Apparatus for Grinding a Wafer

Abstract

An apparatus for grinding a wafer comprises a grinding member. The grinding member has a grinding element for grinding a first section of a wafer surface and a wafer contact element planar with and adjacent the grinding element. The wafer contact element is configured to contact a second section of the said wafer surface when the grinding element is grinding the first section.

1 . An apparatus for grinding a wafer on a wafer surface generally opposing a chip active surface, the apparatus comprising: a grinding member, the grinding member having a grinding element for grinding a first section of a said wafer surface and a wafer contact element planar with and adjacent the grinding element, the wafer contact element being configured to contact a second section of the said wafer surface when the grinding element is grinding the first section. 
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the wafer contact element is peripheral to and surrounding the grinding element. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the grinding member is generally disk-shaped. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the grinding member is operable to rotate about a central axis of rotation. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the grinding member is operable to move relative to the wafer surface in the same plane as the wafer surface. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a minimum diameter of the grinding member is equal to twice the wafer diameter. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the grinding element and the wafer contact element are integrally formed. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the wafer contact element is provided as a substrate on the grinding member and the grinding element is formed on the substrate. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a control means for controlling movement of the grinding member against the wafer surface. 
     
     
         10 . A method of separating a semiconductor chip from a wafer, the method comprising the steps of:
 cutting the wafer on a chip-active surface to form a plurality of blind apertures defining chip boundaries;   grinding the wafer on a wafer surface generally opposing the chip-active surface in a first section by means of a grinding member, which includes a grinding element and a contact element, whereby the wafer contact element is contacting a second section of the wafer surface, which is not contacted by the grinding element when the grinding of the first section is taking place; and   applying pressure to the first section of the wafer surface thereby breaking the wafer between the wafer surface and a blind end of each of said apertures.