MEMS Sawing Using Intermediary Gum Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sawing methods for MEMS semiconductor devices damage the MEMS structures and contaminate the wafers with water or foreign materials, leading to reduced yield and increased production costs.
Innovation Solution
A sawing method that uses a gum material, such as an adhesive, light-sensitive, or heat-sensitive material, disposed between a carrier and the wafer to protect the MEMS structures during sawing, allowing the wafer to be cut without penetrating the gum material, thus preventing damage and contamination, and enabling the reuse of the carrier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the wafer is sawed directly according to the sawing lines on the wafer, then the sawing process can be completed, but the MEMS structure is damaged and the wafer and MEMS structure are polluted by water or foreign material
Solution Approach 1:
A gum material is introduced as an intermediary substance between the wafer and the sawing blade. The gum material is disposed around the MEMS structures and corresponds to the sawing lines, serving as a protective barrier that prevents direct contact between the saw blade and the MEMS structures, thereby preventing damage and pollution while allowing the sawing process to proceed
Solution Approach 2:
The gum material is applied to the wafer surface before the sawing process begins. This preliminary action ensures that the protective layer is already in place when the sawing operation starts, preventing damage to the MEMS structures from the outset rather than attempting to protect them during or after the sawing process
2Productivity
If the wafer is sawed directly according to the sawing lines on the wafer, then the sawing process can be completed, but the wafer and MEMS structure are polluted by water or foreign material
Solution Approach 1:
The gum material acts as a protective intermediary layer that shields the wafer and MEMS structures from harmful factors such as water and foreign materials generated during the sawing process. This barrier prevents contamination while allowing the sawing operation to complete successfully
3Ease of manufacture
If the first carrier is reused, then the production cost is reduced, but the gum material must be precisely disposed to allow carrier reuse
Solution Approach 1:
The gum material is disposed with specific local precision - it is positioned around the MEMS structures and corresponds to the sawing lines, but does not cover the entire wafer surface. This localized precision allows the first carrier to be reused while maintaining protection where needed, balancing manufacturing precision requirements with cost reduction goals
Data Source
AI summary
A sawing method for a Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) semiconductor device, wherein a gum material is disposed between a wafer having at least one MEMS and a carrier, and the gum material is disposed around the MEMS. The wafer is sawed according to the position correspondingly above the gum material. Finally, the carrier and the gum material are removed. By disposing the gum material between the carrier and the wafer, the MEMS are protected, and the wafer and the MEMS can avoid the pollution of water and foreign material, so that the yield can be improved. Furthermore, the wafer is sawed from the backside till the gum material without sawing through the gum material, so that the carrier is not sawed. Therefore, the carrier can be reused, such that the cost is reduced.