Fonon Corporation, a multi-market holding company, R&D center, equipment designer and manufacturer of advanced laser material processing systems for subtractive and additive manufacturing, highlights its BlackStar Wafer Dicing Machine for applications in the semiconductor industry.

The BlackStar is powered by Fonon’s patented Fantom Width Laser Dicing technology (FWLD), an innovative next-generation method of splitting brittle materials in a cost-effective way that involves no material loss.

The manufacturing of semiconductor chips involves cutting, or singulating, small-scale dies out of silicon wafers. Common challenges in this process include the high potential for defects and distortions, as well as the unavoidable material waste. Silicon sawing tools can cause cracks and chipping, while also resulting in material waste at the line of blade contact.

Fonon’s BlackStar offers a solution to these challenges, providing for a higher yield of dies per wafer and maximizing throughput while maintaining the integrity of the material. The FWLD technology splits materials at the molecular level at tremendous speed with near-zero kerf width. In summary, a narrower kerf width results in more chips per wafer, hence the material loss is reduced. Eliminating such manufacturing waste lowers production time and costs.

Non-contact laser processing separates wafers effectively, preventing flaking at the cut edge. With Fonon’s automated single-step processing, the quality of the edges – one of the critical criteria for fracture resistance – is further improved. Increased die strength during chip package construction also directly impacts dependability and quality.

Fonon’s FWLD technology allows for the production of multiple size dies on the same wafer and the dicing of complex shapes. Each die can be cut individually regardless of shape, size, or position. The process can involve using a backing tape frame for stability, along with dry processing, which eliminates water use and extra handling steps.

The BlackStar can dice a wide variety of semiconductor materials, including silicon, gallium arsenide, germanium, indium phosphide, silicon carbide, gallium nitride, gallium phosphide and other compound materials.

About Fonon Corporation

Fonon Corporation is a diversified industrial laser equipment company with a continuously growing umbrella of building-block technologies supported by patents, licenses, next-generation hardware, and proprietary metal processing IP. The company is dedicated to advancing industrial technology and designing specialized 3D metal printing systems for manufacturing purposes, representing the fastest path to Manufacturing Readiness Level 10.

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