Surfx Technologies, LLC was featured in Semiconductor Packaging News for our findings on argon plasma advancements. This publication delivers the latest information and developments about semiconductor and advanced electronics packaging so industry leaders can stay up to date on trends and use new findings to enhance their operations.
Semiconductor Packaging News shared our technical paper for its groundbreaking findings in atmospheric pressure plasma and its applications for packaging.
Purpose of Researching Atmospheric Pressure Plasma for Semiconductor Packaging
In situ hydrogen plasmas are used to develop 3D chips that support dense interconnectivity and high signal speeds. These capabilities are essential for communication devices and microprocessors as artificial intelligence, 5G communications, cloud storage and other applications grow. Dr. Robert F. Hicks of Surfx Technologies explored advanced packaging techniques for semiconductor devices and their applications in modern technologies.
What Are Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatments?
Atmospheric pressure plasma is a reliable and flux-free technique for removing oxide before thermocompression bonding. This treatment removes oxide without generating organic residues, but the process must be carried out in situ to prevent reoxidizing before bonding.
The two most common techniques for flip chip interconnection include:
- Micro-bumps: Micro-bumps are copper pillars with tin or silver solder caps. The interconnects are joined by thermocompression bonding.
- Hybrid bonding: Hybrid bonding uses a hydrolysis reaction to fuse glass-like dielectric layers. The interconnects are copper vias distributed throughout the dielectric layer, which is typically made of silicon dioxide.
Both of these architectures need clean surfaces that are free of organic contamination. Flux is not an ideal method, as flux residue cannot be removed from the soldered components. Atmospheric pressure plasma treatments are effective for both types.
Requirements for Atmospheric Pressure Plasma
Atmospheric pressure plasma generates hydrogen radicals to remove metal oxides from surfaces. For semiconductor packaging, this treatment must:
- Be low temperature to prevent damage to the integrated circuits.
- Not produce particles that would interfere with bonding.
- Generate a hydrogen radical beam to uniformly remove metal oxide from die and wafer surfaces.
- Not generate electrostatic discharge that could damage the integrated circuits.
Surfx Technologies uses Atomflo™, an atmospheric pressure plasma that uses argon and hydrogen, nitrogen or oxygen for effective oxide removal from sensitive components.
Download the Technical Paper Today to Learn More
For more information on our atmospheric pressure plasma research, download the paper to explore our findings in detail. Contact Surfx Technologies to learn more about our systems or schedule a demo with our experts.