Applied Materials, Inc.

Nanometrics Inc.

James Matthew Holden

Ajay Kumar

Brad Eaton

Wei-Sheng Lei

Saravjeet Singh

Madhava Rao Yalamanchili

Todd J Egan

Aparna Iyer

Song-Moon Suh

Roger R Lowe-Webb

Pablo I Rovira

Richard A Yarussi

Michael Robert Rice

Alexander N Lerner

James S Papanu

Nir Merry

Leon Volfovski

Kalyanjit Ghosh

William A McGahan

Richard Giljum

Alan Hiroshi Ouye

Glen T Mori

Edgar Genio

Shalina D Sudheeran

Methods of dicing semiconductor wafers, each wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits, are described. A method includes forming a mask above the semiconductor wafer, the mask including a layer covering and protecting the integrated circuits. The mask and a portion of the semiconductor wafer are patterned with a laser scribing process to provide a patterned mask and to form trenches partially into but not through the semiconductor wafer between the integrated circuits. Each of the trenches has a width. The semiconductor wafer is plasma etched through the trenches to form corresponding trench extensions and to singulate the integrated circuits. Each of the corresponding trench extensions has the width.

Wafer dicing using femtosecond-based laser and plasma etch

Methods of and carriers for dicing semiconductor wafers, each wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits, are described. In an example, a cover ring for protecting a carrier and substrate assembly during an etch process includes an inner opening having a diameter smaller than the diameter of a substrate of the carrier and substrate assembly. An outer frame surrounds the inner opening. The outer frame has a bevel for accommodating an outermost portion of the substrate of the carrier and substrate assembly.

Proximity contact cover ring for plasma dicing

Methods of and apparatuses for dicing semiconductor wafers, each wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits, are described. In an example, a plasma etch apparatus includes a plasma etch chamber. The plasma etch chamber includes a plasma source disposed in an upper region of the plasma etch chamber, a cathode assembly disposed below the plasma source, and a support pedestal for supporting a substrate carrier below the plasma source. The plasma etch apparatus also includes a transfer chamber coupled to the plasma etch chamber. The transfer chamber includes a transfer arm for supporting a substantial portion of a dicing tape of the substrate carrier, the transfer arm configured to transfer a sample from the support pedestal following an etch singulation process.

Transfer arm for film frame substrate handling during plasma singulation of wafers

A substrate cleaning apparatus may include a substrate support having a support surface to support a substrate to be cleaned, wherein the substrate support is rotatable about a central axis normal to the support surface; a first nozzle to provide a first cleaning gas to a region of the inner volume corresponding to the position of an edge of the substrate when the substrate is supported by the support surface of the substrate support; a first annular body disposed opposite and spaced apart from the support surface of the substrate support by a gap, the first annular body having a central opening defined by an inner wall shaped to provide a reducing size of the gap between the first annular body and the support surface in a radially outward direction; and a first gas inlet to provide a first gas to the central opening of the first annular body.

Methods and apparatus for substrate edge cleaning

Methods and apparatuses for dicing substrates by both laser scribing and plasma etching. A method includes laser ablating material layers, the ablating by a laser beam with a centrally peaked spatial power profile to form an ablated trench in the substrate below thin film device layers which is positively sloped. In an embodiment, a femtosecond laser forms a positively sloped ablation profile which facilitates vertically-oriented propagation of microcracks in the substrate at the ablated trench bottom. With minimal lateral runout of microcracks, a subsequent anisotropic plasma etch removes the microcracks for a cleanly singulated chip with good reliability.

Damage isolation by shaped beam delivery in laser scribing process

Methods of and carriers for dicing semiconductor wafers, each wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits, are described. In an example, a carrier for supporting a wafer or substrate in an etch process includes a frame having a perimeter surrounding an inner opening. The carrier also includes a tape coupled to the frame and disposed below the inner opening of the frame, the tape comprising an etch stop layer disposed above a support layer.

Method and carrier for dicing a wafer

Methods of and apparatuses for dicing semiconductor wafers, each wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits, are described. A method includes forming a mask above the semiconductor wafer, the mask composed of a layer covering and protecting the integrated circuits. The semiconductor wafer is supported by a substrate carrier. The mask is then patterned with a laser scribing process to provide a patterned mask with gaps, exposing regions of the semiconductor wafer between the integrated circuits. The semiconductor wafer is then etched through the gaps in the patterned mask to singulate the integrated circuits while supported by the substrate carrier.

Hybrid laser and plasma etch wafer dicing using substrate carrier

A substrate cleaning apparatus may include a substrate support member to support a substrate having a first side and a contaminated second side; a liquid carbon dioxide source; a gaseous carbon dioxide source; and one or more nozzles coupled to the liquid carbon dioxide source and to the gaseous carbon dioxide source, wherein the one or more nozzles are configured to receive liquid carbon dioxide and to discharge a first mixture of solid and gaseous carbon dioxide from the liquid carbon dioxide source to the second side of the substrate and to receive gaseous carbon dioxide and to discharge a second mixture of solid and gaseous carbon dioxide from the gaseous carbon dioxide source to the second side of the substrate. Methods of cleaning a substrate may be performed in the substrate cleaning apparatus.

Methods and apparatus for cleaning a substrate

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

James Matthew Holden