DFD 6362 Automatic Dicing

An automatic version of this class incorporates cassette handling, prealignment, optical pattern recognition for street alignment, and programmed cutting paths so that wafers can be processed without manual intervention after loading.

The wafer is mounted onto an adhesive-backed dicing tape stretched across a rigid frame. The frame is held on a vacuum chuck and moved beneath a high-speed rotating blade whose cutting edge is impregnated with diamond grit. Cutting follows the narrow streets between die; the blade advances through the substrate while being cooled and cleansed by a stream of deionized water.

Optical cameras read alignment marks on the wafer surface to determine the actual position of the streets and automatically correct for rotation and offset. After each cut, the machine may inspect for blade wear or breakage and can adjust process parameters before continuing. The tape keeps the individual die in place after the cut, preventing separation and loss.

Machines of this class are used for singulating silicon integrated-circuit wafers, compound semiconductor devices, memory die, MEMS, sensors, discrete power devices, and brittle non-semiconductor substrates such as ceramic and glass. The process is essential wherever individual die are required for assembly into packages or hybrid circuits.