Wafer-to-wafer bonding processes for microstructure fabrication are categorized and described. These processes have an impact in packaging and structure design. Processes are categorized into direct bonds, anodic bonds, and bonds with intermediate layers. Representative devices using wafer-to-wafer bonding are presented. Processes and methods for characterization of a range of bonding methods a...

Axiomatic Design was used to develop a complete platform for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of silicon wafers. A functional requirement of the machine emerging from the axiomatic design process is the control of the wafer-scale polishing uniformity. Mechanisms to maintain control of the uniformity were designed, and integrated into a wafer carrier, which holds the wafer during polishing an...

The cost-effectiveness of market-dominating silicon wafer solar cells plays a key role in determining the competiveness of solar energy with other exhaustible energy sources. Reducing the silicon wafer thickness at a minimized efficiency loss represents a mainstream trend in increasing the cost-effectiveness of wafer-based solar cells. In this paper we demonstrate that, using the advanced light...

The increasing demand for more functions and features coming along with cost reduction plays a significant role in today’s product design and manufacturing technologies of mobile devices such as PDAs, laptop computer and mobile phones. Besides the main function of the device, imaging is considered as core feature by the user and major mobile phone manufacturers. Therefore the industry puts a lo...

Wafer bonding with intermediate polymer adhesives is an important fabrication technique for advanced microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems, such as three-dimensional integrated circuits, advanced packaging, and microfluidics. In adhesive wafer bonding, the polymer adhesive bears the forces involved to hold the surfaces together. The main advantages of adhesive wafer bonding include...

In plasma etching equipment for microelectronics fabrication, there is an engineered gap between the edge of the wafer and wafer terminating structures, such as focus rings. The intended purpose of these structures is to make the reactant fluxes uniform to the edge of the wafer and so prevent a larger than desired edge exclusion where useful products cannot be obtained. The wafer-focus ring gap...

In a state-of-the-art industrial production line of photovoltaic products the handling and automation processes are of particular importance and implication. While processing a fully functional crystalline solar cell an as-cut photovoltaic wafer is subject to numerous repeated handling steps. With respect to stronger requirements in productivity and decreasing rejections due to defects the mech...

As a key element in the semiconductor industry, efficient and stable transfer of the wafer set the very high request to the wafer transfer manipulator.At present,wafer transfer robot(SCARA-type,R-θ type) widely used in IC manufacturing equipment can only realize translational transmission to wafer,can not realize the posture change.So wafer transfer acceleration can only rely on its own gravity...