| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20090251699 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER ALIGNMENT - An apparatus for aligning semiconductor wafers includes equipment for positioning a first surface of a first semiconductor wafer directly opposite to a first surface of a second semiconductor wafer and equipment for aligning a first structure on the first semiconductor wafer with a second structure on the first surface of the second semiconductor wafer. The aligning equipment comprises at least one movable alignment device configured to be moved during alignment and to be inserted between the first surface of the first semiconductor wafer and the first surface of the second semiconductor wafer. The positioning equipment are vibrationally and mechanically isolated from the alignment device motion. | 10-08-2009 |
| 20100122762 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WAFER BONDING WITH ENHANCED WAFER MATING - An improved wafer-to-wafer bonding method includes aligning an upper and a lower wafer and initiating a bond at a single point by applying pressure to a single point of the upper wafer via the flow of pressurized gas through a port terminating at the single point. The bond-front propagates radially across the aligned oppositely oriented wafer surfaces at a set radial velocity rate bringing the two wafer surfaces into full atomic contact by controlling the gas pressure and/or controlling the velocity of the motion of the lower wafer up toward the upper wafer. | 05-20-2010 |
| 20100263794 | APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY DEBONDING TEMPORARY BONDED SEMICONDUCTOR WAFERS - A debonder apparatus for debonding two via an adhesive layer combined with a release layer temporary bonded wafers includes a chuck assembly, a flex plate assembly and a contact roller. The chuck assembly includes a chuck and a first wafer holder configured to hold wafers in contact with the top surface of the chuck. The flex plate assembly includes a flex plate and a second wafer holder configured to hold wafers in contact with a first surface of the flex plate. The flex plate comprises a first edge connected to a hinge and a second edge diametrically opposite to the first edge, and the flex plate's first edge is arranged adjacent to a first edge of the chuck and the flex plate is configured to swing around the hinge and to be placed above the top surface of the chuck. The contact roller is arranged adjacent to a second edge of the chuck, which is diametrically opposite to its first edge. A debond drive motor is configured to move the contact roller vertical to the plane of the chuck top surface. In operation, a wafer pair, comprising a carrier wafer stacked upon and being bonded to a device wafer via an adhesive layer and a release layer, is placed upon the chuck so that the ubonded surface of the device wafer is in contact with the chuck top surface. Next, the flex plate swings around the hinge and is placed above the bottom chuck so that its first surface is in contact with the unbonded surface of the carrier wafer. Next, the contact roller is driven upward until it contacts and pushes the second edge of the flex plate up while the carrier wafer is held by the flex plate and the device wafer is held by the chuck via the second and first wafer holders, respectively. The contact roller push flexes the second edge of the flex plate and causes delamination of the wafer pair along the release layer. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100266373 | DEVICE FOR CENTERING WAFERS - A device for centering circular wafers includes a support chuck for supporting a circular wafer to be centered upon its top surface, left, right and middle centering linkage rods and a cam plate synchronizing the rectilinear motion of the left, right and middle centering linkage rods. The left centering linkage rod includes a first rotating arm at a first end and rectilinear motion of the left centering linkage rod translates into rotational motion of the first rotating arm. The right centering linkage rod comprises a second rotating arm at a first end, and rectilinear motion of the right centering linkage rod translates into rotational motion of the second rotating arm. The first and second rotating arms are rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the top surface of the support chuck and comprise a curved edge surface configured to roll against the curved edge of the circular wafer. The middle centering linkage rod includes a third alignment arm at a first end. The third alignment arm is placed in contact with the curved edge of the circular wafer and linear motion of the middle centering linkage rod in the Y-direction pushes the third alignment arm and the circular wafer toward or away from the center of the support chuck. The cam plate includes first and second linear cam profiles. The first cam profile provides rectilinear motion for the middle centering linkage rod and the second linear cam profile provides rectilinear motion for the left and right centering linkage rods. