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Precision dicing of hard materials with abrasive blade

Authors:
Luis Antonio Oliveira Araujo at Federal University of São Carlos
Luis Antonio Oliveira Araujo
Cesar Foschini at São Paulo State University
Cesar Foschini
Renato Goulart Jasinevicius at University of São Paulo
Renato Goulart Jasinevicius
Carlos Alberto Fortulan at University of São Paulo
Carlos Alberto Fortulan
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Abstract

The present work shows the experiments on dicing of high alumina substrates using abrasive blades. The technology used by modern electronic components is based on narrow and thin ceramic and single crystal substrates. One of the techniques used to obtain these products is to dice a larger substrate using an abrasive blade to generate low damages and high productivity called dicing process. Samples with high alumina (99.8 %) were diced with diamond abrasive blades in a creep feed process. The process parameters were changed as cuts 1 to 3 mm deep were made. The feed speed varied from 1 to 19 mm/s and the blade rotation varied from 10,000 to 30,000 rpm. The blade wearing as well as the linearity and the quality of dicing were analyzed. Higher blade rotation increases the blade stiffness and on these experiments a more stable cutting process was achieved at 30,000 rpm. The removal material mechanism was also explored comparing the chipping between silicon and the high alumina specimens.
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Precision dicing of hard materials with abrasive blade
L. A. O. Araujo
1
&C. R. Foschini
2
&R. G. Jasinevícius
1
&C. A. Fortulan
1
Received: 3 August 2015 /Accepted: 15 January 2016 /Published online: 4 February 2016
#Springer-Verlag London 2016
Abstract The present work shows the experiments on
dicing of high alumina substrates using abrasive blades.
The technology used by modern electronic components
is based on narrow and thin ceramic and single crystal
substrates. One of the techniques used to obtain these
products is to dice a larger substrate using an abrasive
blade to generate low damages and high productivity
called dicing process. Samples with high alumina
(99.8 %) were diced with diamond abrasive blades in
a creep feed process. The process parameters were
changed as cuts 1 to 3 mm deep were made. The feed
speed varied from 1 to 19 mm/s and the blade rotation
varied from 10,000 to 30,000 rpm. The blade wearing
as well as the linearity and the quality of dicing were
analyzed. Higher blade rotation increases the blade stiff-
ness and on these experiments a more stable cutting
process was achieved at 30,000 rpm. The removal ma-
terial mechanism was also explored comparing the
chipping between silicon and the high alumina
specimens.
Keywords Precision dicing .Dicing saw .Dicing machine .
Abrasive cutting process
1 Introduction
In the last four decades, the use of silicon in the microelec-
tronic industry has been the motivation for the development of
the precision grinding and dicing processes in fragile mate-
rials. The evolution of the dicing technology opens the possi-
bility to other applications and promotes the improvement and
the development of many other products. Today, precision
dicing is characterized mainly for its high productivity and
the quality associated to increasingly smaller sizes and toler-
ances of the cut parts [1,2]. This process is done in precision
dicing machines. Unlike the cut-offs machines, the precision
dicing machines offer higher precision and sophistication with
respect to alignment of cutting on the part, types of cutting
blades, repeatability, automation, and performance.
There are three types of precision dicing machines, accord-
ing to its cutting element:
&Dicing saw—characterized by the use of abrasive blades
as the cutting element. It comprises of a high rotation
bearing, in general aerostatic or ceramic bearings. It has
an accuracy as small as 1 μm and works with cutting
speeds (feed speed) varying from 0.1 to 600 mm/s depend-
ing on the material to be diced. The blade could reach up
to 60,000 rpm and a blade with a diameter of ~51 mm
would reach a peripheral speed of up to 160 m/s.
Basically, the quality of kerf depends on the combination
of the material on work and parameters from process, as
cooling system, feed speed, type of blade, peripheral
speed, etc. [3].
&Laser saw—it uses a laser beam as cutting element. It can
be YAG or CO
2
, in different wave length and power.
Although its application is restricted to thin films, kerfs’
width is around 15 μm and very precise. It is possible to
make different geometries of cut, not just straight. It is a
*L. A. O. Araujo
luis.araujo@usp.br
1
Mechanical Engineering Department, Universidade de São Paulo,
Av. Trabalhador Saocarlense 400, 13566-590 Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil
2
Faculdade de Engenharia de Bauru, Mechanical Engineering
Department, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Av. Eng. Luiz
Edmundo C. Coube, 14-01, 17033-360 Bauru, SP, Brazil
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2016) 86:2885–2894
DOI 10.1007/s00170-016-8394-x
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... These changes in value are the same as the cutting current and chipping size measured in the dicing experiments. In comparison to the findings of previous studies [36,37], the ultra-thin diamond blades prepared by FDMS have excellent properties for dicing of difficult-to-cut materials. ...
