Disco Corporation

Keiichi Kajiyama

Takatoshi Masuda

Kazuma Sekiya

Shinya Watanabe

Setsuo Yamamoto

Kentaro Odanaka

Kazuhisa Arai

Seiji Harada

Hirotoshi Hoshikawa

Yoshikazu Kobayashi

Koichi Kondo

Tadato Nagasawa

Yasuomi Kaneuchi

Azumi Kondo

Shigehiko Aoki

A wafer is divided into individual devices along division lines formed on the front side of the wafer. The devices are respectively formed in a plurality of regions partitioned by the division lines. A protective member is provided on the front of the wafer, and the back of the wafer is ground to a predetermined thickness. A laser beam is applied to the wafer from the back side of the wafer along the division lines with the focal point of the laser beam set inside the wafer at a position corresponding to each division line, thereby forming a plurality of modified layers inside the wafer along the division lines. The wafer is divided along the modified layers into the individual devices, and the back side of the wafer is ground to remove the modified layers and reduce the thickness of each device to the finished thickness.

Dividing method for wafer having die bonding film attached to the back side thereof

An optical device wafer processing method including a protective plate attaching step of attaching a transparent protective plate through a double-sided adhesive tape to the front side of a sapphire substrate constituting an optical device wafer, the double-sided adhesive tape being composed of a sheet capable of blocking ultraviolet radiation and adhesive layers formed on both sides of the sheet, wherein the adhesive force of each adhesive layer can be reduced by applying ultraviolet radiation; a sapphire substrate grinding step of grinding the back side of the sapphire substrate; a modified layer forming step of applying a laser beam to the sapphire substrate from the back side thereof to thereby form a modified layer in the sapphire substrate along each street; a protective plate removing step of removing the protective plate in the condition where the double-sided adhesive tape is left on the sapphire substrate; and a wafer dividing step of breaking the sapphire substrate along each street where the modified layer is formed, thus dividing the optical device wafer into individual optical devices in the condition where the double-sided adhesive tape is left on the sapphire substrate.

Optical device wafer processing method

A method of grinding a wafer, including: a wafer holding step for holding a wafer on a conical holding surface of a chuck table having the holding surface; a rough grinding step for performing rough grinding of the wafer held on the holding surface of the chuck table by positioning a grinding surface of a rough grinding wheel at a predetermined inclination angle relative to the holding surface of said chuck table, and rotating the rough grinding wheel; and a finish grinding step for performing finish grinding of the wafer by positioning a grinding surface of a finish grinding wheel in parallel to the holding surface of the chuck table, and rotating the finish grinding wheel in a grinding region of the grinding wheel in a direction toward the vertex of the contact angle between the grinding surface of the finish grinding wheel and the surface to be ground of the wafer.

Method of grinding wafer

A processing method for a wafer includes: preparing a wafer which has a device region having plural devices formed on a surface of the wafer; and a peripheral reinforcing portion which is integrally formed around the device region and has a projection projecting outwardly on a rear surface of the wafer. The processing method further includes: removing at least the projection of the peripheral reinforcing portion of the wafer; and transferring the wafer after the removing. In the removing, while the wafer is held on a holding table such that the rear surface of the wafer is exposed and the surface of the wafer closely contacts the holding table, at least the projection of the peripheral reinforcing portion is removed. After the removing of at least the projection, while the wafer is held on the holding table, a holding tape is applied to the rear surface of the wafer and the holding tape is supported by a frame. In the transferring, the wafer having the holding tape applied thereon is separated together with the frame from the holding table and is transferred together with the frame.

Processing method for wafer and processing apparatus therefor

Disclosed herein is a wafer processing method for dividing a wafer along a plurality of streets. The wafer processing method includes a back grinding step of grinding the back side of the wafer in an area corresponding to a device area to thereby reduce the thickness of the device area to a predetermined finished thickness and to simultaneously form an annular reinforcing portion on the back side of the wafer in an area corresponding to a peripheral marginal area, a wafer supporting step of attaching the back side of the wafer to a dicing tape, a kerf forming step of cutting the front side of the wafer along each street to thereby form a kerf having a depth corresponding to the thickness of the device area along each street, thereby dividing the device area into individual devices, and a peripheral marginal area removing step of peeling off the peripheral marginal area from the dicing tape.

Wafer processing method

A wafer processing method having a step of reducing the thickness of a wafer in only a device forming area where semiconductor chips are formed by grinding and etching the back side of the wafer to thereby form a recess on the back side of the wafer. At the same time, an annular projection is formed around the recess to thereby ensure the rigidity of the wafer. Accordingly, handling in shifting the wafer from the back side recess forming step to a subsequent step of forming a back side rewiring layer can be performed safely and easily.

A processing method for a wafer includes: preparing a wafer which has a device region having plural devices formed on a surface of the wafer; and a peripheral reinforcing portion which is integrally formed around the device region and has a projection projecting outwardly on a rear surface of the wafer. The processing method further includes: holding the wafer on a holding surface of a rotatable holding table such that the rear surface of the wafer is exposed and the surface of the wafer closely contacts the holding table. The processing method further includes: thinning the peripheral reinforcing portion by cutting and removing at least the projection of the peripheral reinforcing portion of the wafer by using a cutting tool having a rotational shaft parallel to the holding surface, while rotating the wafer by rotating the holding table after the holding of the wafer. The peripheral reinforcing portion is thinned so as to have a thickness equal to or thinner than that of the device region by the thinning.

