Wafer Breaking Alignment Through a Glue-Free Protective Sheet
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing method for dividing semiconductor wafers using a laser beam and an external force is prone to division failures and wafer damage due to the low transparency of the protective sheets, making it difficult to accurately position the dividing press blade along the division lines.
Innovation Solution
A breaking method that involves arranging a flat, glue-free protective sheet on the front surface of the wafer, capturing an image of the wafer from the side of the protective sheet to align the division line with the pressing member, and then dividing the wafer along the pre-formed division line using the pressing member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective sheet with low transparency is used, then the wafer is protected during the dividing process, but it becomes difficult to conduct position matching between the dividing press blade and the division lines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a self-adhesive sheet as an intermediary layer between the protective sheet and the wafer. This self-adhesive sheet has high transparency, allowing the division lines to be clearly visible through it for accurate position matching, while the protective sheet maintains its protective function. The intermediary sheet thus resolves the contradiction by providing both visibility and protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the transparency property of materials to solve the positioning problem. By selecting a self-adhesive sheet with high transparency, the division lines remain visible, enabling accurate alignment. This approach leverages optical properties (transparency/visibility) to resolve the contradiction between protection and positioning accuracy.
2Reliability
If position matching is difficult due to low transparency, then the protective function is maintained, but division failures and wafer damage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the protective sheet system into two separate functional layers: a self-adhesive sheet for positioning (with high transparency) and a protective sheet for protection (with low transparency). This segmentation allows each layer to optimize its specific function without compromising the other, thereby improving both positioning accuracy and protective function simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The self-adhesive sheet serves as an intermediary layer that enables accurate position matching through its high transparency, while the protective sheet maintains its protective function. This intermediary structure resolves the contradiction by providing both visibility for precision and protection for reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A breaking method for dividing, along a division line, a wafer having division starting points formed along the division line. The breaking method includes a protective sheet arrangement step of arranging, on a side of a front surface of the wafer, a protective sheet that has a front surface and back surface formed flat and is free of any glue layer, an alignment step of, after performing the protective sheet arrangement step, capturing an image of the front surface of the wafer from a side of the protective sheet and conducting position matching between the division line and a pressing member, and a dividing step of, after performing the alignment step, dividing the wafer along the division line by pressing the pressing member against the wafer along the division line.