Investigation and formulation of cobalt content of ultra-thin diamond blades and dicing performance manufactured by fused deposition modeling and sintering (FDMS)
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Achieving appropriate cobalt concentration within the matrix when fabricating ultra-thin diamond blades with fused deposition modeling and sintering (FDMS) leads to improved machining performance. This study investigates the effects of cobalt content on mechanical properties such as hardness, relative density, and holding strength of ultra-thin diamond blades by FDMS. It also examines the fragmentation characteristics, chipping size, and surface quality of diced surfaces with these ultra-thin diamond blades. The experimental findings show that increasing the cobalt content of the matrix enhances its mechanical properties and reinforces the bond between the matrix and diamond particles, thereby improving the flatness, sharpness, and overall quality of the blades. Additionally, it has been observed that ultra-thin diamond blades containing less cobalt are more effective at processing ferrite magnets, whereas those containing more cobalt perform better at machining alumina ceramics. The cobalt content of ultra-thin diamond blades has an additional impact on the surface quality and surface topology of diced surfaces in various materials. This results in microstructured surfaces with the lowest surface roughness values of 0.282 μm and 0.367 μm for alumina ceramics and ferrite magnets, respectively. In conclusion, understanding the effects of cobalt content within the matrix of diamond thin blades could assist in the availability of good formulas in FDMS, improving blade quality and dicing performance, and ultimately advancing FDMS's capability to produce high-quality diamond cutting tools for a wide range of applications.
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... Lin et al. [22] examined the correlation between blade surface properties and chipping size in transient and steady stages and found blade surface condition affects the chipping size greatly. Araujo et al. [23] revealed that the high dicing depth and feed rate can poor the quality and integrity of silicon in dicing. Yuan et al. [24] pointed out that fiber and resin are removed in the form of micro breakage and plastic flow in dicing CFRP composites. ...
Study of dicing mechanism influence on PZT-4H composite performance
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Dicing and filling is the most commonly used method to fabricate the piezoelectric composite by replacing part of the piezoelectric ceramics with the polymer. The dicing quality affects the composite performance, and the dicing mechanism is not clear now. In this study, a theoretical dicing mechanism for PZT-4H ceramics is introduced and validated by the experiments. The results show that, along the dicing depth direction, the dicing surface goes through brittle removal, hybrid of ductile and brittle removal, and pure ductile removal modes. The high wheel speed and low feed rate can help to get the low surface roughness and edge chipping size (width and height) due to the material removal mode transition. The diced kerfs are in saddle shape due to the dicing force variation and wheel vibration in different locations. The composite with high dicing surface quality and consistent size of dicing kerf has low mechanical quality factors variation. The impedance and phase angle at the resonance and anti-resonance frequencies are sharp, which indicates the perfect superposition of the energy from a different pillar. The inconsistent dicing kerf ruined the impedance and phase angle curve after superposition, which shows poor performance.
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... This is because the alumina ceramic material is hard, but has a certain toughness and ductility, therefore the proportion of brittle fragmentation is less. Araujo et al. [30] cut silicon and alumina specimens with ultra-thin diamond dicing blades and found that the materials with particular elements has direct impacts on the dimension of the chipping, and materials with higher aluminum content tended to have smaller chipping. This phenomenon also shows that the ultra-thin diamond blade prepared by FDMS can achieve a smoother cutting surface for alumina ceramics, illustrating the industrial potential of FDMS technology. ...
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Dicing Lane Quality Quantification & Wafer Assessment Using Image Thresholding Techniques
Conference Paper
  • Sep 2024
The quality of a dicing lane is a qualitative measurement, with many characterization methods available including mechanical and optical profilometry, however the lowest barrier to entry is to simply inspect the dicing lane in an optical microscope and make a spot assessment of the chipping, dicing width and particulate presence. This is useful to the trained eye, however it remains difficult to accurately compare and contrast dicing lanes with differing processing parameters. As such we produce a series of Python scripts that seek to assess the quality of a dicing lane, irrespective of the process or materials, in a manner similar to the ‘kerf checks’ done in situ on many vendor tools, using the OpenCV library to effectively isolate the dicing lane in an image, locate the edges and assess the number of particles surrounding the lane. Kerf checks are common method of assessing dicing quality during the process, however here the tests are done following completion of the whole process, so they allow for a more complete assessment of the wafer and dicing quality and can be repeated following other process steps. In addition, these methods can be extended to other dicing features such as grooved lanes and are intended to be agnostic of the exact processing parameters used. As a simple example, we use these scripts to quantify the differences between blade dicing and plasma dicing. We then expand the process, using automated image acquisition tools, that allow for a more systematic assessment of our diced wafers and the ability to store data on how the dicing quality varies across a wafer. We periodically take images of dicing lanes from centre to edge, assess the dicing quality and track the variation across the wafer to highlight areas of issue or overall inconsistencies.
