THIN WAFERS TARGET MANY APPLICATIONS

Thin wafers will be increasingly used in many diverse applications. This report describes the applications that require thin and ultra-thin wafers: MEMS, CMOS Image Sensors, 3D Packaging (incl. Interposers), Memories, RF Devices, Power Devices and LEDs.

While Memories & Logic will account for the largest fraction of thinned wafers, many other applications are concerned. MEMS are always characterized by a wide range of process and technologies. This is certainly the application where the widest range of wafer thickness can be found (e.g. the 3-axis gyro from InvenSense is a stack of 3 wafers with intermediate layer of 33μ thickness). To answer the need for thinner sensors for cell phone applications, capping, sensitive elements and MEMS ASIC will get thinner over the next years, specifically for inertial MEMS. For CMOS Image Sensors (CIS), Backside Illumination (BSI) now enables 100% Fill-factor, which opens the opportunity for CMOS sensor with higher Sensitivities or Higher Resolution. But we need to handle VERY thin layer as for a BSI CIS, the active layer is < 10μ. CIS wafers will also be thinner for packaging purposes (TSV, WLCSP).

Memories can be stacked in different ways: wire bonding or TSV. 3D stacking is the next big thing for memory integration with thickness as low as 25μ in 2016. But wire bonding will still be used for a few years and TSV volume will start to be significant in 2013.

Main Power Devices requiring thin wafers are IGBTs but others power devices could use thin wafers. For Power Devices, thin wafers allow low Ron, thus improve current carrying capability and minimize power consumption. For LEDs, GaAs, sapphire and SiC wafers are thinned as well.

MARKET DRIVERS FOR THIN WAFERS

Motivations for thin wafers are: high interconnect density (such as aggressive TSV pitch & diameters), better power dissipation and higher electrical performance and reduced package size. Consumer electronics are driving the need for smaller, higher performing, lower cost device configurations for use in applications such as memory, wireless devices... These new options, in turn, are pushing demand for a reduction in chip thickness from the traditional 500μ thickness to about 40 μm. Thin dies are driving the need for thin and even ultra-thin semiconductor wafers (below 50μm). Such dramatic changes will have strong impact on the equipment and materials side as well as new process and bonding technologies will be required for handling such fragile wafers. Yole has covered the equipment and processing aspects in the previous “Thin Wafer Manufacturing” report.

KEY FEATURES OF THE REPORT

The objectives of the report are the following:

Provide an understanding of the thin wafer applications:
Overview of the thin wafer applications: MEMS, CMOS Image Sensors, Memories, Power Devices, RF Devices, LEDs, Interposers
Thin wafers roadmaps
Give market forecasts for thin wafers:
2011-2016 Market Forecast in units and US$ for thin wafers
Detailed forecasts by application, wafer size and thickness
Analyze the trends for wafer thinning
Thinning technologies overview
Players

WHO SHOULD BUY THIS REPORT?

Foundries & chip manufacturers
Get an overview of the large panel of accessible applications for thin wafers
Identify the key trends into wafer thickness reduction
Monitor and benchmark your competitor’s advancements
Thinning tools/services & materials (chemistry, wafers) providers
Identify and evaluate what the requirements for thinning wafers will be
Analyze the threads and opportunities
Evaluate the market value and volume

COMPANIES CITED IN THE REPORT:
3M, Accretech, ADI, AIT, AkM, ALLVIA, ALSI, AMAT, Aptina / Micron, Avago, Brewer, Canon, Corning, Cree, Dalsa, Denka, Denso, Discera, Disco, Dongbu HiTek, DoubleCheck Semiconductors, Dynatex, Dupont, Dynatex, Elmos (SMI), Elpida, Epistar, ERS, ESI, EVG, FhG IZM, Fico, Formosa Epitaxy, Freescale, Genesis, Furukawa, Hamamatsu, HH NEC / Grace, Hitachi Chemical, Huga, Hynix, IBM, IMT, Infineon, Intel, Invensense, JCAP, kionix, Laserod, Lextar, Lighthouse (AU Opto), LG Innotek, Lintec, Loadpoint, Lumileds, Micralyne, Micron, Mitsui Chemical, Nanya, Nichia, Nitta, Nitto Denko, Osram, Panasonic, PlanOptik, Powerchip, ProMOS, Renesas, Ricmar, Robert Bosch, Rorze, Samsung, Schott, Scrypt, Sekusui, Seoul Optodevice, Shinko, Silex, SMIC, Sony, Spansion, STM, Strasbaugh, Sumitomo Chemical, SUSS MicroTec, Synova, Sysmelec, Takada, Tekcore, TEL, Texas Instruments, Tezzaron, TMAT, tMt, TOk, Toshiba, Tower, Toyoda Gosei, Tronic’s, TSMC, Veeco, VTI, X-Fab, Xiamen Sanan Optoelectronics, Yushin.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 Objective of the report 2

 Table of contents 4

 List of companies mentioned in the report 5

 Executive summary 6

 2010-2016 Thin wafer market forecasts 24

       Thinned wafers vs. TOT number of shipped wafers

       Thin wafers shipment in 300 mm eq.

       2010-2016 thin wafer shipment forecast by application

       2010-2016 thin wafer shipment forecast by wafer diameter

       2010-2016 thin wafer shipment forecast by wafer thickness

 Thin wafer players 37

       2010 main thin wafers

       2010 geographic breakdown for thin wafer processing in % of number of
       processed wafers

       2010 wafer size breakdown for thin wafer processing in % of number of
       processed wafers

       Thin wafer processors

 Description oF applications 81

       MEMS

       CMOS Image Sensors

       Memory & Logic

       Power Devices

       RF Devices (GaAs)

       LEDs

       Advanced Packaging:3D TSV/Interposers


Thin wafer Technologies overview 160

       Wafer Thinning

       Dry Polishing

       Thin Wafer Handling: the different solutions

       Wafer Dicing

 Final conclusions 214

 Appendices