Patent ID: 8647966

Claim:
A method of sawing a semiconductor wafer, comprising: positioning a semiconductor wafer in a wafer sawing apparatus that includes a first sawing blade and a movable support structure that physically supports the semiconductor wafer, wherein the semiconductor wafer is coupled with the support structure using a plurality of connecting layers including a die attach film, an adhesive and a base film; cutting the die attach film with the first sawing blade, wherein during the cutting operation a contact portion of the first sawing blade engages one of the connecting layers and is moving at least partly in a first direction; while the contact portion of the sawing blade engages the one of the connecting layers, moving the support structure in a second direction, wherein the second direction is the opposite of the first direction; singulating the semiconductor wafer using the cutting operation to form a multiplicity of integrated circuit dice, each integrated circuit die having a top surface, an opposing bottom surface and side surfaces, the bottom surface of each integrated circuit die being covered with a die attach film; wherein the cutting operation causes the die attach film that covers one of the dice to extend beyond and around an edge of the bottom surface of the die to also cover a side surface of the one of the integrated circuit dice; and further wherein: the semiconductor wafer includes a multiplicity of integrated circuit dice including a first integrated circuit die and a second integrated circuit die; the die attach film includes first and second portions, which underlie respectively the first and second dice; the cutting of the die attach film forms a saw street between the first and second integrated circuit dice and between the first and second portions of die attach film; and the cutting of the die attach film causes the first portion of the die attach film to extend beyond the bottom surface of the first die and into the saw street, wherein the first portion of the die attach film also bends around an edge of the bottom surface of the first die to cover a side surface of the first die.