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September 27, 2011 -- Ziptronix announced just before SEMICON Taiwan that its low-temperature direct oxide bonding technology -- Zibond, used for constructing backside-illuminated (BSI) structures in image sensors -- was licensed by Sony. In a podcast interview with ElectroIQ.com, Ziptronix president & CEO, Daniel Donabedian, and company CTO, Paul Enquist, discussed both the wafer bonding technology and what the Sony deal means in the podcast below.
Because adhesives do not have high bonding energy at low temperatures, the result is high distortion, therefore, these materials are not usable for scaling smaller pixel sizes, said Enquist. Conversely, the company’s low-temperature bonding technology uses a proprietary surface treatment that results in strong chemical bonding (covalent) that ensures low distortion when the wafers are put together. The result is that pixels can be scaled smaller, resulting in more die per wafer. The company expects that pixels of 0.9 or even 0.7µm will be possible, further enhancing resolution. The process introduces no new materials into the fab.
Although unable to share details of the agreement due to a nondisclosure agreement, Donabedian noted that Sony completed a long qualification process of the technology and he believes that Ziptronix’ extensive patent portfolio was a key factor in the evaluation process. “Our technology obviously is bringing better yield and much lower production costs,” he said.
