ELID grinding of silicon wafers: A literature review

Abstract

Silicon wafers are the most widely used substrates for fabricating integrated circuits. There have been continuous demands for higher quality silicon wafers with lower prices, and it becomes more and more difficult to meet these demands using current manufacturing processes. In recent years, research has been done on electrolytic in-process dressing (ELID) grinding of silicon wafers to explore its potential to become a viable manufacturing process. This paper reviews the literature on ELID grinding, covering its set-ups, wheel dressing mechanism, and experimental results. It also discusses the technical barriers that have to be overcome before ELID grinding can be used in manufacturing.

SOI Substrate Removal for SEE Characterization: Techniques and Applications

“…This could be the result of significant overetching along the cracks. Similar microcracks (or subsurface cracks) have been observed after grinding silicon wafers [15], [16]. These cracks have been found to penetrate up to 20 m deep into the wafer [16].…”

Ultrathin Wafer Pre-Assembly and Assembly Process Technologies: A Review

“…106 In ELID grinding, the wheel surface is electrolytically dressed. [105][106][107] However, ELID grinding has not found acceptance in silicon wafer manufacturing owing to wafer edge chipping during the grinding and scratches on the wafer caused by the chips. 100 …”

Grinding of silicon wafers: A review from historical perspectives

“…But there has been no report on applications of ELID grinding in silicon wafer manufacturing. More information on ELID grinding of silicon wafers can be found in a review paper devoted to the topic [18].…”

“…There exist numerous articles on grinding of silicon wafers, including several review papers [14][15][16][17][18][19]. However, most research papers were focused on individual aspects of silicon wafer grinding; none of the review papers presented any historical views on grinding in manufacturing of silicon wafers; and there was little discussion in the literature on the interrelationships between grinding and other machining processes for silicon wafers.…”