硅晶圆磨削减薄工艺的磨削力模型

硅晶圆磨削减薄是一种有别于传统磨削的材料加工方式。磨削减薄过程中,硅晶圆和砂轮同时绕旋转轴旋转,砂轮沿垂直方向连续进给去除材料,其中磨削力是磨削质量的决定性因素。目前,尚缺少一个用于硅晶圆磨削减薄工艺的磨削力预测模型。为了得到磨削力模型,分析了磨削减薄过程中的硅晶圆材料去除机理,将磨削力分为摩擦力和切屑力,考虑了磨粒运动轨迹,分别计算了单颗磨粒在法向和切向上的摩擦力和切屑力,最后基于有效磨粒总数建立了总磨削力模型。模型综合考虑了磨削参数、砂轮和硅晶圆的几何参数和材料性质对磨削力的影响。讨论了砂轮进给速度、晶圆转速和砂轮转速三个主要磨削参数对磨削力的影响,讨论了硅晶圆上晶向对磨削力的影响,给出了磨削力在硅晶圆面上沿径向的分布情况。     

Mechanical Strength of Silicon Wafers Cut by Loose Abrasive Slurry and Fixed Abrasive Diamond Wire Sawing

This paper reports on the mechanical strength of polycrystalline silicon wafers cut by loose abrasive slurry and fixed abrasive diamond wire sawing processes. Four line bending and biaxial flexure tests are used to evaluate the fracture strength of the wafers. Fracture strength of the wafers depends on the location, size, and orientation of microcracks in the silicon wafer and the distribution and magnitude of applied stresses. Measurement of microcracks at the wafer edge and center shows that edge cracks are typically larger than center cracks. Fixed abrasive diamond wire sawn wafers are found to have a higher crack density but smaller average crack length. Wafer fracture in four line bending is found to be primarily due to the propagation of edge cracks while center cracks are found to be the primary cause of wafer failure in biaxial flexure tests. Fracture mechanics based analyses demonstrate that crack orientation plays a significant role in four line bending, but not in biaxial flexure. Correlations of the wafer fracture strength and critical crack length agree well with microcrack measurements. The fracture strength of diamond cut wafers is found to be comparable or superior to the strength of slurry cut wafers.     

A detailed fractographic analysis of cleavage steps in silicon

A detailed analysis of cleavage steps present on fracture surfaces in pure silicon has been carried out using scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate that the mechanisms involved in both the formation of unfractured ligaments, produced when adjacent cleavage facets overlap, and the subsequent fracture of these ligaments to form cleavage steps, are quite complex. Specifically it is shown that, during ligament formation, the local crack fronts are deflected from their preferred (1 1 1) cleavage plane and that the fracture of these ligaments to form cleavage steps occurs in a very complex fashion producing very small microcleavage steps. It is shown that these latter steps are consistent with cleavage along both {1 1 1} and {0 1 1} planes.     

Surface integrity and removal mechanism in grinding sapphire wafers with novel vitrified bond diamond plates

In order to improve machining efficiency of sapphire wafer machining using the conventional loose abrasive process, fixed-abrasive diamond plates are investigated in this study for sapphire wafer grinding. Four vitrified bond diamond plates of different grain sizes (40?µm, 20?µm, 7?µm, and 2.5?µm) are developed and evaluated for grinding performance including surface roughness, surface topography, surface and subsurface damage, and material removal rate (MRR) of sapphire wafers. The material removal mechanisms, wafer surface finish, and quality of the diamond plates are also compared and discussed. The experiment results demonstrate that the surface material is removed in brittle mode when sapphire wafers are ground by the diamond plates with a grain size of 40?µm and 20?µm, and in ductile mode when that are ground by the diamond plates of grain sizes of 7?µm and 2.5?µm. The highest MRR value of 145.7?µm/min is acquired with the diamond plate with an abrasive size of 40?µm and the lowest surface roughness values of 3.5?nm in Ra is achieved with the 2.5?µm size.     

