Disco Corporation

Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.

Kansai Paint Company, Ltd.

Masahiko Kitamura

Koichi Yajima

Shinichi Namioka

Masatoshi Nanjo

Masateru Fukuoka

Munehiro Hatai

Shigeru Danjo

Satoshi Hayashi

Yasuhiko Oyama

Yusuke Kimura

Kazuhisa Arai

Tomotaka Tabuchi

Koichi Tamura

Kouichi Yajima

Kouji Takezoe

Akito Ichikawa

A semiconductor wafer (W) where circuits are formed in the area divided by streets is split into semiconductor chips having individual circuits. By interposing an adhesive sheet, whose adhesive force is lowered by stimulation, between the semiconductor wafer (W) and the support plate (), the front side of the semiconductor wafer (W) is adhered to the support plate (), thereby exposing the rear face () of the semiconductor wafer (W). The rear face () of the semiconductor wafer (W) with the support plate () is ground. After the grinding is finished, the semiconductor wafer (W) held with the rear face () up is diced into semiconductor chips (C). The adhesive sheet is given stimulus to lower the adhesive force and the semiconductor chips (C) are removed from the support plate (). The semiconductor wafer and semiconductor chips are always supported by the support plate, avoiding damage and deformation.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor chip

In manufacturing thinned semiconductor chips by grinding a semiconductor wafer supported on a rigid support substrate, in order to remove the semiconductor wafer or semiconductor chips from the support substrate without damage to the semiconductor wafer or semiconductor chips, a semiconductor wafer at its surface is bonded on a light-transmissive support substrate through an adhesive layer having an adhesion force that is reduced upon exposure to light radiation, thereby exposing the back surface of the semiconductor wafer. A tape is bonded to the backside of the semiconductor wafer integrated with the support substrate after grinding, wherein the tape is supported at the periphery. Before or after bonding of the tape, light radiation is applied to the adhesive layer at a side close to the support substrate to reduce the adhesion force in the adhesion layer. Thereafter, the support substrate and adhesive layer is removed from the surface of the semiconductor wafer, leaving the semiconductor wafer held by the tape and frame. The semiconductor wafer supported by the tape and frame is cut at streets into individual semiconductor chips.

A semiconductor wafer protecting unit which enables a semiconductor wafer to be handled as required, without breakage of the semiconductor wafer, even when the back of the semiconductor wafer is ground to decrease the thickness of the semiconductor wafer markedly; and a semiconductor wafer processing method using such a semiconductor wafer protecting unit. The semiconductor wafer protecting unit is composed of a magnetized tape having one surface with tackiness, and a magnetic substrate having many pores formed at least in a central zone thereof.

Semiconductor wafer protective device and semiconductor wafer treatment method

It is an object of the invention to provide a method for manufacturing an IC chip wherein a wafer is prevented from being damaged and the ease of handling thereof is improved so that the wafer can be appropriately processed into IC chips, even if a thickness of the wafer is extremely reduced to approximately 50 &#x3bc;m. The invention provides a method for manufacturing an IC chip comprising, at least: the step of securing a wafer to a support plate via a support tape having a surface layer comprising an adhesive (A) containing a gas generating agent for generating a gas due to stimulation and a surface layer comprising an adhesive (B); the step of polishing said wafer with securing said wafer to said support plate via said support tape; the step of adhering a dicing tape to said polished wafer; the step of providing said stimulation to said adhesive (A) layer; the step of removing said support tape from said wafer; and the step of dicing said wafer, which comprises adhering said surface layer comprising adhesive (A) to said wafer and adhering said surface layer comprising adhesive (B) to said support plate in the step of securing said wafer to said support plate via said support tape, providing said stimulation while uniformly sucking under reduced pressure the entirety of said wafer from the dicing tape side thereof, and then removing said support tape from said wafer in the step of providing stimulation to said adhesive (A) layer and in the step of removing said support tape from said wafer.

IC chip manufacturing method

A wafer support plate comprises a support surface on which a semiconductor wafer is supported, and a crystal orientation mark which indicates the crystal orientation of the semiconductor wafer. Even the semiconductor wafer thinned by grinding can be stably held on the support surface, and the crystal orientation can be recognized even when the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer has chipped.

Wafer support plate

A semiconductor wafer is applied to a support disk via an intervening adhesive layer with the front side of the semiconductor wafer facing the adhesive layer, which is sensitive to a certain exterior factor for reducing its adhesive force; the semiconductor wafer is ground on the rear side; the wafer-and-support combination is applied to a dicing adhesive tape with the so ground rear side facing the dicing adhesive tape, which is surrounded and supported by the circumference by a dicing frame; the certain exterior factor is effected on the intervening adhesive layer to reduce its adhesive force; and the intervening adhesive layer and support disk are removed from the semiconductor wafer or chips without the possibility of damaging the same.

Production method for semiconductor chip

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Masahiko Kitamura