MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending MonolithIC 3D ICs October MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 2 Chapter 1 Monolithic 3D

3D ICs at a glance A 3D Integrated Circuit is a chip that has active electronic components stacked on one or more layers that are integrated both vertically and horizontally forming a single circuit. Manufacturing technologies: -Monolithic -TSV based stacking -Chip Stacking w/wire bonding MonolithIC 3D Inc, Patents Pending 3

MonolithIC 3D A technology breakthrough allows the fabrication of semiconductor devices with multiple thin tiers (<1um) of copper connected active devices utilizing conventional fab equipment. MonolithIC 3D Inc. offers solutions for logic, memory and electro- optic technologies, with significant benefits for cost, power and operating speed. MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending 4

Comparison of Through-Silicon Via (TSV) 3D Technology and Monolithic 3D Technology The semiconductor industry is actively pursuing 3D Integrated Circuits (3D-ICs) with Through-Silicon Via (TSV) technology (Figure 1). This can also be called a parallel 3D process. As shown in Figure 2, the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) projects TSV pitch remaining in the range of several microns, while on-chip interconnect pitch is in the range of 100nm. The TSV pitch will not reduce appreciably in the future due to bonder alignment limitations (0.5-1um) and stacked silicon layer thickness (6-10um). While the micron-ranged TSV pitches may provide enough vertical connections for stacking memory atop processors and memory-on-memory stacking, they may not be enough to significantly mitigate the well-known on- chip interconnect problems. Monolithic 3D-ICs offer through-silicon connections with <50nm diameter and therefore provide 10,000 times the areal density of TSV technology. MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending 5

MonolithIC 3D  Inc. Patents Pending 6 Typical TSV process  TSV diameter typically ~5um  Limited by alignment accuracy and silicon thickness Processed Top Wafer Processed Bottom Wafer Align and bond TSV Figure 1

Two Types of 3D Technology 7 3D-TSV Transistors made on separate high temp., then thin + align + bond TSV pitch > 1um* Monolithic 3D Transistors made monolithically atop wiring sub-400 o C for logic) TSV pitch ~ nm 10um- 50um 100 nm * [Reference: P. Franzon: Tutorial at IEEE 3D-IC Conference 2011]

Figure 2 ITRS Roadmap compared to monolithic 3D MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending 8

TSV (parallel) vs. Monolithic (sequential) MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending 9 Source: CEA Leti Semicon West 2012 presentationCEA Leti Semicon West 2012 presentation

The Monolithic 3D Challenge  Once copper or aluminum is added on for bottom layer interconnect, the process temperatures need to be limited to less than 400ºC !!!  Forming single crystal silicon requires ~1,200ºC  Forming transistors in single crystal silicon requires ~800ºC  The TSV solution overcame the temperature challenge by forming the second tier transistors on an independent wafer, then thinning and bonding it over the bottom wafer (‘parallel’) The limitations:  Wafer to wafer misalignment ~ 1µ  Overlaying wafer could not be thinned to less than 50µ

The Monolithic 3D Innovation  Utilize Ion-Cut (‘Smart-Cut’) to transfer a thin (<100nm) single crystal layer on top of the bottom (base) wafer  Form the cut at less than 400ºC *  Use co-implant  Use mechanically assisted cleaving  Form the bonding at less than 400ºC * * See details at: Low Temperature Cleaving, Low Temperature Wafer Direct BondingLow Temperature CleavingLow Temperature Wafer Direct Bonding  Split the transistor processing to two portions  High temperature process portion (ion implant and activation) to be done before the Ion-Cut  Low temperature (<400°C) process portion (etch and deposition) to be done after layer transfer See details in the following slides:

