Texas Instruments Corporation

Shoichi Iriguchi

Genki Yano

Michael Todd Wyant

Matthew John Sherbin

Hiroyuki Sada

Dave Charles Stepniak

Sada Hiroyuki

Anindya Poddar

Luu Thanh Nguyen

Ashok S Prabhu

Hau Thanh Nguyen

Yi Yan

Christopher Daniel Manack

Noboru Nakanishi

Joseph O Liu

Ming Zhu

In a described example, a method includes: applying a dicing tape over a metal layer covering a portion of a surface of scribe streets on a device side of a semiconductor wafer that includes semiconductor device dies formed thereon separated from one another by the scribe streets; and placing the semiconductor wafer with the device side facing away from a laser in a stealth dicing machine. A power of a laser beam is adjusted to a first power level. The laser beam is focused through the non-device side of the semiconductor wafer to a first focal depth in the metal layer. The laser beam scans across the scribe streets and ablates the metal layer in the scribe streets. The method continues by singulating the semiconductor device dies using stealth dicing along the scribe streets in the stealth dicing machine.

Laser dicing for singulation

A semiconductor die includes a substrate having a semiconductor surface layer bon a front side with active circuitry including at last one transistor therein and a back side. The sidewall edges of the semiconductor die have at least one damage region pair including an angled damage feature region relative to a surface normal of the semiconductor die that is above a damage region that is more normal to the surface normal of the die as compared to the angled damage feature region.

Front side laser-based wafer dicing

A subring for holding tape connected to semiconductor dies and spanning a passage in a frame having a first diameter includes a base. An opening extends through the base and has a second diameter at least as large as the first diameter. A projection extends from the base to ends positioned on opposite sides of the base. The projection is adapted to clamp the tape to the frame and adapted to prevent relative movement between the tape, the subring, and the frame.

Subring for semiconductor dies

A method for backside metallization includes inkjet printing a pattern of nanosilver conductive ink on a first surface of a silicon wafer. The silicon wafer includes a plurality of dies. The pattern includes a clearance area along a scribe line between the dies. A laser is focused, through a second surface of the wafer, at a point between the first surface of the silicon wafer and the second surface of the silicon wafer. The second surface is opposite the first surface. The dies are separated along the scribe line.

Integrated circuit backside metallization

A die matrix expander includes a subring including &#x2265;3 pieces, and a wafer frame supporting a dicing tape having an indentation for receiving pieces of the subring. The subring prior to expansion sits below a level of the wafer frame and has an outer diameter &#x3c;an inner diameter of the wafer frame. A translation guide coupled to the subring driven by mechanical force applier moves the subring pieces in an angled path upwards and outwards for stretching the dicing tape including to a top most stretched position above the wafer frame that is over or outside the wafer frame. A cap placed on the pieces of the subring after being fully expanded over the dicing tape locks the dicing tape in the top most stretched position and secures the pieces of the expanded subring in place including when within the indentation during an additional expansion during a subsequent die pick operation.

Die matrix expander with partitioned subring

In a described example, a method includes: forming stress induced dislocations along scribe lanes between semiconductor dies on a semiconductor wafer using a laser; mounting a first side of the semiconductor wafer on the first side of a first dicing tape; removing a backgrinding tape from the semiconductor wafer; attaching a second dicing tape to a second side of the semiconductor wafer opposite the first side, the second dicing tape adhering to portions of the first dicing tape that are spaced from the semiconductor wafer, forming a dual taped wafer dicing assembly; separating the semiconductor dies by stretching the first dicing tape and stretching the second dicing tape; removing the second dicing tape from the semiconductor dies; and removing the semiconductor dies from the first dicing tape.

Semiconductor die singulation

In one aspect of the present invention, a method of sawing a semiconductor wafer will be described. A semiconductor wafer is positioned in a wafer sawing apparatus that includes a sawing blade and a movable support structure that physically supports the semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer is coupled with the support structure with various layers, including a dicing tape and an anchoring material. The anchoring material and the wafer are cut with the sawing blade. During the cutting operation, the anchoring material reduces backside chipping of the die and eliminates fly-away die. Various aspects of the present invention relate to arrangements and a wafer sawing apparatus that involve the aforementioned sawing method.

Growing community of inventors

Beppu, Japan

Shoichi Iriguchi