Wafer-Level Etching Methods for Planar Photonics Circuits and Devices

A method for processing a backside of a semiconductor chip, comprising:

• applying a photoresist material to a backside of a semiconductor wafer including a plurality of semiconductor chips;
• exposing particular regions of the backside of the semiconductor wafer through the photoresist material, the particular regions collectively including a portion of a backside of each of the plurality of semiconductor chips;
• etching the backside of the semiconductor wafer at the particular regions with the semiconductor wafer in an intact state;
• and
• singulating the semiconductor wafer to obtain the plurality of semiconductor chips in individual form, wherein the backside of each of the plurality of semiconductor chips includes an etched region corresponding to at least a portion of at least one of the particular regions.

A method for processing a backside of a semiconductor chip, comprising:

• applying a photoresist material to a backside of a semiconductor wafer including a plurality of semiconductor chips;
• exposing particular regions of the backside of the semiconductor wafer through the photoresist material, the particular regions collectively including a portion of a backside of each of the plurality of semiconductor chips;
• singulating the semiconductor wafer to obtain the plurality of semiconductor chips in individual form;
• and
• etching the backside of each of the plurality of semiconductor chips in individual form at the particular regions, such that the backside of each of the plurality of semiconductor chips includes an etched region corresponding to at least a portion of at least one of the particular regions.