Method and device for separating a reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer

• US 7,504,316 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Richards; N Drew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Singal; Ankush K
• Application Number:
  US11/087,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20050215030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 438/458, 438/200
• US Class Current: 438/458
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/304 Mechanical treatment, e.g. grinding, polishing, cutting H01L21/30625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67132 Apparatus for placing on an insulating substrate, e.g. tape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6835 using temporarily an auxiliary support
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6836 Wafer tapes, e.g. grinding or dicing support tapes adhesive tapes in general C09J7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/78 with subsequent division of the substrate into plural individual devices cutting to change the surface-physical characteristics or shape of semiconductor bodies H01L21/304
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/68327 used during dicing or grinding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/6834 used to protect an active side of a device or wafer

Abstract

A reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer is separated from the wafer which includes a semiconductor wafer, a double-side adhesive sheet having, on at least one surface thereof, a peelable adhesive layer stuck to a front face of the semiconductor wafer, and the reinforcing-plate fixed to the other adhesive layer of the double-side adhesive sheet. A method includes separating the reinforcing-plate together with the double-side adhesive sheet from the reinforced semiconductor wafer by the peeling-effect of the peelable adhesive layer of the double-side adhesive sheet. The method further includes separating the reinforcing-plate from an arbitrarily selected edge of the semiconductor wafer toward an edge thereof different from the above-mentioned edge.

Claims

1. A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device;

the wafer comprising a semiconductor wafer and a double-side adhesive sheet having, on at least one surface thereof, a peelable adhesive layer, wherein the peelable adhesive layer is stuck to a front face of the semiconductor wafer and the reinforcing-plate is fixed to the other adhesive layer of the double-side adhesive sheet;

the reinforcing-plate being separated together with the double-side adhesive sheet from the reinforced semiconductor wafer by the peeling-effect of the peelable adhesive layer of the double-side adhesive sheet;

in which the reinforcing-plate is separated from an arbitrarily selected edge of the semiconductor wafer toward an edge thereof different from the above-mentioned edge; and

the semiconductor wafer, from which the reinforcing-plate has been separated, is transferred to a dicing step wherein the semiconductor wafer is divided into chips.

2. The method for separating a reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer according to claim 1, wherein the reinforced semiconductor wafer is a semiconductor wafer the rear face of which is subjected to thinning-work in the state that the reinforcing-plate is fixed to the wafer.

3. The method for separating a reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing-plate is separated linearly from the arbitrarily selected edge of the semiconductor wafer.

4. The method for separating a reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer according to claim 1, wherein the peelable adhesive layer of the double-side adhesive sheet is a thermally-peelable adhesive layer.

5. The method for separating a reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer according to claim 1, wherein the peelable adhesive layer of the double-side adhesive sheet is an ultraviolet ray peelable adhesive layer.

6. The method for separating a reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing-plate is separated after an external energy is linearly applied perpendicular to the direction of separation of the reinforcing-plate.

7. A device used in the method for separating a reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer according to claim 3, comprising a mechanism for fixing a reinforced semiconductor wafer, and a mechanism for giving external energy which exhibits the peeling agency of a peelable adhesive layer linearly from an arbitrarily selected edge of the reinforced semiconductor wafer.

8. A device used in the method for separating a reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer according to claim 4, comprising a mechanism for fixing a reinforced semiconductor wafer, and a mechanism for heating the reinforced semiconductor wafer linearly from an arbitrarily selected edge of the wafer.

9. A device used in the method for separating a reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer according to claim 5, comprising a mechanism for fixing a reinforced semiconductor wafer, and a mechanism for radiating ultraviolet rays onto the reinforced semiconductor wafer linearly from an arbitrarily selected edge of the wafer.

10. The method for separating a reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer according to claim 6, wherein a linear heating roller or a linear ultraviolet lamp supplies the external energy.

11. The method for separating a reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer according to claim 10, wherein the heating roller supplies the external energy, and the heating roller is applied by rolling the heating roller over the reinforcing-plate.

12. The method for separating a reinforcing-plate fixed to a reinforced semiconductor wafer according to claim 11, wherein the shifting speed of the heating roller is 1 to 50 mm/s.

13. A method for processing a semiconductor wafer, comprising:

providing a reinforced semiconductor wafer comprising (i) a semiconductor wafer, (ii) a double-side adhesive sheet, one side of which is a peelable adhesive layer stuck to a front face of the semiconductor wafer, and (iii) a reinforcing-plate fixed to the other side of the double-side adhesive sheet;

processing a rear face of the semiconductor wafer to which the reinforcing-plate remains fixed;

loosening adhesion of the peelable adhesive layer using external energy;

separating the reinforcing-plate together with the double-side adhesive sheet from the semiconductor wafer from an edge of the semiconductor wafer toward another edge as the loosening of the peelable adhesive layer progresses; and

transferring the semiconductor wafer, from which the reinforcing-plate has been separated, to a dicing step wherein the semiconductor wafer is divided into chips.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the processing of the rear face of the semiconductor wafer is thinning-work.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the separation of the reinforcing-plate is conducted in a linear direction from the edge to the other edge of the semiconductor wafer.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the peelable adhesive layer of the double-side adhesive sheet is a thermally-peelable adhesive layer, and the external energy is thermal energy.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the peelable adhesive layer of the double-side adhesive sheet is an ultraviolet ray peelable adhesive layer, and the external energy is ultraviolet energy.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the external energy is applied by a roller which moves on a surface of the reinforcing-plate.