# US 9,437,439 B2 · Processing method for wafer having chamfered portion along the outer circumference thereof followed by thinning and separating

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- Number: US 9,437,439 B2
- Document ID: US9437439B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/666,365
- Filed: 2012-11-01
- Published: 2013-05-09
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2011-11-08
- Assignees: Disco Corporation
- Applicants: Disco Corporation
- Inventors: Karl Priewasser
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9437439B2

## CPC

- H10P 52/00: Grinding, lapping or polishing of wafers, substrates or parts of devices
- B24B 7/228: {for grinding thin, brittle parts, e.g. semiconductors, wafers (grinding edges of thin, brittle parts B24B9/065)}
- H10P 72/74: {using temporarily an auxiliary support}
- H10W 46/00: Marks applied to devices, e.g. for alignment or identification
- H10P 72/7416: {used during dicing or grinding}
- H10P 72/7422: {used to protect an active side of a device or wafer}
- H10P 72/744: {Details of chemical or physical process used for separating the auxiliary support from a device or a wafer}
- H10W 46/201: {located on the periphery of wafers, e.g. orientation notches or lot numbers}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- B24B: MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING (grinding of gear teeth B23F, of screw-threads B23G1/36; by electro-erosion B23H; abrasive or related blasting B24C; tools for grinding, buffing or sharpening B24D; polishing compositions C09G1/00; abrasives C09K3/14; electrolytic etching or polishing C25F3/00; grinding arrangements for use on assembled railway tracks E01B31/17); DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A wafer processing method for reducing the thickness of a wafer to a predetermined thickness, the wafer having a chamfered portion along the outer circumference thereof. The wafer processing method includes a stacked wafer forming step of attaching a support substrate to the front side of the wafer to thereby form a stacked wafer, and a chamfered portion removing step of positioning a cutting blade having a rotation axis parallel to the stacking direction of the stacked wafer formed by the stacked wafer forming step so that the outer circumference of the cutting blade faces the chamfered portion of the wafer, and then making the cutting blade cut into the wafer from the outer circumference toward the center thereof to thereby partially remove the chamfered portion in the range corresponding to the predetermined thickness from the front side of the wafer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device wafer processing method for reducing the thickness of a device wafer to a predetermined thickness, said device wafer having a chamfered portion along the outer circumference thereof, said wafer processing method comprising:
a stacked wafer forming step of attaching a support substrate to a front side of said device wafer to thereby form a stacked wafer followed by;
a chamfered portion removing step of positioning a single cutting blade that is thinner in width than the device wafer, the single cutting blade having a rotation axis parallel to the stacking direction of said stacked wafer formed by said stacked wafer forming step so that the outer circumference of said single cutting blade faces said chamfered portion of said device wafer, and then making said single cutting blade cut into said device wafer without cutting into or damaging the support substrate from the outer circumference toward the center thereof to thereby remove said chamfered portion to at least said predetermined thickness from the front side of said device wafer; followed by
thickness reducing step of grinding a back side of said device wafer constituting said stacked wafer after performing said chamfered portion removing step to thereby reduce the thickness of said device wafer to said predetermined thickness; followed by
a separation step of removing said support substrate from said device wafer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device wafer processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a holding step of holding said stacked wafer on a chuck table of a cutting apparatus in a condition where said support substrate of said stacked wafer comes into contact with said chuck table before performing said chamfered portion removing step;
said chamfered portion removing step including the steps of:
positioning said cutting blade so that the rotation axis of said cutting blade becomes parallel to the rotation axis of said chuck table and the outer circumference of said cutting blade faces said chamfered portion of said device wafer;
making said cutting blade cut into said device wafer from the outer circumference toward the center thereof; and
rotating said chuck table at least 360° during said chamfered portion removing step.