Asymmetrical scribe and separation method of manufacturing liquid crystal devices on silicon wafers

• US 5,963,289 A
• Filed: 10/27/1997
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Compound Photonics Limited
• Original Assignee: S Vision
• Inventors: Frank, Christopher, Ji, Yimin, Stefanov, Michael E., Erdmann, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hollingshead, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US08/957,984
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 349/187
• US Class Current: 349/187
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133351 Manufacturing of individual cells out of a plurality of cells, e.g. by dicing

Abstract

A method of manufacturing liquid crystal on silicon devices uses asymmetric placement of scribes on silicon and glass substrate layers to maximize the yield of processed active matrix silicon wafers. Asymmetrical scribing minimizes a dimension from a gasket seal between the substrates to a lower bond pad edge. An opposite glass overhang provides an interconnect redundancy for an ITO plate or a repair site for electrical contact to the ITO plate. Methods of device separation employing partial sawing are also employed.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a plurality of liquid crystal devices on a silicon substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a substrate in the form of a silicon substrate having a plurality of processed dies, each die containing an active matrix of display addressing functions for a liquid crystal device, the dies arranged in a generally orthogonal array on the silicon substrate with horizontal and vertical scribe streets between the dies;

b) preparing the silicon substrate for attachment to a glass substrate;

c) preparing a glass substrate for attachment to the silicon substrate;

d) dispensing a sealant material on the silicon substrate;

e) attaching a glass substrate to the silicon wafer by contact with the sealant material;

f) forming horizontal scribes in the horizontal scribe streets in the silicon substrate and vertical scribes in the vertical scribe streets in the silicon substrate;

g) forming vertical scribes in the glass substrate which coincide with the vertical scribe streets in the silicon substrate, and

h) forming horizontal scribes in the glass substrate adjacent to the horizontal scribe streets in the silicon substrate, whereby the horizontal scribes in the glass substrate intersect each of the dies in a horizontal row in the generally orthogonal array of dies on the silicon substrate;

i) forming parts by separating the glass substrate and silicon substrate along the respective scribes, and

j) filling the parts with liquid crystal material between the glass and silicon substrates and sealing the parts between the substrates to form a liquid crystal device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the dies includes a bond pad ledge, and the dies are arranged in the array with the bond pad ledges in a common position.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a width dimension of the horizontal scribe streets between the dies on the silicon substrate is not substantially greater than a combined width of a scribe street and two bond pad ledges.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the horizontal scribes in the glass substrate are proximate to an edge of the bond pad ledges of each of the dies in a row of the orthogonal array.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the horizontal scribes in the glass substrate are spaced from the horizontal scribes in the silicon substrate a distance approximately equal to a depth dimension of a bond pad ledge of each of the dies.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of applying a gasket seal between the glass substrate and the silicon substrate, and wherein a scribe in the glass substrate is generally coincident with a gasket seal at one edge of a device, and another scribe in the glass substrate is offset from a gasket seal at an opposite edge of the device.

7. A liquid crystal device package having a silicon substrate bonded to a glass substrate for containing a liquid crystal material between the substrates, the liquid crystal device package manufactured by:

a) providing a silicon substrate in the form of a wafer having a plurality of dies containing an active matrix for display addressing functions of a liquid crystal device;

b) applying a gasket seal material to the silicon substrate;

c) attaching a glass substrate to the silicon substrate;

d) scribing the silicon substrate between the dies, and scribing the glass substrate generally parallel to the scribes in the silicon substrate, wherein at least one scribe in the glass substrate is not coincident with a scribe in the silicon substrate, and

e) separating the attached substrates along the scribes in the substrates to form a plurality of liquid crystal device packages, whereby at least one edge of the glass substrate extends beyond a parallel edge of the silicon substrate of a liquid crystal device package.

8. The liquid crystal device package of claim 7 wherein at least one edge of the silicon substrate extends beyond a parallel edge of the glass substrate.

9. The liquid crystal device package of claim 7 wherein an edge of the silicon substrate which does not coincide with an edge of the glass substrate serves as a bond pad ledge.

10. The liquid crystal device package of claim 7 further comprising alignment layers between the substrates, and an ITO layer next to the glass substrate.

11. A combination of scribed substrates for producing a plurality of liquid crystal cases, the combination including a generally planar silicon substrate bonded generally parallel to a generally planar glass substrate, the silicon substrate containing a plurality of dies with scribe streets between the dies, scribes placed in the silicon substrate in the scribe streets, scribes in the glass substrate which are aligned with scribes in the silicon substrate in one direction, and which are not aligned with scribes in the silicon substrate in another direction.

12. The combination of claim 11 wherein the scribes in the substrates are generally orthogonal, and scribes in the glass substrate intersect active matrix dies on the silicon substrate.

13. The combination of claim 11 further comprising alignment layers, a gasket seal, an ITO layer and a conductive crossover between the substrates.

14. The combination of claim 11 wherein the scribes on the substrates are generally orthogonal.

15. A combination of scribed substrates for producing a plurality of liquid crystal cases, the combination including a generally planar silicon substrate bonded generally parallel to a generally planar glass substrate, the silicon substrate containing a plurality of active matrix dies with bond pads at one edge of each die, the dies arranged upon the silicon substrate so that the bond pads are generally aligned in an opposing arrangement;

scribe streets in the silicon substrate between the dies;

scribes in the scribe streets in the silicon substrate;

a glass substrate attached to the silicon substrate, and scribes in the glass substrate which intersect the dies.

16. The combination of claim 15 wherein the scribes are generally orthogonal, and the scribes in one direction on the silicon substrate and glass substrate coincide, and the scribes in another direction on the silicon substrate and glass substrate are offset.