nTellect 200mm Wafer Grinder

Advanced Wafer Grinding for Semiconductor, Data Storage, SOI, LED, and R&D



















The first to introduce a fully-automatic infeed rotary surface grinder for semiconductor wafers, Strasbaugh continues its leadership with the unique nTellect® wafer grinder.

nTellect Benefits
Reduced sub-surface damage
Improved surface finish
Repeatable thickness control
Low cost
Well-suited for a broad range of applications, including hard materials

nTellect Technologies
Tapeless BackgrindingTM
In-feed technology
In-situ thickness control
Force adaptive grinding
Linear traversing grind spindles
Automated process control
Thin wafer handling

nTellect Applications
Integrated Circuit Backgrinding
SOI (Silicon on Insulator)
Prime Wafers
GaAs (Gallium Arsenide)
LiNbO3 (Lithium Niobate)
AlTic (Aluminum Titanium Carbide for Read/Write Heads)
Glass
Sapphire
Quartz

Reduced Sub-Surface Damage
Strasbaugh's innovative nTellect Grinder incorporates near-frictionless, force-sensitive infeed mechanics with an intelligent control system. Rather than force-feeding the grinding wheels at fixed feed rates, nTellect's force adaptive, infeed system design allows the grinding wheel dynamics to determine the precise stock removal rate. This increases wafer strength and reduces wafer breakage.

Improved Surface Finish
nTellect's ultra-stiff air bearing spindles, sub-micron feed rates and rigid tool construction make mirror finishes possible. Combine this with Strasbaugh's complete selection of advanced diamond wheels, and users can achieve the surface finish required for their specific process.

Repeatable Thickness Control
nTellect's in-situ digital measurement probes provide real time thickness measurements to the intelligent control system. The effects of thermal expansion and diamond wheel wear are eliminated, thus ensuring accurate, consistent wafer thicknesses, which eliminates costly re-work.

Linear Traversing Grind Spindles
The unique linear traversing grind spindles alternate between coarse grinding, dual grinding, and fine grinding. The grind spindles move on precise, preloaded roller bearings that provide smooth, rapid motion. The wafer remains on the same work spindle during grinding to reduce wafer handling and optimize throughput.

State-of-the-Art Technologies
nTellect is now offered with two new technologies: Tapeless Backgrinding and ultra-fine grit grind wheels. Tapeless Backgrinding eliminates the need for tape and dramatically reduces grinding costs. The ultra-fine grit grind wheels enhance die strength and improve surface finish, making them well-suited for the most demanding thin wafer applications.