Methods of Thinning and Structuring Semiconductor Wafers by Electrical Discharge Machining

A method of thinning a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of functional chip sites, the method comprising:

• forming one or more semiconductor devices in a device region of each functional chip site at a frontside of the semiconductor wafer;
• forming an electrode at a backside of the semiconductor wafer opposite the frontside, the electrode having a greater electrical conductivity than the backside of the semiconductor wafer;
• and
• thinning the semiconductor wafer by applying voltage pulses between the electrode at the backside of the semiconductor wafer and a tool electrode positioned over the backside as part of an electrical discharge machining (EDM) process before the electrode is removed by the EDM process, and between the tool electrode and an intrinsic conductive layer formed on the backside of the semiconductor wafer after the electrode is removed by the EDM process.