TW202238800A - Apparatus and methods for energy field-assisted release of microelectronic devices from carrier structures - Google Patents

Abstract

This application relates to apparatus and methods for energy field-assisted release of microelectronic devices from carrier structures. A microelectronic device is picked upwardly from a carrier structure while an energy field is applied to repel the microelectronic device from the carrier structure, or to pull the carrier structure away from the microelectronic device. Particles embedded in a material adhered to the microelectronic device and the energy field is a magnetic field to which the particles respond to generate a motive force on the microelectronic device or the carrier structure. Removal of a carrier wafer from a thinned device wafer prior to singulation of the device wafer is also disclosed.

Description

Apparatus and method for energy field-assisted release of microelectronic devices from self-supporting structures

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to apparatus and methods for assisting release of microelectronic devices from carrier structures. More specifically, embodiments disclosed herein relate to the use of energy fields to enhance the release of microelectronic devices of various sizes and configurations adhered to carrier structures such as carrier wafers and mounting films for removal during pick and place operations. Devices and methods for removing such devices.

As the performance of microelectronic devices and systems increases, there is an associated need to improve the performance of such microelectronic devices, assemblies of such devices, and systems incorporating such assemblies, while maintaining or even shrinking microelectronic device assemblies The shape factor (eg, length, width, and height) of the . Such a need is typically, but not exclusively, associated with mobile systems such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other compact, high-performance systems. In order to maintain or reduce the footprint and height of an assembly of microelectronic devices (e.g., semiconductor dies), so-called Three-dimensional (3D) assembly of stacked devices with through-silicon vias (TSVs) has become more common, combining a reduction in part thickness with the use of preforms and In-situ formed dielectric material reduces bond wire thickness while increasing bond wire uniformity. Such preformed dielectric materials include, for example, so-called non-conductive films (NCFs) and wafer-level underfills (WLUFs), which terms are often used interchangeably. In-situ formed dielectric materials can include silicon oxide and very thin polymers. While effectively reducing the height of 3D microelectronic device component assemblies, reducing the thickness of microelectronic devices (such as semiconductor dies) to about 50 μm or less increases device brittleness and susceptibility to microcracks and cracks under stress Stresses such as compressive (e.g., impact) stresses from contact with handling devices and stretching and bending experienced, for example, during pick-and-place operations using a vacuum to pick up microelectronic devices from a support structure with a pick-up head or "picker" stress. Non-limiting examples of microelectronic device assemblies include multiple stacked thin microelectronic devices that may be subject to stress cracking, including semiconductor memory die assemblies, alone or in combination with other die functions such as logic, including so-called High Bandwidth Memory (HBMx), Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC) and Chip-to-Wafer (C2W) assemblies.

In an embodiment, a pick-and-place apparatus comprises: a carrier structure for supporting thereon a diced microelectronic device; a pick-up tool including a pick-up head capable of placing a pick-and-place on each of the diced microelectronic devices supported on the carrier structure. and an energy source positioned below the carrier structure configured and positioned to emit an energy field substantially aligned with the pick-up head to attract or repel the carrier structure and diced microelectronic devices supported thereon material particles between.

In an embodiment, a method comprises: providing a carrier structure having a diced microelectronic device adhered to an upper surface thereof; positioning a pick head of a pick-up tool over a selected target microelectronic device on the carrier structure; The tool initiates an upward pick of the target microelectronic device. substantially simultaneously with the initiation of upward pick-up, activating the energy source to emit an energy field from below the carrier structure and substantially aligned with the pick-up head to either: repel the target microelectronic device upwardly away from the carrier structure, or One or more portions of the carrier structure are attracted downwardly and away from the microelectronic device substantially below the target microelectronic device.

In an embodiment, a method comprises: adhering a device wafer to a carrier wafer by an active surface of the device wafer carrying integrated circuits using an adhesive film having particles embedded therein; Thin device wafer; adhering the thinned device wafer to a carrier structure by the backside of the device wafer to form an assembly; applying an energy field near the assembly so that the particles exert an upward motive force to the The carrier wafer is separated from the device wafer, and the carrier wafer is removed from the device wafer.

priority claim

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/161,561, filed March 16, 2021, entitled "APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR ENERGY FIELD-ASSISTED RELEASE OF MICROELECTRONIC DEVICES FROM CARRIER STRUCTURES."

Apparatus and methods for energy field assisted release of semiconductor wafers and microelectronic devices in the form of semiconductor dies from carrier structures are disclosed. The device and method are particularly suitable for releasing and removing very thin semiconductor dies and semiconductor wafers adhering to carrier structures, significantly reducing the possibility of damage during the removal process.

The following description provides specific details, such as size, shape, material composition, and orientation, in order to provide a comprehensive description of embodiments of the invention. It will be understood and understood by those skilled in the art, however, that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without the use of these specific details, since embodiments of the invention may be practiced in conjunction with conventional fabrication techniques used in the industry. Furthermore, the description provided below may not form a complete process flow for releasing microelectronic devices from various carrier structures and for various purposes, such as removal of thinned semiconductor adhered to a carrier wafer in the context of a pick and place operation Wafers and removal of thinned semiconductor die adhered to carrier wafers or mounting films. Only those process actions and structures necessary for understanding the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Additional acts of forming microelectronic devices manipulated as described herein and subjecting them to further processing acts to form microelectronic component assemblies, packages and systems may be performed by conventional fabrication processes.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, as specific background to embodiments of the present invention, and as noted above, as package size requirements (i.e., form factors) become smaller, not only must the total number of stacked microelectronic devices be reduced. The footprint of each microelectronic device (eg, a semiconductor die and the wafer from which the semiconductor die is cut) must be reduced and its thickness must be reduced. As is known to those skilled in the art, processing a semiconductor (e.g., silicon) wafer exhibiting an initial thickness of, for example, between about 600 μm and about 775 μm to form integrated circuits on its so-called active surface, Thereafter the wafer is significantly thinned from its backside to meet the aforementioned form factor requirements. Semiconductor wafers producing diced semiconductor grains as thin as about 50 μm have been commercialized, and semiconductor wafers producing grains as thin as about 30 μm or less (eg, about 20 μm) are under development. The current trend is toward thinner microelectronic devices in the form of semiconductor dies, especially when memory devices include large numbers (e.g., 8, 12, 16 or more) of stacked memory dies combined with logic dies and stacked dies Other combinations will continue as needed to maintain or even reduce the stack height (eg for incorporation into mobile devices). Such ultra-thin die can also be used in conjunction with the implementation of near zero bond wire (NZB) spacing between adjacent stacked die. One example developed by NZB involves hybrid bonding between adjacent stacked die using plasma-activated silicon oxide or ultra-thin polymers from the die surface as bond wire dielectric and maintaining metal-to-metal contact interfaces, or with The diffusion bonding of the aligned metal contact elements of the circuits of adjacent stacked semiconductor dies across the bonding wires is combined. Reducing stress during processing of such ultra-thin, brittle semiconductor die or wafers from which such die are cut is critical to preventing yield loss (i.e., from a given wafer or other substrate, or batch of wafers). The percentage of defective die produced by the wafer or substrate) becomes more pronounced, and the stresses induced by this process may be caused by the processing of ultra-thin device wafers before dicing into semiconductor dies (e.g., removal from thinned device wafers) carrier wafer) and handling of ultra-thin semiconductor die during die pick-up from a carrier structure for wafer-to-wafer (C2W) or multiple die stacking processing (eg, thermocompression bonding).

