CHALLENGE:
To develop a singulation process for GaN wafers that consistently provides high quality and yields.

CASE STUDY:
Integra evaluated the quality of die singulation of mechanical dicing versus scribe and break. A 120µm thick 4" GaN wafer was used for the evaluation.

SOLUTION:

• Mechanical dicing exhibited superior topside and backside quality compared to scribe and break.
• The mechanical dicing cut was very clean on the topside of the die with none of the chipping issues that one might normally expect from a hard III-V material.
• Backside quality from mechanical dicing was acceptable per Mil-Std specifications.
• Scribe and break demonstrated inferior topside quality compared to mechanical dicing due to the inability to maintain consistent and sufficient force during scribing of the GaN material.
• Backside quality was also substandard compared to mechanical dicing due to the excessive force required to break and separate the hard III-V material. 
  

RESULT:
As a result of this evaluation, Integra was able to develop and qualify a high-quality production process for singulating GaN wafers using mechanical dicing.

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