Fundamentals of Wafer Bonding for SOI: From Physical Mechanisms Towards Advanced Modeling

Abstract

The wafer bonding has been established as a key process used for the fabrication of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. In the present paper an overview of the fundamental aspects involved in the wafer bonding process is presented. The mechanisms of the silicon and silicon oxide bonding are discussed with an emphasis on the phenomenological models developed in case of SOI bonding. Interactions between the mechanical adhesion and the dynamics of the interface chemistry and their impact on the bonding modeling are also discussed. One of the main challenges today is the validation of existing models and the comparison of physical measurements with the advanced modeling results.