Although many sources of handling-induced microcracks and cracks in microelectronic devices are known, a specific damage-inducing mechanism has become apparent when the thickness of such devices is reduced below about 60 to 65 μm, and when This has developed into a significant problem as the device thickness is further reduced. As is well known to those skilled in the art, a large number of microelectronic devices in the form of semiconductor dies can be fabricated on semiconductor (eg, silicon) wafers. After forming integrated circuits at mutually laterally spaced device locations together with optional conductive through-silicon vias (TSVs) extending from the integrated circuits to the backside of the wafer in and on the so-called active surface of the wafer As described above, the wafer is thinned from an initial thickness to a final substantially reduced thickness, exposing the ends of the TSVs, if present. Subsequently, a polymer mounting film (with a polymer) is mounted peripherally on a film frame using, for example, a diamond-coated wafer saw, a laser scribing process, a plasma scribing process, or a so-called "stealth" scribing process. A thinned wafer adhered to a carrier structure in the form of what is sometimes called a "mounting tape") is separated or "diced" into discrete semiconductor die. After dicing, the mounting film is stretched laterally on the film frame to separate the diced die, and then the die are picked up from the mounting film one by one by the pick-up head of the pick-and-place tool, which has a connection to a vacuum source and Vacuum channels open to the pick-up surface, which can be moved into close proximity to each target die to be picked. In many cases, the ejector is used to push up the film to be self-mounted in conjunction with the upward movement of the pick-up head as the vacuum initiated by the pick-up in the vacuum channel and on the pick-up face pulls the target die from the adhesive from the mount film. The grains picked up below.

Traditionally, when picking up a semiconductor die from an adhesive on a mounting film with a pick-up head (the pick-up head includes multiple vacuum channels leading to a face-down pick-up surface), the pick-up surface moves to a position directly above the semiconductor die , apply a vacuum to the die by opening the vacuum channels to the pick-up surface and across the die footprint of all vacuum channels. However, it has been determined that the central region of the semiconductor die being picked is generally easier to peel from the mounting film adhesive than the peripheral region of the semiconductor die. In the case of picking up an extremely thin (e.g., about 50 μm thick or thinner) semiconductor die, the portion of the semiconductor die that adheres to the mounting film is released from the film and pulled by the vacuum despite applying a vacuum to the pick-up surface. The stress between those parts resting on the pick-up face can lead to damage or even cracking of the die. FIG. 1 illustrates uneven die delamination DP from the adhesive film, while FIG. 2 illustrates broken die BD on the mounting film due to unsuccessful die pick-up. Figure 3 illustrates a crack extending through a portion of a semiconductor die. This phenomenon usually responds to stress on the semiconductor material of the die, between the central region of the die and one or more peripheral regions of the die, when the die is pulled upward from the mounting film by the pick-up face of the pick-up head , the central area of the die moves up with the pick-up head, and one or more peripheral areas of the die remain adhered to the adhesive of the mounting film. In other words, tensile and bending stresses between at least one (e.g. central) region of the semiconductor die secured to the pick-up surface and released from the adhesive film and at least one other (e.g. peripheral) region remaining adhered to the mounting film may Can cause micro-cracking or even cracking of semiconductor grains. Microcracking is of particular concern because such damage to a semiconductor die may not itself be apparent until the die is assembled with other die, packaged, and tested, resulting in the discarding of the entire multi-die package. Possibility of so-called "early mortality" failure of packages after incorporating higher-level packages during operation of high-priced processor-based systems such as mobile devices, tablets, laptops, servers, etc. It is also worrying.

The drawings provided herein are for illustration purposes only and are not meant to be actual views of any particular material, component, structure, device or system. Variations in the shapes depicted in the figures are to be expected as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances. Thus, embodiments described herein should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes or regions illustrated but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, a region illustrated or described as a box may have rough and/or nonlinear features, while a region illustrated or described as a circle may include some rough and/or linear features. Furthermore, acute angles between surfaces shown may be rounded and vice versa. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

In describing the embodiments of the method and apparatus of the present invention, the same elements in different drawings and different embodiments are identified by the same or similar reference elements for convenience.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-4D , methods and apparatus for removing diced microelectronic devices (eg, semiconductor dies) from a carrier structure in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are illustrated. As shown in FIG. 4A , a thinned device wafer 200 (e.g., from an initial thickness of about 600 μm to about 775 μm thinned to a final thickness of, for example, about 50 μm or less) carrying integrated circuits 204 on an active surface 202. thickness) on the back side 206 is coated with a material 302 in which particles 306 are embedded. Material 302 may, for example, have a thickness between about 2 μm and about 20 μm. Such an operation may be accomplished when the thinned device wafer 200 is secured to the carrier wafer 100, as shown in dashed lines, and the carrier wafer supports the device wafer 200 during the thinning operation. Particles 306 may, for example, have a size (eg, diameter) of between about 1 μm and about 15 μm, eg, about 5 μm, about 10 μm. Generally, a particle size of at least about half the thickness of material 302 is suitable. Material 302 may or may not include a binding material, and is soluble in water (eg, deionized (DI) water) or another benign solvent. Material 302 may be selected to balance physical properties with susceptibility to degradation when exposed to water or other solvents. Suitable materials for material 302 include, for example, HogoMax water soluble resin from DISCO, Tokyo, Japan, and WaferBOND® HT-10.10 from Brewer Science, Rolla, MO, USA. Other suitable materials can be obtained from Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., Brewer Science, 3M, etc. Particles 306 may first be affixed to the backside 206 of the thinned device wafer with a contact adhesive, loose particles are removed by gravity or air flow, and material 302 is then applied to the mounting backside 206 by, for example, spin coating, spraying, or rolling. , on the particles 306, as a preformed adhesive film. Alternatively, the particles 306 may be suspended in the material 302 in liquid form and dispensed on the backside 206 . If desired, large quantities of material 302 (e.g., rolls, wafer-sized segments) can be preformed with particles 306 embedded in the adhesive material 302 and a protective film laminated on the adhesive material for use in applying the material 302 to the backside 206 before storage and processing. As shown in FIG. 4B , device wafer 200 is then adhered by its backside 206 via material 302 to adhesive material 402 on mounting film 400 , which is supported on film frame 404 , after which the carrier wafer (not shown) is removed. Examples of suitable adhesive materials are described below in conjunction with the embodiments of FIGS. 5A to 5C . Next, as shown in FIG. 4C , the device wafer 200 is diced into individual microelectronic devices (eg, semiconductor dies) 208 separated by channels 210 . Dicing may be performed using a dry process such as laser scribing, stealth scribing, or plasma scribing to avoid compromising the integrity of material 302 . As shown, after the dicing material 302 beneath each diced microelectronic device 208 is completely severed, a channel 210 is created that extends into the adhesive material 402 of the mounting film 400 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 4D , the pick-up tool 500 having the pick-up head 502 includes a vacuum channel (not shown) extending to the pick-up surface 504 and the energy field source 600 is simultaneously positioned above and in close proximity to the target microelectronic device 208 , the energy field source 600 is aligned with the pick-up head 502 , and an energy field 602 is generated from the energy field source 600 .

In one implementation of this embodiment, the particles 306 may be a diamagnetic material that is repelled by a magnetic field, and the energy field source 600 may comprise one or more electromagnets from which the energy field 602 in the form of a magnetic field is generated. Diamagnetic materials include, but are not limited to, copper, bismuth, and pyrolytic graphite. Accordingly, the diamagnetic particles 306 below the target microelectronic device 208 may be repelled by the magnetic field 602 , thereby repelling the target microelectronic device 208 above the diamagnetic particle 306 away from the adhesive material 402 and toward the pickup head 502 . It should be appreciated that only a small lift distance of the target microelectronic device 208 is required to significantly reduce (if not break) the adhesion of the adhesive material 402 to the material 302 and ease the gap between the various parts of the target microelectronic device 208 during pickup by the pick head 502. of stress.