Monolithic 3D ICs Using SmartCut technology - the ion cutting process that Soitec uses to make SOI wafers for AMD and IBM (millions of wafers had utilized the process over the last 20 years) - to stack up consecutive layers of active silicon (bond first and then cut). Soitec’s Smart Cut Patented* Flow (follow this link for video).SmartCut Soitec’s Smart Cut Patented* Flow MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending 12 *Soitec’s fundamental patent US 5,374,564 expired Sep. 15, 2012

Monolithic 3D ICs Ion cuttingIon cutting: the key idea is that if you implant a thin layer of H+ ions into a single crystal of silicon, the ions will weaken the bonds between the neighboring silicon atoms, creating a fracture plane (Figure 3). Judicious force will then precisely break the wafer at the plane of the H+ implant, allowing you to in-effect peel off very thin layer. This technique is currently being used to produce the most advanced transistors (Fully Depleted SOI, UTBB transistors – Ultra Thin Body and BOX), forming monocrystalline silicon layers that are less than 10nm thick. MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending 13

Figure 3 Using ion-cutting to place a thin layer of monocrystalline silicon above a processed (transistors and metallization) base wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending 14 p- Si Oxide p- Si Oxide H Top layer Bottom layer Oxide Hydrogen implant of top layer Flip top layer and bond to bottom layer Oxide p- Si Oxide H Cleave using <400 o C anneal or sideways mechanical force. CMP. Oxide Similar process (bulk-to-bulk) used for manufacturing all SOI wafers today p- Si

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 15 Chapter 2 Monolithic 3D RCAT

MonolithIC 3D – The RCAT path  The Recessed Channel Array Transistor (RCAT) fits very nicely into the hot-cold process flow partition  RCAT is the transistor used in commercial DRAM as its 3D channel overcomes the short channel effect  Used in DRAM 90nm, 60nm, 50nm nodes  Higher capacitance, but less leakage, same drive current The following slides present the flow to process an RCAT without exceeding the 400ºC temperature limit MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending 16

RCAT – a monolithic process flow MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending 17 Wafer, ~700µm ~100nm P- N+ P- Using a new wafer, construct dopant regions in top ~100nm and activate at ~1000ºC Oxide

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 18 ~100nm P- N+ P- Oxide Implant Hydrogen for Ion-Cut H+ Wafer, ~700µm

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 19 ~100nm P- N+ P- ~10nm H+ Oxide Hydrogen cleave plane for Ion-Cut formed in donor wafer Wafer, ~700µm

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 20 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer H+ Flip over and bond the donor wafer to the base (acceptor) wafer Base Wafer, ~700µm Donor Wafer, ~700µm

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 21 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer Perform Ion-Cut Cleave Base Wafer ~700µm

22 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Complete Ion-Cut Base Wafer ~700µm

23 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Etch Isolation regions as the first step to define RCAT transistors Base Wafer ~700µm

24 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Fill isolation regions (STI-Shallow Trench Isolation) with Oxide, and CMP Base Wafer ~700µm

25 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Etch RCAT Gate Regions Base Wafer ~700µm Gate region

26 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Form Gate Oxide Base Wafer ~700µm

27 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Form Gate Electrode Base Wafer ~700µm

28 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Add Dielectric and CMP Base Wafer ~700µm

29 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Etch Thru-Layer-Via and RCAT Transistor Contacts Base Wafer ~700µm

30 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Fill in Copper Base Wafer ~700µm

31 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base (acceptor) Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Add more layers monolithically Base Wafer ~700µm Oxide ~100nm N+ P-

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 32 Chapter 3 Monolithic 3D HKMG

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 33 The monolithic 3D IC technology is applied to produce monolithically stacked high performance High-k Metal Gate (HKMG) devices, the world’s most advanced production transistors. 3D Monolithic State-of-the-Art transistors are formed with ion-cut applied to a gate-last process, combined with a low temperature face-up layer transfer, repeating layouts, and an innovative inter-layer via (ILV) alignment scheme. Monolithic 3D IC provides a path to reduce logic, SOC, and memory costs without investing in expensive scaling down. Technology

