Semiconductor Secure Marking Across Wafer Dicing and Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tracking semiconductor devices across various stages of their lifecycle, from wafer processing to deployment and disposal, is challenging due to the involvement of multiple suppliers and facilities, and the destructive nature of some manufacturing steps.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of secure marks and physically unclonable features (PUFs) at various stages of the semiconductor device lifecycle, including design, mask fabrication, wafer processing, and packaging, to ensure traceability and integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If secure marks are applied at multiple stages (wafer, die, package), then traceability and integrity are improved, but process complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the semiconductor manufacturing process into distinct stages (wafer fabrication, dicing, packaging) and applies appropriate secure marking methods at each stage. Wafer-level marks are applied during fabrication, die-level marks are applied after dicing, and package-level marks are applied during packaging. This segmentation allows traceability without requiring a single complex marking system throughout the entire process.
Solution Approach 2:
Secure marks are applied at the wafer level before dicing occurs. This preliminary action ensures that the original wafer-level secure mark is captured and stored in the blockchain ledger before the destructive dicing process eliminates it. This allows downstream verification without requiring the physical mark to survive through all subsequent processes.
2Reliability
If wafer-level secure marks are used, then traceability is improved, but marks are destroyed during dicing process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent captures and stores the wafer-level secure mark data in a blockchain ledger before the dicing process destroys the physical mark. This preliminary action of recording the mark's information in an immutable digital ledger ensures that traceability is maintained even though the physical mark no longer exists on the separated dies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital copy of the wafer-level secure mark information and stores it in the blockchain ledger. This digital copy persists indefinitely even though the physical mark is destroyed during dicing. The digital copy serves as the authoritative record for traceability throughout the supply chain.
Data Source
AI summary
Secure marks for semiconductor devices and methods for marking semiconductor devices are disclosed. The secure marks and methods for marking may be incorporated at various stages in the lifecycle of a semiconductor device, including the design, mask fabrication, wafer fabrication, singulation, and packaging processes.