In another implementation of this embodiment, the energy field source 600 may comprise an electromagnetic source configured to generate the energy field 602 in the form of an oscillating, time-varying magnetic field, and the particles 306 may comprise a non-magnetic conductive metal, such as aluminum or copper. The time-varying magnetic field induces a current in the particles 306 due to Lenz's law, causing a repulsion effect to lift the microelectronic device 208 from the adhesive 402 . It should be appreciated that only a slight lift distance is required to substantially reduce, if not break, the adhesion of the adhesive material 402 to the material 302 and relieve stress on the target microelectronic device 208 during pickup by the pick head 502 .

In either implementation, after the microelectronic devices 208 are picked up from the mounting film 400 by spraying deionized (DI) water or other solvent suitable for dissolving the material 302, the backside of each target microelectronic device 208 can be 212 cleans any residual material 302 and embedded particles 306, which are then locked in a container and the particles 306 are recovered for reuse.

It should be noted that although the embodiments of FIGS. 4A-4D have been described in the context of a carrier structure for thinned semiconductor wafers and diced microelectronic devices comprising a mounting film supported on a film frame, the implementation Examples are not limited to this. For example, a thinned wafer can be supported and adhered to a rigid carrier substrate on which dicing can be performed using a dry process, and the diced microelectronic devices can be picked up with energy field assisted release, from embedding to adhered energy field sensitive particles in the film, the adhesive film secures the diced microelectronic device to the rigid carrier substrate.

Another method and apparatus for removing diced microelectronic devices (eg, semiconductor dies) from a carrier structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated with reference to FIGS. 5A-5C . As shown in FIG. 5A , the thinned device wafer 200 is adhered by its backside 206 to an adhesive material 402 having particles 306 embedded therein and residing on the mounting film 400 . The adhesive material 402 can be a thermosetting or thermoplastic material, and is soluble in water or another benign solvent. Adhesive material 402 may have a thickness from about 2 μm to about 50 μm, although smaller thickness maximums, such as about 20 μm, may be sufficient. Adhesive material 402 may be selected to balance adhesive characteristics with susceptibility to degradation when exposed to water or another solvent. Suitable materials for material 402 include, for example, HogoMax water soluble resin from DISCO, Tokyo, Japan, WaferBOND® HT-10.10 from Brewer Science, Rolla, MO, USA, and SPIS TA from Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. Particles 306 may comprise a ferromagnetic material, such as iron, nickel, cobalt, or alloys of any of the foregoing. Particles 306 may have a size (eg, diameter) of, for example, from about 1 μm to about 10 μm, such as about 5 μm. Particles 306 may be coated with a chemically inert coating, such as a material suitable for material 402 , to mitigate contamination problems caused by particles 306 coming into contact with thinned device wafer 200 . Particles 306 may first be fixed to mounting film 400 with a contact adhesive, loose particles are removed by gravity or air flow, and adhesive material 402 is then applied to mounting film 400 by, for example, spin coating, spraying, or roller coating. , as a preformed adhesive film. Alternatively, the particles 306 may be suspended in the binding material 402 in liquid form and dispensed simultaneously with the binding material 402 . If desired, a large amount of adhesive material 402 (e.g., a roll, wafer-sized section) on the mounting film 400 can be preformed with particles 306 embedded in the adhesive material 402 and a protective film laminated on the adhesive material for use in the mounting film 400. The film 400 is stored and handled prior to application to the film frame 404, after which the protective film is peeled off. Next, as shown in FIG. 5B , the device wafer 200 is diced into individual microelectronic devices (eg, semiconductor dies) 208 separated by channels 210 . Scribing is performed using dry methods such as laser scribing, stealth scribing, or plasma scribing to avoid premature degradation of the adhesive material 402 . As shown, the adhesive material 402 between the diced microelectronic devices 208 is partially or completely severed to the level of the mounting film 400, and the channels 210 may extend at least into the adhesive material 402 of the mounting film 400 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 5C, a pick-up tool 500 having a pick-up head 502, including a vacuum channel (not shown) extending to a pick-up surface 504, is located on and adjacent to the target microelectronic device 208 simultaneously with the energy field source 600. A device that generates an energy field 602 from an energy field source. In this embodiment, the energy field source 600 comprises an electromagnetic field source from which an energy field 602 in the form of a magnetic field is emitted. When the vacuum on the pick face 504 of the pick head 502 pulls the target microelectronic device 208 upward, the magnetic field 602 attracts the ferromagnetic particles 306 , pulling the mounting film 400 downward to release the adhesive material 402 from the backside 212 of the target microelectronic device 208 . The magnetic field 602 may pulse on and off, oscillate in a wave fashion, or both, on the backside 212 of the target microelectronic device 208 to facilitate release from the adhesive material 402 . It should be noted that while the particles 306 may be substantially uniformly distributed throughout the bonding material 402, it is also contemplated that the particles may be printed in a grid pattern corresponding to the length, width, and spacing between device locations of the thinned device wafer 200. onto the mounting film, or printed into the adhesive material 402 on the mounting film 400 . This approach minimizes the amount of adhesive material 402 and particles 306 on the mounting film 400 . This approach also allows for more local application of the magnetic field 602 and disposition of the particles 306 within the device grid locations, more densely concentrated in the grid corresponding to those regions of the adhesive material 402 (e.g., adjacent the perimeter of the device locations) position, thereby making it more difficult to release from the target microelectronic device 208 to provide a greater downward pull.

After picking up, any remaining adhesive material 402 and any embedded particles 306 remain adhered to the backside of the target microelectronic device 208, after picking up from the mounting film 400, the adhesive can be dissolved by spraying deionized (DI) water or other suitable solution. Solvent cleaning of the material 402 from the backside 212 of each target microelectronic device 208, followed by locking the adhesive material in a container, and recovering the particles 306 for reuse.

Referring to FIGS. 6A-6C , a method and apparatus for removing a carrier structure from a device wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention is described. By way of context, it has been demonstrated that during the thinning (e.g., backgrinding, polishing, etching) process, device wafers with a final thickness of about 50 μm or less (i.e., on the active surface on which integrated circuits are fabricated and from which After backside thinning) is difficult to separate from the carrier wafer used to support the device wafer. After adhering the device wafer to another carrier structure (e.g. mounting tape or film), conventional mechanical manipulation techniques such as edge clamping and vacuum lifting of the carrier wafer due to excessive contact between the device wafer and the carrier wafer Sticking often results in damage to the device wafer, the carrier wafer, or both. Some known bond-release techniques have provided some success, such as heating the assembly with electromagnetic radiation or heating or otherwise degrading the adhesive by scanning a laser beam through the carrier wafer prior to mechanical removal of the carrier wafer; However, irregularities in the degree of adhesion degradation between different laterally separated wafer portions may lead to stress-related cracking of the device wafer, the carrier wafer, or both. Even if the device wafer remains undamaged, it is impractical, if not impossible, to mechanically remove portions (ie, fractured portions) of the carrier wafer from the device wafer by conventional mechanical techniques.