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 34 ~700µm Donor Wafer On the donor wafer, fabricate standard dummy gates with oxide and poly-Si; >900ºC OK PMOS NMOS Silicon Poly Oxide

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 35 ~700µm Donor Wafer Form transistor source/drain PMOS NMOS Silicon Poly Oxide

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 36 ~700µm Donor Wafer PMOSNMOS Silicon Form inter layer dielectric (ILD), do high temp anneals, CMP near to transistor tops CMP near to top of dummy gates ILD S/D Implant

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 37 ~700µm Donor Wafer PMOSNMOS Silicon Implant hydrogen to generate cleave plane

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 38 ~700µm Donor Wafer PMOSNMOS Silicon Implant hydrogen to generate cleave plane

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 39 ~700µm Donor Wafer PMOSNMOS Silicon Implant hydrogen to generate cleave plane H+

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 40 ~700µm Donor Wafer Silicon Bond donor wafer to carrier wafer H+ ~700µm Carrier Wafer

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 41 ~700µm Donor Wafer Cleave to remove bulk of donor wafer H+ ~700µm Carrier Wafer Transferred Donor Layer (nm scale) Silicon

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 42 CMP to STI ~700µm Carrier Wafer STI Transferred Donor Layer (<100nm)

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 43 Deposit oxide, ox-ox bond carrier structure to base wafer that has transistors & circuits ~700µm Carrier Wafer STI Oxide-oxide bond PMOS NMOS ~700µm Base Wafer Transferred Donor Layer (<100nm)

44 Remove carrier wafer Oxide-oxide bond ~700µm Carrier Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending PMOS NMOS ~700µm Base Wafer Transferred Donor Layer (<100nm)

45 Carrier wafer had been removed Oxide-oxide bond MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending PMOS NMOS ~700µm Base Wafer Transferred Donor Layer (<100nm)

46 CMP to expose gate stacks. Replace dummy gate stacks with Hafnium Oxide & Metal (HKMG)at low temp Oxide-oxide bond MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending PMOS NMOS Note: Replacing the gate oxide and gate electrode results in a gate stack that is not damaged by the H+ implant ~700µm Base Wafer Transferred Donor Layer (<100nm)

47 Form inter layer via (ILV) through oxide only (similar to standard via) Oxide-oxide bond MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending PMOS NMOS Note: The second mono-crystal layer is very thin (<100nm) and has a vertical oxide corridor; hence, the via through it (TLV) may be constructed and sized similarly to other vias in the normal metal stack. Transferred Donor Layer (<100nm) ~700µm Base Wafer

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 48 Form top layer interconnect and connect layers with inter layer via Oxide-oxide bond MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending PMOS NMOS ILV Transferred Donor Layer (<100nm) ~700µm Base Wafer

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 49 Maximum State-of-the-Art transistor performance on multi-strata 2x lower power 2x smaller silicon area 4x smaller footprint Performance of single crystal silicon transistors on all layers in the 3DIC Scalable: scales normally with equipment capability Forestalls next gen litho-tool risk High density of vertical interconnects enable innovative architectures, repair, and redundancy Benefits for RCAT and HKMG

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 50 Chapter 4 Monolithic 3D RC-JLT (Recessed-Channel Junction-Less Transistor )

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 51 Monolithic 3D IC technology is applied to producing monolithically stacked low leakage Recessed Channel Junction-Less Transistors (RC-JLTs). Junction-less (gated resistor) transistors are very simple to manufacture, and they scale easily to devices below 20nm: Bulk Device, not surface Fully Depleted channel Simple alternative to FinFET Superior contact resistance is achieved with the heavier doped top layer. The RCAT style transistor structure provides ultra-low leakage. Monolithic 3D IC provides a path to reduce logic, SOC, and memory costs without investing in expensive scaling down. Technology

