Semiconductor wafers including indications of crystal orientation and methods of forming the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9589901-B2
Application number	US-201414519788-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2014
Priority date	Feb 11, 2014
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

A wafer can be provided to include a single crystalline semiconductor material with a predetermined crystal orientation. The wafer can include a laser mark at a determined position on a front surface or on a back surface of the wafer, where the determined position is configured to indicate the predetermined crystal orientation of the single crystalline semiconductor material.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A wafer including a single crystalline semiconductor material with a predetermined crystal orientation, the wafer comprising:
a first laser mark at a determined position on a front surface or on a back surface of the wafer, wherein the first laser mark has a bottom at a first depth, and wherein the determined position is configured to indicate the predetermined crystal orientation of the single crystalline semiconductor material; and
a second laser mark on the front surface or on the back surface of the wafer, wherein the second laser mark has a bottom at a second depth that is less than the first depth, and wherein the second laser mark is included in indicia that uniquely identifies the wafer and/or a wafer lot in which the wafer is included.

2. The wafer of claim 1 wherein the first laser mark is deeper than the second laser mark by at least about 5 micrometers.

3. The wafer of claim 2 , wherein the second depth is equal to or less than 5 micrometers.

4. The wafer of claim 3 , wherein the first depth is equal to or greater than 35 micrometers.

5. The wafer of claim 3 , wherein the indicia comprises an alphanumeric code, a bar code, and/or a QR code,
wherein the second laser mark comprises a plurality of second laser marks that are included in the indicia, and the first laser mark comprises at least one first laser mark that is included in the indicia, and
wherein a number of the plurality of second laser marks included in the indicia is greater than a number of the at least one first laser mark included in the indicia.

6. The wafer of claim 1 wherein the first laser mark and the second laser mark are separated on the front surface or on the back surface of the wafer by a predetermined spacing.

7. The wafer of claim 1 wherein the first laser mark is included in the indicia.

8. The wafer of claim 7 wherein the indicia comprises an alphanumeric code, a bar code, and/or a QR code.

9. The wafer of claim 1 wherein the first laser mark is configured to indicate the predetermined crystal orientation with a line extending from a center of the wafer to the first laser mark.

10. The wafer of claim 1 further comprising:
an edge surface providing a circumference of the wafer, wherein the edge surface extends from the front surface of the wafer to the back surface of the wafer.

11. The wafer of claim 1 wherein the first laser mark is at least partially in the second laser mark.

12. A wafer including a single crystalline semiconductor material with a predetermined crystal orientation, the wafer comprising:
a first recess having a bottom at a first depth at a first determined position on a first surface of the wafer, the first determined position configured to indicate the predetermined crystal orientation of the single crystalline semiconductor material; and
a second recess having a bottom at a second depth at a second determined position on a second surface of the wafer, wherein the first depth is greater than the second depth by at least about 5 micrometers.

13. The wafer of claim 12 wherein the first surface comprises an edge surface of the wafer and the second surface comprises any one of the edge surface, a front surface of the wafer, or a back surface of the wafer that is opposite the front surface.

14. The wafer of claim 12 , wherein the first depth is equal to or greater than 35 micrometers.

15. The wafer of claim 14 , wherein the second depth is equal to or less than 5 micrometers.

16. The wafer of claim 15 , wherein the second recess is included in indicia that uniquely identifies the wafer and/or a wafer lot in which the wafer is included.

17. A wafer including a single crystalline semiconductor material with a predetermined crystal orientation, the wafer comprising:
a first laser mark at a determined position on a front surface or on a back surface of the wafer, the first laser mark having a bottom at a first depth; and
a second laser mark on the front surface or on the back surface of the wafer, the second laser mark having a bottom at a second depth that is less than the first depth by at least about 5 micrometers.

18. The wafer of claim 17 , wherein the second depth is equal to or less than 5 micrometers.

19. The wafer of claim 18 , wherein the wafer comprises indicia that uniquely identifies the wafer and/or a wafer lot in which the wafer is included and comprises an alphanumeric code, a bar code, and/or a QR code,
wherein the second laser mark comprises a plurality of second laser marks that are included in the indicia, and the first laser mark comprises at least one first laser mark that is included in the indicia, and
wherein a number of the plurality of second laser marks included in the indicia is greater than a number of the at least one first laser mark included in the indicia.

20. The wafer of claim 18 , wherein the first laser mark comprises at least one first laser mark, and the second laser mark comprises a plurality of second laser marks, and
wherein a number of the plurality of second laser marks is greater than a number of the first laser mark.

Assignees

• Koo Tae-Hyoung
• Choi Samjong
• Lee Dongjun
• Ko Yongsun
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Koo Tae-Hyoung
• Choi Samjong
• Lee Dongjun
• Ko Yongsun

Classifications

• H10W46/501

  for use before dicing · CPC title

• H10W46/401

  for identification or tracking · CPC title

• H10W46/201

  located on the periphery of wafers, e.g. orientation notches or lot numbers · CPC title

• H10W46/106

  digital information, e.g. bar codes · CPC title

• H10W46/103

  alphanumeric information, e.g. words, letters or serial numbers · CPC title