Referring to FIG. 6A , a carrier wafer 100 such as a semiconductor (eg, silicon) or glass material is coated with an adhesive material 102 on its major surface 104 . Adhesive material 102 may comprise a thermosetting or thermoplastic material such as HogoMax water soluble resin from DISCO, Tokyo, Japan; WaferBOND® HT-10.10 from Brewer Science, Rolla, MO, USA; and Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. SPIS TA of the club. Particles 106 of ferromagnetic material may be substantially uniformly mixed in liquid form into bonding material 102 prior to application to major surface 104 by, for example, spin coating or spray coating. Alternatively, dry particles 106 may be dispensed onto contact adhesive previously applied to major surface 104, with non-adhered particles 106 then removed by gravity or air flow and adhered by spin coating, spray coating, or as a roll-coated preform. The film applies a binding material 102 to the adhered particles. Alternatively, particles 106 may be suspended in bonding material 102 and distributed over major surface 104 in liquid form. Particles 106 may, for example, have a size (eg, diameter) between about 1 μm and about 25 μm, eg, about 5 μm, about 10 μm, about 15 μm. Typically, particles 106 may be, for example, about half the thickness of adhesive material 102 . Device wafer 200 having an initial thickness of about 600 μm to about 775 μm is then adhered to adhesive material 102 by active surface 202 carrying integrated circuits 204 . The device wafer 200 is then thinned from the backside 206 to a final thickness as described above. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6B , the assembly is inverted and the thinned device wafer 200 is adhered via its backside 206 to another carrier structure, such as one carrying an adhesive material (not shown) and supported on a film frame 404. The membrane 400 is installed. At this point, as shown in FIG. 6C , an energy field 602 in the form of a magnetic field is generated by an energy source 600 in the form of a magnetic field source (e.g., an electromagnet) placed near the carrier wafer 100 (i.e., about 10 μm to about 25 μm). µm) and above the carrier wafer, and by the attraction of the particles 106 by the magnetic field 602 , the carrier wafer 100 is pulled substantially out of the adhesive material 102 above the device wafer 200 . Magnetic field source 600 may be moved over carrier wafer 100, for example from side to side as indicated by arrow A1 to peel carrier wafer 100 from adhesive material 102, or in a radial peeling motion from carrier wafer 100 as indicated by arrow A2. The center of wafer 100 moves radially toward edge 108 . The carrier wafer 100 released from the device wafer 200 can then be lifted by magnetic attraction alone, or vacuum can be applied from a vacuum chuck (not shown) or using an edge-holding chuck (if the carrier wafer is not damaged) The carrier wafer 100 is lifted. Magnetic field 602 may be pulsed rapidly to pull and release particles 106 to facilitate release of carrier wafer 100 . It should be noted that the use of magnetic attraction allows lifting a portion of the carrier wafer (ie, the damaged segment) from the device wafer 200 without physically engaging the portion of the carrier wafer by the lifting mechanism, and thus without the risk of damaging the device wafer 200 . It should also be noted that a diamagnetic material or a non-magnetic conductive material can be used for the particles 106, and that a time-varying oscillating magnetic field can be generated by an electromagnetic source positioned below the mounting film 400 and movable laterally to be lifted from the device wafer 200 by the repulsion of the particles 106. The carrier wafer 100, as previously described with respect to FIGS. 4A-4D.

Referring to Figures 7, 8A, 8B and 8C, various configurations of tape and reel assemblies according to embodiments of the present invention are illustrated, which are suitable for powering microelectronic devices carried in pockets of the tape. Field assisted release. 7 illustrates a belt and reel assembly 700 comprising two laterally spaced apart flanges 702 mounted to a central hub 704, the space between the flanges 702 being sized to accommodate a dispensing belt 706 wrapped around the hub 704. width. Dispensing strip 706 is configured with a series of uniform longitudinally spaced pockets 708 recessed in surface 710, each pocket 708 configured with a width, length, and depth to receive and hold microelectronic device 208 therein. A cover strip 712 is laminated (eg, adhered with a light adhesive) to the surface 710 of the dispensing strip 706 , covering the mouth of the pocket 708 . The dispensing tape 706 may be used for pick and place operations in which a pick head removes each microelectronic device 208 from its pocket 708 as the dispensing tape 706 advances after the cover tape 712 is peeled from the surface of the dispensing tape 706 . Typically, each microelectronic device 208 may only be contained in the pocket 708 by the cover tape 712 , or an adhesive adhered to the bottom surface of the pocket 708 . The former approach may cause alignment issues (eg, around the vertical Z axis) when the microelectronic device 208 is picked up by the pick head. The latter method suffers from the same drawbacks as above when picking up a microelectronic device 208 adhered to the mounting film, since different parts of the microelectronic device 208 adhere to the adhesive of the mounting film to different degrees, resulting The stress between the different parts. Dispensing strips configured in accordance with embodiments of the present invention reduce, if not eliminate, such stresses compared to conventional dispensing strip structures.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, dispensing strip 706A may be configured with longitudinally spaced apart pockets 708, each pocket having a length, width, and depth sufficient to receive microelectronic device 208 when adhered to the microelectronic device 208. With the adhesive material 714 on the bottom surface 716 having substantially the same length and width of the electronic device, the microelectronic device is recessed below the surface 710 . Adhesive material 714 contains particles 306 of ferromagnetic material, diamagnetic material, or other non-magnetic conductive material such as aluminum or copper.

As another example shown in FIG. 8B, the dispensing strip 706B can be configured to have longitudinally spaced pockets 708, each of which has a length, width, and depth sufficient to accommodate a microelectronic device 208 when the microelectronic device is received in the When in the recess 708, the microelectronic device is recessed below the surface 710 when the microelectronic device 208 is adhered to the adhesive material segment 714 on the bottom surface 716 below the predetermined location of the opposite end of the microelectronic device. Adhesive material 714 may contain particles 306 of ferromagnetic material, diamagnetic material, or other non-magnetic conductive material such as aluminum or copper.

As another example shown in FIG. 8C, the dispensing strip 706C can be configured to have longitudinally spaced pockets 708, each pocket having a length, width, and depth sufficient to accommodate a microelectronic device 208 when the microelectronic device 208 is received. While in the pocket 708, the microelectronic device is recessed below the surface 710 when adhered to the segment of adhesive material 714 on the base 720 protruding from the bottom surface 716 below the intended location of the corner of the microelectronic device. Adhesive material 714 may contain particles 306 of ferromagnetic material, diamagnetic material, or other non-magnetic conductive material such as aluminum or copper. The dispensing strip 706C may optionally be provided with a drain hole 718 extending from the bottom surface 716 to the underside of the dispensing strip 706C below each pocket 708 .

As described above with reference to FIGS. 4A-4D , 5A-5C , and 6A-6C , the use of ferromagnetic, diamagnetic, or other conductive particles in combination with an appropriate energy field source can be used to The dispensing tape 706A, 706B or 706C pulls the microelectronic device away (ferromagnetic particles are attracted to the magnetic field), or pushes the microelectronic device 208 away from the dispensing tape 706A, 706B or 706C (diamagnetic or non-magnetic conductive particles are repelled by an appropriate magnetic field). ). When using ferromagnetic particles, it may be desirable to allow the portion of the dispensing strip that surrounds the pocket 708 that houses the picked microelectronic device 208 to bend downward in response to magnetic attraction, while when using ferromagnetic or other non-magnetic conductive particles, It may be desirable to prevent upward bending or other displacement of the dispensing strip, for example by constraining the opposing edges of the dispensing strip 706A, 706B or 706C in the U-shaped channel below the pick head 502 to facilitate the picking operation.

