Silicon carbide is a third-generation semiconductor material with excellent performance, characterized by good optical properties, high chemical inertness, and excellent physical properties, including wide bandgap, high breakdown voltage, high thermal conductivity, and strong high-temperature resistance.

It is often used as a substrate material for new generation high-frequency and high-power devices and is widely used in high-end manufacturing fields, such as the new generation of electronic industrial equipment, aerospace, and so on. Especially in the emerging and constantly growing new energy vehicle industry. It is estimated that China's annual production of new energy vehicles will be nearly 6 million in 2025, with a demand for power chips ranging from 1000 to 2000 per vehicle, of which over 50% are silicon carbide chips.

Laser and Silicon Carbide Materials

In the interaction between laser and silicon carbide materials, the main reaction among continuous laser, long pulse laser, nanosecond short pulse laser and the material is thermal effect. Its processing principle is to focus a high-power density laser beam on the material surface for heating and melting treatment. The focus of picosecond and femtosecond ultra short pulse lasers on the surface of materials is mainly focused on material plasma removal, which belongs to non-traditional cold processing.

In the post processing of silicon carbide semiconductor wafers, it is necessary to perform steps such as marking, cutting, slicing, and packaging of individual wafers, ultimately becoming a complete commercial chip. Currently, laser processing equipment has been gradually used to replace traditional mechanical processing equipment in the marking and cutting process of wafers, which has the advantages of high efficiency, good effect, and low material loss.

Application of Laser Wafer Marking

In the process of making silicon carbide wafers, in order to have chip differentiation, traceability, and other functions, it is necessary to label each chip with a unique barcode. The traditional chip marking methods are generally ink printing or mechanical needle engraving, which have disadvantages such as low efficiency and high material consumption. As a non-contact processing method, laser marking has the advantages of minimal damage to chips, high processing efficiency, and no consumables in the process, especially in the trend of increasingly thin wafers requiring higher processing quality and accuracy.

The laser used for laser wafer marking is usually selected based on needs or material characteristics, and for silicon carbide wafers, nanosecond or picosecond ultraviolet lasers are generally used. Nanosecond ultraviolet lasers have a lower cost and are suitable for most wafer materials, making them widely used.

Picosecond ultraviolet lasers are more inclined towards cold processing, with clearer marking and better results, making them suitable for materials and processes with higher marking requirements. The laser is transmitted through an external optical path, expanded into a galvanometer scanning system, and finally focused on the material surface through a field mirror. The marking content is achieved by galvanometer scanning according to the processing drawing file.

About HGTECH

HGTECH is the pioneer and leader of laser industrial application in China, and the authoritative provider of global laser processing solutions. We comprehensively layout the construction of laser intelligent equipment, measurement and automation production lines, and smart factories to provide an overall solution for intelligent manufacturing.

We deeply grasp the development trend of manufacturing industry, constantly enrich products and solutions, adhere to exploring the integration of automation, informatization, intelligence and manufacturing industry, and provide various industries with laser cutting systems, laser welding systems, laser marking series, laser texturing complete equipment, laser heat treatment systems, laser drilling machines, lasers and various supporting devices The overall plan for the construction of special laser processing equipment and plasma cutting equipment, as well as automatic production lines and smart factories.