公开(公告)号：US20220379520A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-01

申请号：US17664478

申请日：2022-05-23

Applicant: DISCO CORPORATION

Inventor： Ryohei YAMAMOTO ,  Koyo HONOKI ,  Koji ITABASHI

IPC: B28D5/00 ,  B23K26/53

Abstract: An ultrasonic wave is applied to an upper surface of an ingot via a liquid layer, in a state in which an outer circumferential region of a lower surface of the ingot is sucked. A lower side around an outer circumferential arc-shaped portion of the lower surface of the ingot is open so that liquid that serves as a medium of the ultrasonic wave does not collect around the outer circumferential arc-shaped portion of the lower surface of the ingot. As a result, a peel-off layer formed in the ingot is not immersed in liquid when an ultrasonic wave is applied to the upper surface of the ingot via the liquid layer. Consequently, even when the ingot becomes thin, the ingot can be separated at the peel-off layer, and a wafer can be peeled off from the ingot.

公开(公告)号：US20190228980A1

公开(公告)日：2019-07-25

申请号：US16251876

申请日：2019-01-18

Applicant: DISCO CORPORATION

Inventor： Ryohei YAMAMOTO ,  Kazuya HIRATA

IPC: H01L21/304 ,  H01L21/78 ,  H01L21/322 ,  B23K26/00 ,  B23K26/53 ,  B28D5/00

Abstract: A wafer producing method of producing a wafer from a hexagonal single crystal ingot, the method including positioning a focal point of a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through the hexagonal single crystal ingot at a depth corresponding to a thickness of a wafer to be produced from an end face of the hexagonal single crystal ingot and applying the laser beam to the hexagonal single crystal ingot to form a separation layer, positioning an ultrasonic wave generating unit so as to face the wafer to be produced with a layer of water interposed therebetween and generating an ultrasonic wave through the layer of water to break down the separation layer, and detecting separation of the wafer to be produced from the hexagonal single crystal ingot according to change in sound.

公开(公告)号：US20190148164A1

公开(公告)日：2019-05-16

申请号：US16192250

申请日：2018-11-15

Applicant: DISCO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kazuya HIRATA ,  Ryohei YAMAMOTO

IPC: H01L21/321 ,  H01L21/687 ,  H01L21/04 ,  H01L29/16

Abstract: A method for producing a wafer from a hexagonal single crystal ingot includes: planarizing an upper surface of the hexagonal single crystal ingot; applying a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through the ingot, with a focal point positioned in an inside of a region not to be formed with devices of a wafer to be produced from the upper surface of the ingot which has been planarized, to form a production history; and applying a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through the hexagonal single crystal ingot with a focal point of the laser beam positioned at a depth corresponding to a thickness of the wafer to be produced from the upper surface of the hexagonal single crystal ingot which has been planarized, to form an exfoliation layer.

公开(公告)号：US20230373129A1

公开(公告)日：2023-11-23

申请号：US18319607

申请日：2023-05-18

Applicant: DISCO CORPORATION

Inventor： Koyo HONOKI ,  Koji ITABASHI ,  Ryohei YAMAMOTO ,  Haruki MATSUO

IPC: B28D5/04 ,  B28D5/00 ,  B23K26/00 ,  B23K26/08 ,  B23K26/40

CPC classification number: B28D5/047 ,  B28D5/0094 ,  B28D5/0064 ,  B28D5/0011 ,  B28D5/0052 ,  B23K26/0093 ,  B23K26/0853 ,  B23K26/40 ,  B23K2101/40

Abstract: A peeling apparatus includes a holding table that holds an ingot, a water supply unit that forms a layer of water on an upper surface of the ingot, an ultrasonic unit that applies an ultrasonic wave to the upper surface of the ingot through the layer of water, a peeling confirmation unit that confirms peeling-off of a wafer to be manufactured, a wafer delivery unit that lowers a suction pad having a suction surface facing the upper surface of the ingot, to hold the wafer to be manufactured on the suction surface under suction, and delivers the wafer from the ingot, and a controller. After the peeling-off of the wafer is confirmed by the peeling confirmation unit, the controller positions the water supply unit, the ultrasonic unit, and the peeling confirmation unit at retracted positions and operates the wafer delivery unit to deliver the wafer from the ingot.

公开(公告)号：US20230364717A1

公开(公告)日：2023-11-16

申请号：US18307956

申请日：2023-04-27

Applicant: DISCO CORPORATION

Inventor： Ryohei YAMAMOTO

IPC: B23K26/53 ,  B23K26/03 ,  B23K26/08

CPC classification number: B23K26/53 ,  B23K26/032 ,  B23K26/083 ,  B23K2103/56

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes a first reflected light detection unit having a first light receiving element that detects inspection light reflected by a crack in an inspection region located on one side of a focal point in a direction along an X-axis, a second reflected light detection unit having a second light receiving element that detects the inspection light reflected by the crack in the inspection region located on the other side of the focal point in the direction along the X-axis, and a controller.