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Static numerical simulation of radial deformation of ultra-thin dicing blade
Article
  • Feb 2023
Grinding with dicing blade is an important method to cut or slot electronic and optical devices. The deformation of grinding tools will definitely affect the processing of workpiece. However, this effect has been disregarded during processing. In order to improve the machining accuracy in the precision grinding method, this deformation is worth considering. In this research, the grinding state of the ultra-thin dicing blade was simplified as a static problem. The force model of the ultra-thin dicing blade during grinding was established, which centrifugal force was adopted in the whole blade and triangular distribution grinding forces were adopted in the grinding area. The radial deformation of the ultra-thin dicing blade was determined by finite element simulation, and the influence of grinding parameters on its radial deformation was analyzed. The simulation results showed that the grinding area of the ultra-thin dicing blade occurred radial expansion deformation at high rotational speed (more than 8000 rpm), and the value could reach 1.75 μm (rotational speed at 23,000 rpm, feed speed at 600 mm/min, and grinding depth at 0.12 mm). The deformation increased in a form of power function with the increase of rotational speed, and decreased linearly with the increase of feed speed and grinding depth. This work can provide reference data for deformation compensation, which is helpful to improve the dimensional accuracy of grinding groove.
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Water-jet-guided laser technology: A damage-free dicing solution
Article
  • Jul 2006
The development and applications of water-jet-guided laser in the semiconductor industry, are discussed. The laser beam is focused into a nozzle while passing through a pressurized water chamber. The geometries of the chamber and nozzle are decisive to couple the energy rich laser beam into the low-pressure water jet. The hair-thin water jet emitted from the nozzle guides the laser beam by total reflection at the transition zone between water and air. The water jet can be referred as a fluid optical waveguide of variable length. The water jet cools the work piece at the exact place where it was cut and heated, simultaneously removing the molten material. A continuous water layer of controlled thickness covers the wafer, preventing particles from attaching to the material surface. It ensures a clean wafer, compared to conventional laser cutting, where contamination is avoided by a protective coating. The low-pressure jet ensures no mechanical damage to the workpiece during dicing and is efficient on brittle and difficult-to-machine materials, including GaAs. The process has low operating costs as there is no tool wear and water consumption is low. The nozzle once aligned can last for hundreds of hours and the water-jet-guided-laser can achieve almost any shape.
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Investigation of chipping and wear of silicon wafer dicing
Article
  • Aug 2014
  • J Manuf Process
Wafer dicing chipping and blade wear processes in transient and steady stages were investigated. Dicing blades with two different diamond grit sizes were used to cut wafers. In the cutting experiments, the dicing blades with two different diamond grit sizes were used to cut wafers and for a given type of wafer, the cooling water temperature, cutting feed speed, and rotational speed were fixed. The chipping size, blade surface wear area and surface roughness of the wafer were measured at cutting distances of 50, 150, 300, 975, 1350, and 1900 m, respectively. Cutting debris of cutting distances of 300 m and 1900 m was collected and analyzed. The correlation between blade surface properties and chipping size was investigated. Based on this experimental system, attention is to pay to examine the correlation between blade surface properties and chipping size for transient stage and steady stage. In transient stage, the roughness of dicing blade increases rapidly. This will rapidly increase the chipping size. In steady stage, the chipping size decreases slowly with the decreasing roughness of blade surface. This concludes that blade surface condition is an important factor that affects the chipping size. Moreover, in transient stage, diamond grits that are salient or less bonded to the blade detach leave caves on the blade surface which increases surface roughness of the blade and the chipping size. In steady stage, the heights of grits become even and the chipping size decreases accordingly.
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Analysis of the Sawing Process With Abrasive Circular Saw Blades
Article
  • Feb 2008
This study simulates the sawing process with an abrasive circular saw blade and analyzes the generation of cutoff surfaces in the sawing process with the consideration of the blade deflection caused by the asymmetric wear of the blade outer edge. The analysis is built on the previous work of Matsui (1956, J. Jpn. Soc. Precis. Eng., 22, pp. 477-481) who presented an analytical formula for cutting force acting on a conical cutting edge. In this paper the Matsui formula is modified to take into account the "size effect" of grinding and used to calculate the grinding force acting on the blade surface. A differential equation is constructed, and the related numerical solutions are provided to describe the blade deflection behavior in the sawing process. The study then discusses the influences of the "size effect," workpiece length, workpiece speed and feed rate, as well as cutting edge density on sawing accuracies. Also discussed are workpiece speed and cutting edge density on the maximum deviation of the cutoff surface.
