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  Methods for releasably attaching support members to microfeature workpieces and microfeature assemblies formed using such methodsUSPTO Application #: 20070017630Title: Methods for releasably attaching support members to microfeature workpieces and microfeature assemblies formed using such methods Abstract: Methods for releasably attaching support members to microfeature workpieces and microfeature assemblies formed using such methods are disclosed herein. A method for processing a microfeature workpiece in accordance with one embodiment includes applying adhesive material to a non-active portion on a first side of a workpiece. The workpiece can include a first active portion and a second active portion separated from each other at least in part by the non-active portion. The method continues by adhesively attaching the first side of the workpiece to a first support member, and releasably attaching the second side of the workpiece to a second support member. The method further includes separating the first active portion from the second active portion while the workpiece is attached to the second support member by cutting through the first support member and the non-active portion of the workpiece. The separation process removes at least approximately all the adhesive material from the non-active portion of the workpiece. (end of abstract) Agent: Perkins Coie LLP Patent-sea - Seattle, WA, US Inventors: Kyle K. Kirby, Steven D. Oliver USPTO Applicaton #: 20070017630 - Class: 156250000 (USPTO) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070017630. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention is directed generally toward methods for releasably attaching support members to microfeature workpieces and microfeature assemblies formed using such methods. BACKGROUND [0002] Existing microelectronic device packages typically include a microelectronic die attached to a support member, such as a printed circuit board. Bond pads or other terminals on the die are electrically connected to corresponding terminals on the support member, for example, with solder balls or wires. The connection between the die and the support member can be protected by encapsulating the die to form a device package. The package can then be electrically connected to other microelectronic devices or circuits in many types of consumer or industrial electronic products. [0003] Manufacturers are under continuous pressure to reduce the size of the electronic products they make. Accordingly, microelectronic die manufacturers seek to reduce the size of the packaged dies incorporated into the electronic products. One approach to reducing the size of the packaged dies is to reduce the thickness of the dies themselves, for example, by grinding the back side of the wafer from which the die is singulated or diced. One drawback with this approach, however, is that thin wafers are extremely fragile and therefore difficult to handle. [0004] One approach addressing this drawback is to attach a relatively thick wafer support to the wafer during the grinding process to ensure survival of the wafer as well as to facilitate handling of the wafer during processing. One system, for example, includes attaching a wafer to a wafer support using an adhesive material. The wafer support is then removed after the wafer is processed, for example, by heating the bond between the wafer and the wafer support, or by dissolving the bond with an acid. The resulting thin wafer is ready for further processing and/or packaging. [0005] One drawback with the foregoing approach is that the adhesive material used to secure the wafer to the wafer support can be difficult to remove from the wafer after processing. As discussed above, for example, removing the adhesive material may require heat and/or solvents. Accordingly, the wafer can be vulnerable to damage and/or breakage during removal of the adhesive material. A further drawback of the foregoing approach is that the adhesive material on the wafer may contact sensitive portions of the individual dies and damage and/or contaminate the dies. Accordingly, there is a need to improve the handling of microfeature workpieces during processing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0006] FIGS. 1A-1G illustrate various stages of a method for releasably attaching a microfeature workpiece to a support member in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. [0007] FIG. 2 illustrates a stage in a method for releasably attaching a microfeature workpiece to a support member in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. [0008] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate stages in a method for releasably attaching a microfeature workpiece to a support member in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION A. Overview/Summary [0009] The present invention is directed toward methods for releasably attaching support members to microfeature workpieces and microfeature assemblies formed using such methods. One particular embodiment of such a method comprises applying adhesive material to a non-active portion on a first side of a workpiece. The workpiece can include a first active portion and a second active portion separated from each other at least in part by the non-active portion. The method continues by adhesively attaching the first side of the workpiece to a first support member, and releasably attaching the second side of the workpiece to a second support member. The method further includes separating the first active portion from the second active portion while the workpiece is attached to the second support member by cutting through the first support member and the non-active portion of the workpiece. The separation process removes at least approximately all the adhesive material from the non-active portion of the workpiece. In several embodiments, the method can further include removing material from the second side of the workpiece to thin the workpiece after attaching the workpiece to the first support member and before attaching the workpiece to the second support member. [0010] Another embodiment of a method for processing microfeature workpieces comprises applying adhesive material to non-active portions on a first side of a microfeature workpiece. The workpiece can include a plurality of microelectronic dies separated from each other at least in part by the non-active portions. The individual microelectronic dies each include an active portion. The method continues by adhesively attaching the first side of the microfeature workpiece to a first support member. The method can also include removing material from a second side of the workpiece to thin the workpiece from a first thickness to a second thickness less than the first thickness while the workpiece is attached to the first support member. The method further includes releasably attaching the second side of the workpiece to a second support member and, while the workpiece is attached to the second support member, separating each of the plurality of dies from each other. The dies can be singulated by cutting through the first support member and the non-active portions of the workpiece to remove at least approximately all the adhesive material from the non-active portions of the workpiece. [0011] Additional embodiments of the invention are directed toward microfeature assemblies. One embodiment of such an assembly includes a microfeature workpiece having a first side, a second side opposite the first side, a first active portion, a second active portion, and a non-active portion separating the first active portion from the second active portion. The assembly also includes a sacrificial first support member positioned proximate to the first side of the workpiece. The assembly further includes adhesive material