3D-Micromac opens silicon valley office
3D-Micromac AG, a supplier of laser micromachining and roll-to-roll laser systems for the photovoltaic, medical device and electronics markets, is expanding its global infrastructure with the opening of its new 3D-Micromac America headquarters in San Jose, California. It has also announced that its microDICE laser micromachining system has been adopted by a major industrial manufacturer for volume production of high-power diodes.
The microDICE system is designed for dicing wafers used for advanced semiconductors and power device applications. Its approach uses thermally induced mechanical stress to separate brittle semiconductor materials such as silicon, SiC, germanium and GaAs, according to the company.
"While significant time and resources are invested in the front-end of semiconductor manufacturing to produce a completed product wafer, back-end wafer processing has historically been viewed as a necessary evil," stated Tino Petsch, CEO of 3D-Micromac.
"That's all changed with the adoption of new types of wafer substrates, thinner wafers and scaling to smaller dimensions, larger-size substrates, and new packaging technologies like 3D-stacking. Back-end process steps such as wafer dicing are evolving as critical value-add process steps that not only ensure, but also further enhance, device yields."
According to the company, TLS-Dicing provides throughput up to 30 times greater compared to saw dicing and is said to provide lower cost of ownership than other approaches.
3D-Micromac's new 3D-Micromac America headquarters will serve as both an applications lab and sales and support facility. It marks the company's first major presence in North America and will enable 3D-Micromac to better meet rising customer demand for its laser micromachining products across all of its served markets, including solar, semiconductor, MEMS, display and smart glass.
