US 5,171,717 AGranted

Method for batch cleaving semiconductor wafers and coating cleaved facets

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsRonald F. Broom, Marcel Gasser, Christoph S. Harder, Ernst E. Latta, Albertus Oosenbrug, Heinz Richard, Peter Vettiger

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Abstract

A method for cleaving semiconductor wafers, or segments thereof, which comprises placing the wafer, provided with scribe lines defining the planes where cleaving is to take place, inbetween a pair of flexible transport bands and guiding it around a curved, large radius surface thereby applying a bending moment. With a moment of sufficient magnitude, individual bars are broken off the wafer as this is advanced, the bars having front-and rear-end facets. On cleaving, each bar, while still pressed against the curved surface, is automatically separated whereby mutual damage of the facets of neighboring bars is prevented. For further handling, e.g. for the transport of the bars to an evaporation station for passivation layer deposition, provisions are made to keep the bars separated. Cleaving and the subsequent passivation coating can be carried out in-situ in a vacuum system to prevent facet contamination prior to applying the passivation.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method for batch cleaving a semiconductor wafer and coating the cleaved facets, comprising the steps of:

scribing one surface of a semiconductor wafer with at least one scribe line to define the planes at which said semiconductor wafer is to be cleaved;
placing said semiconductor wafer inbetween a flexible lower and an upper transport band, said semiconductor wafer being oriented in the direction of said at least one scribe line, and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said flexible lower and said upper transport bands;
moving said flexible lower and upper transport bands with said semiconductor wafer being held inbetween, around a body having a curved, large radius surface, thereby applying a bending force suitable for cleaving said semiconductor wafer at said scribe line to form individual bars having cleaved facets at both ends, and separating adjoining bars to prevent facet damage;
transporting said bars to an evaporation station while keeping adjoining bars separate;
and
coating each of said cleaved facets.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.