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Perform Real-time Pressure Measurements during Various Stages of the Semiconductor Process
Throughout all aspects of semiconductor manufacturing, constant testing and inspection are necessary to yield high quality and functioning products. The I-Scan™ System from Tekscan enables engineers and machine operators to quickly and accurately perform real-time pressure measurements during the various stages of the semiconductor process.
Helping you to:
- Improve down force precision and control of wafer polishing heads
- Ensure consistent wafer cleaning performance
- Verify die-to-substrate planarization
- Identify wear on pressure plates and machine parts
- Reduce the number of cracked and unbounded wafers
Improve Polishing Head, Pad Conditioner, & Brush Cleaning Effectiveness
In CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) systems, equipment state measurements, such as characterization and parallelism of polishing heads, is a key step in the semiconductor process. If the polishing head is not suitably conditioned, or have a consistent roughness on its surface, particles will not be properly removed.
The I-Scan system is designed to reveal the pressure distribution between the wafer and polishing head. Ultra-thin (0.1 mm) sensors easily fit in this application, accurately measuring and recording the amount and location of pressure and force being applied by the polishing head in real-time. The I-Scan software will display any parallelism or pressure variation problems. Machine adjustments can then be made and new measurements taken to ensure even pressure and proper wafer cleaning is achieved.
Measure & Control Pressure Distribution in Flip-Chip Assembly & Wafer Bonding
In flip-chip bonding, uniform pressure is required in order to avoid having open or poor electrical connections and die cracking. Achieving coplanarity between the die or chip and substrate is a tedious task that requires numerous and manual machine adjustments.
Likewise, during the wafer bonding process, it is necessary to have flat plates apply an even amount of pressure. Over time and increased use, these plates start to become uneven, making it difficult to detect slight pressure variations across the surface.
Verify pressure and die-to-substrate coplanarity with pressure sensors
With the I-Scan both static and dynamic pressure impressions can be taken before, during, and after machine adjustments, allowing you to see how changes in pressure can affect planarization and contact area. Measuring these key process steps and equipment states, enables engineers and machine operators establish product quality standards.
If the optimal pressure is not achieved, adjustments can be made to optimize the clamping fixture design, quantify forces, or determine ideal protocols such as torque patterns and procedures, such as in the example on the right.
Progressive iterations of tooling, process, and fixturing adjustments were made to yield more even pressure distribution and force across the area of interest. Measurement were taken before, during, and after adjustments were made.
Download your free eBook Available now: Insight from Pressure Mapping into Semiconductor Quality and Manufacturing