ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY-BASED MODES FOR NANOSCALE ELASTIC-PLASTIC CHARACTERIZATION OF MATERIALS USED IN HYBRID BONDING

Published

February 17, 2026

Author(s)

Gheorghe Stan, Nicolas Alderete, Cristian Victor Ciobanu, Paresh Daharwal

Abstract

One of the most promising techniques for integration in advanced packaging is hybrid bonding, which connects dies and wafers without the need for solder bumps. This method enables a higher density of interconnects with a pitch scale of less than 10 micrometers. Additionally, hybrid bonding facilitates 3D stacking, increases bandwidth, and enhances overall system optimization. However, measuring properties at the length scale of hybrid bonding structures presents significant challenges. These difficulties stem from limited access to the features and structures being measured, the complex adaptation of established macroscale measurement techniques, and the intricacies involved in analyzing these measurements. The Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is one of the most versatile tools available for directly measuring various material properties at the nanoscale. It can probe the localized mechanical response of a wide range of materials, including those used in the semiconductor industry. In this work, we demonstrate several AFM mechanical characterization modes applied to SiO2/Cu hybrid-bonding-ready patterns. By utilizing three AFM modes—Contact-Resonance AFM, Single-Step AFM indentations, and Multi-Step AFM indentations—we effectively map the elastic-plastic response at the nanoscale for these structures. These types of measurements and corresponding data are essential for enhancing predictive manufacturing in hybrid bonding applications. Although our measurement methods are demonstrated on copper prior to hybrid bonding, they can be applied to any other relevant material systems for which modeling mechanical processes at the nanoscale needs to include the effect of fabrication on material properties, such as temperature and stress.

Conference Dates

February 17-19, 2026

Conference Location

San Francisco, CA, US

Conference Title

Wafer-Level Packaging Symposium, SMTA, February 17-19, 2026, San Francisco, CA, USA

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

multimodal AFM metrology, nanoscale elastic-plastic characterization, materials for hybrid bonding

Citation

Stan, G. , Alderete, N. , Ciobanu, C. and Daharwal, P. (2026), ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY-BASED MODES FOR NANOSCALE ELASTIC-PLASTIC CHARACTERIZATION OF MATERIALS USED IN HYBRID BONDING, Wafer-Level Packaging Symposium, SMTA, February 17-19, 2026, San Francisco, CA, USA, San Francisco, CA, US, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=961447 (Accessed October 9, 2026)

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