CN110127589B

CN110127589B - Probe for processing passivation layer of substrate material

Info

Publication number: CN110127589B
Application number: CN201910427571.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杨晓峰; 胡绘钧
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-05-22
Filing date: 2019-05-22
Publication date: 2022-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 2039-05-22
Also published as: CN110127589A

Abstract

A probe for processing a passivation layer of a substrate material is disclosed. The probe includes: a cantilever portion; a tip located at an end of the cantilever portion and protruding from the cantilever portion; the tip comprising a base and a plurality of support arms extending from the base, each support arm being connected to a needle tip at an end remote from the base; wherein a plurality of electrodes are arranged in the base, a lead is arranged in the supporting arm, and the lead is used for connecting the electrodes with the needle tip part. With the probe according to the present invention, maskless patterning of a passivation layer can be performed by heating to vaporize a material of the passivation layer, with high efficiency, high speed, low cost, and simplified process.

Description

Probe for processing passivation layer of substrate material

Technical Field

The invention relates to pattern processing on a passivation layer of a substrate material, in particular to a probe for processing the passivation layer on the substrate material.

Background

With the rapid development of microelectronic processes, the difficulty of miniaturization development of devices is increasing. Due to the wide application of three-dimensional nanostructures, the construction of three-dimensional devices is also an important way to improve the integration of devices.

At present, the common methods for preparing three-dimensional structures mainly include two-photon interference exposure processes, laser interference exposure processes, gray scale exposure processes, ion beam etching processes and deposition processes. However, these processes all have various defects, for example, when a three-dimensional pattern is prepared by a two-photon interference exposure process or a laser interference exposure process, the size of the pattern is greatly affected by the size of a light spot, and the minimum size of the prepared three-dimensional pattern is in the micron or submicron order, so that it is difficult to achieve the nanometer scale precision.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for a probe for forming a three-dimensional micro-nano structure or pattern on a passivation layer of a substrate material by heating and vaporizing the passivation layer material, which replaces the conventional optical lithography technology using a patterned mask, thereby realizing high-precision two-dimensional or three-dimensional micro-nano structure pattern direct writing and manipulation, and being used for preparing three-dimensional micro-nano functional structures and devices.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a probe for preparing a three-dimensional pattern structure on a passivation layer of a substrate material, which is used for carrying out high-precision material vaporization on a patterned target by heating the probe and controlling the probe through precise positioning and motion. The probe moves along the plane of the substrate or forms a certain included angle to form a three-dimensional structure, so that the preparation of the three-dimensional structure is realized in the real sense, and a new technology is provided for the processing of three-dimensional devices. In addition, because the passivation material is vaporized by the probe scanning, the probe has small motion resistance, and can realize high-precision motion control, thereby forming a three-dimensional structure with micro-nano-scale dimensional precision by the method.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a probe for forming a three-dimensional pattern structure on a passivation layer of a substrate material, the probe comprising:

a cantilever portion;

a tip located at an end of the cantilever portion and protruding from the cantilever portion;

the tip comprising a base and a plurality of support arms extending from the base, each support arm being connected to a needle tip at an end remote from the base;

wherein a plurality of electrodes are arranged in the base, a lead is arranged in the supporting arm, and the lead is used for connecting the electrodes with the needle tip part.

In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of electrodes includes a heating electrode for heating the tip to a predetermined temperature.

In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of electrodes comprises a sensing electrode for sensing the temperature of the tip

In a preferred embodiment, the sensing electrode is a thermistor.

In a preferred embodiment, the probe further comprises a controller configured to compare the temperature measured by the sensing electrode with a predetermined temperature; and when the temperature measured by the sensing motor is higher than the preset temperature, the power of the heating electrode is reduced; and increasing the power of the heating electrode when the temperature measured by the sensing motor is lower than the predetermined temperature.

