In the 1970s and 1980s, as the demand for integrated circuits (ICs) surged, grip rings, also known as foton rings, were introduced into the semiconductor industry. These rings were specifically designed for mounting wafers during backgrinding, dicing, processes. Similar to a grip ring used in fabric patterning, a tape is placed between the inner and outer rings, which are then secured by applying force to the outer ring until it clicks into place with the tape sandwiched in between.
Although the widespread use of grip rings in the semiconductor industry has declined over the decades, largely replaced by bare metal wafer rings made of aluminum, they are still utilized in certain niche applications.
Continued Use of Grip Rings Today In Semiconductor Industry
- Low-Volume Production: In environments with low production volumes or where upgrading to more advanced technologies is not cost-effective, grip rings remain a practical solution for die sorting, dicing, and other wafer processing tasks.
- Research and Development: In R&D settings, where flexibility and ease of use often outweigh the need for high throughput, grip rings continue to be a valuable tool.
- Specialized Applications: Certain legacy systems or specialized processes still rely on grip rings, particularly in contexts where the risk of contamination is low, and the dies or wafers being handled are relatively large and robust.
Recent Die Sort Job Completed by Intech – Die Sort to Grip Ring Form on 8” Wafer:
Setup:
- Backgrind and dice an 8” dummy wafer according to the dicing plan, following the original wafer specifications.
- Set up the recipe on a Besi Datacon 2200 APM+ die attach/die sort machine.
- Fine-tune the recipe with in-process inspection for die cracks, probe marks, etc.
- Execute the recipe on the live wafer.
- Inspect the first grip ring to ensure no defects were introduced during the process.
Grip Ring Specs : Inner Ring/OD/ID Outer Ring OD/ID : 140mm / 146mm, 146mm / 152mm