Shaped silicon-crystal wafers obtained by plastic deformation and their application to silicon-crystal lenses.

Plastic deformation is an unlikely process by which to mould pristine silicon wafers into three-dimensional shapes owing to the inevitable detrimental impact that the resulting mechanically induced defects would have on their electrical properties. However, if one were to find a way of doing so without substantial degradation of these properties, a range of new applications might be opened up. Here we report on the successful plastic deformation of silicon crystal wafers for the preparation of wafers with various shapes. A silicon wafer was set between dies and pressed at high temperatures. One application of shaped wafers is as well-shaped concave silicon crystal lenses or mirrors. The lattice plane of such a crystal lens has a curvature exactly along the surface. A concave spheroidal X-ray lens, in the form of two-dimensional Johann and Johansson's monochromators, is proposed for an X-ray optical component system. We propose and demonstrate a new solar cell system with the concave silicon crystal mirror used as both a solar cell and a focused mirror. This system can make use of the reflected photons from solar cells.     

Study into grinding force in back grinding of wafer with outer rim

Back grinding of wafer with outer rim (BGWOR) is a new method for carrier-less thinning of silicon wafers. At present, the effects of process parameters on the grinding force remain debatable. Therefore, a BGWOR normal grinding force model based on grain depth-of-cut was established, and the relationship between grinding parameters (wheel infeed rate, wheel rotational speed, and chuck rotational speed) and normal grinding force was discussed. Further, a series of experiments were performed to verify the BGWOR normal grinding force model. This study proves that the BGWOR normal grinding force is related to the rotational direction of the wheel and chuck, and the effect of grinding mark density on the BGWOR normal grinding force cannot be ignored. Moreover, this study provides methods for reducing the grinding force and optimizing the back thinning process of the silicon wafer.The full text can be downloaded at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40436-020-00316-z     

材料特性对亲水性固结磨料研磨垫加工性能的影响

为研究材料特性对亲水性固结磨料研磨垫的加工性能影响,本文研究了K9玻璃和硅片两种材料在不同加工顺序下研磨过程中的声发射信号和摩擦系数特征,采用扫描电镜分析磨屑的尺寸与形态.结果表明:不同加工顺序下工件的材料去除速率差别很大.与直接研磨硅片相比,先研磨K9玻璃再研磨硅片,硅片的材料去除速率大幅下降;相反,先研磨硅片再研磨K9玻璃,与直接研磨K9玻璃相比,K9玻璃的材料去除速率变化不大.无论采用哪种加工顺序,后研磨的工件表面粗糙度均比直接研磨的同种工件要大.扫描电镜的分析表明,硅片的磨屑尺寸集中在600 nm~1.5μm,磨屑大部分都棱角完整;而K9玻璃的磨屑尺寸集中在300 nm~500 nm左右,无明显棱角.硅片磨屑较大的尺寸与完整的棱角促进了研磨垫的自修正过程,所以硅片这类脆性较大的材料有利于研磨垫的自修正过程.     

Grinding of Single-Crystal Silicon Along Crystallographic Directions

This article studies the effect of grinding along crystallographic directions on the surface finish of single-crystal silicon. It also discusses new and/or improved processes for precision machining brittle materials, including silicon. Silicon samples were cut from (100) silicon wafers. These samples were then subjected to grinding along different crystallographic directions under the same experimental conditions. The surface roughness and the surface texture of these samples were then analyzed. The R_aand R_qvalues and the microphotographs of the ground silicon surfaces showed the dependency of surface finish on the grinding direction. Better surface finish was achieved when (100) silicon was ground along 〈110〉 directions. Samples ground along these directions also showed more ductile streaks on the silicon surfaces, compared with surfaces ground along the other directions.     

