Method of gas cleaving a semiconductor product

Abstract

A device is provided for cleaving semiconductor products or the like. The device may be formed of an inlet for receiving pressurized gas, an adjustable slot for directing the gas toward the products, and a movable flow control member. According to one aspect of the invention, the flow control member is located within a housing that also defines the inlet and the adjustable slot. A cover may be located on the front of the housing. The cover may have a lower edge that forms one side of the slot. The other side of the slot may be formed by the movable flow control member. The cleave device may have an uncomplicated, compact construction. The cleave device may be operated with a flexible product handling system. That is, the brittle products may be handled within opposed flexible sheets. The sheets may be used to locate the products over a ledge (a cleaving position) where they are bent to cause cleaving along crystal planes initiated at scribe or score lines. Uniform bending forces may applied gently and in a non-destructive fashion across the full widths of the semiconductor products. The pressure and cross sectional dimensions of the sheet flow through the adjustable slot may be precisely controlled, if desired. The invention may be used, for example, to increase production yield by reducing the number of integrated circuits formed with defects due to cracking or splitting of silicon material.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.