In recent years a technology for a high quality separation of nonmetallic materials into chips using a surface (“blind”) microcrack attracted considerable attention in the electronic industry. In this method a wafer is positioned on the translated X-Y table and is heated by a laser beam up to a temperature of the order of 300–400°C. The wafer is then cooled by an air-water spray, and a surface microcrack is formed due to relaxation of the thermal stresses. The initial microcrack with a depth of the order of several hundred microns then propagates in a subsurface region of a wafer and follows the path of the laser beam. Theoretical modeling based on the solution of the equations of thermal elasticity was performed to determine the distributions of temperature and thermal stresses that cause formation of an “edge” microcrack (at the edge of a wafer) followed by its transformation into a surface microcrack. The results of thermal stresses analysis are in an agreement with experimental observations. [S1043-7398(00)00804-5]

1.
Bar-Cohen
,
A.
,
1992
, “
State-of-Art and Trends in the Thermal Packaging of Electronic Equipment
,”
ASME J. Electron. Packag.
,
114
, pp.
257
270
.
2.
Suhir, E., 1988, “Thermal Stress Failures in Microelectronics Components-Review and Extension,” Advances in Thermal Modeling of Electronic Components and Systems, Vol. 1, Bar-Cohen, A., and Kraus, A. D., eds., Hemisphere, New York, pp. 373–412.
3.
Ernsberger, F. M., 1980, “Techniques of Strengthening Glasses,” Glass: Science and Technology, Chapter 4, Uhlmann, D. R., and Kreidl, N. J., eds., Academic Press, N. J., Vol. 5, Elasticity and Strength in Glasses, pp. 133–144.
4.
Karaev
,
A.
, and
Kornilov
,
A.
,
1982
, “
Analysis of Peculiarities of the Separation Process of Semiconductor Wafers into Segments Used in the IC Technology
,”
Phys. Chem. Treatment Mater.
,
15
, No.
1
, pp.
64
67
.
5.
Elperin, T., Kornilov A., and Rudin, G., 1997, “Advanced Laser Technology for Precise Separation of Brittle Non-Metallic Materials,” Abstracts of the 8-th Israel Materials Engineering Conference, Beer-Sheva, April 16–17.
6.
Elperin, T., Kornilov A., and Rudin, G., 1998, “Splitting of Non-Metallic Materials by a Double Thermal Shock Method,” Abstracts of the International Conference “Mesomechanics’98,” Tel-Aviv, p. 56.
7.
Lumley
,
R. M.
,
1969
, “
Controlled Separation of Brittle Materials Using a Laser
,”
Ceramic Bulletin
,
48
, pp.
850
854
.
8.
Powell, J., 1993, CO2-Laser Cutting, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 246 pp.
9.
Carslaw, H., and Jaeger, J., 1959, Conduction of Heat in Solids, Oxford University Press, London, 510 pp.
10.
Boley, B., and Weiner, J., 1960, Theory of Thermal Stresses, Wiley, New York.
You do not currently have access to this content.