COVER STORY
15
A drop of water containing the tracer
substance (left) in comparison to the test
media (right) which showed no measurable
contact angle. The drops were placed on a
Teflon surface and exposed to UV light
Wafer backside protection
and thin wafer processing
The ability to process thinner wafers can be a decisive advantage
against competition. Today’s thinning requirements leads to cases
where the product is so thin the protection of the backside now plays
a crucial part in wafer preparation. AP&S explains.
T
he manufacturing of many products becomes impossible.
microelectronics and In the past the AP&S focus was
microsystems technology has finding a customer specific solution that
become more demanding in recent years was specific to one problem. With such
and will continue to do so for the coming tight economic considerations the
years. Recent announcements suggest the company looked at developing a product
process will move to the more challenging that met the root cause of customer needs
450mm size. On top of the increased size, and could be adapted to suit specific
design rules are becoming more advanced needs. The resulting development was the
following Moore’s law parameters as can CyclopSealing, a media tight capsule
be seen already at below 45nm. Other specifically designed to protect wafers
manufacturing challenges exist that may from the gruelling mechanical and
cause headaches to production managers process effects to which they are
and product developers besides wafer commonly exposed but become more High resolution x-ray photography,
sizes and technology nodes. In fact in crucial as industry pushes the boundaries which displays the position of the
many cases controlling the backside is of wafer thinning and preparation. bearing in relation to different closing
what makes the difference. With the use of the CyclopSealing elements. Methods like this enabled
In order to stay competitive, it is capsule, substrates processed in isotropic us to generate continuous quality
sometimes necessary to introduce processes can be treated to produce the improvement within very short time
disruptive adaptations to the established features characteristic of anisotropic cycles
production process. Inevitably new tools processes. Moreover, the capsule provides
have to be purchased or additional the substrate with mechanical stability,
processes have to be integrated to keep up raising the durability and versatility of the
with new production opportunities. process and enabling the running of
This influences cost and yield. As a extremely thin wafers in processes that
consequence the process window becomes were up to now unthinkable. The patent
so small that an economic realisation of pending design of the sealing mechanism
November 2008
www.euroasiasemiconductor.com
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