Abstract
The present work investigated the use of the Vickers micro-hardness test method to determine the resistance of individual die to cracking. The results are used as an indicator of resistance to failure under the thermal and mechanical stresses of packaging and subsequent thermal cycling. Indentation measurements on die back surfaces are used to determine how changes in wafer backside processing conditions affect cracks that form around impressions produced at different loads. Test methodology and results obtained at different processing conditions are discussed.