The influence of backgrinding on the fracture strength of 100 mm diameter (1 1 1) p-type silicon wafers

The influence of grinding geometry and damage depth on the fracture strength of 100 mm diameter (1 1 1) p-type silicon wafers has been studied. The fracture strengths were measured in a biaxial flexure test after the wafers were ground to 0.36 mm from 0.53 mm thick, in a grinding apparatus that produces a swath of swirls on the silicon wafer surfaces. Analysis of orientations of the swirl geometries and fracture probability was used to deduce the fracture strength relative to the crystallographic orientation of the wafers. Optical and scanning electron microscopy of bevelled, and cleaved and etched samples was used to measure the damage depths from selected locations on the wafers. The depth of damage and fracture strengths were correlated to the geometry of the backgrind swirl pattern and the relative position of the orientation flat. The damage depth was smaller when the swirl path was parallel or at 45° to the orientation flat as compared to the swirl paths at 90° and 135° orientations. As a result, the wafers ground in the former orientations had a higher fracture strength than those of the latter orientations (136 and 124 MPa versus 100 and 103 MPa, for the four orientations, respectively). This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Grinding of Metal Matrix Composites Reinforced with Silicon-Carbide Particles

This paper studies the grindability of metal matrix composites reinforced with SiC particles. A two-level factorial experiment was set up to investigate the effects of reinforcement volume, grinding parameters, and grinding wheel materials. While increasing the force and specific energy in grinding, the SiC particles are fractured along cleavage planes rather than being machined by grinding grains. Smearing of aluminum matrix masks the effect of grinding parameters on surface finish measurement. Increasing material removal rate causes an increasing of grinding forces but a decreasing of specific energy. Diamond wheels are recommended for both rough- and fine-grinding of the tested composites.     

On the scribing and subsequent fracturing of silicon semiconductor wafers

The integrated circuits deposited on silicon wafers are often separated by scribing with a diamond tool followed by bending to produce fracture. Using a commercial scribing tool we find permanent deformation and three types of crack. The median crack which propagates downwards is the objective of the scribing process. Lateral cracks which form, apparently following plastic deformation, may lead to chipping on either side of the scribing tool. These cracks and also the chevron cracks which form on the surface are very similar to cracks observed in scratching glass. However, in silicon, because of its anisotropy, the chevron cracks may be a serious problem since they can guide the median crack out of the scribing direction onto a preferred cleavage plane. This aspect leads to a brief discussion of the crystallography of silicon and recommendations for scribing configurations which should minimize undesired fracture. Finally, it is shown that the established methods of linear elastic fracture mechanics may be used to predict the maximum radius of curvature required to fracture a wafer containing a prescribed series of median cracks.     

Polishing of semiconductor materials

Different abrasive processes such as grinding and lapping are necessary to produce semiconductor wafers. However grinding and lapping leads to deterioration of the surface integrity of monocrystalline wafers. Therefore polishing and planarization is of utmost importance to produce microelectronic components. In this lecture the basics of polishing technology as well as different process models are presented. Additionally the properties of different semiconductor substrate materials Si, GaAs are discussed.     

CBN grain wear and its effects on material removal during grinding of FGH96 powder metallurgy superalloy

Grinding with cubic boron nitride (CBN) superabrasive is a widely used method of machining superalloy in aerospace industries. However, there are some issues, such as poor grinding quality and severe tool wear, in grinding of powder metallurgy superalloy FGH96. In addition, abrasive wheel wear is the significant factor that hinders the further application of CBN abrasive wheels. In this case, the experiment of grinding FGH96 with single CBN abrasive grain using different parameters was carried out. The wear characteristics of CBN abrasive grain were analyzed by experiment and simulation. The material removal behavior affected by CBN abrasive wear was also studied by discussing the pile-up ratio during grinding process. It shows that morphological characteristics of CBN abrasive grain and grinding infeed direction affect the CBN abrasive wear seriously by simulation analysis. Attrition wear, micro break, and macro fracture had an important impact on material removal characteristics. Besides, compared with the single cutting edge, higher pile-up ratio was obtained by multiple cutting edges, which reduced the removal efficiency of the material. Therefore, weakening multiple cutting edge grinding on abrasive grains in the industrial production, such as applying suitable dressing strategy, is an available method to improve the grinding quality and efficiency. The full text can be downloaded at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40436-022-00412-2     

