Speedy scribe whips through wafers

The UltraScribe DP-266 high-speed sapphire scribing system is capable of scribing speeds up to 30mm/s, providing wafer process times that are dramatically shorter than other scribing systems.

The UltraScribe DP-266 high-speed sapphire scribing system is capable of scribing speeds up to 30mm/s, providing wafer process times that are dramatically shorter than other scribing systems.

The UltraScribe is based on the new DP series of high power solid-state lasers and features automated part wafer handling.

Scribe depths can be adjusted from 25 to 100um, enabling precise scribing of 100 to 500um-thick sapphire wafers.

The system has also been used for cutting sapphire of up to 700um thickness and can be used to process other semiconductor materials such as gallium nitride and silicon.

The small spot of highly focused energy from a deep UV laser can produce grooves with a V-shaped profile, ideal for subsequent breaking steps.

The strong material interaction at 260nm introduces very little heat into the material, thus giving much less thermal damage compared to 355nm based laser systems.

The deep UV radiation cuts sapphire with very little residue and surface debris.

To achieve the best possible accuracy of edge finish, great care has been taken in the design of the four-axis workstation to isolate the stage carrying the workpiece from vibration and to use only ultra-high precision mechanical x-y stages with 200mm travel, controlled to 0.1um resolution.

With kerf widths below 20um, the Oxford Lasers UltraScribe allows the design of wafers with a higher density of chips and greatly improved yields.

For process trials, subcontracts or out-sourcing, Oxford Lasers' dedicated UV applications laboratory offers a sapphire scribing service of anything from single wafers to routine scribing of production batches.

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