disposed between the workpiece and the first support member. In one aspect of this embodiment, the adhesive material is disposed on the non-active portion of the workpiece and is at least generally out of contact with the first and second active portions. [0012] The term "microfeature workpiece" is used throughout to include substrates upon which and/or in which microelectronic circuits or components, data storage elements or layers, vias or conductive lines, micro-optic features, micromechanical features, and/or microbiological features are or can be fabricated using microlithographic techniques. The term "microfeature assembly" is used throughout to include a variety of articles of manufacture, including, e.g., semiconductor wafers having active components, individual integrated circuit dies, packaged dies, and subassemblies comprising two or more microelectronic workpieces or components, e.g., a stacked die package. Many specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in FIGS. 1A-3B to provide a thorough understanding of these embodiments. A person skilled in the art, however, will understand that the invention may be practiced without several of these details or additional details can be added to the invention. Well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments of the invention. Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include the plural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word "or" is expressly limited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items in reference to a list of two or more items, then the use of "or" in such a list is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of the items in the list. Additionally, the term "comprising" is used throughout to mean including at least the recited feature(s) such that any greater number of the same feature and/or additional types of features are not precluded. B. Embodiments of Methods for Releasably Attaching Support Members to Microfeature Workpieces [0013] FIGS. 1A-1G illustrate various stages of a method for releasably attaching a microfeature workpiece to a support member. More specifically, FIGS. 1A-1G illustrate stages of a method for releasably attaching a front side of the workpiece to a support member using an adhesive disposed only on non-active portions of the workpiece so that after processing the support member can be removed from the workpiece without contaminating and/or damaging the active portions of the workpiece. [0014] FIG. 1A is a top plan view of a microfeature workpiece 100 at an initial stage before the workpiece has been attached to a support member. The workpiece 100 includes a front side 102 and a back side 104 facing opposite the front side 102. The workpiece 100 further includes a plurality of microelectronic components 106 (e.g., microelectronic dies) having active portions 107 (shown schematically in the Figures) positioned at least proximate to the front side 102 of the workpiece 100. The active portions 107 can include circuit elements or devices, such as lines, vias, terminals, transistors, data storage elements, image sensors, or other conductor or semiconductor components arranged in an array on the workpiece 100. The individual active portions 107 on the workpiece 100 can be separated from each other by a plurality of non-active portions 110. These non-active portions 110 are commonly aligned with one another to facilitate cutting with a wafer saw, defining so-called streets or scribe lines 111 between the individual components 106. In other embodiments, the active portions 107 and/or non-active portions 110 can include other features and/or have other arrangements. For example, in several embodiments the non-active portions 110 may contain sacrificial active elements (e.g., test or diagnostic elements) that are active during processing of the workpiece 100, but not active when processing of the workpiece is completed. [0015] Referring next to FIG. 1B, an adhesive material 120 is deposited onto one or more of the non-active portions 110 on the front side 102 of the workpiece 100. In one aspect of this embodiment, the adhesive material 120 can be a bead of adhesive material deposited onto the non-active portions 110 in a plurality of generally parallel columns 108 and rows 109 (corresponding at least in part to the scribe lines 111) that are approximately as wide as a wafer saw or dicing blade that is subsequently used to singulate the workpiece 100, as discussed in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 1F. [0016] The adhesive material 120 can include an epoxy material or other suitable material. As discussed below, the adhesive material 120 does not need to have any special release characteristics because all or substantially all the adhesive material 120 is removed during the singulation process. The adhesive material 120 can be deposited onto the front side 102 of the workpiece using a pen-type dispensing process, a screen printing process, a photoetch process, precut strips or grids of adhesive material deposited onto desired portions of the workpiece 100, a tape dispensing process (e.g., a layer of tape over all or substantially all the front side 102 of the workpiece 100 with cut-out portions corresponding to one or more of the active portions 106), or another suitable process known to those of ordinary skill in the art. [0017] FIG. 1C is a side cross-sectional view of the workpiece 100 taken along line 1C-1C of FIG. 1B after a sacrificial first support member 130 (e.g., a carrier substrate) is attached at one or more attachment locations 122 on the front side 102 of the workpiece 100 to form a microfeature assembly 140. Each attachment location 122 can include a portion of adhesive material 120 to secure the first support member 130 to the workpiece 100. The first support member 130 can be glass, quartz, or another material that is at least partially transparent. In several embodiments, for example, the active portions 107 can include image sensors and the first support member 130 can be at least partially transmissive to ultraviolet radiation so that the first support member 130 does not obstruct the image sensors during testing (e.g., illumination of the image sensors). In other embodiments, the first support member 130 can include other suitable materials, including opaque materials. [0018] The first support member 130 can be sized and shaped to receive the workpiece 100 and provide support to the workpiece 100 during subsequent processing steps. In one embodiment, the first support member 130 can be generally rigid and has a planform shape at least approximately identical to that of the workpiece 100. In alternative embodiments, however, the first support member 130 can be slightly larger than the workpiece 100 to avoid the need for precisely aligning the workpiece 100 with the first support member 130 when attaching the two together and for protecting the edge after thinning. Continue reading... Full patent description for Methods for releasably attaching support members to microfeature workpieces and microfeature assemblies formed using such methods Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Methods for releasably attaching support members to microfeature workpieces and microfeature assemblies formed using such methods patent application. Patent Applications in related categories: 20080105368 - Method of manufacturing an electro-optical device - The disclosure is directed to method for manufacturing an electro-optical device. In one example, a method comprises forming a plurality of scribe lines in a substrate; forming cracks in the substrate which pass from the scribe lines through the substrate; and forming a plurality of dicing lines in the substrate ... ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. 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