OXFORD, ENGLAND

1HR FROM LONDON

AML

1 Hour from London

 AML History
• Company founded 1992 - Private SME
• One of the first Companies in the world formed to exploit
MEMS; Design & Manf of Field emitters (Nano-tips), Cap
P sensors.. (founders 1985!)
• Designed & made MEMS devices. Also Design house for
Bosch, Tronics, Onstream & SensorNor
• High Risk low return - Goodbye Mr. Chips
• Easier to make $ building machines!
• Last 9 years AML moved to equipment manufacturer &
service provider centred around WAFER BONDING
Worldwide installed base of machines
• New Micro-Nano polymer emboss – print tool
 AML Products
1. Aligned Wafer Bonding machines
2. Aligned Micro-Nano Polymer Emboss tool
3. Advanced Substrates: Si-Glass, Si-Quartz….

Services - BONDCENTRE
• Commercial Wafer Bonding service
• Bonding process development, tech transfer & training
• Associated Processes: cleaning, activation, structuring e.g.
Powder blasting (holes) Deposition; Glass frit, Eutectic
Electroplating (e.g.vias), CMP & wafer characterisation; Profile,
TTV, Ra, & inspection; SAM, IR..
Wafer bonding has found many applications in the
field of MST, MEMS, III-V, ICs & Optical devices:
• MEMS devices - Pressure Sensors, Accelerometers, Microfluidics

• Vacuum encapsulation (absolute pressure, IR detectors…)

• 1st Level Packaging to isolate package induced stresses.

• Wafer scale Packaging – MEMS & IC

• III-Vs e.g. high performance LEDs bonded reflector - heat sink

• 3D Interconnects

• Temporary bonds for handle wafers (interlayer & direct)

• Advanced bonded substrates e.g. Si on Glass (SOG), GaAs on Si…

• Layer transfer - Smart cut

Bonded WLP
Front FAB Back
Substrates 3D
End Device construction End
Starting material Packaging & Int
 AML Wafer Bonders
Wafer bonding capabilities:-

• Anodic Bonding Si-Glass

• Direct Bonding e.g. Si-Si
• Glass Frit Bonding
• Eutectic Bonding
• Thermo-compression
• Adhesive Bonding
• Aligned Embossing
RAD activation for low T bonding

In situ chamber alignment & bonding

= more process flexibility & higher throughput

 AML in-situ Bonding Platform

Anodic, Adhesive, Eutectic,

Glass Frit, Direct, Adhesive &
Thermo-compression
 AWB Platform Outline Spec:-
• Unique In-situ alignment system (X,Y,Z & θ)
• Up to 1 micron accuracy manual & Auto alignment
• Full automatic PC control & data acquisition,
• Application of High Voltage up to 2.5KV
• Temperatures up to 560oC,
• Forces up to 15000N
• Self contained dry pumping system for vacuum up to 10-6 mBar.
• Forced nitrogen cooling.
• 2” to 8” wafers (Depending on model chosen)
• RAD
• Remote interrogation – connect to customer machine via Teamviewer http://www.teamviewer.com
• CMOS compatible machine

Coming Soon
• UV adhesive cure
• Automated wafer handling
• 12”
 AML Aligner Wafer Bonder Technical Benefits
One System Does it ALL (Align, Activate and Bond in one bond chamber)
ALIGN / BOND
• No wafer movement between alignment & bonding – guaranteed alignment accuracy
• Simultaneous alignment, heating and vac pump-down (fastest cycle time)
• In-bond chamber alignment at bond temperature (reduces expansion misalignment effects you
would see with competitors jigging)
• No flags touching bond surfaces so no possibility of contamination, damage or flag removal
issues
• Best system for vacuum encapsulation (Large gap between wafers during pump-down)
• Independent control of upper & Lower wafer temperatures – (useful for getter activation)
• Best system for reducing / forming gas environment - e.g. for eutectic bonding.
(reproducible wafer surface environment)
• Wide range of processes possible – Including Nano-Imprint
ACTIVATE (enables low temperature Direct Bonding)
• In-bond chamber RAD activation option – activated surfaces cannot be re-contaminated
• Less surface roughening and more uniform activation than plasma
• No exposure of wafers to energetic ions --> can be used with sensitive device wafers
• Wider process time window for activation than with plasma- process time less critical
• In-situ system provides better reproducibility and therefore better process stability
AML Aligner Wafer Bonder Commercial Benefits
ECONOMIC
• Lowest cost per bond & ownership
• No mask aligner required- free to choose best mask aligner for your ‘mask aligning’
• System is complete – no other equipment required
• Reasonably priced spares

EASY
• Very high reliability – minimal servicing – fast & simple to maintain
• Standard machines as well as custom options to suit specific customer needs
• Easy to use - system up and running and in use in minimum time

SUPPORT
• Excellent process support via BONDCENTRE – fast response
• More than 20 years machine & wafer bonding process experience.
• Worldwide Machine base.

• New Embossing Upgrade – 3 Machines for the price of One!

Aligner, Bonder & Embosser!
New Polymer Micro-Nano Hot Emboss & Print tool Upgrade

Applications: e.g.
Bio-sensors & Microfluidics
Nano arrays, Polymer electronics
Polymers: SU8, PDMS, PMMA..

< 100nm structures

Based on same equipment platform
Outline Specification
ALIGN, EMBOSS
Force up to15kN Stroke < 750 microns to 2mm & BOND WITH
T </= 500 C 700N De-emboss force ONE MACHINE
Operation in 2 micron alignment
Vacuum between stamp & substrate

Long stroke with high lateral precision for the formation of high aspect
ratio embossed structures
 BONDCENTRE SERVICES OFFERED
• Development of Wafer Bonding & associated Processs e.g. for many
novel materials; silicon, glass, sapphire, strained silicon, InP, GaAs,
…
• Wafer Bonding process selection & design for your application
• Commercial Wafer Bonding Service prototype to production &
products e.g substrates
• Wafer Bonding Technology Transfer (inc Equipment) & Training
• Associated Processes (Pre & Post Bond)
• Applications knowledge for:
MEMS Smart cut layer transfer
Advanced Substrates Wafer Level Packaging
3D integration Vacuum Encapsulation
Temporary Bonding LEDs

Recognised experts & Funded by UK Government to provide services to Industry

 Pre & Post Bonding Services & Equipment

• WAFER ALIGNER BONDERS 4 machines in Class 10

• Wafer METROLOGY; AFM, Ra, PROFILE, TTV
• WAFER CLEANING MEGASONIC & Activation
• NEW ‘RAD’ dry ACTIVATION
• INSPECTION: ACOUSTIC MICROSCOPE (SAM) & IR
• ELECTROPLATING: e.g. VIAS in Au, In, Cu & Ni
• SCREEN PRINT - GLASS FRIT/ADHESIVE
• Structuring e.g. Holes via POWDER BLASTING
• CMP

Also access via long term collaboration with CMF @ Rutherford to:
• PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY DEPOSITION- PVD & CVD & FURNACES
• Standard ETCHING – DRY & WET
• WAFER SAW WIRE & BUMP BONDING
• METROLOGY: THIN FILM, LINE WIDTH, SEM