R. J. Young, A. Buxbaum, C. Senowitz, FEI Company, Hillsboro, OR; C. Deeb, International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative, Albany, NY; W. H. Teh, SEMATECH, Albany, NY

Summary: Wafer-to-wafer (WtW) bonding is a key capability being investigated for 3-D integrated circuit (3DIC) technology. Using mechanical processes to section and polish such samples can introduce stresses and smearing of materials, and so the feasibility of a focused ion beam (FIB) approach has been investigated. In this paper we discuss the application of full-thickness silicon trenching to the process development of WtW bonding.