Considerations and benefits of plasma etch based wafer dicing

Wafer dicing has been traditionally carried out using mechanical methods, including diamond saw and laser techniques. However, these techniques are imperfect, in that there is a need to manage the damage caused by them through compromises in pattern density and throughput. However, for power devices, chip cards and LEDs, the trends are towards thinner wafers and smaller die sizes, and these compromises further undermine the conventional dicing methods and render them less cost effective. For other devices, including bio-compatible MEMS, conventional dicing is unable to provide the level of cleanliness required. This paper will describe how the use of silicon plasma etching can produce a step change in dicing capability, even for the thin wafer scenario described above, that will provide increased die densities, increased throughputs and improved device reliability.