die

**Die Singulation** is **separating individual dies from processed wafer using cutting (mechanical, laser, plasma)** — final post-CMOS step. **Mechanical Dicing** diamond blade (~100-200 μm thick) rotating ~3000 rpm. **Kerf Loss** blade width removed; narrow kerf maximizes density. **Blade Wear** diamond dulls; ~10,000 wafer lifespan. **Chipping** cutting forces can crack die edges. **Water Cooling** cools blade; assists chip removal. **Alignment** cuts follow scribe lines; precision ~5 μm. **Laser Dicing** UV or IR ablates silicon. Non-contact, no blade wear. **UV Dicing** 248 nm excimer; clean edges. **IR Dicing** 1064 nm thermal ablation; cheaper; potential cracks. **Plasma Dicing** RIE etch along scribe. Clean edge, minimal chipping. Slower than mechanical. **Edge Quality** impacts reliability. Cracks at edges are failure sites. **Design** avoid circuits near scribe (~50 μm margin). **Chipping Prevention** laser produces fewest; mechanical with parameters; plasma natural low rate. **Warped Wafers** thin wafers: laser/plasma preferred (mechanical risky). **Tape and Reel** post-dicing, dies on adhesive tape. Automated pick-and-place. **Yield** dicing yield: fraction of wafers → usable dies. Spacing, defects affect. **Singulation efficiency critical to cost** in wafer manufacturing.