Substrate markings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9430685-B2
Application number	US-201314082969-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2013
Priority date	Dec 29, 2006
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods are provided to generate markings on the side of a substrate. The markings represent information. In an embodiment, the information provided in the markings may be used to collect information during an assembly process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing a substrate, the substrate having a surface on which to hold an integrated circuit, the substrate having a side at an angle to the surface such that the side defines a thickness of the substrate; and
generating markings on the side of the substrate, the markings being representative of information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating markings on the side of the substrate includes marking the side of the substrate using a laser beam.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the method includes placing an edge of the substrate within a depth of focus of the laser beam, the edge being an edge of the surface relative to the side of the substrate.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the method includes scanning the laser beam to make permanent grooves on the edge of the substrate.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein scanning the laser beam to make permanent grooves on the edge of the substrate includes making grooves with 10 μm as a marking depth baseline.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the method includes directing the laser using galvo scanners.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating markings on the side of the substrate includes forming permanent grooves in the side of the substrate as a bar code.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating markings on the side of the substrate includes generating markings on the side of a substrate on which to attach a die containing the integrated circuit.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating markings on the side of the substrate includes mechanically forming notches, using lithography, using ink printing, using ink-jet printing, depositing material at the side of the substrate, using a focused ion beam, or using an energy source providing a focused beam, the energy source being different from an ion beam.

10. A method including:
decoding markings on a side of a substrate, the substrate having a surface on which to hold an integrated circuit, the side of the substrate being at an angle to the surface such that the side defines a thickness of the substrate, the markings being representative of information;
analyzing results from decoding the markings; and
storing data in a memory, the data correlated to decoding the markings and/or analyzing the results.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein decoding markings on a side of a substrate includes using a bar-code scanner to read the markings and decode the information.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein decoding markings on a side of a substrate includes using a two-dimensional CCD camera to image the markings.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the method includes decoding markings at various times during assembly of an electronic product to collect data throughout an assembly line process.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein analyzing results from decoding the markings includes generating reliability data.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein analyzing results from decoding the markings includes generating traceability data regarding the substrate and displaying the data on a display medium.

16. A system comprising:
a laser to generate a laser beam;
a galvo scanner to scan the laser beam along a side of a substrate, the substrate having a surface on which to hold an integrated circuit, the side of the substrate being a side at an angle to the surface such that the side defines a thickness of the substrate; and
control circuitry to regulate the galvo scanner to generate markings on the side of the substrate, the markings representative of information.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the control circuitry includes circuitry to regulate the galvo scanner to move the laser beam along an edge of the substrate, the edge being an edge of the surface relative to the side of the substrate.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the control circuitry includes circuitry to regulate the galvo scanner to move the laser beam into the substrate at an edge of the substrate, the edge being an edge of the surface relative to the side of the substrate.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the control circuitry includes circuitry to generate markings on the side of the substrate as a bar code.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Voronov Sergei
• Mulligan Rose
• Evans Sarita

Classifications

• B23K26/082

  Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head · CPC title

• B41J2/442 Primary

  using lasers · CPC title

• B41M5/24

  Ablative recording, e.g. by burning marks; Spark recording {(marking by high energetic means, e.g. by laser otherwise than burning or ablative removal B41M5/26; materials or methods for recording or reproduction by optical means G11B7/00)} · CPC title

• G06K7/1092

  sensing by means of TV-scanning · CPC title

• G06K7/10544 Primary

  by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum · CPC title