Back to results
US 3,970,819 AGranted
Backside laser dicing system
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsGerald Alan Gates, William John Ryan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wafer of semiconductor material having a plurality of units defined on its face is subdivided by treating the wafer, on its back or reverse side, in the kerf regions between the units, where division of the units is desired, such that the material of the wafer in the treated kerf regions is converted to a material having a breaking strength lower than the breaking strength of the semiconductor material.
Claims8
A process for breaking along predetermined lines a wafer of single crystal material having a given thickness and selected breaking strength comprising the steps of,
- applying a laser beam along said lines, said laser beam having an intensity sufficient to convert all the thickness of the wafer along said lines into a continuous non-crystalline material extending through the thickness of the wafer and having a breaking strength less than the breaking strength of the single crystal material,
- converting a portion of said wafer extending through said given thickness and defined by said lines into said non-crystalline material,
- removing said beam,and
- separating the wafer into individual units by applying a force to said wafer sufficient to exceed the breaking strength of the non-crystalline material but insufficient to break the crystalline material.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.