In a preferred embodiment, the probe further comprises a controller configured to compare the temperature measured by the sensing electrode with a predetermined temperature; and when the temperature measured by the sensing motor is higher than the preset temperature, the operation of the heating electrode is stopped; and when the temperature measured by the sensing motor is lower than the preset temperature, the operation of the heating electrode is started.

In a preferred embodiment, the heating electrode comprises a plurality of heating electrodes.

In a preferred embodiment, the probe further comprises a controller configured to compare the temperature measured by the sensing electrode with a predetermined temperature; and when the temperature measured by the sensing motor is higher than the predetermined temperature, reducing the number of the heating electrodes which are in operation; and when the temperature measured by the sensing motor is lower than the predetermined temperature, the number of the heating electrodes that are in operation is reduced.

In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of heating electrodes have different powers.

In a preferred embodiment, the probe further comprises a controller configured to compare the temperature measured by the sensing electrode with a predetermined temperature; and when the temperature measured by the sensing motor is higher or lower than the predetermined temperature, then a different heating electrode combination is selected to reduce or increase the total power of the heating electrodes being operated.

By using the probe, the maskless patterning of the passivation layer can be carried out by heating and vaporizing the material of the passivation layer, and the probe is high in efficiency, quick, low in cost and simplified in process; the size precision of the formed structure can reach micro-nano level; the probe can be used for forming a two-dimensional structure and a three-dimensional structure.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a substrate material using a method according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the substrate material shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a probe over a passivation layer of substrate material;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a two-dimensional pattern formed by a probe on a passivation layer of a substrate material;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional pattern formed on a passivation layer of a substrate material by a probe;

FIG. 6A is a schematic view of a probe and FIG. 6B is an enlarged schematic view of a tip of the probe;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a passivation layer of a substrate material being an oxide layer;

FIG. 8 is a composite structure of a passivation layer of a substrate material with a photoresist on an oxide layer;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of a support arm of the probe;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the support arm of the probe;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a third embodiment of the support arm of the probe;

figure 12 is a schematic view of a fourth embodiment of the support arm of the probe.

Detailed Description

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the objects, features and advantages of the invention can be more clearly understood. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely intended to illustrate the spirit of the technical solution of the present invention.

In the following description, for the purposes of illustrating various disclosed embodiments, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various disclosed embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific details. In other instances, well-known devices, structures and techniques associated with this application may not be shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments.

Throughout the specification and claims, the word "comprise" and variations thereof, such as "comprises" and "comprising," are to be understood as an open, inclusive meaning, i.e., as being interpreted to mean "including, but not limited to," unless the context requires otherwise.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should be noted that the term "or" is generally employed in its sense including "and/or" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the following description, for the purposes of clearly illustrating the structure and operation of the present invention, directional terms will be used, but terms such as "front", "rear", "left", "right", "outer", "inner", "outer", "inward", "upper", "lower", etc. should be construed as words of convenience and should not be construed as limiting terms.

The invention relates to a method for forming a three-dimensional pattern structure on a passivation layer of a substrate material. Referring to fig. 1, various substrate materials, such as substrate material 1 and substrate material 2, are shown that can be used with the method of the present invention, and are placed on a stage 3. The substrate material 2 is shown in fig. 1 as being square and circular, but it is understood that the substrate material 2 may also be rectangular, oval, or other irregular shapes. The substrate material 2 may be a silicon wafer, a glass wafer, a ceramic wafer, or the like. Fig. 2 shows a side view thereof.

