US6498074B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Thinning and dicing of semiconductor wafers using dry etch, and obtaining semiconductor chips with rounded bottom edges and corners
Assignee: Adeia Semiconductor Technologies LLC
•
Filing: 2001-06-06
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Granted: 2002-12-24
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Expires: 2021-06-06
Abstract
Abstract A semiconductor wafer is diced before thinning. The wafer is diced only part of the way through, to form grooves which are at least as deep as the final thickness of each chip to be obtained from the wafer. Then the wafer backside is etched with a dry etch, for example, atmospheric pressure plasma etch. The wafer is thinned until the grooves are exposed from the backside. The dry etch leaves the chip's backside smooth. After the grooves have been exposed, the dry etch is continued to remove damage from the chip sidewalls and to round the chips' bottom edges and corners. The grooves' aspect ratio is large to reduce the lateral etch rate of the chip sidewalls and thus allow more area for on-chip circuitry.
Inventors
- 👤 Oleg Siniaguine
- 👤 Patrick B. Halahan
- 👤 Sergey Savastiouk
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:08
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W72/00; H10W72/01; H10W72/0198; H10D; H10D62/00; H10D62/10; H10D62/117; H10D64/00; H10D64/01; H10D64/011; H10P; H10P54/00; H10W20/00; H10W20/40; H10W90/00; H10P50/00; H10P50/20; H10P50/24; H10P50/242; H10P52/00; H10W46/00; H10W72/071; H10W72/072; H10W72/07231; H10W72/07236; H10W72/07251; H10W72/20; H10W90/20; H10W90/297; H10W90/701; H10W90/721; H10W90/722; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/977
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
118 words
A method for obtaining one or more chips from a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising: forming an opening in a first surface of the semiconductor wafer on a boundary of the one or more chips, the first surface being on a first side of the semiconductor wafer, wherein the opening does not go through the wafer; and thinning the wafer with a dry etch to remove material from an entire second side of the wafer at least until the opening becomes exposed on the second side, wherein the dry etch rounds one or more of the edges and/or corners obtained on the second side of the wafer at a location of the opening when the opening becomes exposed.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
118 words
A method for obtaining one or more chips from a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising: forming an opening in a first surface of the semiconductor wafer on a boundary of the one or more chips, the first surface being on a first side of the semiconductor wafer, wherein the opening does not go through the wafer; and thinning the wafer with a dry etch to remove material from an entire second side of the wafer at least until the opening becomes exposed on the second side, wherein the dry etch rounds one or more of the edges and/or corners obtained on the second side of the wafer at a location of the opening when the opening becomes exposed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the opening is elongated and for at least said portion, a ratio H 1 /W 1 ≧0.5, wherein H 1 is a depth of the opening at said portion, the depth being measured before the opening is exposed on the second side, and W 1 is a width of the opening at said portion, the width being measured at the first surface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 2 wherein W 1 is at most 100 μm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 2 wherein W 1 is at most 30 μm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 2 wherein W 1 is at most 5 μm.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the opening extends along an entire boundary of at least one chip.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the opening is elongated, and for at least said portion, a ratio H 2 /W 1 ≧0.5, wherein H 2 is a final thickness of the wafer and W 1 is a width of the opening at said portion, the width being measured at the first surface.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 7 wherein W 1 is at most 100 μm.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 7 wherein W 1 is at most 30 μm.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 7 wherein W 1 is at most 5 μm.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 7 wherein the opening extends along an entire boundary of at least one chip.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
81 words
The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the opening is elongated, and for at least said portion, a ratio H 1 /W 2 ≧0.5, wherein H 1 is a depth of the opening at said portion, the depth being measured before the opening is exposed on the second side, and W 2 is a minimal distance between a chip obtained from the wafer and an adjacent portion of the wafer at an end of the dry etch.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 12 wherein the opening extends along an entire boundary of at least one chip.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 1 wherein a ratio H 2 /W 2 ≧0.5, wherein H 2 is a final thickness of the wafer and W 2 is a minimal distance between a chip obtained from the wafer and an adjacent portion of the wafer at an end of the dry etch.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 14 wherein the opening extends along an entire boundary of at least one chip.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the semiconductor wafer comprises circuitry made at the first side of the wafer, the second side is a backside opposite to the first side, and the opening runs along a scribe line on the first side.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 15 wherein the opening extends along an entire boundary of at least one chip.
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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) | 2005-12-23 | 2006-06-24 | 2006-12-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-12-23 | 2010-06-24 | 2010-12-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-12-23 | 2014-06-24 | 2014-12-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |