A bonding apparatus includes a first holder, a second holder, a first interferometer, a housing, a gas supply and an airflow control cover. The first holder attracts and holds the first substrate. The second holder attracts and holds the second substrate. The first interferometer measures, by radiating light to the second holder or a first object which is moved along with the second holder in the first horizontal direction, a distance to the second holder or the first object in the first horizontal direction. The housing accommodates therein the first holder, the second holder and the first interferometer. The gas supply is provided at a lateral side of the housing, and supplies a gas into the housing. The airflow control cover is provided within the housing, and redirects a part of a flow of the gas supplied from the gas supply toward a first path of the light.

Composite integrated circuit (IC) device structures that include two components coupled through hybrid bonded interconnect structure. The two components may be two different monolithic IC structures (e.g., chips) that are bonded over a substantially planar dielectric and metallization layer. A surface of a metallization feature may be augmented with supplemental metal, for example to at least partially backfill a recess in a surface of the metallization feature as left by a planarization process. In some exemplary embodiments, supplemental metal is deposited selectively onto a metallization feature through an autocatalytic (electroless) metal deposition process. A surface of a dielectric material surrounding a metallization feature may also be recessed, for example to at least partially neutralize a recess in an adjacent metallization feature, for example resulting from a planarization process.

Technologies for plasma oxidation protection during hybrid bonding of semiconductor devices includes forming a blocking layer on a metallic bonding pad formed in a bonding surface of a semiconductor device to be bonded and performing a surface treatment on the bonding surface to increase the bonding strength of the bonding surface and contemporaneously remove the blocking layer from the metallic bonding pad. In an illustrative embodiment, the blocking layer is embodied as a self-assembled monolayer (SAM), and the surface treatment is embodied as a surface activation plasma (SAP) treatment. A diffusion barrier layer, such as a silicon carbon nitride layer, may form the bonding surface in some embodiments to reduce diffusion of the metallic bonding pad during an annealing treatment of the bonding process.

Composite integrated circuit (IC) device structures that include two components coupled through hybrid bonded interconnect structure. The two components may be two different monolithic IC structures (e.g., chips) that are bonded over a substantially planar dielectric and metallization layer. A surface of a metallization feature may be augmented with supplemental metal, for example to at least partially backfill a recess in a surface of the metallization feature as left by a planarization process. In some exemplary embodiments, supplemental metal is deposited selectively onto a metallization feature through an autocatalytic (electroless) metal deposition process. A surface of a dielectric material surrounding a metallization feature may also be recessed, for example to at least partially neutralize a recess in an adjacent metallization feature, for example resulting from a planarization process.

At least one polymer material may be employed to facilitate bonding between the semiconductor dies. Plasma treatment, formation of a blended polymer, or formation of polymer hairs may be employed to enhance bonding. Alternatively, air gaps can be formed by subsequently removing the polymer material to reduce capacitive coupling between adjacent bonding pads.

Composite integrated circuit (IC) device structures that include two components coupled through hybrid bonded interconnect structure. The two components may be two different monolithic IC structures (e.g., chips) that are bonded over a substantially planar dielectric and metallization layer. A surface of a metallization feature may be augmented with supplemental metal, for example to at least partially backfill a recess in a surface of the metallization feature as left by a planarization process. In some exemplary embodiments, supplemental metal is deposited selectively onto a metallization feature through an autocatalytic (electroless) metal deposition process. A surface of a dielectric material surrounding a metallization feature may also be recessed, for example to at least partially neutralize a recess in an adjacent metallization feature, for example resulting from a planarization process.

A method of forming a bonded assembly includes providing a first semiconductor die containing and first metallic bonding structures and a first dielectric capping layer containing openings and contacting distal horizontal surfaces of the first metallic bonding structures, providing a second semiconductor die containing second metallic bonding structures, disposing the second semiconductor die in contact with the first semiconductor die, and annealing the second semiconductor die in contact with the first semiconductor die such that a metallic material of at least one of the first metallic bonding structures and the second metallic bonding structures expands to fill the openings in the first dielectric capping layer to bond at least a first subset of the first metallic bonding structures to at least a first subset of the second metallic bonding structures.

A method of forming a bonded assembly includes providing a first semiconductor die containing a first substrate, first semiconductor devices, and first bonding pads that are electrically connected to a respective node of the first semiconductor devices, forming a first oxidation barrier layer on physically exposed surfaces of the first bonding pads, providing a second semiconductor die containing a second substrate, second semiconductor devices, and second bonding pads that are electrically connected to a respective node of the second semiconductor devices, and bonding the second bonding pads to the first bonding pads with at least the first oxidation barrier layer located between the respective first and second bonding pads.

A bonded structure and a method of forming such a bonded structure are disclosed. The bonded structure can include a first element and a second element. The first element has a first bonding surface including a first nonconductive material and a plurality of first contact pads. The first contact pads are electrically connected to one or more first microelectronic devices in the first element. The second element has a second bonding surface including a second nonconductive material and a plurality of second contact pads. The second contact pads are electrically connected to one or more second microelectronic devices in the second element. The second bonding surface is directly bonded to the first bonding surface without an intervening adhesive to form a bonding interface, and one or more first contact pads is omitted from the first microelectronic element to alter the functionality of the bonded structure.

A semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor chip having a first bonding layer and a second semiconductor chip stacked on the first semiconductor chip and having a second bonding layer. The first bonding layer includes a first bonding pad, a plurality of first internal vias, and a first interconnection connecting the first bonding pad and the plurality of first internal vias. The second bonding layer includes a second bonding pad bonded to the first bonding pad. An upper surface of the first interconnection and an upper surface of the first bonding pad are coplanar with an upper surface of the first bonding layer. The first interconnection is electrically connected to the plurality of different first internal lines through the plurality of first internal vias.