Semiconductor Chip Dicing With Crack Propagation Guides
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for separating semiconductor chips from substrates often result in damage due to uncontrolled crack propagation during the dicing process, which can lead to incomplete separation and chip damage.
Innovation Solution
The method involves forming a layer stack with alternating material layers on a semiconductor substrate, creating channel holes and sacrificial layers, and using crack propagation guides to direct laser-induced cracks for controlled separation, thereby minimizing damage and ensuring complete chip separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional dicing techniques are used to separate semiconductor chips from substrate, then chip separation is achieved, but uncontrolled crack propagation causes chip damage
Solution Approach 1:
Crack propagation guides are formed in the substrate before the dicing process to pre-establish controlled crack paths. This preliminary structuring ensures that when cracking occurs during separation, it follows the predetermined guides rather than propagating randomly through the chip regions, thereby preventing chip damage while maintaining manufacturing feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
The crack propagation guides act as intermediary structures that mediate between the laser irradiation source and the chip substrate. These guides receive the laser energy and channel it along specific paths, converting the potentially harmful uncontrolled cracking into a controlled separation process that protects the chips
2Productivity
If laser irradiation is applied to generate cracks for chip separation, then complete separation is achieved, but crack propagation may deviate from desired paths causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is designed with non-uniform properties through the formation of crack propagation guides in specific regions (scribe lanes) while leaving chip regions intact. This local differentiation ensures that laser irradiation generates cracks only in the guide regions where separation is needed, while chip regions maintain their structural integrity and follow the predetermined crack paths
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 effectively guides crack propagation to prevent undesirable cracking directions, reducing chip damage and ensuring complete separation of semiconductor chips from the substrate.
Implementation Method 1
irradiating portions of the semiconductor substrate that overlaps with the crack propagation guides with a laser to generate cracks
Implementation Method 2
irradiating portions of the semiconductor substrate that overlaps with the crack propagation guides with a laser to generate cracks in the portions of the semiconductor substrate
Data Source
AI summary
There may be provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor chip. A layer stack in which first material layers and second material layers are alternately stacked is formed on a semiconductor substrate that includes a chip region and a scribe lane region, and crack propagation guides are formed in a first portion of the layer stack within the scribe lane region.