Zigzag Conductive Layer Crack Stopper for Semiconductor Dicing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor devices face challenges in preventing cracks during the dicing process, as conventional crack stoppers are ineffective in stopping the extension of cracks along crystal planes, leading to potential damage and reliability issues.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device design featuring a substrate with a conductive layer extending along its periphery in a zigzag pattern, which includes multiple conductive layers and insulation layers, effectively positioned to intercept and stop cracks by alternating directions, thereby enhancing the device's reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional crack stoppers are provided around semiconductor devices, then crack prevention is intended, but cracks still propagate along crystal planes rendering the crack stoppers ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive layer is configured in a zigzag pattern rather than a conventional straight or simple rectangular shape. This asymmetric configuration creates multiple interfaces and alters the stress distribution, effectively blocking crack propagation along crystal planes that would otherwise follow straight paths through the substrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The crack stopper structure transitions from a two-dimensional planar configuration to a three-dimensional zigzag configuration with multiple segments at different orientations. This dimensional complexity creates additional barriers that cracks must navigate, preventing straightforward propagation through the substrate.
2Reliability
If a zigzag conductive layer is provided to stop cracks, then crack propagation is reduced, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive layer simultaneously serves multiple functions: it provides electrical connectivity for device operation and acts as a crack stopper for mechanical protection. By integrating these two functions into a single zigzag-configured layer, the design avoids adding separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical conductive layer and the mechanical crack stopper function are merged into a single integrated structure. This eliminates the need for separate crack stopper components, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining both electrical functionality and crack prevention capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device includes a substrate and a conductive layer. The substrate has an upper surface that is a substantially rectangular shape having a pair of two sides extending in a first direction and a pair of two sides extending in a second direction. The conductive layer is provided on the substrate and extending along a periphery of the substrate. The conductive layer extends and zigzags toward the first direction.