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SEZ and Disco Produce World's Thinnest 300 mm Wafer
VILLACH, Austria, December 6, 2000 -- The SEZ Group (Swiss Exchange: SEZN) announced that it has effectively produced 300 mm wafers as thin as 80 microns. The wafers are said to have excellent uniformity and to be four times stronger than those that have only undergone a grinding process to achieve that thickness. These results were achieved as a part of the company's efforts to enhance wafer-thinning techniques and to quantify the strength enhancement of 200 mm and 300 mm wafers.
The primary goal of SEZ's efforts is to demonstrate that ultra-thin 300 mm wafers can be produced with excellent strength. By implementing its proprietary stress relief applications, SEZ has been able to deliver an effective thinning process critical to 300 mm processing. While the focus has been on 300 mm process development, the results can also be applied to smaller diameter wafers.
A grinder manufactured by Disco Corporation was used in the thin grinding of the wafers. "Traditional grinding techniques intrinsically result in damage to the wafer, but Disco's ability to effectively thin wafers with minimal damage and excellent uniformity enables SEZ to produce a superior strength wafer after our stress relief application," explained Kuniaki Togasaki, chairman and CEO of SEZ Japan and member of SEZ's corporate executive board.
"SEZ is actively working to determine the issues surrounding 300 mm wafer thinning and to address those issues that are under our control," commented Herwig Petschnig, chief operating officer for the SEZ Group. "We will need the industry's cooperation to resolve many issues once 300 mm wafers have been thinned. Our Bernoulli handler can transfer ultra-thin 300 mm wafers, but currently the wafer cassettes and assembly area tools cannot accommodate them. We are committed to working with our 300 mm customers to address these issues and further enhance 300 mm wafer thinning."
About SEZ
The SEZ Group is a leading supplier of spin-processing equipment to the global semiconductor manufacturing industry. The company's breakthrough proprietary Spin-Processor technology forms the basis of a broad portfolio of backside and frontside wafer surface conditioning products for semiconductor chipmakers worldwide. SEZ maintains development, manufacturing, sales, marketing and service operations in Europe, Asia and North America. Registered in Zurich, Switzerland, SEZ Holding AG is listed on the Swiss Exchange under the symbol SEZN. SEZ
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