US 11,309,188 B2Granted

Singulation of silicon carbide semiconductor wafers

AssigneeSemiconductor Components Industries, LLC

InventorAira Lourdes Villamor

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Abstract

A method of singulating a silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer can include defining a cut within the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer by performing a partial dicing operation where the SiC semiconductor wafer is aligned along a plane and the cut has a depth less than a first thickness of the SiC semiconductor wafer. The cut is aligned along a vertical direction orthogonal to the plane such that a portion of the SiC semiconductor wafer has a second thickness that extends between a bottom of the cut and an outer surface of the SiC semiconductor wafer. The method can further include defining a cleave, by performing a cleaving operation, through the portion of the SiC semiconductor wafer having the second thickness. The cleave can be aligned with the cut and extending to the outer surface of the SiC semiconductor wafer.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method, comprising:

defining a cut within a silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer by performing a partial dicing operation on a first surface of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer, the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer being aligned along a plane, the cut having a depth less than a first thickness of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer, the cut being aligned along a vertical direction orthogonal to the plane such that a portion of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer has a second thickness that extends between a bottom of the cut and an outer surface of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer;
and
defining a cleave, by performing a cleaving operation on a second surface of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer, through the portion of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer having the second thickness, the cleave being aligned along the vertical direction and being aligned with the cut and extending to the outer surface of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer, the second surface being opposite the first surface.

A method, comprising:

thinning a silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer to a thickness, a surface of the SiC semiconductor wafer aligned along a plane;
performing a partial dicing operation on a first surface of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer to define a cut in the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer through a first portion of the thickness of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer, the cut aligned along a vertical direction orthogonal to the plane, the cut aligned such that a portion of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer has a second thickness that extends between a bottom of the cut and an outer surface of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer, the cut also having a first width in a direction parallel to the plane;
and
performing a cleaving operation on a second surface of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer to define a cleave having a second width less than the first width, the cleave aligned with the cut and through a second portion of the thickness of the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor wafer, the second surface being opposite the first surface.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/974,984Filed 9 May 2018
Published: US 2019/0348290 A114 Nov 2019
Granted: 19 Apr 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

H10P 52/00
Grinding, lapping or polishing of wafers, substrates or parts of devices
H10D 62/8303
Being Group IV materials, e.g. B-doped Si or undoped Ge: diamond
H10D 62/8325
Being Group IV materials comprising two or more elements, e.g. SiGe: silicon carbide
H10P 54/00
Cutting or separating of wafers, substrates or parts of devices