Silicon wafers

What is the main purpose of chamfering (beveling) the edge of a wafer?

  1. ATo prevent chipping and cracking during handling and processing, and to suppress film buildup at the edge
  2. BTo make the wafer lighter
  3. CTo change the color of the wafer
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Answer: A. To prevent chipping and cracking during handling and processing, and to suppress film buildup at the edge

If the edge were left sharp, it would chip easily on contact during handling, and the fragments would become particles. Rounding the edge prevents chipping and cracking and also suppresses buildup of resist and epitaxial layers at the edge.

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More Silicon wafers questions

  1. Which impurity is typically added to the melt to make p-type silicon crystals by the CZ method?
  2. When a doped crystal is pulled by the CZ method, the dopant concentration tends to be higher toward the bottom of the crystal (later in the pull). Why?
  3. Which correctly describes 450 mm wafers, developed as the next diameter after 300 mm?
  4. What is the purpose of using bulk microdefects (BMDs), formed by oxygen precipitation inside CZ wafers?
  5. Heat treatment of a wafer diffuses oxygen out from near the surface, creating a low-defect layer at the surface where devices are made. What is this layer called?