# US 12,224,248 B2 · Semiconductor wafer and semiconductor dies formed therefrom including grooves along long edges of the semiconductor dies

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- Number: US 12,224,248 B2
- Document ID: US12224248B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/688,099
- Filed: 2022-03-07
- Published: 2023-09-07
- Granted: 2025-02-11
- Earliest claimed: 2022-03-07
- Assignees: SanDisk Technologies LLC
- Applicants: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
- Inventors: Chin-Tien Chiu; Jia Li; Dongpeng Xue; Huirong Zhang; Guocheng Zhong; Xiaohui Wang; Hua Tan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12224248B2

## CPC

- H10P 72/7402: {Wafer tapes, e.g. grinding or dicing support tapes}
- H10W 46/00: Marks applied to devices, e.g. for alignment or identification
- H10D 62/117: {Shapes of semiconductor bodies}
- H10P 54/00: Cutting or separating of wafers, substrates or parts of devices
- H10W 90/00: Package configurations
- H10B 41/20: characterised by three-dimensional [3D] arrangements, e.g. with cells on different height levels
- H10B 43/20: characterised by three-dimensional [3D] arrangements, e.g. with cells on different height levels
- H10P 72/7416: {used during dicing or grinding}
- H10W 42/121: {protecting against mechanical damage (H10W76/00, H10W74/00 take precedence)}
- H10W 46/503: {Located in scribe lines}
- H10W 46/603: {Formed on wafers or substrates before dicing and remaining on chips after dicing}
- H10W 90/24: at least one of the stacked chips being laterally offset from a neighbouring stacked chip, e.g. chip stacks having a staircase shape
- H10W 90/752: {between stacked chips}
- H10W 90/754: {between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10B: ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES

## Abstract

A semiconductor wafer includes semiconductor dies and laser grooves formed in the scribe lines along the long edges of the semiconductor dies. A laser groove extends between the long edges of two adjacent semiconductor dies to encompass the corners of the two adjacent semiconductor dies. When diced, the resulting semiconductor dies have portions of the corners removed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor wafer having an x-axis and a y-axis, the semiconductor wafer comprising:
a plurality of semiconductor dies comprising integrated circuits, each of the plurality of semiconductor dies comprising a length oriented along the y-axis and a width oriented along the x-axis, the length being longer than the width;
a first set of scribe lines oriented along the y-axis between adjacent semiconductor dies of the plurality of semiconductor dies;
a second set of scribe lines oriented along the x-axis between adjacent semiconductor dies of the plurality of semiconductor dies;
a plurality of grooves formed in the first set of scribe lines oriented along the y-axis, the plurality of grooves extending along a first portion the length of a first semiconductor die of the plurality of semiconductor dies, and along a second portion of a second semiconductor die of the plurality of semiconductor dies, the second semiconductor die being adjacent to the first semiconductor die along the y-axis;
wherein a groove of the plurality of grooves is formed to a depth which is greater than a thickness of the semiconductor wafer after the semiconductor wafer is thinned to its final thickness.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor wafer of claim 1, wherein the second set of scribe lines are devoid of the plurality of grooves, except where the first set of scribe lines cross the second set of scribe lines.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor wafer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of grooves comprise a plurality of laser grooves formed by a laser.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor wafer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of grooves comprise a plurality of grooves formed by photolithography.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor wafer of claim 1, wherein the length of a groove of the plurality of grooves is 1400 microns to 1800 microns.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor wafer of claim 1, wherein the length of the groove intersects a scribe line of the second set of scribe lines.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor wafer of claim 1, wherein a width of a groove of the plurality of grooves is 50% to 100% of a width of a scribe line of the first set of scribe lines.

### Claim 8

A semiconductor die formed from a semiconductor wafer, the semiconductor die comprising:
a first major surface;
a second major surface opposed to the first major surface;
a length defined by long edges of the semiconductor die;
a width defined by short edges of the semiconductor die, the length being greater than the width;
an active area on the first major surface including integrated circuits;
a border surrounding the active area along the long and short edges of the semiconductor die; and
one or more grooves formed within the border and extending from one or more corners of the semiconductor die partially along one or both long edges of the semiconductor die, the one or more grooves configured to prevent damage to the semiconductor die.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The semiconductor die of claim 8, wherein the short edges of the semiconductor die are devoid of the one or more grooves, except where the short edges meet the long edges.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The semiconductor die of claim 8, wherein the one or more grooves comprise a pair of grooves along portions of both of the long edges of the semiconductor die.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The semiconductor die of claim 8, wherein the one or more grooves comprise a plurality of laser grooves formed by a laser.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The semiconductor die of claim 8, wherein a groove of the one or more grooves is formed to a full thickness of the semiconductor die.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The semiconductor die of claim 8, wherein a groove of the one or more grooves is formed in the first major surface to a depth which is less than a thickness of the semiconductor die.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The semiconductor die of claim 8, wherein the length of a groove of the one or more grooves is 700 microns to 900 microns.

### Claim 15

A semiconductor die formed from a semiconductor wafer, the semiconductor die comprising:
a first major surface;
a second major surface opposed to the first major surface;
a length defined by long edges of the semiconductor die;
a width defined by short edges of the semiconductor die, the length being greater than the width;
an active area on the first major surface including integrated circuits;
a border surrounding the active area along the long and short edges of the semiconductor die; and
means for preventing cracking of the semiconductor die within the border and extending from one or more corners of the semiconductor die partially along one or both long edges of the semiconductor die.