The above method first prepares the passivation layer 5 on a clean substrate material, such as the substrate material 2. Preferably, the substrate material 2 is cleaned prior to the preparation of the passivation layer 5. The specific cleaning method and cleaning step are selected according to the material of the substrate material 2. For example, in the case where the substrate material 2 is a silicon wafer, the cleaning step includes heating, boiling, rinsing. The cleaning step removes surface impurities, oxides or other impurities not of the substrate material 2 to prevent the surface impurities, oxides or other impurities not of the substrate material 2 from affecting the formation of the passivation layer 5 and the compactness, robustness, corrosion resistance and etching resistance of the formed passivation layer 5. The passivation layer 5 is prepared after the cleaning is completed. The passivation layer 5 may be formed by oxidation, vapor deposition, coating, or the like. The passivation layer 5 may be a single layer, such as a photoresist layer, or a silicon oxide, silicon nitride or metal layer (see fig. 7), or may be a composite layer, such as a composite layer with a photoresist layer disposed on a silicon oxide, silicon nitride or metal layer (see fig. 8). When the composite layer is used, a photoresist is preferably coated on the silicon oxide, silicon nitride or metal layer thereunder by means of spin coating. The coating method is convenient and quick, and the photoresist layer formed by coating has good uniformity. In particular, different passivation layers may be selected as desired.

Next, a probe 4 is provided, the probe 4 including a cantilever portion 41 and a tip 42 located at an end of the cantilever portion 41 and protruding from the cantilever portion 41, as shown in fig. 6A. As shown in fig. 3, the probe 4 for scanning vaporization is placed over the passivation layer 5 of the substrate material 2, and then the tip 42 of the probe 4 is brought close to the passivation layer 5.

The probe 4, and in particular the tip 42 of the probe 4, is then heated to a temperature at which the passivation layer 5 can be vaporized. In particular, the tip 42 is heated to a temperature at which the material of the upper surface of the passivation layer 5 can vaporize. The heating temperature is also different for passivation layers of different structures, for example, 200-500 deg.C, more typically 300-400 deg.C in the case of a photoresist layer as the passivation layer 5. And in case the passivation layer 5 is a metal layer, the heating temperature may be up to 1000 deg.c. In the case of the passivation layer 5 being a composite layer as described above, the vaporization temperature can be adjusted accordingly for the passivation materials of the different layers.

When the tip 42 of the probe 4 is heated to a temperature that enables vaporization of the passivation layer 5, the probe 4, in particular the tip 42, is moved over the passivation layer 5. The tip 42 is moved over the passivation layer 5 in a manner similar to a scanning movement, which movement is performed by the control system according to a predetermined three-dimensional pattern. The control system can receive drawing input and convert the drawing input into corresponding action signals, so that the probe is guided to perform scanning movement. Where the tip 42 scans past, the passivation layer 5 instantaneously vaporizes, thereby forming a three-dimensional pattern on the passivation layer 5. Specifically, the tip 42 is moved to a predetermined vertical position in the passivation layer 5, and is horizontally moved in a horizontal plane in which the vertical position is located. After performing the scanning movement in the horizontal plane of one vertical position, the tip 42 is moved to the next vertical position and horizontally moved in the horizontal plane where the next vertical position is located, and so on until a predetermined three-dimensional pattern is formed on the passivation layer 5. Since there is little resistance to movement of the tip 42, the distance between the tip 42 from one vertical position to the next can be as much as 1 nanometer to several nanometers with precise control.

The two-dimensional pattern (see fig. 4) and the three-dimensional pattern (see fig. 5) can be formed on the passivation layer 5 by the above-described method. Here, the two-dimensional pattern means that the formed pattern has the same cross section at different vertical positions, and the three-dimensional pattern means that the formed pattern has different cross sections at different vertical positions.

After forming the three-dimensional pattern on the passivation layer 5, the substrate material 2 with the patterned passivation layer 5 is put into a chemical solution that can etch the passivation layer 5, and the passivation layer 5 is removed. In the case that the passivation layer 5 is a composite layer formed by a photoresist and silicon oxide, silicon nitride or a metal layer, the photoresist layer is removed first, and then the substrate material is processed by using subsequent processes, such as a diffusion process, a thin film process, a sacrificial layer process, an interconnection process, a wet etching process, a dry etching process, an evaporation process, a sputtering process, and the like, so that a three-dimensional nanostructure or pattern can be formed on the substrate material. And then the circuit manufacturing on the substrate material is completed through a metal coating process and a metal electrode etching process.

