SBIR Phase I: Efficient Transfer Technology for Ultra-Thin Dies (UTD) in Advanced Semiconductor Chip Packaging

The broader impact/commercial impacts of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase-I project is in increasing the USA footprint in the advanced semiconductor chip assembly and package equipment market. The Ultra-thin die (UTD) semiconductor chip devices are building blocks for a wide range of mobile and flexible electronics applications. These UTD chips are very fragile and their handling during manufacturing is substantially different from traditional chips. The handling and transfer of UTD chips is a major contributor to the package cost and yield, which are critical for new technologies. In this project, an innovative technology will be developed for fast and precise transfer of UTD chips during semiconductor chip manufacturing. Customers for this technology are the world-wide original device manufacturers and semiconductor foundries, for use in a wide range of consumer products. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase-I project focuses on the introduction of a transfer technology capable of collectively transferring UTDs from the dicing tape to another substrate without the risk for die cracking, chipping or warpage. The “one-die-at-a-time” vacuum-based transfer that dominates today’s equipment market utilizes vacuum and a needle to push the die away from the tape while the pickup tool lifts the die off of the needle and places it into the appropriate output carrier. This technology is a major contributor to die stress and cracking, especially for UTDs. As high-performance chips trend to increase in area and decrease in thickness (< 50 microns), the task of reliable peeling of UTDs from the dicing tape becomes more challenging. To address this challenge, this project introduces two innovative methodologies / hardware components; the first of which is a Vacuum-Activated, Patterned Stage (VAPS) essential for initiating the collective delamination of all dice placed on a UV-sensitive dicing tape substrate, while the second is a pattern-sensitive individually addressable head for the electromagnetic pick and place of released dice. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.