Referring to FIG. 9 , pick head 502 of pick tool 500 is positioned for a pick operation over target microelectronic device 208 in pocket 708 (well side omitted for clarity) of dispensing tape 706C. The pick head 502 is equipped with a fluid dispensing channel 510 and a fluid removal vacuum channel 512, which can be used during the pick operation to dissolve the adhesive material to which the target microelectronic device 208 is adhered with DI water or another suitable solvent, the vent hole 718 allows The bulk fluid flows under the microelectronic device 208 and into the vacuum channel 604 , which may be incorporated into the energy field source 600 located below the target microelectronic device 208 . Additionally, a similarly configured pick head 502 can be used with dispensing belts 706A and 706B to dissolve the adhesive material and clean each target microelectronic device 208 picked up from a bag of residual adhesive material and particles 306 . Additionally, while described in the context of a dispensing tape for a tape and reel assembly, it is contemplated that a pick head of a similar configuration may be used to dissolve material 302, binding material 402, and clean from residual material 302, binding material 402, and particles 306. Each target microelectronic device 208 is picked up by the mounting film, as described with respect to FIGS. 4A-4D and 5A-5C.

Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B , the adhesive material 402 adhering the diced microelectronic device 208 to the mounting film 400 in the configuration shown and described in FIG. 5B is illustrated. However, instead of particles 306 embedded in binder material 402, particles 406 comprise magnetic shape memory material in the form of a ferromagnetic shape memory alloy. One example of a magnetic shape memory alloy is a nickel-manganese-gallium alloy, while other examples include iron-palladium and nickel-iron-gallium alloys. Such alloys may expand (eg, elongate) or contract when subjected to a magnetic field. This deformation is at least about 6%, and can approach the order of about 20%, depending on the alloy. The thickness of the adhesive material 402 may be, for example, about 2 μm to about 50 μm, such as about 20 μm. As shown in FIG. 10A , when in the contracted state, the particles 406 are located entirely within the depth of the adhesive material 402 with minimal or no physical contact with the backside 212 of the target microelectronic device 208 . However, as shown in FIG. 10B , during a pick-up operation, the pick-up head 502 of the pick-up tool 500 is positioned over the target microelectronic device 208 with the pick-up surface 504 in close proximity to the target microelectronic device, and the vacuum channels in the pick-up head are activated. At substantially the same time, the energy field source 600 in the form of an electromagnet is activated so that a localized energy field 602 in the form of a magnetic field acts on the particle 406, causing the particle 406 to elongate vertically beyond the thickness of the adhesive material 402, and to attach the microelectronics through its back surface 212. Device 208 is pushed over adhesive 402 (distance exaggerated for clarity). In order to enhance the lifting effect of the adhesive material 402, it may be desirable to maintain the mounting film 400 in a fixed vertical position at the location of the target microelectronic device 208, such as by using the perimeter of the energy source 600 placed against the underside of the mounting film 400. A peripheral vacuum channel or channels are used to prevent upward displacement of the adhesive material 402 and mounting film 400 . In one implementation, the magnetic field 602 may be constant for the elongated particle 406 and stationary below the target microelectronic device 208 . In another implementation, the magnetic field may be fixed beneath the target microelectronic device 208 but pulsed on and off to expand and contract the particles 406 . In another implementation, the energy source 600 may include a plurality of individually actuatable electromagnets 600A- 600E laterally spaced from each other over a target area under the target microelectronic device 208 . The electromagnets 600A to 600E can be initiated sequentially to induce fluctuations between the particles 406 from one side to the other, or from the periphery to the center of the microelectronic device 208, or from the center to the periphery of the microelectronic device 208 to facilitate the movement of the target microelectronic device 208. Released from the adhesive material 402 . It is contemplated that the particles 406 can be configured to enhance their elongation properties, and a template can be used to place the particles 406 partially into the mounting film 400 and exhibit a desired pattern corresponding to the shape to be placed on the mounting film. Patterning of microelectronic device locations in the thinned wafer, adhesive material 402 is then dispensed onto mounting film 400 in liquid form or as a pre-formed film. Alternatively, the adhesive material 402 may be provided in the form of a film in which the particles 406 are inserted in a desired pattern, and the film is covered with a protective film that will be peeled off after the adhesive material 402 in film form is applied to the mounting film 400 . Using this approach, the number and location of particles within a given microelectronic device site can be optimized, and other areas of the mounting film, such as channels between device sites and areas outside of device sites, may be free of particles 406 . Example configurations of particles 406 are illustrated in Figures 12 and 13, as discussed in more detail below.

Referring to FIGS. 11A and 11B , the adhesive material 402 with the diced microelectronic device 208 adhered to the mounting film 400 in the configuration shown and described in FIG. 5B is illustrated. However, instead of particles 306 embedded in adhesive material 402, particles 506 comprise ferromagnetic material (eg, iron, nickel, cobalt, or an alloy of any of the foregoing) in the form of elongated pin elements. Such ferromagnetic materials can be magnetized by exposure to a magnetic field to present opposite ends with different polarities. As shown in FIG. 11A , the magnetized particles 506 can be oriented perpendicular to the principal plane of the adhesive material 402 and have a length substantially entirely contained within the thickness of the adhesive material 402, with the microelectronic device supported by the adhesive material 402 and adhered to the adhesive material. The back side 212 of 208 has minimal or no physical contact. The thickness of the adhesive material 402 may be, for example, about 2 μm to about 50 μm, such as about 20 μm. However, as shown in FIG. 11B , during a pick-up operation, the pick-up head 502 of the pick-up tool 500 is positioned above the target microelectronic device 208 with the pick-up surface 504 in close proximity to the target microelectronic device, and a vacuum channel (not shown) in the pick-up head 502 is actuated. Substantially simultaneously, an energy field source 600 in the form of an electromagnet is activated such that a localized energy field 602 in the form of a magnetic field acts on the particle 506, the like polarity of the magnetic field 602 and the particle 506 facing downward toward the end of the magnetic field 602 repels the particle 506 upward , to lift the target microelectronic device 208 above the adhesive 402 by its backside 212 (distance exaggerated for clarity). To enhance the lifting effect, it is desirable to maintain the mounting film 400 in a fixed vertical position at the location of the target microelectronic device 208, for example by using peripheral vacuum channels or Multiple vacuum channels are used to prevent upward displacement of the adhesive material 402 and the mounting film 400 . In one implementation, the magnetic field 602 may be constant and stationary beneath the target microelectronic device 208 . In another implementation, the magnetic field 602 may be fixed beneath the target microelectronic device 208 , but the magnetic field is pulsed on and off to push and retract the particles 506 . In another implementation, the energy source 600 may comprise a plurality of individually actuatable electromagnets 600A- 600E (see FIG. 10B ) spaced laterally from each other over a target area under the target microelectronic device 208 . Electromagnets 600A to 600E can be initiated to induce fluctuations between particles 506 from side to side, or from the periphery of microelectronic device 208 to the center, or from the center to the periphery of the microelectronic device 208 to promote self-bonding of the target microelectronic device 208 to the material 402 release. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11B, energy field source 600 may be moved laterally under target microelectronic device 208, as indicated by arrow 606, and activated as desired. Alternatively, and as shown at the bottom of FIG. 11B , the energy source 600 may be stationary, but covered by a ferromagnetic material to shield the magnetic field, but for the slotted hole 608 in the laterally movable cover 610, the cover 610 may be Move back and forth as indicated by arrow 612 . It is contemplated that electromagnetic jigs may be used to magnetize the particles 506 to the desired polarity, spacing, and orientation, and the jigs may be used to place the particles partially into the mounting film 400 and exhibit a desired pattern corresponding to that to be placed on the mounting film 400. Patterning of microelectronic device locations in the thinned device wafer 200 on the film, followed by dispensing the adhesive material 402 onto the mounting film 400 either in liquid form or as a pre-formed film. Alternatively, the adhesive material 402 may be provided in film form, wherein the particles 406 are magnetized and held in a desired pattern, and the adhesive film is covered with a protective film to be peeled off after the adhesive material 402 in film form is applied to the mounting film 400 . Using this approach, the thinned device wafer 200 can be optimized for the number and location of particles 506 within a given microelectronic device location, and other areas of the adhesive material 402 and mounting film 400, such as at and outside of the device location, can be optimized. Channels between surrounding wafer regions may be free of particles 506 . Example configurations of particles 406 are illustrated in Figures 12 and 13, as discussed in more detail below.

