Mechanical resistance of a single-crystal silicon wafer

• US 6,580,151 B2
• Filed: 10/15/1998
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Bourdet, Florine, Vandeputte, Jacques
• Primary Examiner(s): JACKSON JR, JEROME
• Application Number:
  US09/173,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20020050624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 257/618, 257/798
• US Class Current: 257/618
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/06 Silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 33/00 After-treatment of single crystals or homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure C30B31/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/02 Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of thinning of a single-crystal silicon wafer so that the wafer has a final thickness lower than 80 μm.

Claims

1. A single-crystal silicon wafer having a diameter of greater than about 100 millimeters, a thickness of less than about 80 microns and a thickness variation of less than ±

10 microns, surfaces of the silicon wafer being free of contact with other materials.

2. The silicon wafer of claim 1 wherein the silicon wafer is substantially planar in an unstressed condition, the silicon wafer being bendable to a non-planar shape in response to a mechanical stress.

3. The silicon wafer of claim 2 wherein the silicon wafer is bendable to form a U-shape having a first section of a wafer surface that is substantially parallel to a second section of the wafer surface.

4. The silicon wafer of claim 2 wherein the silicon wafer is capable of being flexed so that a first edge of the silicon wafer contacts an opposite edge of the silicon wafer.

5. The silicon wafer of claim 2 wherein the silicon wafer returns to a substantially planar shape in response to the removal of the mechanical stress.

6. The silicon wafer of claim 2 wherein the silicon wafer comprises substantially single-crystal silicon after being bent.

7. The silicon wafer of claim 1 wherein the thickness is between 25 microns and 60 microns.

8. The silicon wafer of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the silicon wafer is substantially constant.

9. The silicon wafer of claim 1, wherein the single-crystal silicon wafer includes a doped region.

10. The silicon wafer of claim 9, wherein the doped region extends from a front surface of the silicon wafer.

11. The silicon wafer of claim 9, wherein the doped region extends from a rear surface of the silicon wafer.

12. The silicon wafer of claim 9, wherein the doped region comprises an insulating wall.