EV Group (EVG), a supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that the companies agreed to sign a license agreement on laser debonding technology. EVG plans to integrate IBM’s patented Hybrid Laser Release process into EVG’s advanced, field-proven temporary bonding and debonding equipment solutions, which can provide high-volume manufacturers with greater flexibility to implement optimized temporary bonding and debonding process flows. Thanks to the added process variants from IBM that will be supported by EVG’s equipment portfolio, customers can choose from a wide range of bonding, cleaning and metrology process options to help address their temporary bonding and debonding requirements and applications.

The result, which is an advanced laser debonding solution based on EVG’s combination of the technology licensed from IBM with EVG’s know-how, encompasses methods and designs for UV and IR laser debonding (designed to enable the use of glass or silicon carriers) as well as inspection of the bond interfaces. The technologies contributed by IBM help EVG implement designs that address the industry’s critical requirements for temporary bonding and debonding, including high throughput, low wafer stress for high yield, and low cost of ownership of the laser equipment, processing and consumables. The advanced EVG solution encompasses techniques to help protect chips from heat and laser damage, as well as chemical clean technologies for device and carrier wafers.