Patent US5054102A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US5445559A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5445559A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Wafer-like processing after sawing DMDs
Assignee: Texas Instruments Inc
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Filing: 1993-06-24
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Granted: 1995-08-29
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Expires: 2013-06-24
Abstract
Abstract A processing fixture and method of fabricating micromechanical devices, such as digital micromirror devices, that allows fragile structures on wafer 22 to be protected from debris during the saw operation and subsequent cleaning operations. The wafer 22 is attached to a vacuum fixture 26 after partially sawing the wafer 22 to create saw kerfs. The backside of the wafer 22 is then ground down to the saw kerfs 24 to separate the devices 32. Each device 32 is held on the fixture by a vacuum in the headspace above the device 32. In an alternate embodiment the devices are separated by sawing completely through the wafer while in the fixture.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard O. Gale
- 👤 Michael A. Mignardi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 19:14
CPC Classifications
B; B25; B25B; B25B11/00; B25B11/005; H; H10; H10D; H10D84/00; H10D84/01; B28; B28D; B28D5/00; B28D5/0005; B28D5/0052; B28D5/0058; B28D5/0082; B28D5/0094; B28D5/02; B28D5/022; B81; B81C; B81C1/00; B81C1/00865; B81C1/00888; G; G02; G02B; G02B26/00; G02B26/08; G02B26/0816; G02B26/0833; G02B26/0841; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/028; Y10T; Y10T225/00; Y10T225/10; Y10T225/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
A fixture for protecting a wafer comprised of at least two micromechanical devices, each micromechanical device comprised of at least one fragile portion, the fixture comprising: a surface for contacting the wafer, the surface comprised of a plurality of recessed regions for preventing contact between the surface and the wafer, such that when the surface of the fixture is in contact with the wafer, each recessed region of the surface forms a headspace above the fragile portion of one of the micromechanical devices; at least one vacuum port connected to the headspaces to allow evacuation of the headspaces; and the surface of the fixture forming a seal around each micromechanical device, thereby allowing each headspace to be evacuated through the vacuum port connected to the headspace.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
126 words
A fixture for protecting a wafer comprised of at least two micromechanical devices, each micromechanical device comprised of at least one fragile portion, the fixture comprising: a surface for contacting the wafer, the surface comprised of a plurality of recessed regions for preventing contact between the surface and the wafer, such that when the surface of the fixture is in contact with the wafer, each recessed region of the surface forms a headspace above the fragile portion of one of the micromechanical devices; at least one vacuum port connected to the headspaces to allow evacuation of the headspaces; and the surface of the fixture forming a seal around each micromechanical device, thereby allowing each headspace to be evacuated through the vacuum port connected to the headspace.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The fixture of claim 1, the fixture comprised of a material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, ceramic and quartz.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
10 words
The fixture of claim 1 wherein the fixture is rigid.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The fixture of claim 1 further comprising passages in the surface of the fixture, the passages allowing a saw blade to separate the micromechanical devices from the wafer without contacting the fixture.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The fixture of claim 1 wherein the vacuum port is comprised of a separate vacuum port connected to each headspace.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
The fixture of claim 1 wherein the vacuum port is comprised of one vacuum port connected to all headspaces.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-08-28 | 1999-02-27 | 1999-08-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-08-28 | 2003-02-27 | 2003-08-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-08-28 | 2007-02-27 | 2007-08-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |