Frangible semiconductor wafer dicing method which employs scribing and breaking

A method of dividing a thin frangible substrate scribed along a scribe line, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a substantially flat tiltable surface having a substantially straight break edge;
• arranging the substrate to lie in contact with the break edge of the tiltable surface with the scribe line lying in the same flat plane with the break edge;
• progressively applying breaking forces to the substrate along each scribe line in a bilateral fashion to the scribe line to fracture the substrate along the scribe line while limiting the amount of strain imparted to the substrate to that just necessary to drive breaking of the substrate long a scribe line;
• and
• determining the strain applied to that which causes the substrate to fail only where the scribe line exists by adjusting an angle of the tiltable surface relative to that applying the limited strain.

A method of dividing a thin frangible substrate scribed along a scribe line, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a substantially flat tilted surface having a substantially straight break edge;
• arranging the substrate over the tilted surface with the scribe line aligned with the break edge;
• and
• progressively applying a limited breaking force to the substrate laterally of the scribe line to fracture the substrate along the scribe line while limiting the maximum amount of strain imparted to the substrate to that permitted by the tilted surface,
• said step of progressively applying including the steps of providing a break wheel having three contact surfaces rotatable about an axis spaced from the substrate, and contacting the substrate with the contact surfaces by arranging one of the contact surfaces on one side of the scribe line over the tilted surface and the other two of the contact surfaces on the other side of the scribe line.

A method of dividing a thin frangible substrate scribed along a scribe line, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a reference surface having a break edge;
• arranging the substrate over the reference surface with the scribe line aligned with the break edge;
• providing a break wheel having a plurality of axially aligned contact surfaces rotatable about an axis spaced from the reference surface, a central one of the contact surfaces being arranged between flanking ones of the contact surfaces, each flanking one of the contact surfaces being located a radial distance from the axis of the break wheel by a predetermined amount greater than the radial distance location of the central one of the contact surfaces;
• and
• progressively applying a limited breaking force to the substrate laterally of the scribe line to fracture the substrate along the scribe line by arranging the break wheel over the substrate with one of the flanking contact surfaces positioned laterally of the scribe line on one side thereof, and another one of the flanking contact surfaces positioned laterally of the scribe line on the other side thereof, and contacting the substrate with the contact surfaces.