Improvements for Chip-Chip Interconnects and MEMS Packaging Through Materials and Processing Research Erdal Uzunlar 129 Pages Directed by Dr. Paul A. Kohl The work presented in this dissertation focuses on improvements for ever-evolving modern microelectronic technology. Specifically, three topics were investigated in this work: electroless copper deposition on printed wiring boards (PWBs), polymer-based air-gap microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) packaging technology, and thermal stability enhancement in sacrificial polymers, such as poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC). In the electroless copper deposition study, Ag-based catalysts were identified as a low-cost and equally active alternative to expensive Pd-based catalysts. Hot H2SO4 treatment of PWBs was found as a non-roughening surface treatment method to minimize electrical losses. In MEMS packaging study, a sacrificial polymer-based air-gap packaging technique was improved in terms of identification and simplification of air-gap formation process options, optimization of thermal treatment steps, assessing air-gap formation performance, and analyzing the chemical composition of residue. It was found that non-photosensitive PPC leaves less residue, and creates more reliable air-gaps. The mechanical strength of air-gaps was found to come from residual stress in benzocyclobutene (BCB) caps. In thermal stability of PPC study, the mechanism of thermal stability increase on copper (Cu) surfaces was found as the complex formation between Cu(I) and iodonium of the photoacid generator (PAG), leading to hindrance of acid formation by PAG and restriction of acid-catalyzed decomposition of PPC.

Air-gap structures are of particular interest for packaging of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). In this work, an overcoat material is used to cover a sacrificial polymer, which protects the MEMS device during packaging. Once the overcoat is in place, the sacrificial polymer is thermally decomposed freeing the MEMS structure while the overcoat dielectric provides mechanical protection from the environment. An epoxy POSS dielectric was used as a high-selectivity etch mask for the PPC and a rigid overcoat for the structure leading to the process improvements. The packaging structures can be designed for a range of MEMS device sizes and operating environments. However, the air-cavity structures need additional rigidity to withstand chip-level packaging conditions. Metalized air cavity packages were molded under traditional lead frame molding pressures and tested for mechanical integrity. The experimental molding tests and mechanical models were used to establish processing conditions and physical designs for the cavities as a function of cavity size. A semi-hermetic package was created using an in-situ sacrificial decomposition/epoxy cure molding step for creating large cavity chip packages. Through the optimization of the air cavity, new materials and processes were tested for general microfabrication. The epoxy POSS dielectric provides a resilient, strong inorganic/organic hybrid dielectric for use in microfabrication and packaging applications. Polycarbonates can be used for low cost temporary adhesives in wafer-wafer bonding. An improved electroless deposition process for silver and copper was developed. The Sn/Pd activation was replaced by a cost efficient Sn/Ag catalyst. The process was shown to be able to deposit adherent copper on smooth POSS and silicon dioxide surfaces. Electroless copper was demonstrated on untreated silicon oxide wafers for TSV sidewall deposition.

A low-cost, low-temperature packaging concept is proposed for localized sealing and control of the ambient of a device cavity appropriate for Radio-Frequency (RF) Micro- Electro-Mechanical (MEMS) devices, such as resonators and switches. These devices require application specific packaging to facilitate their integration, provide protection from the environment, and control interactions with other circuitry. In order to integrate these devices into standard integrated circuit (IC) process flows and minimize damage due to post-fabrication steps, packaging is performed at the wafer level. In this work Indium and Silver are used to seal a monolithic localized hermetic pack- age. The cavity protecting the device is formed using standard lithography-based processing techniques. Metal walls are built up from the substrate and encapsulated by a glass or silicon lid to create a monolithic micro-hermetic package surrounding a predefined RF microsystem. The bond for the seal is then formed by rapid alloying of Indium and Silver using a temperature greater than that of the melting point of Indium. This ensures that the seal formed can subsequently function at temperatures higher than the melting temperature of pure Indium. This method offers a low-temperature bonding technique with thermal robustness suitable for wafer-level process integration. The ultimate goal is to create a seal in a vacuum environment. In this dissertation, design trade-offs made in wafer-level packaging are explained using thermo-mechanical stress and electrical performance simulations. Prototype passive microwave circuits are packaged using the developed packaging process and the performance of the fabricated circuits before and after packaging is analyzed. The effect of the package on coplanar waveguide structures are characterized by measuring scattering parameters and models are developed as a design tool for wafer-level package integration. The small scale of the localized package is expected to provide greater reliability over conventional full chip packages. / Ph. D.

