Various embodiments may be used for laser-based modification of target material of a workpiece while advantageously achieving improvements in processing throughput and/or quality. Embodiments of a method of processing may include focusing and directing laser pulses to a region of the workpiece at a pulse repetition rate sufficiently high so that material is efficiently removed from the region and a quantity of unwanted material within the region, proximate to the region, or both is reduced relative to a quantity obtainable at a lower repetition rate In at least one embodiment, an ultrashort pulse laser system may include at least one of a fiber amplifier or fiber laser. Various embodiments are suitable for at least one of dicing, cutting, scribing, and forming features on or within a semiconductor substrate. Workpiece materials may also include metals, inorganic or organic dielectrics, or any material to be micromachined with femtosecond and/or picosecond pulses, and in some embodiments with pulse widths up to a few nanoseconds.

Laser-based material processing methods and systems

In one embodiment, semiconductor die are singulated from a semiconductor wafer by etching openings completely through the semiconductor wafer.

Semiconductor die singulation method

A laser processing apparatus comprising a chuck table, laser beam irradiation means for irradiating a workpiece held on the chuck table with a laser beam, and processing feed means for processing-feeding the chuck table and the laser beam irradiation means relative to each other. The laser beam irradiation means includes first laser beam irradiation means for throwing a first pulsed laser beam having a wavelength in the intermediate-infrared radiation region, and second laser beam irradiation means for throwing a second pulsed laser beam having a wavelength in the ultraviolet radiation region. The first laser beam irradiation means and the second laser beam irradiation means are set such that at least a part, in the processing feed direction, of the focus spot of the second pulsed laser beam overlaps the focus spot of the first pulsed laser beam.

Laser processing apparatus

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dicing method which is less in breaking or cracking on a semiconductor wafer, reduces the futility of a usable area on a semiconductor wafer, and enables the achievement of a high production throughput.SOLUTION: Methods of dicing semiconductor wafers, each having a plurality of integrated circuits mounted thereon are disclosed. The method comprises: a step 302 for forming, on a semiconductor wafer, a mask for covering and protecting the integrated circuits; a step 304 for patterning the mask by femtosecond laser scribing to form a patterned mask with gaps and to expose regions between the integrated circuits on the semiconductor wafer; and a step 306 for etching the semiconductor wafer through the gaps of the patterned mask to cut the wafer into the individual integrated circuits.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Wafer dicing using femtosecond-based laser and plasma etch

The present invention generally describes apparatuses and methods used to perform an annealing process on desired regions of a substrate. In one embodiment, pulses of electromagnetic energy are delivered to a substrate using a flash lamp or laser apparatus. The pulses may be from about 1 nsec to about 10 msec long, and each pulse has less energy than that required to melt the substrate material. The interval between pulses is generally long enough to allow the energy imparted by each pulse to dissipate completely. Thus, each pulse completes a micro-anneal cycle. The pulses may be delivered to the entire substrate at once, or to portions of the substrate at a time. Further embodiments provide an apparatus for powering a radiation assembly, and apparatuses for detecting the effect of pulses on a substrate.

Pulse train annealing method and apparatus

An improved method for singulation of compound electronic devices is presented. Compound electronic devices are manufactured by combining two or more substrates into an assembly containing multiple devices. Presented are methods for singulation of compound electronic devices using laser processing. The methods presented provide fewer defects such as cracking or chipping of the substrates while minimizing the width of the kerf and maintaining system throughput.

Method for laser singulation of chip scale packages on glass substrates

Tailored laser pulse shapes are used for processing workpieces. Laser dicing of semiconductor device wafers on die-attach film (DAF), for example, may use different tailored laser pulse shapes for scribing device layers down to a semiconductor substrate, dicing the semiconductor substrate, cutting the underlying DAF, and/or post processing of the upper die edges to increase die break strength. Different mono-shape laser pulse trains may be used for respective recipe steps or passes of a laser beam over a scribe line. In another embodiment, scribing a semiconductor device wafer includes only a single pass of a laser beam along a scribe line using a mixed-shape laser pulse train that includes at least two laser pulses that are different than one another. In addition, or in other embodiments, one or more tailored pulse shapes may be selected and provided to the workpiece on-the-fly. The selection may be based on sensor feedback.

Methods and systems for laser processing a workpiece using a plurality of tailored laser pulse shapes

Dual-beam laser outputs, preferably derived from a single laser beam, improve the quality of the sidewalls of vias drilled in a target material, such as printed circuit board, comprising fiber-reinforced resin. Two embodiments each use two laser output components to remove a portion (14) of target material (18) from a target material location of a workpiece (12) and rapidly clean remnants of the target material bonded to a metal layer underlying the target material location at a material removal rate. A first embodiment entails directing for incidence on a portion of the target material at the target material location a processing laser output having first and second components characterized by respective first and second wavelengths ( λ1λ2 ). A second embodiment entails directing for incidence on a portion of the target material at the target material location a processing laser output having first and second components characterized by respective first and pulse widths.

Multiple laser wavelength and pulse width process drilling

Systems and methods generate laser pulse trains for material processing. In one embodiment, stable laser pulse trains at high repetition rates are generated from a continuous wave (CW) or quasi-CW laser beams. One or more laser pulses in the laser pulse train may be shaped to control energy delivered to a target material. In another embodiment, multiple laser beams are distributed to multiple processing heads from a single laser pulse, CW laser beam, or quasi-CW laser beam. In one such embodiment, a single optical deflector distributes multiple laser beams among respective processing heads.

Methods and systems for generating pulse trains for material processing

An improved method for singulation of electronic substrates into dice uses a laser to first form cuts in the substrate and then chamfers the edges of the cuts by altering the laser parameters. The chamfers increase die break strength by reducing the residual damage and removes debris caused by the initial laser cut without requiring additional process steps, additional equipment or consumable supplies.

Yasu Osako

Papers

Method for laser singulation of chip scale packages on glass substrates

Methods and systems for laser processing a workpiece using a plurality of tailored laser pulse shapes

Multiple laser wavelength and pulse width process drilling

Methods and systems for generating pulse trains for material processing

Method and apparatus for laser singulation of brittle materials