Patent ID: 7241669
Filing Date: 2007-07-10
Classification: B23K,B28D,H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method of forming in a passive electronic component substrate a scribe line that facilitates breakage of the substrate into separate pieces having side margins defined by the scribe line, the substrate having a thickness and a surface on which is formed a pattern of multiple nominally identical, mutually spaced apart electronic components, the electronic components separated by streets along one of which the scribe line is formed such that the separate pieces created by breakage of the substrate comprise separate circuit components, the method comprising: providing the substrate in a green condition; aligning an ultraviolet laser beam characterized by an energy and a spot size with one of the streets on the surface of the substrate; imparting relative motion between the ultraviolet laser beam and the substrate in the green condition such that the laser beam is directed lengthwise along the street and effects depthwise removal of substrate material to form a trench, the energy and spot size of the ultraviolet laser beam effecting the depthwise removal in the absence of appreciable melting of the substrate material so that the trench formed in the substrate material has a width that converges from the surface to a trench bottom in the form of a sharp snap line; and thermally processing the substrate to a fired condition, the shape of the trench forming a region of high stress concentration extending into the thickness of the substrate and along the snap line so that, after application of a breakage force to either side of the trench, there is clean breakage of the substrate in the fired condition into separate electronic components.