Patent ID: 8809166

Claim:
A method for processing a semiconductor wafer comprising: performing laser stealth dicing on a semiconductor wafer to form a stealth dicing layer within the semiconductor wafer, comprising applying a laser beam through a substrate material of the semiconductor wafer at a focus point that is within the semiconductor wafer to change the substrate material around the focus point and propagate a crack in the semiconductor wafer; thinning the semiconductor wafer to a predefined thickness before performing laser stealth dicing; after performing laser stealth dicing, cleaning the semiconductor wafer from a back-side surface of the semiconductor wafer with a blade to remove at least a portion of the stealth dicing layer, comprising cutting through the back-side surface of the semiconductor wafer along the crack without cutting entirely through and separating the semiconductor wafer; and separating the semiconductor wafer into individual dies using tape expansion after cleaning the semiconductor wafer.