of the first via structure and the second via structures have a staggered profile at the bonding interface.