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20110010908 | APPARATUS FOR THERMAL-SLIDE DEBONDING OF TEMPORARY BONDED SEMICONDUCTOR WAFERS - A debonder apparatus for debonding two via an adhesive layer temporary bonded wafers includes a top chuck assembly, a bottom chuck assembly, a static gantry supporting the top chuck assembly, an X-axis carriage drive supporting the bottom chuck assembly, and an X-axis drive control. The top chuck assembly includes a heater and a wafer holder. The X-axis drive control drives horizontally the bottom chuck assembly from a loading zone to a process zone under the top chuck assembly and from the process zone back to the loading zone. A wafer pair comprising a carrier wafer bonded to a device wafer via an adhesive layer is placed upon the bottom chuck assembly at the loading zone oriented so that the unbonded surface of the device wafer is in contact with the bottom assembly and is carried by the X-axis carriage drive to the process zone under the top chuck assembly and the unbonded surface of the carrier wafer is placed in contact with the top chuck assembly. The X-axis drive control initiates horizontal motion of the X-axis carriage drive along the X-axis while heat is applied to the carrier wafer via the heater and while the carrier wafer is held by the top chuck assembly via the wafer holder and thereby causes the device wafer to separate and slide away from the carrier wafer. | 01-20-2011 |
| 20110198817 | THIN WAFER CARRIER - An improved wafer carrier device for carrying and holding semiconductor wafers that have a thickness of below 100 micrometers includes a transportable wafer chuck having an enclosed vacuum reservoir and a top surface configured to support a wafer. The top surface has one or more through-openings extending from the top surface to the vacuum reservoir and the wafer is held onto the top surface via vacuum from the vacuum reservoir drawn through the through-openings. | 08-18-2011 |
| 20110253314 | DEBONDING EQUIPMENT AND METHODS FOR DEBONDING TEMPORARY BONDED WAFERS - A debonder apparatus for debonding a temporary bonded wafer pair includes a chuck assembly, a flex plate assembly, a contact roller and a resistance roller. The chuck assembly includes a chuck and a first wafer holder configured to hold a first wafer of the temporary bonded wafer pair in contact with a top surface of the chuck. The flex plate assembly includes a flex plate and a second wafer holder configured to hold a second wafer of the temporary bonded wafer pair in contact with a first surface of the flex plate. The flex plate is configured to be placed above the top surface of the chuck. The contact roller is arranged adjacent to a first edge of the chuck and includes means for pushing and lifting up a first edge of the flex plate. The resistance roller includes means for traversing horizontally over the flex plate and means for applying a downward force upon the flex plate. The contact roller pushes and lifts up the first edge of the flex plate while the resistance roller simultaneously applies the downward force upon the flex plate and traverses horizontally away from the first edge of the flex plate and thereby the temporary bonded wafer pair delaminates along a release layer and the first and second wafers are separated from each other. | 10-20-2011 |
| 20110253315 | DEBONDING EQUIPMENT AND METHODS FOR DEBONDING TEMPORARY BONDED WAFERS - A debonder apparatus for debonding a temporary bonded wafer pair includes a clam-shell type reactor, an upper chuck and a lower chuck. The reactor includes first and second isolated chambers. The upper chuck is contained within the first chamber and has a lower surface protruding into the second chamber and an edge configured to be held in fixed position via clamping means. The lower chuck is contained within the second chamber and has an upper surface oriented parallel and opposite to the lower surface of the upper chuck. The debonder apparatus also includes means for holding an unbonded surface of the first wafer of the temporary bonded wafer pair onto the lower surface of the upper chuck, and means for pressurizing the first chamber. The first chamber pressurizing means applies pressure onto an upper surface of the upper chuck while the upper chuck edge is held in fixed position via the clamping means, and thereby causes the lower surface of the upper chuck and the attached wafer pair to bow downward. The debonder apparatus also includes means for initiating a separation front at a point of the bonding interface of the temporary bonded wafer pair. The debonder apparatus also includes means for pressurizing the second chamber while the first chamber pressure is reduced thereby causing removal of the downward bowing of the upper chuck and the attached wafer pair and propagation of the separation front through the entire bond interface. The debonder apparatus also includes means for attaching the unbonded surface of the separated second wafer onto the upper surface of the lower chuck. | 10-20-2011 |
