Carrier-less Thin Wafer Handling via Integral Supports
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for forming microelectronics assemblies are limited by the need for specialized bonding materials and equipment, which increase costs and can cause stress or cracks in substrates, and result in low throughput due to the complexity of bonding and de-bonding processes.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the removal of material from substrate surfaces to create thinned portions with integral supporting portions, followed by the exposure and isolation of electrically conductive interconnects, using conventional processes like etching and sawing, to form a microelectronics assembly that can be severed into individual thinned portions with reduced stress and increased efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If bonding and de-bonding methods are used to temporarily couple substrate to carrier substrate, then substrate can be supported during processing, but specialized bonding materials and equipment are required which increase cost and reduce throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the carrier substrate entirely from the process, extracting the problematic bonding/de-bonding steps. Instead of temporarily coupling to a carrier, the substrate is thinned and supported only by its own integral supporting portions, eliminating the need for specialized bonding materials and equipment while reducing overall process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate serves itself by forming integral supporting portions that remain attached to the thinned regions. These self-formed supports provide the necessary mechanical strength without requiring external carrier substrates or bonding processes, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating dependency on specialized equipment
2Strength
If bonding and de-bonding processes are used, then substrate can be supported during material removal, but the conditions required for de-bonding may cause cracks or induce stress in the device substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the carrier substrate and bonding/de-bonding processes from the system, eliminating the source of thermal and mechanical stress that causes cracking. The substrate is supported throughout processing by its own integral supporting portions, avoiding the harmful effects of high heat and pressure associated with conventional de-bonding
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate is thinned and shaped into final configuration before any separation occurs. By preparing the substrate in advance with integral supporting portions that provide strength throughout processing, the need for subsequent high-stress de-bonding operations is eliminated, preventing cracks and stress-induced damage
3Manufacturing precision
If conventional substrate thinning is performed, then substrate can be processed, but the substrate lacks sufficient mechanical strength to support its own weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating regions of different thickness within the substrate. Thinned portions provide the required precise thickness for device functionality, while integral supporting portions maintain greater thickness to provide mechanical strength. This local variation in thickness allows the substrate to simultaneously achieve both manufacturing precision and structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate is segmented into functionally distinct regions: thinned portions for device operation and integral supporting portions for mechanical strength. This segmentation allows each region to optimize its properties for its specific function while remaining part of a single, self-supported structure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the need for specialized materials and equipment, lowers processing costs, and enhances throughput by using conventional methods to form microelectronics assemblies with exposed interconnects, while minimizing stress and improving substrate integrity.
Implementation Method 1
removing material exposed at portions of a surface of the substrate to form a processed substrate having a plurality of thinned portions
Implementation Method 2
the step of removing the supporting portions of the substrate includes sawing the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of forming a microelectronic assembly and the resulting structures and devices are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method of forming a microelectronic assembly includes removing material exposed at portions of a surface of a substrate to form a processed substrate having a plurality of thinned portions separated by integral supporting portions of the processed substrate having a thickness greater than a thickness of the thinned portions, at least some of the thinned portions including a plurality of electrically conductive interconnects extending in a direction of the thicknesses of the thinned portions and exposed at the surface; and removing the supporting portions of the substrate to sever the substrate into a plurality of individual thinned portions, at least some individual thinned portions including the interconnects.