Ed. Kim et al., STRUCTURAL QUALITY OF DIRECTLY BONDED SILICON-WAFERS WITH REGULARLY GROOVED INTERFACES, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 144(2), 1997, pp. 622-627
The role of a regularly grooved pattern on a silicon wafer surface to
be bonded was studied from the viewpoint of interfacial properties and
structural quality of directly bonded silicon wafers by using x-ray t
opography and scanning electron microscope techniques. The presence of
the grooves resulted in a decrease in the dislocation density at the
interface as well as in the crystal bulk, which can be explained by th
e dislocation-collection capability of the grooves. Successful bonding
, not only between strongly misoriented silicon wafers, but even betwe
en (001) and (111) wafers could be achieved. The grooves were eventual
ly flattened during a suitable annealing by the aid of the dislocation
migration to their free surfaces. Large voids, originating from disbo
nded boundaries and provoked by entrap gases, could also be removed by
annealing. Measured I-V characteristics of p-n diodes verified the re
liability of the modified structures.