Hybrid wafer dicing approach using a rotating beam laser scribing process and plasma etch process

#1) Field

#Embodiments of the present invention pertain to the field of semiconductor processing and, in particular, to methods of dicing semiconductor wafers, each wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits thereon.

#2) Description of Related Art

#FIG. 1 is a Flowchart representing operations in a method of dicing a semiconductor wafer including a plurality of integrated circuits, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2A illustrates a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor wafer including a plurality of integrated circuits during performing of a method of dicing the semiconductor wafer, corresponding to operation 102 of the Flowchart of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2B illustrates a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor wafer including a plurality of integrated circuits during performing of a method of dicing the semiconductor wafer, corresponding to operation 104 of the Flowchart of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

#Methods of dicing semiconductor wafers, each wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits thereon, are described. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth, such as rotating beam laser scribing approaches and plasma etching conditions and material regimes, in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known aspects, such as integrated circuit fabrication, are not described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the various embodiments shown in the Figures are illustrative representations and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

#A hybrid wafer or substrate dicing process involving an initial laser scribe and subsequent plasma etch may be implemented for die singulation. The laser scribe process may be used to cleanly remove a mask layer, organic and inorganic dielectric layers, and device layers. The laser etch process may then be terminated upon exposure of, or partial etch of, the wafer or substrate. The plasma etch portion of the dicing process may then be employed to etch through the bulk of the wafer or substrate, such as through bulk single crystalline silicon, to yield die or chip singulation or dicing. More specifically, one or more embodiments are directed to implementing a rotating beam laser scribing process for, e.g., dicing applications.

#Spatially uniform laser pulses by laser beam rotation for improved laser scribing process in hybrid laser dicing are described. Embodiments include rotation of a beam as provided from a source, or rotation of an already shape laser beam. Advantages for rotating beam scribing may involve, in a first embodiment, improving a process based on a lousy beam profile by providing an improved clean flat top beam profile and to achieve a scribed clean trench on the wafer. In another embodiment, a dicing process based on an input lousy Gaussian laser beam profile is advantageously improved by converting the beam into a clean Gaussian beam profile using concentric rotation.