Did you know that the demand for thin silicon wafers is steadily rising? For this reason, those who manufacture silicon are compelled to improve the way they produce wafers that are thinner and handier than the conventional ones. If you want to take a closer look at the processes involved in creating this type of wafers, read on.
Compared to other processes, back grinding makes use of a more conventional yet faster approach. Aside from the fact that it creates low variation, it also produces a good surface finish. Furthermore, a reduction of the wafer size to a dimension fitting is made prior to its final packaging.
Once the back grinding process is completed, signs of wafer damage are eliminated through the etching process. This ensures the enhancement of the wafer’s surface appearance. Etching makes use of three methods – dry plasma etching, wet etching, and traditional loose-abrasive polishing.Dry plasma etching is ideal for getting rid of surface damage, controlling the roughness on the wafer’s surface via atmospheric dry plasma etching, and rounding its pointy edges. On the other hand, wet etching refers to the thinning technique that utilizes several wet-etching processes to eliminate signs of damage on the wafer’s exterior.Lastly, Traditional loose-abrasive polishing is a method that involves the integration of the polishing technique into the grinder. In other words, it smoothens the wafer while it is being thinned. Compared to the other etching methods, this presents low damage removal rates.
The wafer handling process seeks to bond the ultra-thin wafers to a stiff carrier substrate prior to the back-thinning process. Thanks to this process, the fragile wafers won’t break while they’re being handled or while they undergo further processing.
To make sure that the ultra-thin silicon wafers are able to endure various rough mechanical processes, a uniform wax coating process is performed. Once this is completed, the wax is removed by dissolving it in a solvent or by heating.
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