As described above, the probe 4 includes the cantilever portion 41 and the tip 42 located at the end of the cantilever portion 41 and protruding from the cantilever portion 41. An enlarged view of the tip 42 is shown in fig. 6B. Wherein the tip 42 comprises a base 421, which base 421 is formed integrally with the cantilever portion 41 or is fixedly connected to the cantilever portion 41. A plurality of electrodes 425 are provided in the base 421. Each support arm 423 extends from the base 421 and is connected to the spike portion 423 at an end remote from the base 421. The supporting arm 422 is made of a high temperature resistant material, and a wire may be disposed inside the supporting arm 422 for connecting the needle tip portion 423 with an electrode in the base 421. Preferably, the support arm 422 has a curved shape, thereby preventing the support arm 422 from being broken due to touch or high temperature. The plurality of electrodes 425 includes a plurality of heating electrodes and at least one temperature sensing electrode. The tip 42 is heated to a desired temperature by the respective heating electrodes. The temperature sensing electrode is for sensing the temperature of the tip 42. The sensing electrode may be, for example, a thermistor, and the temperature of the sensing electrode is determined by measuring the resistance as a function of temperature.

The temperature control of the tip 42 is achieved by a controller, such as PID control (proportional-integral-derivative control). The probe 4 is provided with a controller which measures the temperature of the tip 42 by sensing the electrodes and compares the measured temperature with a predetermined temperature, and when the difference between the measured temperature and the predetermined temperature reaches a certain value, adjusts the temperature of the tip 42 by increasing or decreasing the number of heating electrodes to be operated, increasing or decreasing the power of the heating electrodes, and starting or stopping the operation of each heating electrode. Where the individual heating electrodes are powered differently, different combinations of heating electrodes may also be selected as desired to reduce or increase the total power of the heating electrodes being operated to regulate the temperature of the tip 42.

The structure for accurately positioning the probe 2 is shown in fig. 9-12. Specifically, as shown in fig. 9, the probe 4 is supported by a holder 6. The support 6 may be configured in any configuration capable of supporting the cantilever portion of the probe 4. In the illustrated embodiment, the support 6 is a generally vertically extending support rod. One end of the boom portion is fixed to the bracket 6 and extends horizontally from the bracket 6, and a tip 42 is provided at the end of the boom portion remote from the bracket 6. In this embodiment, the cantilever portion includes a cantilever support portion 412 and a cantilever drive portion 413. The end of the cantilever drive 413 remote from the support 6 is provided with a tip 42. The cantilever driving part 413 and the cantilever supporting part 412 are closely adjacent to and spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction. As shown in fig. 7, an electromagnetic piece 416 is provided on the lower side of the cantilever support portion 412, and an electromagnetic piece 71 is provided on the upper side of the cantilever drive portion 413 provided below the cantilever support portion 412 at a position corresponding to the electromagnetic piece 416. When it is necessary to move the cantilever support 412 downward to move the tip 42 downward, the

electromagnetic pieces

416 and 71 are energized to have opposite polarities, and the cantilever support 412 is moved downward by the attraction force between the

electromagnetic pieces

416 and 71, thereby moving the tip 42 downward. When it is necessary to move the cantilever support 412 upward to move the tip 42 upward, the

electromagnetic pieces

416 and 71 are energized to have the same magnetism, and the cantilever support 412 is moved upward by the repulsive force between the

electromagnetic pieces

416 and 71, thereby moving the tip 42 upward. In the illustrated embodiment, the cantilever driving part 413 is disposed below the cantilever support part 412, but it is understood that the cantilever driving part 413 may be disposed above the cantilever support part 412. In this case, the

electromagnet pieces

416 and 71 are disposed at positions opposite to each other on the upper side of the cantilever support portion 412 and on the lower side of the cantilever drive portion 413.

In addition, more than one set of electromagnetic sheets may be provided on the cantilever support portion 412 and the cantilever drive portion 413. For example, as shown in fig. 10, three sets of electromagnet pieces are provided on the upper side of the arm support portion 412 and on the lower side of the arm drive portion 413, respectively.