12 and 13 depict schematic example configurations of particle patterns suitable for use in adhesive material 402 on a carrier structure such as mounting film 400 .

12 illustrates a segment of adhesive material 402 of microelectronic device sites corresponding to a grid-like array of microelectronic device sites in thinned device wafer 200 to be disposed on mounting film 400, wherein each device site is in contact with the adhesive material. Segments 402 are stacked in alignment, with adhesive material segments 402 optionally separated by channels 210 (width exaggerated for clarity). Specifically referring to the use in the embodiments of Figures 10A and 10B and Figures 11A and 11B, as shown in Figure 12, particles 406 and 506 in the form of magnetic shape memory alloy material and ferromagnetic material respectively can be patterned, as It is shown adjacent the perimeter of each adhesive material segment 402 and in the central region of each adhesive material segment 402 . Such configurations allow the aforementioned ability to expand or move particles with appropriate magnetic field locations and to apply lift forces near the perimeter of the microelectronic device 208, where excessive sticking has proven to be a problem, while simultaneously The lifting force is applied to the central region of the microelectronic device 208 to relieve shear and bending stress between different parts of the microelectronic device 208 . Alternatively, the magnetic field may be applied to the peripheral area first and then to the central area.

13 illustrates a segment of adhesive material 402 corresponding to a grid-like array of microelectronic device sites in a thinned device wafer 200 to be disposed on a mounting film 400, wherein each device site is in contact with an adhesive material. Segments 402 are stacked in alignment, optionally separated by channels 210 (exaggerated in width for clarity). Referring specifically to the use in the embodiments of FIGS. 10 and 10B and FIGS. 11A and 11B , as shown in FIG. 13 , particles 406 and 506 in the form of magnetic shape memory alloy material and ferromagnetic material respectively can be patterned, As shown by the parallel rows of particles extending across the width of the adhesive material segment 402, the parallel rows are at different longitudinally spaced locations along the length of the segment. Such a configuration allows the aforementioned ability to selectively expand or move a given row of particles from one end of the adhesive material segment 402 to the other through activation of an appropriate magnetic field, and generate a pulse wave of particles to lift the microelectronic device 208 from the mounting structure. Alternatively, distinct, adjacent rows of particles 406 , 506 may expand or extend and then retract to loosen the bond of microelectronic device 208 to adhesive material 402 .

It should be noted that in the context of the embodiments of FIGS. 10 and 10B and FIGS. 11A and 11B , the number of grains 406, 506 per die site can be minimized and the pattern selected to enhance the maximum density of the microelectronic device 208. Lifting force at the effective area. Furthermore, these particles 406 , 506 remain in the adhesive material 402 rather than potentially transferring to the microelectronic device 208 .

Referring to FIG. 14, yet another embodiment of an apparatus and method for picking up a microelectronic device 208 from a mounting film 400 is illustrated. The mounting film 400 carries an adhesive material 402 with ferromagnetic particles 306 embedded thereon. As previously described, the microelectronic device 208 is pulled against the pick-up surface 504 by placing the pick-up head 502 of the pick-up tool 500 over and against the microelectronic device 208 and activating a vacuum channel (not shown) , the target microelectronic device 208 is picked up from the adhesive material 402 . To enhance the effect of the particles 306 in response to the energy field 602 in the form of a magnetic field from the energy source 600 pulling the adhesive material 402 and thus the mounting film 400 down, the 306 includes a non-magnetic material and has standoff elements 802 at its center and corners. The standoff platen 800 is placed next to or in contact with the mounting film 400 under the target microelectronic device 208 such that the magnetic field 602 pulls the portion of the mounting film 400 downward between the standoff elements 802 . In one implementation, a standoff platen may be formed or mounted to the upper surface of the energy source 600 . The magnetic field 602 can be pulsed to sequentially pull and release the adhesive material 402 from the backside 212 of the microelectronic device 208 and stretch the mounting film 400 to reduce sticking. The standoff platen 800 can be moved under each individual target microelectronic device 208 with the pickup head 502 and the energy source 600, or as shown in FIG. The states correspond to the array of microelectronic device locations on the device wafer 200 that are picked up from the mounting film 400 after dicing.

Referring to FIG. 15, a standoff platen 800' includes a standoff member 802 positioned below a channel location between microelectronic device locations. As in the case of FIG. 14 , applying a magnetic field 602 to the particles 306 will pull the mounting film 400 downward between adjacent standoff elements 802 located between the channel corners of adjacent microelectronic devices 208, strengthening the bonding material 402 to Separation between backsides 212 of microelectronic devices 208 . Additionally, the magnetic field 602 can be activated and deactivated to pull apart the mounting film 400 , stretch the mounting film 400 , and loosen the bond between the adhesive material 402 and the microelectronic device 208 .

The term "substrate" as used herein means and includes a base material or structure upon which additional materials are formed. The substrate can be a semiconductor substrate, a base semiconductor layer on a support structure, a metal electrode, or a semiconductor substrate with one or more materials, layers, structures or regions formed thereon. Materials on the semiconductor substrate may include, but are not limited to, semiconductor materials, insulating materials, conductive materials, and the like. The substrate can be a conventional silicon substrate or other bulk substrates including semiconductor material layers. As used herein, the term "bulk substrate" refers to and includes not only silicon wafers, but also silicon-on-insulator ("SOI") substrates, such as silicon-on-sapphire ("SOS") substrates and silicon-on-glass ("SOG") substrates. ) substrates, silicon on the basis of basic semiconductors and epitaxial layers of other semiconductor or optoelectronic materials (such as silicon germanium, germanium, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride and indium phosphide). The substrate can be doped or undoped.

As used herein, the term "microelectronic device" means and includes, by way of non-limiting examples, semiconductor dies, dies exhibiting functionality by activities other than semiconductor activities, microelectromechanical systems (MEM ) devices, substrates comprising multiple dies, including conventional wafers and portions of wafers and other bulk substrates as described above, and portions of wafers and substrates comprising more than one die site.

As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "comprising," "characterized by," and their grammatical equivalents are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, non-recited elements or method acts, Also included are the more restrictive terms "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" and their grammatical equivalents.

As used herein, the term "may" with respect to a material, structure, feature, or methodological action indicates that such term is contemplated for practicing an embodiment of the invention and that such term is used in preference to the more restrictive term "is". , in order to avoid any suggestion that other compatible materials, structures, features and methods which may be used in combination therewith should or must be excluded.

As used herein, the terms "longitudinal", "vertical", "transverse" and "level" refer to the principal plane of a substrate (e.g. base material, base structure, base configuration, etc.) in or on which a or multiple structures and/or features, and not necessarily defined by the Earth's gravitational field. A "lateral" or "level" direction is a direction substantially parallel to the principal plane of the substrate, and a "longitudinal" or "vertical" direction is a direction substantially perpendicular to the principal plane of the substrate. The main plane of the substrate is defined by a surface of the substrate having a relatively large area compared to other surfaces of the substrate.

