Substrate removal as a function of emitted photons at the back side of a semiconductor chip
AssigneeAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey D. Birdsley, Michael R. Bruce, Rama R. Goruganthu, Brennan V. Davis, Rosalinda M. Ring
Life of this patent
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Abstract
According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a portion of substrate in the back side of a semiconductor chip is removed as a function of photons emitted through substrate remaining at the back side. The use of emitted photons is used to control the substrate removal process.
Claims19
A method for removing substrate from a semiconductor chip having a circuit side including active circuitry and a back side including silicon substrate, the method comprising removing a portion of substrate in the back side of the semiconductor chip as a function of photons emitted through substrate remaining at the back side.
A method for removing substrate from a semiconductor chip having a circuit side including active circuitry and a back side including silicon substrate, the method comprising removing a portion of substrate in the back side of the semiconductor chip as a function of photons emitted through substrate remaining at the back side wherein removing a portion of substrate in the back side of the semiconductor chip as a function of photons emitted through substrate remaining at the back side comprises:
- removing a portion of substrate in the back side of the semiconductor chip and forming a measurement region;
- measuring the photon emission strength at the measurement region by detecting photons emitted through the remaining substrate;
- and
- controlling the substrate removal responsive to the measured photon emission strength.
A method for removing substrate from a semiconductor chip, wherein the chip has a circuit side having active circuitry and a back side having silicon substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
- (A) measuring photon emission strength from the active circuitry;
- (B) removing substrate from the back side of the semiconductor chip at a substrate removal rate until a checkpoint is detected and in response thereto, adjusting the substrate removal rate;
- (C) repeating step B until a final checkpoint is detected;
- and
- (D) responsive to detecting the final checkpoint, terminating the removal process.
A method for removing substrate from a semiconductor chip, the chip having a circuit side and a back side, the back side having silicon substrate, the method comprising:
- removing substrate from the back side of the semiconductor chip;
- measuring the photon emission strength of the chip;
- and
- controlling the removal of substrate in response to a measured photon emission strength.
A method for removing substrate from a semiconductor chip, wherein the chip has a circuit side having active circuitry and a back side having silicon substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
- (A) detecting an emission strength of photons emitted from the active circuitry;
- (B) removing substrate from the back side of the semiconductor chip at a first substrate removal rate until a checkpoint is detected and in response thereto, adjusting the substrate removal rate, the checkpoint being indicative of the detected photon emission strength reaching a first photon emission strength;
- (C) repeating steps A and B until a final checkpoint is detected, the final checkpoint being indicative of the detected photon emission strength reaching a second photon emission strength;
- and
- (D) responsive to detecting the final checkpoint, terminating the removal process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.