New Wave Research

Kuo-Ching Liu

Duane Lee Middlebusher

Antonio D Lucero

Steven Oltrogge

Jenn Liu

Jih-Chuang Huang

Pei Hsien Fang

Scott Pinkham

Dan Dere

Daniel J Dere

A process and system scribe sapphire substrates, by performing the steps of mounting a sapphire substrate, carrying an array of integrated device die, on a stage such as a movable X-Y stage including a vacuum chuck; and directing UV pulses of laser energy directed at a surface of the sapphire substrate using a solid state laser and locating edges of the substrate. The cutting is stopped based on the edge location, to prevent impacting background elements. The pulses of laser energy have a wavelength below about 560 nanometers, and preferably between about 150 in 560 nanometers. In addition, energy density, spot size, and pulse duration are established at levels sufficient to induce ablation of sapphire.

Scribing sapphire substrates with a solid state UV laser with edge detection

A method and system for cutting a wafer comprising a semiconductor substrate attached to an array of integrated devices includes placing the wafer on a stage such as a movable X-Y stage including a vacuum chuck having a porous mounting surface, and securing the wafer during and after cutting by vacuum pressure through the pores. The wafer is cut by directing UV pulses of laser energy at the substrate using a solid-state laser having controlled polarization. An adhesive membrane can be attached to the separated die to remove them from the mounting surface, or the die can otherwise be removed after cutting from the wafer.

Method and apparatus for cutting devices from substrates

A method and system for cutting a wafer comprising a conductive substrate attached to an array of integrated devices includes placing the wafer on a stage such as a movable X-Y stage including a vacuum chuck having a porous mounting surface, and securing the wafer during and after cutting by vacuum pressure through the pores. The wafer is cut by directing UV pulses of laser energy at the conductive substrate using a solid-state laser. An adhesive membrane can be attached to the separated die to remove them from the mounting surface, or the die can otherwise be removed after cutting from the wafer.

Method and apparatus for cutting devices from conductive substrates secured during cutting by vacuum pressure

A process and system scribe sapphire substrates, by performing the steps of mounting a sapphire substrate, carrying an array of integrated device die, on a stage such as a movable X-Y stage including a vacuum chuck; and directing UV pulses of laser energy directed at a surface of the sapphire substrate using a solid-state laser. The pulses of laser energy have a wavelength below about 560 nanometers, and preferably between about 150 in 560 nanometers. In addition, energy density, spot size, and pulse duration are established at levels sufficient to induce ablation of sapphire. Control of the system, such as by moving the stage with a stationary beam path for the pulses, causes the pulses to contact the sapphire substrate in a scribe pattern at a rate of motion causing overlap of successive pulses sufficient to cut scribe lines in the sapphire substrate.

Scribing sapphire substrates with a solid state UV laser

A laser system includes a resonator having two gain modules generating pulses, coupled with intra-cavity polarization into a single beam line, using a single output coupler. A laser controller controls the laser heads to emit pulses in rapid succession, such as pulse pairs separated by a time interval of less than about 1 millisecond, and in some embodiments in a range from about zero (overlapping) to about 100 microseconds. Also a system adapted for metrology using particle image velocimetry PIV uses the resonator. For PIV, optics are provided in the output beam paths which expand the beam to form pulsed illumination sheets. A camera is used to capture images of the pulsed illumination sheets for analysis.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Kuo-Ching Liu