Laser dicing of silicon wafer

Abstract

The effect of various laser processing parameters on the kerf width and cut quality of Si wafer as well as encapsulated Si wafer is investigated. The parameters are then optimized to minimize the heat affect zone and obtain the best possible cut quality. It has been found that oxygen is the most suitable assist gas for laser dicing and that the highest gas pressure may not produce the best cut quality. The effect of laser repetition rate, pump energy, feed rate, and number of passes are also studied. Under optimized parameters, the cut quality of Si wafer using laser dicing is found to be comparable to diamond saw dicing. © 2008 World Scientific Publishing Company.