SEZ looks to wafer thinning
The company claims 2x improvement in wafer/die strength of the thinned wafer. Bernoulli non-contact wafer handling ensures safe transfer and processing down to 25micron thicknesses. The GL-210 is designed for use immediately after mechanical grinding.
More complex new materials such as silicon-on-insulator (SOI), gallium arsenide (GaAs) and other compound semiconductors are also covered. Surface conditioning and stress relief are of particular importance for these materials, as they tend to be thinner and more subject to mishandling, warping, bowing and breakage than epitaxial silicon substrates. The tool is also seen as showing promise for back-end-of-line (BEOL) processes (metallisation).
Mechanical grinding creates damage that is becoming increasingly difficult for chemical mechanical planarisation (CMP) and dry-etch technologies to remove. Surface damage weakens thin wafers and creates potential for crack propagation. The GL-210 removes these imperfections while simultaneously optimising die/wafer strength, electrical characteristics, metal adhesion and uniformity. The machine etches the wafer in one multi-level process chamber, using a customisable combination of nitrogen, de-ionised (DI) water and a selection of chemicals that can be either drained or recycled within the system.
Currently under evaluation by several key customers, the GL-210 is due for production shipments in Q2 2004.