RCJLT – a monolithic process flow MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending 52 Wafer, ~700µm ~100nm P- N++ N+ Using a new wafer, construct dopant regions in top ~100nm and activate at ~1000ºC Oxide

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 53 ~100nm P- Oxide Implant Hydrogen for Ion-Cut H+ Wafer, ~700µm N++ N+

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 54 ~100nm P- ~10nm H+ Oxide Hydrogen cleave plane for Ion-Cut formed in donor wafer Wafer, ~700µm N++ N+

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 55 ~100nm N++ N+ Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer H+ Flip over and bond the donor wafer to the base (acceptor) wafer Base Wafer, ~700µm Donor Wafer, ~700µm P-

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 56 ~100nm N++ N+ Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer Perform Ion-Cut Cleave Base Wafer ~700µm

57 ~100nm N++ N+ Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Complete Ion-Cut Base Wafer ~700µm

58 ~100nm N++ N+ Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Etch Isolation regions as the first step to define RCJLT transistors Base Wafer ~700µm

59 ~100nm N++ N+ Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Fill isolation regions (STI-Shallow Trench Isolation) with Oxide, and CMP Base Wafer ~700µm

60 ~100nm N++ N+ Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Etch RCJLT Gate Regions Base Wafer ~700µm Gate region

61 ~100nm N++ N+ Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Form Gate Oxide Base Wafer ~700µm

62 ~100nm N++ N+ Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Form Gate Electrode Base Wafer ~700µm

63 ~100nm N++ N+ Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Add Dielectric and CMP Base Wafer ~700µm

64 ~100nm N++ N+ Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Etch Thru-Layer-Via and RCJLT Transistor Contacts Base Wafer ~700µm

65 ~100nm N++ N+ Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Fill in Copper Base Wafer ~700µm

66 ~100nm N++ N+ Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base (acceptor) Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Add more layers monolithically Base Wafer ~700µm Oxide ~100nm N++ N+

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 67 2x lower power 2x smaller silicon area 4x smaller footprint Layer to layer interconnect density at close to full lithographic resolution and alignment Performance of single crystal silicon transistors on all layers in the 3D IC Scalable: scales naturally with equipment capability Forestalls next gen litho-tool risk Also useful as Anti-Fuse FPGA programming transistors: programmable interconnect is 10x-50x smaller & lower power than SRAM FPGA Base logic circuits could be UT-BBOX, FinFET, or JLT CMOS logic devices Benefits for RCJLT

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 68 Create a layer of Recessed Channel Junction-Less Transistors (RC-JLTs), a junction-less version of the RCAT used in DRAMs, by activating dopants at ~1000°C before wafer bonding to the CMOS substrate and cleaving, thereby leaving a very thin doped stack layer from which transistors are completed, utilizing less than 400°C etch and deposition processes. RC-JLT flow: Summary

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 69 Chapter 5 Monolithic 3D eDRAM on Logic

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 70 Monolithic 3D eDRAM - Technology Monolithic 3D IC technology is applied to producing monolithically stacked low leakage Recessed Channel Array Transistors (RCATs) with stacked capacitors (eDRAM) on top of logic. Cost savings through a footprint reduction of 75% and an active silicon area reduction of 50% can be obtained by monolithically stacking the eDRAM on top of logic. The eDRAM and logic device layers can be independently optimized; hence, no more wasting 10 metal layers on DRAM die area. In addition, monolithic stacking enables the use of DRAM for the memory, which is 3 times more area efficient than SRAM. RCATs can be used for memory cells and decoder logic. As well, an independent refresh port allows reduced voltage and power. Short wires and close proximity of the eDRAM to logic provides maximum performance.

SoC Device Architecture (Part 1)  Pull out the memory to the second layer  About 50% of a typical SoC is embedded memory, and about 50% of the logic area is due to gate sizing buffers and repeaters.  Going monolithic 3D eliminates majority of buffers and repeaters  Therefore, 2 stack monolithic:  => A Base layer with just the logic (hence, 25% of original SoC area)  => 2 nd layer has the eDRAM with stack capacitor  RESULT: 3D silicon footprint is about 25% of original 2D! 71

SoC Device Architecture (Part 2)  25% of the area of eDRAM (1T) needs to replace 50% of the equivalent SRAM  1T vs. ½ of 6T ~ 1:3, could be used for:  Use older node for the eDRAM, with optional additional port for independent refresh  Additional advantage for dedicated layer of eDRAM  Optimized process  Only 3 metal layers, no die area wasted on logic 10 metal layers  Repetitive memory structure – easy for litho and fab 72

2D SoC to Monolithic 3D (eDRAM on top of Logic) 2D SoC 3D SoC 7mm 14mm Logic + Memory Logic Memory Footprint = 196mm 2 Footprint = 49mm 2 73

eRAM portion in SoC MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 74

Monolithic 3D SoC Side View Base wafer with Logic circuits RCAT transistors (eDRAM + Decoders ) Stack Capacitors (for eDRAM) Logic circuits 75 Base wafer with Logic circuits

eDRAM  Use RCAT for bit cell and decoders Bit Line WL Vdd Bit Line WL WL-Refresh  eDRAM with independent port for refresh 76

eDRAM vs SRAM on top  Smaller area and shorter lines will result in competitive performance  Independent port for refresh will allow reduced voltage and therefore comparable power 77

3D eDRAM – a monolithic process flow MonolithIC 3D Inc., Patents Pending 78 Wafer, ~700µm ~100nm P- N+ P- Using a new wafer, construct dopant regions in top ~100nm and activate at ~1000ºC Oxide

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 79 ~100nm P- N+ P- Oxide Implant Hydrogen for Ion-Cut H+ Wafer, ~700µm

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 80 ~100nm P- N+ P- ~10nm H+ Oxide Hydrogen cleave plane for Ion-Cut formed in donor wafer Wafer, ~700µm

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 81 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer H+ Flip over and bond the donor wafer to the base (acceptor) wafer Base Wafer, ~700µm Donor Wafer, ~700µm P-

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 82 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer Perform Ion-Cut Cleave Base Wafer ~700µm

83 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Complete Ion-Cut Base Wafer ~700µm

84 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Etch Isolation regions as the first step to define RCAT transistors Base Wafer ~700µm

85 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Fill isolation regions (STI-Shallow Trench Isolation) with Oxide, and CMP Base Wafer ~700µm

86 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Etch RCAT Gate Regions Base Wafer ~700µm Gate region

87 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Form Gate Oxide Base Wafer ~700µm

88 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Form Gate Electrode Base Wafer ~700µm

89 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Add Dielectric and CMP Base Wafer ~700µm

90 ~100nm N+ P- Oxide 1µ Top Portion of Base Wafer MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending Etch Thru-Layer-Via and RCAT Transistor Contacts Base Wafer ~700µm TLV

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 91 Complete wires and TLVs, and form stacked capacitors TLV Stacked Capacitor

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 92 Create a layer of Recessed ChAnnel Transistors (RCATs), commonly used in DRAMs, by activating dopants at ~1000ºC before wafer bonding to the CMOS substrate and cleaving, thereby leaving a very thin doped stack layer from which transistors are completed, utilizing less than 400ºC etch and deposition processes. Add stacked caps. eDRAM on logic flow

MonolithIC 3D Inc. Patents Pending 93 2x lower power 2x smaller silicon area 4x smaller footprint Replacing SRAM with eDRAM reduces memory costs by up to 2/3 Can use older and cheaper process node for eDRAM and use optimum number of metal layers, incurring no waste Layer to layer interconnect density at close to full lithographic resolution and alignment Scalable: scales naturally with equipment capability Forestalls next gen litho-tool risk Base logic circuits could be UT-BBOX, FinFET, or JLT CMOS logic devices. Logic transistors are untouched by DRAM (such as trench) processing Benefits for 3D eDRAM