Anadigics, Inc.

Bhola De

Daniel Stofman

Mark Spencer Grey

A wafer demounting receptacle comprises a substantially circular plate member and an upstanding rim structure provided around a periphery of the plate member. The rim structure is stepped and includes a first step defining a first diameter, and a second step defining a second diameter grater than the first diameter. The riser of the first step has a very low height so that a gap between the plate member and a fragile semiconductor wafer bonded to a carrier having a peripheral abutment surface resting on the run of the first step, limits the bending of an edge portion of the wafer in a direction towards the plate member while the wafer is partially demounted from a wafer carrier. The plate member is further provided with a pattern of holes that generates eddy currents in a solvent that flows over the wafer, carrier, and receptacle so as to soften and dissolve the mounting adhesive between the wafer and carrier such that the wafer is separated from the carrier. The wafer demount receptacle can be used in conjunction with a wafer demount tool comprising a chamber defined between a backing plate and a contact plate. The chamber is provided with a gas inlet for introducing a pressurized gas, while the contact plate is provided with a plurality of through-holes. The wafer demount tool is mated to the wafer demount receptacle such that the contact plate is juxtaposed against the back side of a wafer carrier resting in the wafer demount receptacle. Pressurized gas flowing through the wafer demount tool displaces solvent from the wafer-carrier interface to further promote separation of the wafer from the carrier.

Wafer demount receptable for separation of thinned wafer from mounting carrier

Wafer demount receptacle for separation of thinned wafer from mounting carrier

Wafer demount gas distribution tool

A wafer removing spatula has a handle connected to a tray. A shaft of the handle is provided with a pair of support guides and the tray is provided with a wafer support surface which rests on a tray support surface. The support guides and the tray support surface are configured and dimensioned to ensure that the wafer support surface is substantially parallel to the upper surface of a base plate on which both the support guides and the tray support surface rest. A front edge of the wafer support surface is provided with a bevel to facilitate lifting a wafer from a wafer carrier surface. The height of the lowermost portion of the front edge is approximately the same as the height of a wafer carrier placed on the base plate. During operation, the spatula is moved on the base plate towards the carrier with the wafer mounted thereon. The front edge of the spatula eases just above the upper surface of the wafer carrier such that the beveled edge creates and then enters a separation gap between the wafer and the wafer carrier, thereby causing the wafer to separate from the wafer carrier and climb onto the wafer support surface.

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Congers, NY, United States of America

Bhola De