The effects of processing conditions on the density and microstructure of hot-pressed silicon powder

Silicon powder was hot pressed into polycrystalline wafers 1.5 in ( 3.8 cm) diameter using various processing conditions. The submicrometre powder used was a by-product of the fluidized bed decomposition process of silane (SiH₄) in the production of silicon pellets. The effect of temperature (1250–1300°C), pressure (2000–3000 p.s.i.; 13.18–20.67 N mm^–2) and ambient (argon, hydrogen, vacuum) on the density of the hot-pressed powder was studied. All wafers processed had densities >92% of the theoretical density of silicon as determined by Archimedes' density measurements. Hydrogen was found to increase the densification rate of powdered silicon. The mechanism by which this occurs is believed to be the reduction of the native oxide layer of the powders resulting in increased surface transport. The microstructure of the polycrystalline wafers was examined by scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The general microstructure of the polycrystalline wafers consisted of micrometre-sized grains with twins, stacking faults, and dislocations within the grains. However, under hot-pressing conditions of 1300 °C, 2000 p.s.i., and a hydrogen ambient, the grains of the wafer were on the order of 1 mm. The silicon wafers contained iron, aluminium, carbon and oxygen impurities as determined by secondary ion mass spectroscopy.     

Spanende Bearbeitung von Hartlegierungen – Drehen und Schleifen. Teil III: Schleifen von Hartlegierungen

Metal Cutting of Hard Alloys – Turning and Grinding. Part III: Grinding of Hard Alloys Straight surface plunge grinding tests were performed at a peripheral wheel velocity of v_c = 15 m/s on exemplary iron based alloys FeCr12C2.1, FeCr13Nb9MoTiC2.3 and FeCr14Mo5WVC4.2 both in soft annealed and hardened and slightly relieved microstructural condition. Vitrified bonded wheels of type SC 60 3/4 (SiC) and 2B252 M6 V240 (CBN) with a diameter of D_S = 300 mm were used as abrasive tools. When selecting the machining parameters due consideration was given to materials related aspects and an acceptable volumetric removal rate per unit width of Q_w′ = 4 mm³/mms was taken into account. Subsequent examinations focused on the analysis of the thermomechanical load imposed on the microstructure. The grinding of hard alloys by means of conventional abrasives is significantly influenced by the content and type of the hard phases present. Due to their excessive hardness primarily solidified M₇C₃ are highly resistant to the ingressing abrasive grains. Accordingly, maximum grinding normal forces are encountered with the FeCr14Mo5WVC4.2 alloy. However, the normal forces are also found to be higher in case of a hardened metal matrix, when SiC is used as abrasive or a wet grinding process is applied. As regards tangential forces they also show a tendency of being influenced by structure-specific hard phases. Process temperature and stress condition ahead of the grain cutting edges are of great significance for the behaviour of the hard phases during grinding. If the mechanical component is predominant, accumulations of near-surface eutectic carbides are destroyed. Individual stalk-like carbides often break in the phase center. However, in the event of thermal load an eutectic M₇C₃ may also be deformed plastically. Through the cleavage fracture of coarse primary M₇C₃ phases microcracks are initiated that in the end will grow into macrocracks. Carbide fragments broken off will impair the surface quality. In particular the metal matrix reacts strongly to the process heat generated. In case of dry grinding using SiC a rehardening zone has been detected near the surface. The alloy-specific austenizing temperature of approximated 1000 °C was exceeded. As the distance to the surface increased a tempered area with hardness figures below those of the basic structure was found. No rehardening will occur if CBN is used as abrasive. The residual surface stresses determined correlate with the extent of thermal and mechanical load imposed. Whereas an extensive crack network is evident after dry grinding when SiC has been used as abrasive, no surface cracks were detected when employing the CBN abrasive. Due to the excellent thermal conductivity characteristics of this grinding medium a thermal damage during dry grinding can be avoided. While the use of grinding fluid will improve the surface roughness, cracks may form due to the abrupt quenching effect, especially if hardened material is involved. Increasing the workpiece velocity will also contribute to reduce the risk of crack development, but, on the other hand, leads to a surface quality deterioration that cannot be accepted.     

