Silicon Device Corner Geometry for Crack Resistance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Silicon devices manufactured in a chip form often suffer from increased fragility and susceptibility to breaking or cracking due to their small size and angular corners, which can lead to damage during handling and processing.

Innovation Solution

The silicon devices are designed with rounded or chamfered corners and depressed side-end portions to reduce the risk of breaking or cracking, and a manufacturing method involving through-holes formed by dry etching is used to create these shapes, allowing for precise control over corner geometry and enhanced strength.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If silicon devices are manufactured in chip form with angular corners, then manufacturing precision and efficiency are improved, but the devices become more susceptible to breaking or cracking

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing efficiencyVSAvoiddevice strength

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies curvature by replacing angular corners with rounded corner portions in silicon devices manufactured in chip form. This curvature modification eliminates stress concentration points at angular corners, significantly reducing the likelihood of breaking or cracking during handling and processing, while maintaining the benefits of chip-form manufacturing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Length of moving object

If the size of silicon devices is decreased, then device minuteness is improved, but the devices become more fragile and prone to damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice sizeVSAvoiddevice strength

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies curvature by rounding the corner portions of miniaturized silicon devices. This design modification addresses the fragility issue inherent in small-sized devices by eliminating angular stress concentration points, thereby enhancing durability without compromising the desired device minuteness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Ease of manufacture

If angular corners are used in silicon devices, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the corners easily break or crack during handling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecorner formation simplicityVSAvoidcorner breaking or cracking

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies curvature by forming rounded corner portions instead of angular corners. This modification eliminates the harmful effect of stress concentration at angular corners, significantly reducing breaking or cracking during handling and processing, while the rounding process can be integrated into existing manufacturing workflows

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

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

The rounded or chamfered corners and depressed portions effectively reduce the likelihood of damage during handling and processing, while the dry etching process enables precise shaping and efficient manufacturing, enhancing the durability and production efficiency of silicon devices.

Implementation Method 1

a manufacturing method involving through-holes formed by dry etching is used to create these shapes

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDry etching:

Data Source

PatentUS8623703B2Silicon device and silicon device manufacturing method

Publication Date: 2014.01.07 SEIKO EPSON CORP

AI summary

A silicon device has a flat panel shape which is a polygon in a plan view, and at least one corner of the polygon includes two sides adjacent to each other out of plural sides of the polygon and a corner curve portion connected to the two sides so as to connect the two sides.