Wafer processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017250102-A1
Application number	US-201715440867-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 23, 2017
Priority date	Feb 25, 2016
Publication date	Aug 31, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a wafer processing method, the back side of a wafer is attached to an adhesive tape supported at its peripheral portion by an annular frame having an inside opening. The wafer is set in the inside opening, thereby supporting the wafer through the adhesive tape to the annular frame. The wafer is held on a chuck table with the front side of the wafer facing the upper surface of the chuck table. A laser beam is applied through the adhesive tape and the back side of the wafer in an area corresponding to each division line, thereby forming a plurality of shield tunnels arranged along each division line. Each shield tunnel extends from the front side of the wafer to the back side thereof, each shield tunnel being composed of a fine hole and an amorphous region formed around the fine hole for shielding the fine hole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A wafer processing method for dividing a wafer into individual device chips along a plurality of crossing division lines, a front side of said wafer being partitioned by said division lines to define a plurality of separate regions where a plurality of devices corresponding to said device chips are formed, said wafer processing method comprising:
a frame supporting step of attaching a back side of said wafer to an adhesive tape supported at its peripheral portion to an annular frame having an inside opening in such a manner that said wafer is set in said inside opening closed by said adhesive tape, thereby supporting said wafer through said adhesive tape to said annular frame; and a shield tunnel forming step of holding said wafer on a chuck table in a condition where the front side of said wafer faces an upper surface of said chuck table after performing said frame supporting step, and next applying a laser beam through said adhesive tape to the back side of said wafer in an area corresponding to each division line, said laser beam having a transmission wavelength to said wafer and said adhesive tape, thereby forming a plurality of shield tunnels arranged along each division line, each shield tunnel extending from the front side of said wafer to the back side thereof, each shield tunnel being composed of a fine hole and an amorphous region formed around said fine hole for shielding said fine hole.

2 . The wafer processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising
a dividing step of expanding said adhesive tape after performing said shield tunnel forming step, thereby dividing said wafer into said individual device chips.

3 . The wafer processing method according to claim 2 , further comprising
a protective member providing step of providing a protective member on the front side of said wafer before performing said frame supporting step; said protective member being peeled from the front side of said wafer before expanding said adhesive tape in said dividing step.

Assignees

• Disco Corp

Inventors

• Yoshino Tomoki

Classifications

• H10P72/7442

  Separation by peeling · CPC title

• H10P72/7422

  used to protect an active side of a device or wafer · CPC title

• H10P72/7416

  used during dicing or grinding · CPC title

• H10P72/7412

  the auxiliary support including means facilitating the separation of a device or wafer from the auxiliary support · CPC title

• H10P72/0442

  Apparatus for placing on an insulating substrate, e.g. tape · CPC title