Processing method for wafer

A grinding method for a wafer having a plurality of devices on the front side, wherein the back side of the wafer is ground by a grinding wheel to suppress the motion of heavy metal in the wafer by a gettering effect and also to maintain the die strength of each device at about 1,000 MPa or more. The grinding wheel is composed of a frame and an abrasive member fixed to the free end of the frame. The abrasive member is produced by fixing diamond abrasive grains having a grain size of less than or equal to 1 &#x3bc;m with a vitrified bond. A protective member is attached to the front side of the wafer and the wafer is held on a chuck table in the condition where the protective member is in contact with the chuck table. The grinding wheel is rotated as rotating the chuck table to thereby grind the back side of the wafer by means of the abrasive member so that the average surface roughness of the back side of the wafer becomes less than or equal to 0.003 &#x3bc;m and the thickness of a strain layer remaining on the back side of the wafer becomes 0.05 &#x3bc;m.

Grinding method for wafer

A wafer processing method for dividing, along streets, a wafer having a device area where devices are formed in a plurality of areas sectioned by the plurality of streets arranged in a lattice pattern on the front surface of a substrate and a peripheral extra area and comprising electrodes which are embedded in the substrate of the device area, comprising a dividing groove forming step for forming dividing grooves having a depth corresponding to the final thickness of each device along the streets; an annular groove forming step for forming an annular groove having a depth corresponding to the final thickness of each device along the boundary between the device area and the peripheral extra area; a protective member affixing step for affixing a protective member to the front surface of the wafer; a rear surface grinding step for grinding a rear surface corresponding to the device area of the substrate of the wafer to expose the dividing grooves and the annular groove to the rear surface of the substrate of the wafer and form an annular reinforcing portion in an area corresponding to the peripheral extra area; and a rear surface etching step for etching the rear surface of the substrate of the wafer to project the electrodes from the rear surface of the substrate.

A method of processing a wafer having a device area where a plurality of devices are formed on the front surface and an extra area surrounding the device area and comprising electrodes which are formed in the device area, comprising: a reinforcement forming step for removing an area, which corresponds to the device area, in the back surface of the wafer to reduce the thickness of the device area to a predetermined value and keeping an area, which corresponds to the extra area, in the back surface of the wafer to form an annular reinforcement; and a via-hole forming step for forming a via-hole in the electrodes of the wafer which has been subjected to the reinforcement forming step.

A method of processing a wafer having a device area in which a plurality of devise are formed and a peripheral excess area surrounding the device area on the front surface, comprising an annular groove forming step for forming an annular groove having a predetermined depth and a predetermined width at the boundary between the device area and the peripheral excess area in the rear surface of the wafer by positioning a cutting blade at the boundary; and a reinforcement forming step for grinding an area corresponding to the device area on the rear surface of the wafer in which the annular groove has been formed, to reduce the thickness of the device area to a predetermined thickness and allowing an area corresponding to the peripheral excess area on the rear surface of the wafer to be left behind to form an annular reinforcement.

A process for manufacturing a semiconductor chip by dividing a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of streets formed in a lattice-like form on the front surface into individual semiconductor chips, and affixing an adhesive film for die bonding to the back surfaces of the individual semiconductor chips, comprising a dividing groove forming step for forming dividing grooves having a predetermined depth from the front surface of the semiconductor wafer along the streets; a protective member affixing step for affixing a protective member to the front surface having dividing grooves formed thereon of the semiconductor wafer; a dividing groove exposing step for exposing the dividing grooves to the back surface by grinding the back surface of the semiconductor wafer to divide the semiconductor wafer into individual semiconductor chips; an adhesive film affixing step for affixing the adhesive film to the back surfaces of the individually divided semiconductor chips; and an adhesive film cutting step for applying a laser beam to the adhesive film affixed on the back surfaces of the individually divided semiconductor chips from the front surface side of the adhesive film along the dividing grooves to cut the adhesive film along the dividing grooves.

Process for manufacturing a semiconductor chip

Disclosed are an apparatus and method for making both coarse-sided electrodeposition blades for cutting, for instance, semiconductor wafers. The apparatus comprises at least an electrolyte bath containing an electrodeposition object and pulverized grindstone in the electrolyte, an electrolytic metal immersed in the electrolyte, and an electric source whose positive and negative terminals are connected to the electrolytic metal and electrodeposition object, and the surface of the electrodeposition object, on which a required electro-deposit is to be formed, is of a predetermined coarseness. The method comprises at least the steps of: forming minute irregularities on the surface of the electrodeposition object, on which a required electro-deposit is to be formed, thus providing a predetermined coarseness on the electrodeposition object; immersing the electrodeposition object in the electrolyte to grow an electro-deposit on the surface of the electrodeposition object by making electric current to flow in the electrolyte; and taking the electrodeposition object having the electro-deposit formed on its surface away from the electrolyte bath to remove a selected part or the whole of the electrodeposition object, thus leaving the electro-deposit.

Method for making electrodeposition blades

Disclosed is an improved method of forming a series of hills and valleys alternately arranged at a predetermined pitch on the surface of a given workpiece. It comprises the steps of: carrying out a first grinding on the workpiece with a saw-toothed grindstone having a series of hills and valleys alternately arranged at &ldquo;N&rdquo; pitches (&ldquo;N&rdquo; being two or more integer or whole number), the height measured from the bottom of the valley to the peak of the hill in the saw-toothed grindstone being taller than the corresponding height in the workpiece; moving the saw-toothed grindstone and/or the workpiece one pitch relative to each other to carry out a second grinding on the workpiece; and repeating the relative movement of one-pitch long-distance and sequential grinding until the final &ldquo;N&rdquo;th grinding has been finished. All grindings are effected while the workpiece is being cooled by cooling water.

Growing community of inventors

Ota-ku, Japan

Keiichi Kajiyama