As used herein, spatially relative terms such as "below", "beneath", "lower", "bottom", "above", "above", "upper" , "top", "front", "rear", "left", "right", etc. may be used for convenience of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature(s) as shown . Unless otherwise indicated, spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of materials in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if material in a drawing is turned upside down, elements described as "above" or "on" or "above" or "top" other elements or features would then be oriented "below" the other elements or features " or "under" or "below" or "bottom". Thus, the term "above" can include an orientation of above as well as below, depending on the context in which the term is used, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Materials can be oriented in other ways (eg, rotated 90 degrees, inverted, turned over), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein are interpreted separately.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, the terms "configured and" and "configured" refer to one or more of at least one structure and at least one device that facilitates the operation of one or more of the structures and devices in a predetermined manner size, shape, material composition, orientation and configuration.

As used herein, the term "substantially" with respect to a given parameter, characteristic or condition means and includes such that a person skilled in the art will understand that the given parameter, characteristic or condition is met with a degree of variation, such as within acceptable manufacturing tolerances. The extent to which a parameter, characteristic or condition is specified. For example, depending on the particular parameter, characteristic or condition that is substantially satisfied, the parameter, characteristic or condition may be satisfied at least 90.0%, at least 95.0%, at least 99.0% or even at least 99.9%.

As used herein, "about" or "approximately" with respect to a value of a particular parameter includes those skilled in the art will understand that the value and the degree of variance of the value are within acceptable tolerances for the particular parameter. For example, "about" or "approximately" with respect to a value may include other values within the range of 90.0% to 110.0% of the value, such as within the range of 95.0% to 105.0% of the value, within the range of 97.5% to 102.5% of the value %, within the range of 99.0% to 101.0% of the value, within the range of 99.5% to 100.5% of the value, or within the range of 99.9% to 100.1% of the value.

As used herein, the terms "layer" and "film" mean and include a layer, sheet, or coating of material present on a structure, which layer or coating may be continuous or discontinuous between portions of the material , and may be conformal or non-conformal unless otherwise indicated.

As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "comprising," "characterized by," and their grammatical equivalents are expressions comprising steps or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, non-recited elements or method steps, Also included are the more restrictive terms "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" and their grammatical equivalents.

As used herein, the term "may" with respect to a material, structure, feature, or methodological action indicates that such term is contemplated for practicing an embodiment of the invention and that such term is used in preference to the more restrictive term "is". , in order to avoid any suggestion that other compatible materials, structures, features and methods which may be used in combination therewith should or must be excluded.

As used herein, the term "memory device" means and includes a microelectronic device that exhibits, but is not necessarily limited to, a memory function. In other words, and by way of example only, the term "memory device" means and does not only include conventional memory (eg, conventional volatile memory, such as conventional dynamic random access memory (DRAM); conventional non-volatile Memory (such as conventional NAND memory), but also application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) (e.g., system-on-chip (SoC)), microelectronic devices combining logic and memory, and graphics processing units incorporated into memory (GPU).

Any reference to an element herein using a notation such as "first," "second," etc. does not limit the quantity or order of such elements, unless such a limitation is expressly stated. Rather, these notations may be used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, references to first and second elements do not imply that only two elements can be used there or that the first element must precede the second element in some way. Also, unless stated otherwise, a set of elements may comprise one or more elements.

In an embodiment, a pick-and-place apparatus comprises: a carrier structure for supporting thereon a diced microelectronic device; a pick-up tool including a pick-up head capable of placing a pick-and-place on each of the diced microelectronic devices supported on the carrier structure. and an energy source positioned below the carrier structure configured and positioned to emit an energy field substantially aligned with the pick-up head to attract or repel the carrier structure and diced microelectronic devices supported thereon material particles between.

In an embodiment, a method comprises: providing a carrier structure having a diced microelectronic device adhered to an upper surface thereof; positioning a pick head of a pick-up tool over a selected target microelectronic device on the carrier structure; The tool initiates an upward pick of the target microelectronic device. substantially simultaneously with the initiation of upward pick-up, activating the energy source to emit an energy field from below the carrier structure and substantially aligned with the pick-up head to either: repel the target microelectronic device upwardly away from the carrier structure, or One or more portions of the carrier structure are attracted downwardly and away from the microelectronic device substantially below the target microelectronic device.

In an embodiment, a method comprises: adhering a device wafer to a carrier wafer by an active surface of the device wafer carrying integrated circuits using an adhesive film having particles embedded therein; Thin device wafer; adhering the thinned device wafer to a carrier structure by the backside of the device wafer to form an assembly; applying an energy field near the assembly so that the particles exert an upward motive force to the The carrier wafer is separated from the device wafer, and the carrier wafer is removed from the device wafer.

While certain illustrative embodiments have been described in conjunction with the drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize and understand that the embodiments encompassed by the invention are not limited to those specifically illustrated and described herein. On the contrary, many additions, deletions and modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein, such as those claimed below, including legal equivalents, without departing from the scope of the embodiments encompassed by this invention. Furthermore, features from one disclosed embodiment may be combined with features of another disclosed embodiment and still be within the scope of the invention.

100: carrier wafer 102: Adhesive material 104: main surface 106: particles 108: edge 200: device wafer 202: Action surface 204: Integrated circuit 206: back 208: Microelectronic devices 210: channel 212: back 302: material 306: particles 400: Install the film 402: Adhesive material 404: Membrane frame 406: particles 500: tools 502: pick up head 504: face 506: particles 510: Fluid distribution channel 512: Fluid removal vacuum channel 600: Energy Source/Energy Field Source/Magnetic Field Source 600A-600E: electromagnet 602: Magnetic Field/Energy Field 604: Vacuum channel/arrow 608: slotted hole 610: cover 612:Arrow 700:Reel assembly 702: Flange 704: hub 706: distribution belt 706A: Distribution belt 706B: distribution belt 706C: distribution belt 708: pit 710: surface 712: cover tape 714: Adhesive material 716: Bottom 718: discharge hole 720: base 800: Support plate 800': Support plate 802: Support element

Figure 1 is a photomicrograph of an inhomogeneous die peeled from an adhesive film during die pick-up;

Figure 2 is a photomicrograph of a fractured die on a mounting film from an unsuccessful die pick;

Figure 3 is a photomicrograph of stress-induced cracks in semiconductor crystal grains;

4A to 4D schematically illustrate an embodiment of a method and apparatus according to the present invention for preparing wafers for dicing, dicing the wafers into semiconductor dies, and during die pick-up using The energy field released from the mounting film assists the die to pick up the semiconductor die from the diced wafer;

5A to 5C schematically illustrate another embodiment of a method and apparatus according to the present invention for preparing wafers for dicing, dicing wafers into semiconductor dies, and during die pick-up. , using the energy field released from the mounting film to assist the die in picking up the semiconductor die from the diced wafer;

6A-6C schematically illustrate an embodiment of a method and apparatus for energy field assisted release of a carrier wafer from a device wafer after device wafer thinning according to the present invention;

7 is a perspective view of a spool carrying a semiconductor die on a carrier tape in a cavity configured for energy field assisted release of the die during die pick-up in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;

8A, 8B and 8C are cross-sectional views of different embodiments of pockets suitable for incorporation in a tape of the type shown in FIG. 7 for energy field assisted release of semiconductor die during die pick-up;

9 is a schematic side view of an apparatus for cleaning and releasing semiconductor die from a carrier structure during die pick-up;

10A and 10B schematically illustrate a method and apparatus for energy field assisted die picking from a carrier structure using magnetic shape memory particles embedded in an adhesive film on the carrier structure, diced semiconductor die. particles adhere to the adhesive film;

11A and 11B schematically illustrate a method and apparatus for energy field assisted die picking from a carrier structure using magnetized lead elements embedded in an adhesive film on the carrier structure, diced semiconductor die. particles adhere to the adhesive film;

12 and 13 schematically illustrate top elevation views of fragments of an adhesive film on a carrier structure to which semiconductor die can be adhered, illustrating the magnetic shape memory alloy particles of FIGS. 10A and 10B and the method of FIGS. 11A and 11B and placement of different examples of magnetized particles in the form of lead elements in the adhesive film used in the device;

14 is a schematic diagram of a movable standoff platen positioned under a target die and aligned with a pickup head during die picking to enhance adhesion of the mounting film from the target die in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Energy field assisted release of particles; and

15 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a wafer-level standoff platen under a target die for die pick-up for enhanced mounting in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The adhesive film of the membrane is released assisted by the energy field of the target grain.

