Methods and apparatus for thinning, testing and singulating a semiconductor wafer

Abstract

A wafer translator is provided with a patterned layer of wafer bonding thermoset plastic and is removably attached with a wafer so as to form a wafer/wafer translator pair. The wafer translator acts as a mechanical support during a thinning process as well as during a wafer dicing operation. The singulated integrated circuits are then removed from the wafer translator. In some embodiments, wafer level testing of the integrated circuits on the wafer is performed subsequent to the wafer thinning process but before the wafer and wafer translator are separated. In other embodiments, wafer level testing of the integrated circuits on the wafer is performed subsequent to the wafer dicing operation but before the diced wafer and wafer translator are separated.

1 . An apparatus for wafer testing, comprising:
 a wafer translator having a wafer-side facing a wafer and an inquiry-side facing away from the wafer, the wafer-side carrying contact structures corresponding to pads on the wafer; and   a releasable adhesive material at the wafer-side of the wafer translator, wherein the adhesive material includes a plurality of openings positioned to expose a corresponding plurality of contact structures.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a wafer having an active side attached to the adhesive material. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein at least one pad on the wafer is in contact with a contact structure on the wafer translator through an opening in the adhesive material. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the contact structures at the wafer-side of the wafer translator are a first plurality of the contact structures at a first scale that corresponds to a scale of the pads on the wafer, the wafer translator further comprising a second plurality of contact structures at the inquiry-side of the wafer at a second scale that corresponds to a scale of a probe card. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the wafer is thinned. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the wafer is singulated into individual dies. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of contact probes in contact with the inquiry-side of the wafer translator. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the openings in the adhesive material are formed by laser ablating or by etching. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the adhesive material has a CTE that is higher than a CTE of the wafer and the wafer translator. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the adhesive material is removable from the wafer by heating. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for wafer testing, comprising:
 a wafer translator having a wafer-side facing a wafer and an inquiry-side facing away from the wafer, the wafer-side carrying contact structures corresponding to pads on the wafer;   a releasable adhesive material at the wafer-side of the wafer translator, wherein the adhesive material includes a plurality of openings; and   a plurality of wafer pads in contact with the wafer-side contacts through the openings in the adhesive material.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the wafer is releasable from the wafer translator by heating the adhesive material. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the wafer is singulated into individual dies. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the wafer is thinned. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the contact structures at the wafer-side of the wafer translator are a first plurality of the contact structures at a first scale that corresponds to a scale of the pads on the wafer, the wafer translator further comprising a second plurality of contact structures at the inquiry-side of the wafer at a second scale that corresponds to a scale of a probe card. 
     
     
         16 . A method, comprising:
 disposing a wafer translator having an inquiry-side and a wafer-side on a vacuum chuck with the inquiry-side facing the vacuum chuck;   disposing a releasable adhesive material on the wafer-side of the wafer translator;   patterning the releasable adhesive material to expose a plurality of wafer-side contact structures carried by the wafer-side of the wafer translator;   positioning a first side of a wafer to face the wafer-side of the wafer translator, the first side of the wafer carrying a plurality of integrated circuits;   making electrical contact between the wafer-side contact structures and the wafer through openings in the releasable adhesive material to removably attach the wafer and wafer translator, thus forming a wafer/wafer translator pair;   after forming the wafer/wafer translator pair, thinning the wafer from a second side of the wafer, the second side facing away from the first side of the wafer; and   dicing the wafer to form one or more individual integrated circuits.