Maximizing the Process Capability of Singulation Machine by Dual Work Piece Cutting on Circular Tape Frame

Abstract

Tape saw singulation is the process where a strip was mounted on the tape attached on the frame and then sawn into single units. Circular tape saw singulation only caters one panel of the two-paneled strip which was found to be consuming with the machine capacity and resources. Driven by continuously growing volumes of customer demands at the Philippines for the past two years, it was a challenge for the machine to maximize its capacity while minimizing the cost and resources. Opportunity was found on exploring the idea of dual work piece where two strip panels were catered by one circular tape frame. Dual work piece application would not only maximize the machine capability and capacity but also reduce the cost of resources consumed per strip loading. In this study, the authors have explored the workability of dual work piece cutting where two panels can be catered on one circular frame instead of the current one panel per circular frame. Dual Work Piece application was found to be effective to achieve the goal of maximizing the machine capacity while trimming down the expenses by 50% that was brought about by the resources demanded to process the strips at singulation. With the results of the study, it was recommended for the dual work piece cutting be applied and explored on growing semiconductor industry.