大型硅晶片平面度精密纳米计量技术

描述了一种基于斜率传感器的大型硅晶片平面度扫描测量系统．采用二维斜率传感器对晶片表面扫描，以获得表面绕X和Y轴的倾斜度．斜率传感器装在X向滑板上，而晶片固定在可绕Z轴转动的主轴上．对斜率传感器Y向的输出积分，得到晶片表面各个同心圆上轮廓截面高度．对斜率传感器X向的输出积分，得到晶片表面沿X向的截面轮廓，从而获得各同心圆轮廓之间的关系．构建了一个包括基于自准直原理的小型斜率传感器、气浮主轴、气浮导轨的实验系统，提出一种斜率传感器现场标定方法，用此系统测量了直径300mm的硅晶片平面度。     

Removal Behaviors of Different SiC Ceramics during Polishing

Comparative experiments were conducted to reveal the removal behaviors of three kinds of silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics during polishing and the effects of ceramic microstructure on the surface quality were also reported. Experimental results show that the second phase in SiC ceramics plays an important role in the surface quality when its size is large enough. The surface quality is enslaved to the formation of steps at interfaces between second phase and SiC matrix that results from different elastic modulus and hardness between two phases. Under 3 μm abrasive grains polishing condition, different SiC ceramics show different removal mechanisms. With decreasing abrasive grain size, all of different SiC ceramics exhibit a ductile removal mode, which decreases surface roughness effiently.     

On theoretical substantiation of the choice of effective grain profile shape in modeling of diamond layer in dressing tools. Part 2. Electroforming

The paper describes, from the statistical standpoint, the mechanism of formation of spherical shape of the averaged cross section of scratches produced by flat faces of diamond grains in abrasive material of grinding wheels during their dressing with diamond rolls manufactured by electroforming. The distribution of parameters of orientation of diamond grain cutting faces has been determined and a brief comparative analysis of characteristics of dressing tools manufactured by electroforming and electroplating has been performed. A notion of the reduced effective diameter has been introduced into the model representation of a diamond cutting grain; a relationship between this diameter and the tool grain size has been found, which is needed for calculating individual and total cross-sections of cuts, dressing forces, and surface roughness of workpieces ground with pre-dressed abrasive wheels.     

Transformation of hydrogen trapped onto microbubbles into H platelet layer in SI

Features of a process of delamination of a crystalline silicon layer from a silicon wafer along a hydrogen platelet layer formed by r.f. plasma hydrogenation are described. The process involves first making a buried layer of nuclei for hydrogen platelets. Ion implantation of inert or low-soluble gases is used to form the layer. The nuclei are microbubbles that appear along the R_p plane of implanted ions. Results for argon are presented. Wafers implanted with a dose of 10¹⁵ cm^–2 are then hydrogenated with an r.f. plasma. During hydrogenation, atomic hydrogen diffuses into the silicon wafer and collects onto internal surfaces of the microbubbles. Then the hydrogen increases the internal surface of the microbubbles by growing platelet-type extensions to the microbubbles. The extensions grow preferentially along the buried-layer plane. A silicon layer above the layer of grown platelets was delaminated through a pre-bonding/cut/post-bonding sequence as in a standard layer-transfer process. The plasma hydrogenation of the trap layer may be used as a step in a process of fabricating of SOI wafers with a very thin top crystalline silicon layer. Also, implant doses needed to form the microbubble trap layer are much lower than doses of direct implantation of hydrogen in the layer-transfer process.     

表面光电压法研究抛光硅片制造中铁沾污的来源

铁杂质是硅片制造过程中常见的重金属沾污 ,表面光电压 (SPV)法可很好地用于测定P型硅中铁杂质。本文通过SPV法测试不同流程制造的P型抛光硅片中的铁沾污 ,找到了在P型抛光硅片制造工艺过程中引入铁沾污的主要来源。