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Machining characteristics on the ultra-precision dicing of silicon wafer
Article
  • Jul 2007
Recently, the slightest damage to a circuit can cause great damage due to the sizes of semiconductor chips becoming smaller. To prevent damage to the circuit, the dicing process for silicon wafer must be controlled. In this study, the relationship between the chipping effect and the force of dicing was analyzed. The rate of chipping decreased with a decrease in the force of dicing. The force of dicing also decreased according to a lower feed rate and higher blade speed. The lower feed rate and the higher blade speed must be controlled to achieve a chip-free process.
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Studies of chipping mechanisms for dicing silicon wafers
Article
  • Feb 2008
The purpose of this study was to investigate the chipping modes produced in the die edges of dicing silicon wafer using the thin diamond blades. The effects of dicing directions and different wafer types on the chipping size were studied. Furthermore, scratching tests were also used to assist the analysis of studying chipping conditions of the silicon wafer. The experimental results showed that the trace behaviors produced by the diamond indenter in the scratching test of silicon wafer can be divided into the three stages: rubbing, plastic deformation, cracking. The plastic pile up and crack of the scratching traces on the wafer mainly propagate along the development of the easiest slip direction family <110>. The chipping modes produced in dicing silicon wafer can be broadly classified as four types: (1) 30° chipping; (2) 60° chipping; (3) 90° chipping; (4) irregular chipping, which causes these mechanisms of chipping modes due to the meeting between the radial cracks of 30°, 60°, and 90° along the easiest slip direction family <110> and the lateral cracks along the easiest cleavage plane family {111}. When using the thin diamond blade diced on the (111) silicon wafer along the [ [`1] 10 ] {\left[ {\overline{1} 10} \right]} direction, the size of top chipping produced was smaller than that of along the [ 11[`2] ] {\left[ {11\overline{2} } \right]} direction. Besides, for the (100) plane of silicon wafer, the size and the distribution of the chipping modes produced along the [ [`1] 10 ] {\left[ {\overline{1} 10} \right]} and [ [`1][`1] 0 ] {\left[ {\overline{1} \overline{1} 0} \right]} directions were similar.
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Dicing advanced materials for microelectronics
Conference Paper
  • Apr 2005
In recent years, the volume of thinned silicon and bumped silicon wafers have increased dramatically. The push to thinner silicon is driven by smart cards and stacked dice for low profile products which are highly popular in the marketplace. The dicing of advanced materials including thin wafers, ultra-thin silicon wafers, wafer with low k dielectric, bonded wafers and cavitated wafers is critically important for high volume IC production. Today, mechanical dicing with diamond saw blades remains the most cost effective manufacturing process. Advances in dicing processes and blade design allow for dicing of these wafers with minimum mechanical damage to the dice. Achieving end cut with no damage requires a fine balance between the design of the saw street dimension, the contents in the street and the wafer level processing that introduces internal stresses into the wafer. With the push to maximize die count per wafer, the saw street is often filled with wafer test features that not only degrade the cutting action of the blade but introduce internal stress in the silicon wafer. Data shows that chipping on redistributed and bumped wafers is higher than non-bumped wafers. This paper shows results from improved dicing parameters that will overcome yield loss during mechanical dicing without having to resort to laser dicing.
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Optimizing the wafer dicing process
Conference Paper
  • Nov 1993
Wafer dicing is one of the critical elements of the IC assembly process where improvements can make a major contribution to yield. Chipping (damage along the cut line inherent to the wafer dicing operation) has been identified by semiconductor manufacturers as a relevant area for improvement. A study of process factors that affect the magnitude of the chipping phenomenon is described. The goal is to explore the limits of the current equipment. Cursory experiments are conducted to zero-in on significant factors. During this phase, several factors that were considered major causes for chipping, are found to have no significant effect. A set of designed experiments is run. It identifies chipping sensitivity to process parameters and points at an operating window that improves cut quality. Field tests in production environment confirm the experimental results
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Hardness and fracture toughness of alumina ceramics
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Curkovic L, Rede V, Grilec K, Mulabidic A (2007) Hardness and fracture toughness of alumina ceramics. Conference of Materials, Processes, Friction and Wear.
Advanced packaging materials: processes, properties and interfaces
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Cheung A T (2005) Dicing advanced materials for microelectronics. Advanced packaging materials: processes, properties and interfaces. International Symposium, pp. 149-152