Cleaving electronic structures fabricated at 45 degrees on Silicon (100)

This applications note addresses cleaving silicon (100) samples counter to the two orthogonal cleaving planes. Cleaving counter to = crystal planes, is applicable to semiconductors fabricated at 45 degrees to the natural cleaving planes, a practice common with memory devices.

In order to cleave counter to the natural cleaving plane a scribe must be made across the entire length of the desired cleave or break. LatticeGear has found the FlipScribe works very well in comparison to a manual scribe. Because it scribes from the backside the frontside is not damaged. Also important is the capability to set the height and tilt of the diamond scribe.

The basic process is as follows:

1. Determine the target location (see black dot, for example)
2. Improve targeting by marking the desired cleaving line
3. Scribe the sample using the FlipScribe backside scriber and cleave.

Watch the video below to see how it is done!