Key Equipment for Semiconductor Manufacturing: Technical Difficulties and Innovation Paths of Wafer Grinders-Wafer Grinder,CMP Polishing Machine,Lapping Machine,Edge Grinding-Tengyu Grinding

Key Equipment for Semiconductor Manufacturing: Technical Difficulties and Innovation Paths of Wafer Grinders

2025-11-13648

I. As a key equipment in semiconductor manufacturing, the processing accuracy of wafer grinding machines directly determines chip performance. Currently, they still face multiple technical bottlenecks in achieving ultra-precision indicators and stability control, which require breakthroughs through multi-dimensional technological innovations.

Challenges in Ultra-Precision Flatness and TTV Control
With chip processes advancing to 7nm and below, wafer flatness needs to reach the 0.3μm level, and Total Thickness Variation (TTV) must be controlled within 1μm. Traditional grinding methods are easily affected by multiple factors.
Relying solely on mechanical closed-loop control for thickness can no longer achieve high-precision thickness grinding. Meanwhile, domestic grinding wheels still have a certain gap from internationally advanced levels in terms of grinding force and self-sharpening.
Bottlenecks in Processing Stability
The heterogeneity of wafer materials poses challenges to grinding consistency, especially for third-generation semiconductor materials such as SiC and GaN, which have high hardness and brittleness and are prone to microcracks during grinding.
At the same time, thermal deformation of equipment caused by long-term continuous processing leads to nanoscale deviations in grinding gaps, affecting the sustainability of processing accuracy. Adsorption of grinding debris causes scratch defects and reduces yield.
Complexity of Multi-Parameter Collaborative Control
Parameters such as grinding pressure, rotational speed, and grinding fluid concentration have strong coupling relationships. Adjusting a single parameter can easily trigger chain reactions.
For example: increasing pressure can improve grinding efficiency but may cause edge chipping of wafers; increasing rotational speed can optimize surface quality but intensifies equipment vibration. Traditional manual parameter adjustment is difficult to achieve dynamic optimal matching.
II. Technical Breakthrough Paths
Optimization of High-Precision Mechanical Structure
Adopt air-bearing spindles and linear motor drive technology to control spindle radial runout within 1μm and eliminate mechanical transmission errors. Develop an adaptive grinding wheel dressing system that automatically adjusts dresser pressure and path by real-time monitoring of grinding wheel surface topography to ensure the flatness of the grinding interface.
Select ceramic-granite composite bases to reduce the impact of temperature changes on equipment accuracy by leveraging their low expansion coefficient.
Upgrade of Intelligent Control and Monitoring Systems
Adopt real-time thickness measurement devices from international first-tier brands to achieve real-time TTV monitoring and ensure timely feedback of deviations.
Build a parameter prediction model based on machine learning algorithms to automatically generate optimal process parameter combinations and dynamically adjust grinding pressure and rotational speed according to initial conditions such as wafer material and thickness. Integrate a machine vision inspection module to real-time identify microcracks and scratches and trigger emergency adjustment mechanisms.
Innovation in Grinding Processes and Materials

Develop gradient hardness grinding wheels, which achieve precise fitting through surface soft materials and ensure support stiffness through bottom hard materials, improving flatness control capabilities.
For third-generation semiconductor materials, adopt a three-stage process of "rough grinding - fine grinding - polishing" to gradually reduce processing stress and achieve precise TTV control.
Through the collaborative innovation of mechanical structure, intelligent control, and process materials, wafer grinding machines can break through ultra-precision processing bottlenecks, stably achieve 0.3μm-level flatness and 1μm-level TTV indicators, and provide equipment support for the development of the semiconductor industry towards higher processes.
As a key equipment in semiconductor manufacturing, wafer grinding machines currently face core technical bottlenecks in ultra-precision flatness and TTV control, processing stability, and multi-parameter collaborative control. Only through the collaborative breakthroughs of high-precision mechanical structure optimization, intelligent control and monitoring system upgrades, and grinding process and material innovations can they stably meet the strict requirements of advanced processes for processing accuracy and provide equipment support for the semiconductor industry to develop towards higher processes.

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