Infineon Technologies AG has made a major leap in the field of semiconductor production. They have successfully created and processed incredibly thin 300mm silicon power wafers. These wafers measure only 20 micrometers thick, roughly the same thickness as a single human hair, setting a new record for thinness and significantly improving performance and efficiency.
Innovative Designs
These cutting-edge wafers, which were both developed and manufactured by Infineon, are just half the thickness of the current industry norm of 40-60 micrometers. By reducing the thickness, the company has effectively lowered substrate resistance by 50%, which results in more than a 15% decrease in power loss when compared to traditional silicon wafers.
Engineering Challenges
Reaching the target thickness of 20 micrometers was no small feat. Infineon's engineers faced numerous technical hurdles. They created a new wafer-grinding technique to manage the metal stack that secures the chip to the wafer, which is actually thicker than 20 micrometers. They also had to tackle challenges such as wafer bowing and separation issues during the back-end assembly process, ensuring that the wafers remained strong while being compatible with Infineon's existing high-volume production processes.
Future Plans
The ultra-thin wafer technology has already been implemented and tested in Infineon's integrated Smart Power Stages used for DC-DC conversion, and shipments to customers have begun. The company anticipates that this energy-efficient design will take the place of existing low-voltage power converter wafers within the next three to four years.
Infineon is set to showcase the ultra-thin silicon wafer to the public at Electronica 2024, scheduled for November 12-15 in Munich.
