Method and apparatus for dicing semiconductor wafers
AssigneesSiemens Aktiengesellschaft, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
InventorsAlexander Mitwalsky, Katsuya Okumura
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for dicing a semiconductor wafer in which the wafer is bowed or bent by forcing it into contact with a spherical surface having parallel grooves therein and in which an array of parallel wire saws that are in registration with the grooves is forced against the wafer for sawing parallel channels therethrough. A second array of parallel wire saws that are orthogonal to the wires of the first array is provided spaced therefrom for sawing parallel channels through the wafer that are orthogonal to the channels produced by the first array of parallel wire saws.
Claims15
Apparatus for dicing a semiconductor wafer comprising:
- a base having a surface for receiving and retraining said semiconductor wafer for dicing;
- means for holding said semiconductor wafer in contact with said surface;
- a first array of parallel wires;
- a second array of parallel wires;
- means for tensioning said wires;
- means for moving the wires of said first and second arrays longitudinally;
- means for holding, said first and second arrays of wires over said surface at a given distance from each other in such manner that the wires of the first array are closer to the surface of said base and orthogonal with respect to the wires of the second array;
- and
- means for successively moving said first and second arrays of wires in a direction perpendicular to said surface for sawing through said semiconductor wafer.
A method for dicing a semiconductor wafer comprising the steps of:
- forming a first array of parallel wires saws;
- forming a second array of parallel wires saws independent of said first array of parallel wires saws;
- retaining said first and second arrays of wire saws spaced apart and with their respective wire saws orthogonal to one another;
- retaining said semiconductor wafer on a rigid surface;
- moving the wire saws of said first and second arrays longitudinally;
- moving said first and second arrays of wire saws successively in a direction perpendicular to an exposed face of and through said semiconductor wafer for dicing the wafer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.