Alchimer, a developer of processes and chemical formulations for the deposition of nanometric films for MEMS and microelectronic applications, has introduced an advanced film-deposition technology called the AquiVia TSV for through-silicon via (TSV) barrier-layer process.
Claudio Truzzi, who serves as Chief Technical Officer at Alchimer, stated that current etch technologies have the tendency to form steps, scalloping and other surface patterns that make subsequent film deposition difficult. Vacuum-based deposition processes were not able to deposit high-quality barrier layers, particularly in deep, small-diameter vias having aspect ratios of 10:1 and above, which are required to completely obtain cost benefits of three-dimensional integration, he added.
The TSV film stack’s lower-most layer is the barrier layer. The AquiVia TSV barrier-layer process can deliver 100% uniform step coverage on an intricate silicon surface that includes high-aspect-ratio vias having scalloped walls. Its superior coverage capability allows the deposition of subsequent layers at significantly lower cost and time, thus eliminating remediate issues in the barrier layer.
The 100% coverage also prevents a coverage-associated reliability and performance issue that can happen during subsequent fill and seed-layer deposition. The TSV technology is critical for three-dimensional integration processes that will enable numerous chips to be stacked and interlinked. This is a suitable solution for packing additional memory, computing power and other capabilities into much smaller devices, including tablet computers, smartphones and other portable consumer electronics.
Alchimer’s full line of wet deposition products and AquiVia Barrier reduce expenses by 40-50% compared to other standard dry processes. Customers have the options to select any combination of fills and films or a single film in order to meet their application demands.
Source: http://www.alchimer.com