202: Device wafer

204: Integrated circuit

208: Microelectronic devices

212: back

302: material

306: particles

400: Install the film

402: Adhesive material

404: Membrane frame

500: tools

502: pick up head

504: face

600: Energy Source/Energy Field Source/Magnetic Field Source

602: Magnetic Field/Energy Field

Claims (37)

A pick-and-place device comprising: a carrier structure for supporting diced microelectronic devices thereon; a pick-up tool comprising a pick-up head movable over respective positions of the diced microelectronic devices supported on the carrier structure; and an energy source beneath the carrier structure configured and positioned to emit an energy field substantially aligned with the pick head to attract or repel contact between the carrier structure and the diced microelectronic device supported thereon material particles. The pick-and-place device of claim 1, wherein the energy field source includes a magnetic source, the energy field includes a magnetic field, and the particles include a ferromagnetic material, a diamagnetic material, a non-magnetic conductive material, or a magnetic shape memory alloy. The pick-and-place device according to claim 2, wherein the particles include a ferromagnetic material or a diamagnetic material, and the magnetic source includes one or more electromagnets. The pick-and-place device of claim 2, wherein the particles include a non-magnetic conductive material, and the magnetic source includes an electromagnet configured to generate an oscillating, time-varying electromagnetic source. The pick-and-place device of claim 1, wherein the particles are embedded in at least part of an adhesive material between the carrier structure and the diced microelectronic devices. The pick-and-place device of claim 5, wherein the carrier structure includes a mounting film supported peripherally by a film frame. The pick-and-place device according to claim 5, wherein the carrier structure comprises a rigid carrier substrate. The pick-and-place device according to claim 6, wherein the particles comprise pin-shaped magnetized ferromagnetic elements oriented perpendicular to the adhesive material and spaced laterally from each other. The pick-and-place device of claim 6, wherein the particles comprise mutually laterally spaced magnetic shape memory alloys configured and positioned within the bonding material to respond to the energy in the form of exposure to a magnetic field field to enhance its elongation. The pick-and-place device of claim 6, wherein the adhesive material comprises segments in an array corresponding to and aligned with an array of diced microelectronic devices supported on the mounting film. The pick-and-place device of claim 10, wherein portions of the particles are embedded in each respective segment in one or more patterns selected to expose the portion of the particles to a magnetic field in the form of a magnetic field. The energy field enhances release of a microelectronic device adhered to the respective segment. The pick-and-place device of claim 5, wherein the carrier structure comprises a belt and a reel assembly, the belt comprising longitudinally spaced pockets, each pocket sized and configured to receive a microelectronic device therein , the portion of the binding material having the particles embedded therein is located in the recesses of the tape. The pick-and-place device of claim 12, wherein the portions of the adhesive material are located on the bottom surfaces of the cavities, and their size and shape correspond to the size and shape of the microelectronic devices received in the cavities. The pick-and-place device of claim 12, wherein the portions of the adhesive material are located on the bottom surface of the cavities and are positioned to be located below opposite ends of the microelectronic devices received in the cavities. The pick-and-place device of claim 12, wherein the portions of the adhesive material are located on a base protruding from a bottom of the cavities and positioned to be located below corners of microelectronic devices received in the cavities. The pick-and-place device according to claim 6, further comprising a seat pressing plate between the energy source and a lower side of the installation film, the seat pressing plate has upwardly protruding, laterally spaced elements. The pick-and-place device of claim 16, wherein the holder platen is configured to be similar to a holder platen of a cut microelectronic device to be positioned on the mounting film, and is selectively movable to different positions, each The location corresponds to a cut microelectronic device location. The pick-and-place device of claim 16, wherein the standoff platen is configured with standoff elements in a pattern at positions corresponding to the positions of the cut microelectronic devices to be positioned on the mounting film. A method comprising: providing a carrier structure having diced microelectronic devices adhered to an upper surface thereof; positioning a pick-up head of a pick-up tool over a selected target microelectronic device on the carrier structure; initiating an upward pick-up of one of the target microelectronic devices with the pick-up tool; and Substantially simultaneously with initiation of the upward pick-up, activating an energy source to emit an energy field from below the carrier structure and substantially aligned with the pick-up head to perform one of the following: repelling the target microelectronic device up and away from the carrier structure; or One or more portions of the carrier structure substantially underlying the target microelectronic device are attracted downwardly away from the microelectronic device. The method of claim 19, wherein the energy source is a magnetic energy source, and emitting an energy field includes emitting a magnetic field. The method of claim 20, further comprising immobilizing particles between the diced microelectronic devices and the carrier structure, the particles comprising a ferromagnetic material, a diamagnetic material, a nonmagnetic conductive material, or a magnetic shape memory alloy, the particles generate a motive force in response to the magnetic field. The method of claim 21, wherein the particles comprise a diamagnetic material or a nonmagnetic conductive material, and the motive force is oriented upward. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing the carrier structure in the form of a rigid substrate. The method of claim 21, wherein the particles comprise a ferromagnetic material, the carrier structure comprises a mounting film, and the motive force is directed downward. The method of claim 21, wherein the particles comprise elongated, laterally spaced elements of a magnetized ferromagnetic material, and the motive force is directed upward. The method of claim 21, wherein the particles comprise a magnetic shape memory alloy, and the motive force is oriented upwardly in response to elongation of the particles in a substantially vertical direction. The method of claim 21, further comprising positioning the particles in a material between the diced microelectronic devices and the carrier structure. The method of claim 27, further comprising positioning the particles in an adhesive film by which the diced microelectronic devices are bonded to the carrier structure. The method of claim 27, wherein the carrier structure comprises a mounting film, the target microelectronic device is moved upwardly by the particles, and a portion of the mounting film below the target microelectronic device is vertically constrained. The method of claim 24, wherein the carrier structure comprises a mounting film, and at least a portion of the mounting film under the target microelectronic device is moved downward by the particles. The method of claim 29, wherein only one or more but not all portions of the mounting film under the target microelectronic device are moved downward by the particles. The method of claim 21, further comprising providing the carrier structure in the form of a dispensing tape, the dispensing tape comprising longitudinally spaced pockets, each pocket held in the pocket by an adhesive material containing the particles. One of the cavities is cut for the microelectronic device. A method comprising: adhering a device wafer carrying integrated circuits via an active surface thereof to a carrier wafer using an adhesive film having particles embedded therein; thinning the device wafer from the back side of one of the device wafers; adhering the thinned device wafer by the backside thereof to a carrier structure to form an assembly; applying an energy field near the assembly to cause the particles to exert an upward motive force to separate the carrier wafer from the device wafer; and The carrier wafer is removed from the device wafer. The method of claim 33, wherein the energy field is a magnetic field applied from above the assembly, and the particles comprise ferromagnetic particles. The method of claim 33, wherein the energy field is an oscillating, time-varying magnetic field applied from below the assembly, and the particles comprise diamagnetic or nonmagnetic conductive particles. The method of claim 33, wherein the removal of the carrier wafer is accomplished without physical contact with the carrier wafer. The method of claim 33, wherein removing the carrier wafer is accomplished by removing the carrier wafer in at least two segments.

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