JPH0485810A - Manufacture of semiconductor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To inhibit the generation of a crystal defect resulting from the warpage of a semiconductor substrate minimally, and to manufacture a semiconductor device having the high degree of integration and high yield by forming a trench in a region as the scribing line of the substrate. CONSTITUTION:Islands independent at every chip are formed by trenches 103 formed to scribing lines in a substrate surface 101, and stress applied to the substrate surface is inhibited because stress is applied mainly to the bottoms 104 of the trenches when a substrate is warped. The semiconductor substrate is etched by using a photolithographic technique as the formation method of the trenches.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing semiconductor devices with high yield and high quality as semiconductor substrates, especially silicon substrates, become larger in diameter or more highly integrated.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in order to manufacture semiconductor devices in large quantities and at low cost, the diameter of semiconductor substrates has been increasing, and in recent years, manufacturing processes using substrates with a diameter of 6 inches have become mainstream. As a result, the warpage of the semiconductor substrate during the manufacturing process, particularly during the heat treatment process, has significantly increased. Such warping of the semiconductor substrate applies stress to the substrate crystal, and is a factor in generating many crystal defects on the substrate surface during the manufacturing process.

For example, when the substrate is warped as shown in FIG. 3, stress as shown at 303 is applied to the substrate surface 301 on which elements are integrated. Crystal defects introduced by the stress applied to the substrate surface deteriorate the characteristics of devices, and as a result become one of the major causes of low yields in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. In addition, as semiconductor substrates become larger in diameter, microfabrication technology advances and semiconductor devices become more highly integrated, so the number of crystal defects present per unit device tends to increase.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide a highly integrated and high-yield semiconductor device that minimizes the occurrence of crystal defects caused by warpage of a semiconductor substrate. The purpose of the present invention is to develop a low-cost, highly integrated semiconductor device by providing a manufacturing method for the same.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is characterized by including a step of forming a groove in a region of a semiconductor substrate that will become a scribe line.

[Examples] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific examples.

FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a semiconductor substrate according to the invention.

As shown in the figure, a substrate surface 101 on which elements are formed forms independent islands for each chip by grooves 103 formed in scribe lines.

Therefore, when the substrate warps, the stress that would conventionally be applied to the substrate surface is mainly applied to the bottom 104 of the groove formed in the scribe line, so the stress applied to the substrate surface on which elements are formed is suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the conventional method for forming grooves is to apply resist patterning 201 on the area that will become the scribe line using, for example, photolithography to have a width of several μm to several tens of μm, and then dry etching. Several tens of μm
The semiconductor substrate is etched to a depth of about 100 μm.

Formation of the grooves is performed, for example, as the first step of the manufacturing process. Further, by performing the process immediately after forming a thin film such as an interlayer insulating film and before a heat treatment process, stress can be more effectively alleviated.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the stress caused by the warpage of the semiconductor substrate is mainly applied to the bottom of the groove formed in the scribe line, so the stress applied to the surface of the substrate on which elements are formed is reduced. suppressed. Therefore, it has become possible to suppress the occurrence of crystal defects and to manufacture semiconductor devices with high integration and high yield.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a main cross-sectional view of a semiconductor substrate according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a resist pattern for forming grooves according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a main cross-sectional view of a conventional semiconductor substrate. In the figure: 101°102°103°104. Groove formed on the scribe line on the front surface of the substrate, the back surface of the substrate Stress applied to the substrate of the present invention 201, ..., the surface of the substrate 202, ..., the photoresist 301゜302゜303゜, the front surface of the substrate, the back surface of the substrate, the front surface of the substrate Stress'4-za Applicant Seiko Epson Co., Ltd. Agent Patent Attorney Kizobe Suzuki and 1 other person Kaya 3in 30

Claims (1)

[Claims] A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the step of forming a groove in a region of a semiconductor substrate that will become a scribe line.