公开(公告)号：US20220410431A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-29

申请号：US17805724

申请日：2022-06-07

Applicant: DISCO CORPORATION

Inventor： Koyo HONOKI ,  Ryohei YAMAMOTO

IPC: B28D5/00 ,  B08B1/00 ,  B08B1/04 ,  B23K26/53

Abstract: There is provided a peeling apparatus including an ingot holding unit that has a holding surface for holding an ingot, a wafer holding unit that is capable of approaching and separating from the ingot holding unit and has a holding surface for holding under suction a wafer to be produced, and a cleaning brush that cleans peel-off surfaces at which the wafer to be produced has been peeled off from the ingot and thereby removes peeling swarf.

公开(公告)号：US20220268700A1

公开(公告)日：2022-08-25

申请号：US17649714

申请日：2022-02-02

Applicant: DISCO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kazuki MORI ,  Ryohei YAMAMOTO

IPC: G01N21/64

Abstract: A detecting apparatus for use in specifying regions having different impurity concentrations in an ingot includes an ingot holding unit having a holding surface for holding the ingot thereon, an excitation light source for applying excitation light having a predetermined wavelength to a face side of the ingot held on the holding surface, and a photodetector for detecting fluorescence emitted from the ingot upon exposure to the excitation light and generating an electric signal representing a number of photons of only light whose wavelength is in an infrared radiation range, of the detected fluorescence.

公开(公告)号：US20220181174A1

公开(公告)日：2022-06-09

申请号：US17457706

申请日：2021-12-06

Applicant: DISCO CORPORATION

Inventor： Ryohei YAMAMOTO ,  Kazuya HIRATA

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/677 ,  B23K26/035 ,  H04N5/225

Abstract: A wafer manufacturing apparatus includes an ingot grinding unit for grinding an upper surface of an ingot to planarize the upper surface of the ingot, a laser applying unit for forming peel-off layers in the ingot at a depth therein, which corresponds to the thickness of a wafer to be produced from the ingot, from the upper surface of the ingot, a wafer peeling unit for holding the upper surface of the ingot and peeling off a wafer from the ingot at the peel-off layers, a tray having an ingot support portion and a wafer support portion, and a belt conveyor unit for delivering the ingot supported on the tray between the ingot grinding unit, the laser applying unit, and the wafer peeling unit.

公开(公告)号：US20200343102A1

公开(公告)日：2020-10-29

申请号：US16926851

申请日：2020-07-13

Applicant: DISCO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kazuya HIRATA ,  Ryohei YAMAMOTO

IPC: H01L21/321 ,  H01L29/16 ,  H01L21/04 ,  H01L21/687 ,  B24B37/00 ,  B23K26/00 ,  B24B7/04 ,  C30B29/00 ,  B24B7/22

Abstract: A method for producing a wafer from a hexagonal single crystal ingot includes: planarizing an upper surface of the hexagonal single crystal ingot; applying a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through the ingot, with a focal point positioned in an inside of a region not to be formed with devices of a wafer to be produced from the upper surface of the ingot which has been planarized, to form a production history; and applying a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through the hexagonal single crystal ingot with a focal point of the laser beam positioned at a depth corresponding to a thickness of the wafer to be produced from the upper surface of the hexagonal single crystal ingot which has been planarized, to form an exfoliation layer.

公开(公告)号：US20190304800A1

公开(公告)日：2019-10-03

申请号：US16365014

申请日：2019-03-26

Applicant: DISCO CORPORATION

Inventor： Ryohei YAMAMOTO

IPC: H01L21/322 ,  B23K26/00 ,  B23K26/53 ,  B28D5/00 ,  H01L21/78

Abstract: A method of producing a wafer includes a peel-off layer forming step to form a peel-off layer in a hexagonal single-crystal ingot by applying a laser beam having a wavelength transmittable through the hexagonal single-crystal ingot while positioning a focal point of the laser beam in the hexagonal single-crystal ingot at a depth corresponding to the thickness of a wafer to be produced from an end face of the hexagonal single-crystal ingot, an ultrasonic wave generating step to generate ultrasonic waves from an ultrasonic wave generating unit positioned in facing relation to the wafer to be produced across a water layer interposed therebetween, thereby to break the peel-off layer, and a peel-off detecting step to detect when the wafer to be produced is peeled off the hexagonal single-crystal ingot by positioning an image capturing unit sideways of the wafer to be produced.