On November 10, AMEC announced that the first unit of its new Primo Matrix dual-reaction-station plasma wafer dicing system has shipped to a major domestic IC packaging customer.
As advanced packaging becomes a key path to extend Moore's Law, wafer dicing is a critical packaging step directly affecting chip yield and production efficiency. Targeting advanced packaging's needs for high precision, low damage, and narrow dicing streets, the Primo Matrix uses AMEC's production-proven Primo TSV plasma deep silicon etch technology, integrating a dual-reaction-station etch chamber and wafer transfer module for high throughput, precision, low cost, and flexible process adaptability.
The system supports efficient dicing of 200mm and 300mm wafers with frames, with dicing precision down to 5μm street widths, reducing wafer area loss and increasing usable die output. On process compatibility, it supports wafer thickness from 25μm to 700μm, covering ultra-thin and standard-thickness wafers, suitable for post-thinning dicing and various advanced packaging processes. The Primo Matrix uses 300mm wafers as its main platform, with backward compatibility for 200mm. Built on AMEC's Primo platform, the system can carry up to six etch reaction stations for long process times.
The Primo Matrix also supports frontside plasma dicing of bumped wafers, plasma dicing after laser grooving, and wafer backside etching, meeting different wafer structures, process flows, and packaging applications, with dielectric hard mask opening etch capability for wafers with dielectric layers and complex surface structures.
AMEC's etch equipment now covers 65nm to 3nm and beyond, with dielectric etch at 60:1 and 90:1 extreme aspect ratios, silicon etch at 140:1, and dual-reaction-station ICP etch at 0.2nm single-atom level. AMEC said that over the next five years it plans organic growth and external expansion to broaden its product matrix, covering over 60% of the high-end semiconductor equipment market and over 70% of the advanced packaging equipment market.
ICgoodFind Summary: The Primo Matrix extends AMEC's plasma technology from TSV deep silicon etch to wafer dicing, with 5μm streets and 25–700μm thickness compatibility targeting advanced packaging's narrow-street, low-damage needs. As a domestic plasma dicing option beyond laser grooving, it adds a viable path for advanced packaging equipment localization.
