Wafer Frame Taping and Beveled Edge Removal for Breakage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lack of automated machinery capable of efficiently removing beveled parts from wafers and disposing them in an annular frame with dicing tape, leading to low productivity in the wafer processing industry.
Innovation Solution
A processing apparatus is developed that includes a wafer cassette table, wafer carrying-out unit, wafer table, frame housing unit, frame carrying-out unit, tape sticking unit, tape pressure bonding unit, beveled part removing unit, and beveled-part-free unit carrying-out means, which collectively facilitate the removal and disposal of beveled parts in a ring manner using a combination of mechanical and vacuum-based systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If beveled part removing unit is introduced to automatically remove beveled parts, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The processing apparatus is divided into multiple functional units: wafer carrying-out unit, frame carrying-out unit, tape sticking unit, tape pressure bonding unit, beveled part removing unit, and beveled-part-free unit carrying-out means. Each unit performs a specific task in sequence, enabling automated processing while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple processing functions are combined into a single integrated apparatus that processes wafers through sequential operations: carrying out, frame attachment, taping, beveled part removal, and final disposal. This consolidation improves productivity by eliminating manual intervention between steps.
2Reliability
If tape pressure bonding unit is used to bond wafer with frame, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is prepared in advance by sticking tape to its inner circumference before the wafer is attached. This preliminary action ensures proper positioning and bonding conditions are established before the actual wafer-to-frame bonding occurs, improving reliability of the attachment process.
Solution Approach 2:
The tape pressure bonding unit replicates the bonding process across multiple wafer-frame attachments, ensuring consistent and reliable bonding through standardized pressure and positioning conditions that can be repeatedly applied.
3Reliability
If beveled part is removed before wafer processing, then wafer breakage is prevented, but loss of time occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The beveled part is removed in advance before the wafer undergoes thin processing. This preliminary removal prevents the formation of knife edges that would cause breakage during subsequent processing, ensuring wafer integrity while maintaining efficient processing flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The beveled part removal is integrated into the continuous processing flow of the automated apparatus, occurring seamlessly between wafer attachment and thin processing without requiring separate manual intervention, thereby minimizing time loss.
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 apparatus enables easy removal and disposal of beveled parts, enhancing productivity by integrating the wafer with an annular frame using dicing tape, thus improving the processing efficiency and reducing the risk of wafer breakage.
Implementation Method 1
the hand is a Bernoulli pad on which a negative pressure is generated by a jet of air and that supports the wafer in a contactless manner
Implementation Method 2
a tape pressure bonding unit that executes pressure bonding of the tape of the tape-attached frame to the one surface of the wafer
Data Source
AI summary
A processing apparatus includes a wafer carrying-out unit, a wafer table that supports a wafer carried out, a frame carrying-out unit, a frame table that supports an annular frame carried out, a tape sticking unit that sticks a tape to the frame, a tape-attached frame conveying unit, a tape pressure bonding unit that executes pressure bonding of the tape of a tape-attached frame to a back surface of the wafer, a frame unit carrying-out unit, and a beveled part removing unit that cuts and removes, in a ring manner, a beveled part formed in an outer circumferential surplus region from the wafer of a frame unit.