Memc Electronic Materials, Inc.

Stephen Wayne Hensiek

Henry Frank Erk

Yun-Biao Xin

Dennis Buese

Ichiro Yoshimura

Giovanni Negri

Ralph V Vogelgesang

Kan-Yin Ng

Darrel M Harris

Gene Hollander

James Jose

A process for forming a semiconductor wafer which is single side polished improves nanotopology and flatness of the polished wafer. The process reduces the effect of back side surface features, such as edge ring phenomena and back side laser marks, on nanotopology, thereby improving oxide layer uniformity for chemical/mechanical planarization (CMP) processing, and flatness on the polished front side of the wafer after polishing. The wafer is mounted on a polishing block by wax. The edge ring causes certain deformation and stress in the wafer upon mounting, which is held by the wax. After mounting, the wax is heated to allow the wafer to relax, removing the stress, without degrading the bond of the wafer to the polishing block. The wafer is polished and removed from the polishing blocks. The polished surface substantially retains its shape after being de-mounted from the block.

Process for reducing surface variations for polished wafer

A method for processing a semiconductor wafer sliced from a single-crystal ingot comprises subjecting the front and back surfaces of the wafer to a lapping operation to reduce the thickness of the wafer and to remove damage caused during slicing of the wafer. The wafer is then subjected to an etching operation to further reduce the thickness of the wafer and to further remove damage remaining after the lapping operation. The wafer is subsequently subjected to a double-side polishing operation to uniformly remove damage from the front and back surfaces caused by the lapping and etching operations, thereby improving the flatness of the wafer and leaving polished front and back surfaces. Finally, the back surface of the wafer is subjected to a back surface damaging operation in which damage is induced in the back surface of the wafer while the front surface is substantially protected against being damaged or roughened. A pressure jetting machine of the present invention includes a wafer holder that supports the wafer in the pressure jetting machine such that the back surface of the wafer is exposed to the jetted abrasive slurry while the front surface is supported by the holder in spaced relationship above a support surface of the machine to inhibit damaging engagement between the support surface and the front surface of the wafer.

Method for processing a semiconductor wafer

Growing community of inventors

Foley, MO, United States of America

Stephen Wayne Hensiek