Wafer Dicing Services

1. What is Wafer Dicing Processes?

2. The semiconductor industry is constantly innovating and pushing the limits of the die size. Each new generation of semiconductor device increases in functionality, which in turn reduces die size. As die sizes decrease, they become denser, increasing the number of die per wafer. The size of the die is determined by several factors including the active area, the edge space needed for bond pads, and the street width needed for test pads. The process used to determine die size is known as dicing.

3. Blade dicing This cutting process uses a diamond-grit blade to cut the wafer to a precise size. The blade rotates with the spindle at high speeds and is often used on thick-film devices. Different dicing blades are suitable for different applications, including glass-on-silicon and thin-film devices. The thickness of the blade and its exposure to the substrate material are important parameters to consider.

4. Wafer dicing is a critical step in the manufacturing of semiconductor components. It requires increased accuracy and control capabilities. The rate at which a wafer substrate is fed into the cutting blade determines the productivity and yield of the process. Feed rates must be within a certain range due to the formation of chipping and yielding of the blade. It is necessary to use a special monitoring technique to determine the maximum feed rate without exceeding the limits of the blade.

5. Laser ablation dicing Laser ablation dicing is an alternative blade dicing for silicon wafers, but it comes with its own set of challenges. First, a laser pulse can't cut through silicon at a high enough rates to avoid chipping, which is not a desirable trait in a finished chip. Second, laser ablation creates micro cracks and molten debris, which can make chips weaker.

6. Dicing takes place at the beginning of the fabrication process, and there are two main techniques used. Blade dicing involves pulverizing the wafer material along the path of the blade. Both blade and laser ablation dicing can create debris and damage the device. Stealth dicing, on the other hand, cuts the wafer on the inside using subsurface laser perforations. Once this is completed, the tape expansion separates the individual chips.

7. Plasma dicing As with any new technology, plasma dicing for wafers has its benefits and challenges. It is an efficient way of separating wafers into individual die, while still maintaining high quality. As a result, it is not easy to integrate this technology into existing backend processes. The plasma dicing process requires a custom mask design. It can also produce high-quality semiconductors and increase die per wafer density.

8. This process is often done on the front side of the wafer, after a backside grinding process. While it maintains the integrity of the tape and frame, it can create minor risks to the wafer. In the worst case scenario, it could burn a hole in the wafer. Then, plasma dicing is not suitable for all wafers. So, if you plan to use this technology, make sure it is right for your process.

9. Stealth dicing The use of stealth dicing for wafers allows for a clean cut without sacrificing the integrity of the semiconductor material. This process uses a laser beam to cut a series of perforations beneath the SD layer. Because this is a dry process, it reduces the need for water in process of the wafer dicing services. This makes it suitable for a variety of applications, from manufacturing high-speed circuits to micromachining and semiconductor fabrication.

10. One technique for stealth dicing uses pulses of varying energies. A laser beam focused on a sample at a depth of 330-270 mm was used. The sample was exposed to the laser in 50-mm steps for duration of 100 ms. the shutter speed of the microscope blocked the laser beam, so that only 100 pulses were delivered per minute during the exposure time.