Method of singulating electronic devices

• US 20060088980A1
• Filed: 10/27/2004
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Chien-Hua, Chen, Zhizhang, Geissler, Steven R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,422,962 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/460
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00888 Multistep processes involving only mechanical separation, e.g. grooving followed by cleaving
• 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 23/10 characterised by the material or arrangement of seals between parts, e.g. between cap and base of the container or between leads and walls of the container
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A method of singulating electronic devices, including aligning a saw blade over a lid street disposed on a lid substrate that is disposed over a device substrate. An electronic device that includes a bond pad is disposed on the device substrate, wherein the lid street is disposed over the bond pad. In addition, the method also includes sawing partially through the lid street to form a trench in the lid street. The trench includes a trench bottom in the lid substrate.

Claims

1. A method of singulating electronic devices, comprising:

aligning a saw blade over a lid street disposed on a lid substrate, said lid substrate disposed over a device substrate having an electronic device disposed on said device substrate, said electronic device having a bond pad, wherein said lid street is disposed over said bond pad; and

sawing partially through said lid street to form a trench in said lid street, said trench having a trench bottom in said lid substrate.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprises:

creating a device street disposed on said device substrate, said device street having a device street width;

creating said bond pad having a bond pad width in the direction perpendicular to said device street; and

creating said lid street to include a lid street width equal to or greater than the sum of said bond pad width and said device street width.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said electronic device further comprises a first and a second electronic device adjacent to and separated from each other by a device street having a device street width, said first electronic device having a plurality of first bond pads disposed along a first device periphery proximate to said device street, said plurality of first bond pads having a first bond pad width in the direction perpendicular to said device street, and said second electronic device having a plurality of second bond pads disposed along a second device periphery proximate to said device street, said plurality of second bond pads having a second bond pad width in the direction perpendicular to said device street, wherein said lid street includes a lid street width greater than the sum of said first bond pad width, said second bond pad width, and said device street width.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

creating a device street disposed on said device substrate wherein said electronic device further comprises a first and a second electronic device adjacent to each other, said first and second electronic devices separated by said device street, said device street having a device street width;

creating said bond pad on said first electronic device, said bond pad having a first bond pad width in the direction perpendicular to said device street; and

creating a second bond pad on said second electronic device said second bond pad having a second bond pad width in the direction perpendicular to said device street, wherein said lid street includes a lid street width greater than the sum of said first and said second bond pad widths and said device street width.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said electronic device further comprises a first and a second electronic device adjacent to each other, said first and second electronic devices separated by a device street, said first electronic device having a plurality of first bond pads disposed along a first device periphery proximate to said device street, said plurality of first bond pads having a first bond pad width in the direction perpendicular to said device street, and said second electronic device having a plurality of second bond pads disposed along a second device periphery proximate to said device street, said plurality of second bond pads having a second bond pad width in the direction perpendicular to said device street, said first and second plurality of bond pads having a bond pad separation distance wherein said lid street includes a lid street width greater than the sum of said first bond pad width, said second bond pad width, and said bond pad separation distance.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising

creating a device street disposed on said device substrate wherein said electronic device further comprises a first and a second electronic device adjacent to each other, said first and second electronic devices separated by said device street, said device street having a device street width;

creating said bond pad on said first electronic device, said bond pad having a first bond pad width in the direction perpendicular to said device street; and

creating a second bond pad on said second electronic device said second bond pad having a second bond pad width in the direction perpendicular to said device street, said bond pad and said second bond pad having a bond pad separation distance, wherein said lid street includes a lid street width greater than the sum of said first and said second bond pad widths and said bond pad separation distance.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising removing said trench bottom, whereby said bond pad is exposed.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein removing said trench bottom further comprises exposing said lid substrate and said trench bottom to a blanket deep reactive ion etching.

9. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein removing said trench bottom further comprises sawing through said trench bottom.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein sawing through said lid substrate further comprises determining an average depth of cut.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising forming a device seal between said lid substrate and said device substrate, said device seal having a height greater than said average depth of cut.

12. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein removing said trench bottom further comprises exposing said trench to a wet etch.

13. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein removing said trench bottom further comprises exposing said trench bottom to an inert gas ion etch.

14. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein removing said trench bottom further comprises exposing said trench bottom to grit blasting.

15. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein removing said trench bottom further comprises exposing said trench bottom to a focused ion beam.

16. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein removing said trench bottom further comprises exposing said trench bottom to water jet cutting.

17. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein removing said trench bottom further comprises exposing said trench bottom to laser ablation.

18. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising forming a protective layer over a first surface of said lid substrate substantially opposed to a lid bonding surface, wherein sawing partially through said lid street forms a hard etch mask.

19. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

forming a device seal of a pre-selected height; and

sawing through said trench bottom, wherein said pre-selected height of said device seal is sufficient to hinder said saw blade from contacting said bond pad.

20. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising bonding said lid substrate to said electronic device substrate.

21. The method in accordance with claim 20, wherein bonding said lid substrate further comprises performing a gas plasma treatment on a surface of a lid bond ring surface and/or a device bond ring surface.

22. The method in accordance with claim 21, further comprising performing a water plasma treatment on said surface of said lid bond ring surface and/or said device bond ring surface.

23. The method in accordance with claim 21, further comprising performing a wet-dip process.

24. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

aligning a saw blade over a device street disposed on said device substrate; and

sawing through said device street.

25. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising forming a bond pad protective layer on said bond pad.

26. The method in accordance with claim 25, wherein forming a bond pad protective layer further comprises forming a polyvinylalcohol layer on said bond pad.

27. The method in accordance with claim 25, further comprising removing said bond pad protective layer.

28. The method in accordance with claim 25, wherein removing said bond pad protective layer further comprises washing said bond pad protective layer off of said bond pad.

29. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising forming a lid channel on a lid bonding surface of said lid substrate.

30. The method in accordance with claim 29, wherein sawing partially through said lid street further comprises sawing through said lid street to said lid channel, thereby exposing said bond pad.

31. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising bonding an electrical conductor to said bond pad.

32. The method in accordance with claim 31, forming an electrical insulator disposed between said electrical conductor and said lid substrate.

33. A method of singulating electronic devices, comprising:

step for aligning a saw blade over a lid street disposed over a device substrate having an electronic device disposed on said device substrate, said electronic device having a bond pad, wherein said saw blade is disposed over said bond pad; and

step for sawing partially through said lid street to form a trench in said lid street, said trench having a trench bottom in said lid substrate.

34. The method in accordance with claim 33, further comprising step for removing said trench bottom exposing said bond pad.

35. A method, comprising:

aligning a lid wafer to a device wafer, said lid wafer having a plurality of lids disposed thereon and a plurality of lid street regions disposed between said plurality of lids, said device wafer having a plurality of devices disposed thereon, each device having a plurality of bond pads disposed around a periphery of said device, wherein said plurality of lid street regions are disposed over said plurality of bond pads;

bonding said lid wafer to said device wafer;

aligning at least one saw blade over one of said plurality of lid street regions; and

sawing partially through said lid wafer to form a trench in said lid street region, said trench having a trench bottom.

36. A method of singulating electronic devices, comprising:

bonding a lid substrate to a device substrate, said lid substrate having at least one lid street disposed thereon, said device substrate having two or more electronic devices disposed thereon, each device having a bond pad, wherein said at least one lid street is disposed over said bond pad;

sawing partially through said lid street forming a trench in said lid street, said trench having a trench bottom in said lid substrate.