Memc Electronic Materials, Inc.

Sunedison Semiconductor Limited (uen201334164h)

Sunedison Semiconductor Limited

Siltronic Corporation

Roland R Vandamme

Sumeet S Bhagavat

Milind S Bhagavat

Henry Frank Erk

Tomomi Komura

Takuto Kazama

Puneet Gupta

Peter D Albrecht

Yun-Biao Xin

Carlo Zavattari

Guoqiang (David) Zhang

Eugene R Hollander

Thomas E Doane

Judith A Schmidt

Noriyuki Tachi

Yunbiao Xin

Milind S Kulkarni

Dale A Witte

Guoqiang David Zhang

Alex Chu

David E Gore

Wesley Harrison

Ichiro Yoshimura

AnKur Desai

Zhijian Pei

Judith Ann Schmit

Tomohiko Kaneko

Tomhiko Kaneko

Judy A Schmidt

In one aspect, a method of predicting warp in a plurality of wafers after an epitaxial layer deposition process is provided. The method includes receiving, by a processor, a measured resistivity of a first wafer of the plurality of wafers, receiving, by the processor, a measured shape of the first wafer after at least one of a grinding process and an etching process, and calculating, using the processor, a change in wafer shape during the epitaxial layer deposition process. The method further includes superposing, using the processor, the calculated shape change onto the measured shape of the first wafer to determine a post-epitaxial wafer shape and calculating, using the processor, a post-epitaxial warp value based on the determined post-epitaxial wafer shape.

Methods for post-epitaxial warp prediction and control

A polishing head assembly for single side polishing of silicon wafers is provided. The polishing head assembly includes a polishing head and a cap. The polishing head has a recess along a bottom portion, the recess having a recessed surface. The cap is positioned within the recess, and has an annular wall and a floor extending across the annular wall. The floor is spaced from the recessed surface to form a chamber therebetween. The chamber is configured to be pressurized for deflecting the floor. The annular wall is attached to the polishing head with an adhesive.

Center flex single side polishing head having recess and cap

Methods are disclosed for determining mounting locations of ingots on a wire saw machine. The methods include measuring a test surface of a test wafer previously sliced by the wire saw machine from a test ingot to calibrate the system. A magnitude and a direction of an irregularity of the measured test surface of the test wafer is then determined. The mounting location is then determined for another ingot to be mounted on the ingot holder based on at least one of the magnitude and direction of the irregularity of the measured test surface of the test wafer.

Methods for mounting an ingot on a wire saw

Systems and methods are disclosed for modulating the hydrostatic pressure in a double side wafer grinder having a pair of grinding wheels. The systems and methods use a processor to measure the amount of electrical current drawn by the grinding wheels. Pattern detection software is used to predict a grinding stage based on the measured electrical current. The hydrostatic pressure is changed by flow control valves at each stage to change the clamping pressure applied to the wafer and to thereby improve nanotopology in the processed wafer.

Hydrostatic pad pressure modulation in a simultaneous double side wafer grinder

The present disclosure generally relates to the manufacture of silicon wafers, and more particularly to edge etching apparatus and methods for etching the edge of a silicon wafer.

Methods for etching the edge of a silicon wafer

A silicon-on-insulator or bonded wafer includes an upper portion having a trapezoid shape in cross-section and a lower portion having an outer peripheral edge having a curved shape.

Semiconductor and solar wafers

Methods for holding a workpiece with a hydrostatic pad are disclosed herein. The pad includes hydrostatic pockets formed in a face of the body directly opposed to the wafer. The pockets are adapted for receiving fluid through the body and into the pockets to provide a barrier between the body face and the workpiece while still applying pressure to hold the workpiece during grinding. The hydrostatic pads allow the wafer to rotate relative to the pads about their common axis. The pockets are oriented to reduce hydrostatic bending moments that are produced in the wafer when the grinding wheels shift or tilt relative to the hydrostatic pads, helping prevent nanotopology degradation of surfaces of the wafer commonly caused by shift and tilt of the grinding wheels.

Methods of grinding semiconductor wafers having improved nanotopology

Edge etched silicon wafers

Processing a wafer using a double side grinder having a pair of grinding wheels. Warp data is obtained by a warp measurement device for measuring warp of a wafer as ground by the double side grinder. The warp data is received and a nanotopography of the wafer is predicted based on the received warp data. A grinding parameter is determined based on the predicted nanotopography of the wafer. Operation of the double side grinder is adjusted based on the determined grinding parameter.

Methods and systems for adjusting operation of a wafer grinder using feedback from warp data

A hydrostatic pad for use in holding a semiconductor wafer during grinding of the wafer by grinding wheels. The pad includes hydrostatic pockets formed in a face of the body directly opposed to the wafer. The pockets are adapted for receiving fluid through the body and into the pockets to provide a barrier between the body face and the workpiece while still applying pressure to hold the workpiece during grinding. The hydrostatic pads allow the wafer to rotate relative to the pads about their common axis. The pockets are oriented to reduce hydrostatic bending moments that are produced in the wafer when the grinding wheels shift or tilt relative to the hydrostatic pads, helping prevent nanotopology degradation of surfaces of the wafer commonly caused by shift and tilt of the grinding wheels.

Wafer clamping device for a double side grinder

A method of processing a semiconductor wafer using a double side grinder of the type that holds the wafer in a plane with a pair of grinding wheels and a pair of hydrostatic pads. The method includes measuring a distance between the wafer and at least one sensor and determining wafer nanotopology using the measured distance. The determining includes using a processor to perform a finite element structural analysis of the wafer based on the measured distance.

Method for assessing workpiece nanotopology using a double side wafer grinder

Nanotopography control and optimization using feedback from warp data

A system and method for slicing an ingot into wafers using the wire saw process. A slurry collection system collects and supplies slurry to a slurry handling system for controlling temperatures and/or flow rates of the slurry thereby providing slurry output at a controlled temperature and/or a controlled flow rate to slicing system for cutting the ingot, which may be preheated.

Wire saw ingot slicing system and method with ingot preheating, web preheating, slurry temperature control and/or slurry flow rate control

A double side grinder comprises a pair of grinding wheels and a pair of hydrostatic pads operable to hold a flat workpiece (e.g., semiconductor wafer) so that part of the workpiece is positioned between the grinding wheels and part of the workpiece is positioned between the hydrostatic pads. At least one sensor measures a distance between the workpiece and the respective sensor for assessing nanotopology of the workpiece. In a method of the invention, a distance to the workpiece is measured during grinding and used to assess nanotopology of the workpiece. For instance, a finite element structural analysis of the workpiece can be performed using sensor data to derive at least one boundary condition. The nanotopology assessment can begin before the workpiece is removed from the grinder, providing rapid nanotopology feedback. A spatial filter can be used to predict the likely nanotopology of the workpiece after further processing.

Double side wafer grinder and methods for assessing workpiece nanotopology

Semiconductor wafers have a front surface, a back surface, a notch, and an edge. A method of polishing a wafer includes polishing at least one of the surfaces and the notch of the wafer using a polishing pad and slurry. At least one surface of the wafer is cleaned of residual slurry. The cleaned surface is grasped by applying a vacuum to the cleaned surface of the wafer using a vacuum chuck. Edge of the wafer is polished using a pad and slurry while the wafer is grasped by the vacuum chuck.

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Wentzville, MO, United States of America

Roland R Vandamme