Chipping size in Si and SiC wafers dicing with a diamond saw blade – A review

Dicing is an essential stage of Si and SiC wafers production for producing electronic devices, in which many factors influence the quality of the final IC assembly. This review aims to provide an overview of the current state of the scientific community on the reduction of chipping size in dicing Si and SiC wafers with a polycrystalline diamond saw blade to identify areas for further research and to systematize the obtained data. The study utilizes meta-analysis methodology and considers two groups of the techniques presented by other authors: optimizing of dicing factors related to a PCD saw blade tool, processing modes (specified techniques, a feed rate, a depth of cut, and a rotation speed), and a workpiece characterization (crystallographic orientation, structure). The maximum effect was achieved using the street pre-forming technique (the minimal chipping size in dicing the Si wafer was 36.0–36.8 μm) and by choosing the crystallographic orientation of the workpiece before performing dicing (the minimum chipping debris was 3 μm (47% of all debris) and was obtained for the Si (111) wafer along [ ] cutting direction). The paper highlights the possibility of applying the proposed techniques in real production conditions.