15 March 2012

Shin-Etsu joins EVG’s open platform for temporary bonding materials

EV Group (EVG) of St Florian, Austria, a supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system), nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, says that Tokyo-based semiconductor materials supplier Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd has joined EVG’s open platform for temporary bonding/debonding (TB/DB) materials. Shin-Etsu’s adhesives will be qualified with EVG’s EZR (Edge Zone Release) and EZD (Edge Zone Debond) modules, which support the new ZoneBOND room-temperature debonding process used in the production of 3D ICs.

“Having worked closely with EVG’s process development teams, we are pleased to have successfully completed the stringent test procedures for their ZoneBOND equipment,” says Jim Edmonds, president of subsidiary Shin-Etsu MicroSi Inc of Phoenix, AZ, USA. “We look forward to working with customers that require temporary bonding to commercialize 3D packaging in a volume manufacturing environment,” he adds.

“Through our open materials platform approach, we are building a strong supply chain for EVG’s market-leading TB/DB technologies — unlocking another key barrier in the advancement of 3D IC commercialization,” says Markus Wimplinger, EVG’s corporate technology development & IP director. “Enabling the use of a wide range of adhesives from various suppliers for our equipment gives customers the most flexible choice of bonding materials for increased flexibility during thin wafer processing,” he adds.

ZoneBOND-capable technology, in tandem with EVG’s EZR and EZD modules, provides an approach for temporary wafer bonding, thin wafer processing, and debonding applications that overcomes the remaining limitations associated with thin wafer processing, it is claimed. EVG claims that benefits of its TB/DB equipment and open materials platform include: the use of silicon, glass and other carriers; compatibility with existing, field-proven adhesive platforms; and the ability to debond at room temperature with virtually no vertical force being applied to the device wafer. To support grinding and backside processing at high temperatures and to allow for low-force carrier separation, the concept defines two distinctive zones on the carrier wafer surface with strong adhesion in the perimeter (edge zone) and minimal adhesion in the center zone. As a result, low separation force is only required for carrier separation once the polymeric edge adhesive has been removed by solvent dissolution or other means.

Tags: EVG Shin-Etsu Temporary bonding materials

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