Effective Cu filling method to TSV for 3-dimensional Si chip stacking

The effect of current waveform on Cu filling into TSV (through-silicon via) and the bottom-up ratio of Cu were investigated for three dimensional (3D) Si chip stacking. The TSV was prepared on an Si wafer by DRIE (deep reactive ion etching); and its diameter and depth were 30 and 60μm, respectively. SiO ₂, Ti and Au layers were coated as functional layers on the via wall. The current waveform was varied like a pulse, PPR (periodic pulse reverse) and 3-step PPR. As experimental results, the bottom-up ratio by the pulsed current decreased with increasing current density, and showed a value of 0.38 on average. The bottom-up ratio by the PPR current showed a value of 1.4 at a current density of -5.85 mA/cm ², and a value of 0.91 on average. The bottom-up ratio by the 3-step PPR current increased from 1.73 to 5.88 with time. The Cu filling by the 3-step PPR demonstrated a typical bottom-up filling, and gave a sound filling in a short time.