Further, it is also understood that one of each set of

electromagnet pieces

416 and 71 may be provided as a permanent magnet piece, while the other is an electromagnet piece.

The displacement of the tip 42 in the vertical direction is realized in the above manner, and the magnitude of the attractive force or repulsive force between the cantilever supporting part 412 and the cantilever driving part 413 can be adjusted by precisely adjusting the current to the electromagnetic plate, so that the displacement accuracy of the tip 42 in the vertical direction can be remarkably improved, even to 1 nm to several nm.

Fig. 11 shows another embodiment. In this embodiment, one strain section 417 is provided on the cantilever portion along its length. The strain section 417 is made of a multi-layer composite material. Each layer in the multilayer composite material has different thermal expansion coefficients, and when the temperature changes, each layer of material expands or contracts and deforms to different degrees. For example, the strain section 417 may be formed by a composite of two material layers. By controlling the temperature of the strain section 417, the strain section 417 is bent upward or downward, thereby moving the cantilever portion upward or downward as a whole, and further moving the tip 42 upward or downward. In addition, more than one strain section 417 may be provided on the cantilever portion. As shown for example in fig. 12, three strain sections 417 are provided on the cantilever portion.

By implementing the displacement of the tip 42 in the vertical direction in the above manner, the bending of the strain section 417 can be controlled by controlling the temperature change of the strain section 417 precisely, so that the displacement precision of the tip 42 in the vertical direction can be significantly improved, even to 1 nm to several nm.

The above embodiments show embodiments using electromagnetic plates and strain sections to achieve vertical movement of the tip 42 on the cantilever portion. It should be understood that the electromagnetic plates and strain sections may be used in combination on the cantilever portion to achieve the upward and downward movements of the cantilever portion.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it should be understood that aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary, to employ aspects, features and concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the claims, the terms used should not be construed to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

1. A probe for processing a passivation layer of a substrate material, comprising:

a cantilever portion;

the tip comprises a base and a plurality of support arms extending from the base, the support arms are in a bent shape, one end of each support arm is connected to the base, the other end of each support arm away from the base is connected to a needle point part, and the needle point part is not in contact with the base;

2. The probe according to claim 1,

the plurality of electrodes includes a heating electrode for heating the tip to a predetermined temperature.

3. The probe of claim 2,

the plurality of electrodes includes a sensing electrode for sensing a temperature of the tip.

4. The probe of claim 3,

the sensing electrode is a thermistor.

5. The probe of claim 3,

the probe further includes a controller configured to compare the temperature measured by the sensing electrode to a predetermined temperature; and when the temperature measured by the sensing electrode is higher than the preset temperature, the power of the heating electrode is reduced; and when the temperature measured by the sensing electrode is lower than the preset temperature, the power of the heating electrode is increased.

6. The probe of claim 3,

the probe further includes a controller configured to compare the temperature measured by the sensing electrode to a predetermined temperature; and when the temperature measured by the sensing electrode is higher than the preset temperature, the operation of the heating electrode is stopped; and when the temperature measured by the sensing electrode is lower than the preset temperature, the operation of the heating electrode is started.

7. The probe of claim 3,

the number of the heating electrodes is multiple.

8. The probe of claim 7,

the probe further includes a controller configured to compare the temperature measured by the sensing electrode to a predetermined temperature; and when the temperature measured by the sensing electrode is higher than the predetermined temperature, reducing the number of the heating electrodes which are in operation; and when the temperature measured by the sensing electrode is lower than the predetermined temperature, the number of the heating electrodes which are in operation is increased.

9. The probe of claim 7,

the plurality of heating electrodes have different powers.

10. The probe of claim 9,

the probe further includes a controller configured to compare the temperature measured by the sensing electrode to a predetermined temperature; and when the temperature measured by the sensing electrode is above or below the predetermined temperature, then a different heating electrode combination is selected to reduce or increase the total power of the heating electrodes being operated.