As a leading representative of third-generation semiconductors, silicon carbide (SiC) is redefining the future of power and RF devices. With its wide bandgap, high thermal conductivity, and exceptional breakdown field strength, SiC has become the material of choice for MOSFETs, RF components, and other high-performance devices across applications like electric vehicles, industrial power systems, and 5G communications.
Yet, despite its growing popularity, SiC remains notoriously difficult to process — especially when it comes to wafer dicing.
The Challenge: Dicing SiC Wafers
SiC’s Mohs hardness of 9.2 and strong chemical stability present substantial challenges in wafer separation. This difficulty intensifies when dicing lanes include metal test keys, SiO₂ passivation layers, or polyimide (PI) coatings, which are common in power device fabrication. Conventional dicing solutions struggle to balance throughput, yield, and tool longevity.
Common SiC Dicing Methods and Their Limitations:
- Blade Dicing: Suffers from rapid tool wear, low efficiency, and high material loss.
- Diamond Scribing: Limited by poor sidewall verticality and weak compatibility with diverse structures.
- Laser Ablation: Prone to low processing efficiency, high thermal damage, and debris formation.
- Stealth Dicing: Faces difficulty cutting through backside metallization, PI layers, and surface patterns.
As a result, no traditional method fully satisfies the industry’s demand for high-efficiency, high-precision dicing of SiC wafers.
Current Mainstream Approach: Stealth Dicing + Auxiliary Grooving
The most widely used solution today is a hybrid of stealth dicing with auxiliary grooving. While this combined process delivers good material compatibility and decent throughput, it also comes with trade-offs:
- Increased equipment footprint
- More complex process flow
- Higher maintenance and operating costs
This leaves the industry in urgent need of a more streamlined, cost-effective, and universally compatible dicing solution.
The Breakthrough: Di-Sync™ Laser Stealth Dicing Technology
To address these critical limitations, Han’s Laser has introduced Di-Sync™, an advanced stealth dicing technology tailored for SiC wafer processing. Drawing on decades of laser process innovation, Di-Sync™ performs two key actions simultaneously:
- Internal Material Modification
- Interface Structure Writing
This synchronized approach enables efficient, clean dicing across all types of SiC wafers — including those with complex passivation and metallization layers.
Laser Stealth Cutting Technology Process
Laser Stealth Dicing Process Effect
Film Expansion Effect of SiC Wafers after Di-Sync Processing
Device Parameters
| Item | Stealth Dicing + Auxiliary Grooving | Di-Sync™ Stealth Dicing |
| Process Steps | Complex Process (Backside Metal Grooving→Film Flipping→Stealth Dicing→Frontside Grooving→Cleaving→Film Expansion) | Simplified Process (Di-Sync™ Stealth Dicing→Cleaving→Film Expansion) |
| Total Equipment Required | More (5 units) | Fewer (3 units) |
| Film Flipping Process | Require | Not required |
| Backside Metal Grooving | Require | Not required |
| Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ) | The laser grooving process causes thermal effects. | No HAZ |
| Processing Efficiency | Slow (~40 min per wafer) | Fast (average <15 min per wafer) |
| Cost per Wafer | High | Low |
| Laser Head | Two units | One unit |
| Maintenance Cost | High | Low |
Key Advantages of Di-Sync™ Technology
Di-Sync™ offers unique advantages in SiC wafer dicing across multiple dimensions:
1.Superior Dicing Quality
- Clean, crack-free kerfs
- No edge chipping or meandering cuts
- Clean separation without PI tearing or backside delamination
- No occurrence of twin crystals
2.Simplified Process Flow
- Eliminates the need for multiple machines and auxiliary steps
- Supports fully automated, high-throughput manufacturing lines
3.Lower Equipment & Maintenance Costs
- Fewer systems required for the same or better performance
- Reduced downtime and maintenance complexity
4.High Compatibility
Fully compatible with various SiC wafer structures
Expandable to other semiconductor substrates in the future
Empowering Semiconductor Manufacturing
Han’s Laser’s Di-Sync™ stealth dicing technology represents a leap forward in both process efficiency and yield optimization for SiC-based device production. By integrating breakthrough laser techniques with intelligent system design, Di-Sync™ not only simplifies SiC wafer dicing — it provides downstream manufacturers with a more reliable, high-performance, and cost-effective solution.
Beyond SiC, this innovative technology is also being adapted to other substrate materials, highlighting its scalability and long-term potential across the semiconductor landscape.
As the demand for wide bandgap materials continues to grow, Di-Sync™ is poised to become a driving force in the semiconductor innovation — delivering the precision, efficiency, and flexibility needed to power the technologies of tomorrow