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Japanese DISCO Corporation is the undisputed leader in solutions for grinding, polishing and cutting of the wafers. The fact that it holds the record for the number of received SCQI (Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement) and PQS (Preferred Quality Supplier) Awards from Intel Corporation eloquently testifies to the level of the equipment and service of the company. The headquarters of the DISCO is located in Tokyo. About 4 thousand employees work for the company and subsidiaries. DISCO’s capitalization exceeding 20 billion JPY. Karl Heinz Priewasser, CEO of the European division of DISCO, told us about the advanced developments of the company.
Mr. Priewasser, what are the positions of DISCO in the market of solutions for grinding, polishing and cutting of the wafers?
We occupy 70–80% of the market. The basis for this are technological leadership and the desire to provide customers with comprehensive solutions that provide advantages in the competition. All of our manufacturing plants and R & D centres are located in Japan. Product portfolio includes equipment for blade and laser dicing, wafer grinding and polishing. Machines with automatic processing and manual handling and also fully automatic systems and production lines are offered. In addition to the equipment, we manufacture and supply the necessary tools and consumables, and also provide technological service. Approximately 60–70% of the installed equipment is used in the production of devices on silicon, 30–40% – for processing of sapphire, piezoelectrics, glass and other materials.
What DISCO’s innovations are the most important for further development of the technology?
First, I would like to note the DBG/SDBG process that forms deep grooves on the wafer by blade or laser and then separates the chips during backside grinding. This idea is not new, it has more than 50 years of history, but now it is extremely relevant, as it allows to manufacture chips with thickness down to 20 microns, which are demanded in manufacturing of memory and other devices with the use of advanced packaging.
Another important innovation that improves the reliability of processing ultrathin wafers is TAIKO process, when the entire area of the wafer is ground except of an edge (approximately 3 mm) on its outer most circumference. This creates a sort of "support", which greatly reduces the risk of warping and deformation of the wafer during subsequent processing.
What are the areas of new product development?
I would like to note that DISCO Corporation invests in research and development up to 50% of the profits. Every innovation demanded by the market is brought to perfection. Currently, the emphasis is on the improvement of the laser systems. Also a very promising project is being implemented in the development of CONDOX, grinding process for wafers with bumps of almost any height and density. Great emphasis is placed on methods of processing such materials as SiC, sapphire, lithium tantalate and lithium niobate. There is also a programme for the development of processes for power and RF electronics.
How well developed is the laser dicing?
We have sold already about 1 thousand laser systems, and this fact speaks for itself. Currently, we developing two types of laser technologies: ablation process and Stealth dicing. Ablative systems provide contactless processing of materials that are difficult for machining. Depending on the material, cutting width can be reduced to 10 microns. In Stealth technology, the laser forms a modified layer in the thickness of the wafer at the line of separation of the chips. This "dry" technology is optimal for minimization of contamination and mechanical impacts, for example in production of MEMS and optoelectronic devices on sapphire. The already mentioned SDBG technology is implemented with the use of Stealth dicing.
As practice shows, the relatively high cost of laser systems is fully compensated by the advantages that they provide including more efficient use of wafer’s area and increased yield.
How is the DISCO’s business in Russia organized?
Since 2001, we working in Russia in cooperation with the Ikar Impulse company. The Russian customers are valuable to us like customers from any other countries of the world, and we try to offer the best solutions for their business. Depending on the task, this can be our latest developments, or perhaps refurbished equipment. However, I believe that it is impossible to enter a new area with the old solutions. The most modern equipment is required in order to develop Russian microelectronics and to meet the requirements of today and tomorrow.
Interview: Dmitry Gudilin
We occupy 70–80% of the market. The basis for this are technological leadership and the desire to provide customers with comprehensive solutions that provide advantages in the competition. All of our manufacturing plants and R & D centres are located in Japan. Product portfolio includes equipment for blade and laser dicing, wafer grinding and polishing. Machines with automatic processing and manual handling and also fully automatic systems and production lines are offered. In addition to the equipment, we manufacture and supply the necessary tools and consumables, and also provide technological service. Approximately 60–70% of the installed equipment is used in the production of devices on silicon, 30–40% – for processing of sapphire, piezoelectrics, glass and other materials.
What DISCO’s innovations are the most important for further development of the technology?
First, I would like to note the DBG/SDBG process that forms deep grooves on the wafer by blade or laser and then separates the chips during backside grinding. This idea is not new, it has more than 50 years of history, but now it is extremely relevant, as it allows to manufacture chips with thickness down to 20 microns, which are demanded in manufacturing of memory and other devices with the use of advanced packaging.
Another important innovation that improves the reliability of processing ultrathin wafers is TAIKO process, when the entire area of the wafer is ground except of an edge (approximately 3 mm) on its outer most circumference. This creates a sort of "support", which greatly reduces the risk of warping and deformation of the wafer during subsequent processing.
What are the areas of new product development?
I would like to note that DISCO Corporation invests in research and development up to 50% of the profits. Every innovation demanded by the market is brought to perfection. Currently, the emphasis is on the improvement of the laser systems. Also a very promising project is being implemented in the development of CONDOX, grinding process for wafers with bumps of almost any height and density. Great emphasis is placed on methods of processing such materials as SiC, sapphire, lithium tantalate and lithium niobate. There is also a programme for the development of processes for power and RF electronics.
How well developed is the laser dicing?
We have sold already about 1 thousand laser systems, and this fact speaks for itself. Currently, we developing two types of laser technologies: ablation process and Stealth dicing. Ablative systems provide contactless processing of materials that are difficult for machining. Depending on the material, cutting width can be reduced to 10 microns. In Stealth technology, the laser forms a modified layer in the thickness of the wafer at the line of separation of the chips. This "dry" technology is optimal for minimization of contamination and mechanical impacts, for example in production of MEMS and optoelectronic devices on sapphire. The already mentioned SDBG technology is implemented with the use of Stealth dicing.
As practice shows, the relatively high cost of laser systems is fully compensated by the advantages that they provide including more efficient use of wafer’s area and increased yield.
How is the DISCO’s business in Russia organized?
Since 2001, we working in Russia in cooperation with the Ikar Impulse company. The Russian customers are valuable to us like customers from any other countries of the world, and we try to offer the best solutions for their business. Depending on the task, this can be our latest developments, or perhaps refurbished equipment. However, I believe that it is impossible to enter a new area with the old solutions. The most modern equipment is required in order to develop Russian microelectronics and to meet the requirements of today and tomorrow.
Interview: Dmitry Gudilin
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