STEP 2 • DICING

Cutting the wafer apart

The wafer is mounted on a mylar film with a light adhesive before diamond sawing. That adhesive has to do two jobs: hold the die firmly during cutting, but stay mild enough to allow pick-and -place later.

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Laser cutting and diamond wire cutting are newer alternatives to traditional diamond sawing.

STEP 3 • PICK AND PLACE

Handling something fragile

Pick and place mounts individual dies from the wafer onto a lead-frame or into a package.

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For delicate, already-released structures — like surface-micromachined accelerometers — this step can cause real damage. Self-assembly techniques are being explored as a gentler alternative.

STEP 4 • DIE ATTACH

Anchoring the die

Once separated, the die is attached to its substrate: an adhesive bond layer is deposited on the substrate first, the die is placed on top, then the assembly is cured, annealed, or fired to secure the bond.

Die attach always happens before wire bonding — you need the die held firmly in place before you start connecting wires to it.

UNIT 30 STUDY COMPLETE

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You've covered Cutting, Placing & Attaching.