Semiconductor wafer bonding. A flexible approach to materials combinations in microelectronics; micromechanics and optoelectronics

The wafer bonding approach, originally developed mostly for the fabrication of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates, has matured to a flexible technology giving access to materials combinations with applications far beyond the original area of SOI substrates. The paper will first review our present understanding of silicon-silicon wafer bonding and then proceed to bonding of dissimilar wafers and various thinning approaches including that associated with hydrogen implantation. Finally, low temperature wafer bonding approaches such as room temperature wafer bonding under ultra high vacuum conditions will be discussed.