公开(公告)号：CA2043173C

公开(公告)日：1993-09-21

申请号：CA2043173

申请日：1991-05-24

Applicant: IBM

Inventor： BROOM RONALD F ,  GASSER MARCEL ,  HARDER CHRISTOPH S ,  LATTA ERNST E ,  OOSENBRUG ALBERTUS ,  RICHARD HEINZ ,  VETTIGER PETER

IPC: B28D5/00 ,  H01L21/301 ,  H01S5/00 ,  H01S5/02 ,  H01L21/304

Abstract: A method for cleaving semiconductor wafers, or segments thereof, which comprises placing the wafer (11), provided with scribe lines (15) defining the planes where cleaving is to take place, inbetween a pair of flexible transport bands (12, 13) and guiding it around a curved, large radius surface (21) therebyapplying a bending moment. With a moment of sufficient magnitude, individual bars (22) are broken off the wafer as this is advanced, the bars having frontand rear-end facets. On cleaving, each bar, while still pressed against the curved surface, is automatically separated whereby mutual damage of the facets of neighbouring bars is prevented. For further handling, e.g. for the transport of the bars to an evaporation station for passivation layer deposition, provisions are made to keep the bars separated. Cleaving and the subsequent passivation coating can be carried out in-situ in a vacuum system to prevent facet contamination prior to applying the passivation.