Analysis on annealing-induced stress of blind-via TSV using FEM

Copper-filled through silicon via (TSV) is a promising material owing to its application in high-density three-dimensional (3D) packaging. However, in TSV manufacturing, thermo-mechanical stress is induced during the annealing process, often causing reliability issues. In this paper, the finite element method is employed to investigate the impacts of via shape and SiO₂ liner uniformity on the thermo-mechanical properties of copper- filled blind-via TSV after annealing. Top interface stress analysis on the TSV structure shows that the curvature of via openings releases stress concentration that leads to ~60 MPa decrease of normal stresses, σ_xx and σ_yy, in copper and ~70 MPa decrease of σ_xx in silicon. Meanwhile, the vertical interface analysis shows that annealing-induced stress at the SiO₂/Si interface depends heavily on SiO₂ uniformity. By increasing the thickness of SiO₂ linear, the stress at the vertical interface can be significantly reduced. Thus, process optimization to reduce the annealing-induced stress becomes feasible. The results of this study help us gain a better understanding of the thermo-mechanical behavior of the annealed TSV in 3D packaging.