Whether your profession involves building circuits or you do it for a hobby, it is a good idea to know some of the basics around silicon wafers and the dicing process. This can help you understand how to build the right wafers as well as better appreciate the ones you get made elsewhere.
What Is It?
Making integrated circuits involves taking a wafer of semiconductor and making dies out of it. This is what silicon wafer dicing boils down to, fabricating the right size and shape of die out of a wafer of silicon, but it is more complex than it sounds. The wafer is placed on non-UV curable tape for larger sizes and UV curable tape for smaller ones. Once the die is cut, it will stay on this tape until removed by specialty equipment.
Why Is It Done?
When an integrated circuit is made on a silicon wafer, it can be cut into smaller copies called dies. This can help make the manufacture of various circuits and electronics easier than through other methods because several functional dies can be cut from a printed wafer and packaged safely for the next step.
Where To Get It?
You can find silicon wafers and dies through various specialty companies. You can also make your own if the cost of the equipment and personnel training is not prohibitive for your business. It is a good idea to check out the reputation and history of any company you partner with to make your integrated circuits and silicon dies.
Silicon wafers and dies are used in building integrated circuits and are a big part of the technology miniaturization revolution that is still taking place. You can find these printed wafers and cut dies from a variety of specialized companies to help you with all your circuit needs.