This thesis presents the design and fabrication of coplanar waveguide to microstrip transitions and planar spiral inductors, and the design of metal-insulator-metal capacitors, a planar band-pass, and a low-pass filter structures as an application for the inductors and capacitors using the RF MEMS technology. This thesis also includes a packaging method for RF MEMS devices with the use of benzocyclobutene as bonding material. The transition structures are formed by four different methods between coplanar waveguide end and microstrip end, and they are analyzed in 1-20 GHz. Very low loss transitions are obtained by maintaining constant characteristic impedance which is the same as the port impedance through the transition structures. The planar inductors are formed by square microstrip spirals on a glass substrate. Using the self-inductance propery of a conductive strip and the mutual inductance between two conductor strips in a proper arrangement, the inductance value of each structure is defined. Inductors from 0.7 nH up to 20 nH have been designed and fabricated. The metal-insulator-metal capacitors are formed by two coplanar waveguide structures. In the intersection, one end of a coplanar waveguide is placed on top of the end of the other coplanar waveguide with a dielectric layer in between. Using the theory of parallel plate capacitors, the capacitance of each structure is adjusted by the dimensions of the coplanar waveguides, which obviously adjust the area of intersection. Capacitors from 0.3 pF up to 9.8 pF have been designed. A low-pass filter and a band-pass filter are designed using the capacitors and inductors developed in this thesis. In addition to lumped elements, the interconnecting transmission lines, junctions and input-output lines are added to filter topologies. The RF MEMS packaging is realized on a coplanar waveguide structure which stands on a silicon wafer and encapsulated by a silicon wafer. The capping chip stands on the BCB outer ring which promotes adhesion and provides semi hermeticity. Keywords: Transition between transmission lines, planar spiral inductor, metal-insulator-metal capacitor, RF MEMS packaging, surface micromachining.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein neues Verfahren zur Dünnschichtverkappung von oberflächennahen Mikrostrukturen vorgestellt. Ausgehend von den speziellen Anforderungen an die Verkappung oberflächennaher Mikrostrukturen, insbesondere von Strukturen mit hohem Aspektverhältnis, wurden die Verwendung eines Fluor-Kohlenstoff-Polymers als Opferschichtmaterial und die Eignung unterschiedlicher Schichtstapel zur Realisierung der Dünnschichtkappe untersucht. Die resultierende Technologie ermöglicht eine durchgehend trockenchemische Prozessierung. Für die Abschätzung der notwendigen Schichtdicken und den geometrischen Entwurf der Kappenstrukturen, wurden auf Basis der Plattentheorie analytische und numerische Modelle erstellt. Verschiedene Materialkombinationen bestehend aus Siliziumoxid, Siliziumnitrid und Aluminium wurden hinsichtlich ihrer mechanischen und thermomechanischen Eigenschaften untersucht und bewertet. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt lag auf der Entwicklung und Optimierung der Opferschichtprozesse, sowie deren Integration in die Gesamttechnologie. Die Eignung der plasmagestützten Prozesse zur Abscheidung und Strukturierung des Opferpolymers wurde durch die Fertigung von verkapselten Beschleunigungssensoren nachgewiesen. Ein ausreichender hermetischer Verschluss der Dünnschichtkappe konnte durch die Messung der viskosen Dämpfung an Feder-Masse-Schwingern bestätigt werden.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein neues Verfahren zur Dünnschichtverkappung von oberflächennahen Mikrostrukturen vorgestellt. Ausgehend von den speziellen Anforderungen an die Verkappung oberflächennaher Mikrostrukturen, insbesondere von Strukturen mit hohem Aspektverhältnis, wurden die Verwendung eines Fluor-Kohlenstoff-Polymers als Opferschichtmaterial und die Eignung unterschiedlicher Schichtstapel zur Realisierung der Dünnschichtkappe untersucht. Die resultierende Technologie ermöglicht eine durchgehend trockenchemische Prozessierung. Für die Abschätzung der notwendigen Schichtdicken und den geometrischen Entwurf der Kappenstrukturen, wurden auf Basis der Plattentheorie analytische und numerische Modelle erstellt. Verschiedene Materialkombinationen bestehend aus Siliziumoxid, Siliziumnitrid und Aluminium wurden hinsichtlich ihrer mechanischen und thermomechanischen Eigenschaften untersucht und bewertet. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt lag auf der Entwicklung und Optimierung der Opferschichtprozesse, sowie deren Integration in die Gesamttechnologie. Die Eignung der plasmagestützten Prozesse zur Abscheidung und Strukturierung des Opferpolymers wurde durch die Fertigung von verkapselten Beschleunigungssensoren nachgewiesen. Ein ausreichender hermetischer Verschluss der Dünnschichtkappe konnte durch die Messung der viskosen Dämpfung an Feder-Masse-Schwingern bestätigt werden.