Microelectronics

Plasma dicing is becoming increasingly attractive in the semiconductor market. Dies are becoming smaller and thinner and manufacturers are facing difficulties such as increasing material loss due to the width of the dicing line, mechanical damage to the dies from chipping and increasingly longer processing times due to line-by-line mechanical dicing. Panasonic’s APX300 Plasma Dicer solves these challenges and simultaneously provides a higher quality product with a lower cost of production. Features and benefits of Panasonic's APX300 Plasma DicerPlasma dicing requires a dicing street mask. After the mask is applied to the surface of the wafer and the dicing streets are exposed, the plasma process etches the exposed streets by a chemical reaction. By using a chemical etching process, a chipping-free and particle-free process is achieved. Thanks to the use of mask patterning, narrower street widths are possible – allowing more chips to be designed onto the wafer. Furthermore, the mask patterning allows complete flexibility in chip size, shape and position. The benefits of the Panasonic APX300 Plasma Dicer are: Particle-free and damage-free processHigher chip strengthYield improvementsThe Panasonic APX300 is available in a stand-alone single chamber (1 chamber) or a multi chamber (1, 2, or 3 chambers) configuration.  Panasonic can provide a plasma dicing total solution to achieve a damage-free, particle-free, higher throughput and lower overall cost of production. The Panasonic APX300 is CE certified. 

The APX300 (S option) is a dry etching system specializing in the processing of chemical compounds and non-volatile materials. It is compatible with wafers of 2 inches to 8 inches and irregular substrates, and two transport methods can be selected: “Atmospheric loading supply ” and “ Vacuum load lock supply ” CE certificated.

This equipment is a single-wafer processing type for wafers of 8 inches or smaller, and can be selected and optimized for a wide range of process applications such as power semiconductors, optical communications, high-frequency communications, RF modules, and MEMS.

In addition, as a post-etching process, the ashing and rinsing chambers can be expanded according to the process application.

The PSX307 Plasma Cleaner provides 1.5 times the productivity of conventional plasma cleaners. Panasonic's parallel plate plasma chamber technology delivers superior etch uniformity compared to conventional batch-type plasma cleaner systems.By using an argon plasma treatment, ultra-thin gold-plated electrodes can be wire-bonded reliably without the formation of nickel compounds. The savings achieved in cheaper gold plating can provide the ROI justification alone. The PSX307 Plasma Cleaner's other capabilities include surface modification by oxygen plasma, improving mold resin adhesion and under-fill wettability, and reducing the incidence of peel-off, voids, and cracks.Panasonic's Plasma Monitoring System suppresses abnormal discharges for a secure and efficient production process. The option to include traceability functionality ensures high level process quality as well.

Building upon the PSX307 Plasma Cleaner, the PSX307A Plasma Cleaner features an enlarged plasma chamber capacity that improves productivity. In addition, the PSX307A system is able to handle full wafers (both bare and on dicing frames).  Besides the increased capacity, Panasonic's original Plasma Monitoring System suppresses abnormal discharges resulting in a secure and efficient production process.  Additionally, the option to include a traceability functionality  ensures high level process Quality.