Memc Electronic Materials, Inc.

Memc Singapore Pte. Ltd. (uen200614794d)

Sunedison Semiconductor Limited (uen201334164h)

Corner Star Limited

Sunedison Semiconductor Limited

Memc Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Dale A Witte

Jihong John Chen

Linda K Swiney

Travis L Hambach

Jeffrey Louis Libbert

Michael John Ries

Thomas E Doane

Shawn Wesley Hayes

Susan S Dwyer

Roland R Vandamme

Larry W Shive

Andrew Marquis Jones

Tracy Michelle Ragan

Yun-Biao Xin

Rituraj Nandan

AnKur Desai

Omid Rezvanian

Anca Stefanescu

Edward Calvin

A method for designing a diamond coated wire for use in a wafer slicing system includes adjusting an initial diamond size distribution until an intermediate diamond size distribution is generated, wherein the intermediate diamond size distribution has a corresponding simulated penetration thickness value less than or equal a predetermined penetration thickness value, and wherein penetration thickness is a parameter proportional to a depth of subsurface damage that would occur when slicing an ingot using a diamond coated wire having an associated diamond size distribution. The method may include adjusting the intermediate diamond size distribution until a final diamond size distribution is generated, wherein the final diamond size distribution has a maximum diamond grit size that is substantially equal to a predetermined maximum diamond grit size, and manufacturing the diamond coated wire such that the diamond coated wire has a plurality of diamond grits that fit the final diamond size distribution.

Systems and methods for manufacturing diamond coated wires

A method of producing rectangular seeds for use in semiconductor or solar material manufacturing includes connecting an adhesive layer to a top surface of a template, the template including a plurality of parallel slots, and drawing alignment lines on the adhesive layer, the alignment lines aligned with at least some of the parallel slots. The method also includes connecting quarter sections to the adhesive layer such that an interface between a rectangular seed portion and a curved wing portion of each quarter section is aligned with at least one of the alignment lines drawn on the adhesive layer, and slicing each of the quarter sections to separate the rectangular seed portions from the curved wing portions.

Methods for producing rectangular seeds for ingot growth

A method of producing rectangular seeds for use in semiconductor or solar material manufacturing includes connecting an adhesive layer to a top surface of a template, the template including a plurality of parallel slots, and drawing alignment lines on the adhesive layer, the alignment lines aligned with at least some of the parallel slots. The method also includes connecting quarter sections to the alignment layer such that an interface between a rectangular seed portion and a curved wing portion of each quarter section is aligned with at least one of the alignment lines drawn on the adhesive layer, and slicing each of the quarter sections to separate the rectangular seed portions from the curved wing portions.

A method of producing rectangular seed bricks for use in semiconductor or solar manufacturing is disclosed. The method includes connecting an alignment layer to a top surface of a template, drawing alignment lines on the alignment layer to demarcate a plurality of nodes, connecting cylindrical rods to the alignment layer such that a center of each rod is aligned with a corresponding node, and slicing through the rods and the alignment layer with a wire web to produce rectangular seed bricks.

Systems and methods for producing seed bricks

Methods and systems are disclosed for performing a passivation process on a silicon-on-insulator wafer in a chamber in which the wafer is cleaved. A bonded wafer pair is cleaved within the chamber to form the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. A cleaved surface of the SOI wafer is then passivated in-situ by exposing the cleaved surface to a passivating substance. This exposure to a passivating substance results in the formation of a thin layer of oxide on the cleaved surface. The silicon-on-insulator wafer is then removed from the chamber. In other embodiments, the silicon-on-insulator wafer is first transferred to an adjoining chamber where the wafer is then passivated. The wafer is transferred to the adjoining chamber without exposing the wafer to the atmosphere outside the chambers.

Methods for in-situ passivation of silicon-on-insulator wafers

Systems and methods are provided for mechanically cleaving a bonded wafer pair by controlling the rate of cleaving. This controlled rate of cleaving results in a reduction or elimination of non-uniform thickness variations in the cleaved surface of the resulting SOI wafer. One embodiment uses flexible chucks attached to the faces of the wafers and actuators attached to the flexible chucks to cleave the bonded wafer pair. Other embodiments also use rollers in contact with the surfaces to control the rate of cleaving.

Systems and methods for cleaving a bonded wafer pair

This invention generally relates to a process for making a multi-layered crystalline structure. The process includes implanting ions into a donor structure, bonding the implanted donor structure to a second structure to form a bonded structure, cleaving the bonded structure, and removing any residual portion of the donor structure from the finished multi-layered crystalline structure.

Method for the preparation of a multi-layered crystalline structure

A process for reducing the waviness of a semiconductor wafer utilizing plasma assisted chemical etching is disclosed. The process includes measuring the surface profile at discrete points on one surface of the wafer independent from the apposing surface, computing a dwell time versus position map based on the measured surface profiles, and selectively removing material from each surface of the wafer by plasma assisted chemical etching to reduce the waviness of the wafer.

Process for reducing waviness in semiconductor wafers

Methods of slicing ingots of semiconductor material into wafers using a wire saw. The wire saw includes a wire that is movable in a forward direction and a reverse direction for slicing the ingots. The methods include defining an identification region of each wafer to be sliced from the ingots and aligning an alignment feature of the ingots in approximately the same position relative to the wire saw for each of the ingots. The identification region of the wafer is adapted for marking with an identification mark after slicing. The methods also include slicing the ingot into wafers with the wire saw. The slicing step includes moving the wire in the forward and reverse directions during slicing except when slicing in the identification region of each wafer and moving the wire only in the forward direction when slicing in the identification region of each wafer. In slicing the ingot into wafers, thickness variations relative to the size of the identification mark are reduced in the identification region.

Method of slicing silicon wafers for laser marking

A method and system of measuring waviness of a silicon wafer. A memory stores data representative of the shape of the wafer at a plurality of positions on the wafer and a processor processes the data to determine a waviness parameter. The processor defines an inspection surface as a function of the data and calculates deviations between the inspection surface and a first reference plane at a plurality of positions on the inspection surface. The processor further defines a plurality of localized sites on the wafer and calculates deviations between the inspection surface and a second reference plane at a plurality of positions on the inspection surface for each site. The second reference plane is a function of the calculated deviations between the inspection surface for each site and the first reference plane. The processor then defines a waviness parameter for each site as a maximum variance of the calculated deviations between the inspection surface and the second reference plane.

Growing community of inventors

Wentzville, MO, United States of America

Dale A Witte