Removable temporary protective layers for use in semiconductor manufacturing

1. A method for temporarily protecting a semiconductor device wafer during processing, the method including:

preparing a solution including a poly(vinyl alcohol) and water, the poly(vinyl alcohol) having a degree of hydrolysis greater than or equal to 93%;

coating the device wafer with the prepared solution;

baking the coated device wafer at a temperature from 150° C. to 170° C. to form a protective layer;

dicing the baked device wafer with a dicing blade while spraying the device wafer and dicing blade with water, the protective layer remaining on the baked device wafer during dicing; and

dissolving the protective layer from the processed wafer with a solvent at a temperature not less than 65° C., the solvent including water.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the poly(vinyl alcohol) has a degree of hydrolysis from 93% to 99.3%.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the poly(vinyl alcohol) in the solution is from 5 wt. % to 30 wt. % of the solution, and the balance is water.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating of the device wafer includes spin coating the prepared solution onto a surface of the device wafer.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the baking of the coated device wafer is for a time from 1 minute to 12 minutes.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dissolving the protective layer is for a time from 1 minute to 30 minutes.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dissolving of the protective layer includes immersing the processed wafer in the solvent.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dissolving of the protective layer includes spraying the solvent onto the processed wafer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent consists of water.

10. A method for temporarily protecting a semiconductor device wafer during wafer singulation, the method including:

preparing a solution including a poly(vinyl alcohol) and water, the poly(vinyl alcohol) having a degree of hydrolysis greater than or equal to 98.4%;

coating the device wafer with the prepared solution;

baking the coated device wafer at a temperature from 135° C. to 170° C. to form a protective layer;

dicing the baked device wafer with a dicing blade while spraying the device wafer and dicing blade with water, the protective layer remaining on the baked device wafer during dicing; and

dissolving the protective layer from the diced wafer with a solvent at a temperature not less than 65° C. to dissolve the protective layer, the solvent including water.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the poly(vinyl alcohol) has a degree of hydrolysis from 98.4% to 99.3%.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein preparing the solution includes:

heating the water to a temperature from 80° C. to 98° C.;

mixing the poly(vinyl alcohol) into the heated water; and

stirring the mixture to form the solution.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein a concentration of the poly(vinyl alcohol) in the solution is from 5 wt. % to 30 wt. % of the solution, and the balance is water.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the coating of the device wafer includes spin coating the prepared solution onto a surface of the device wafer.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the baking of the coated device wafer is for a time from 1 minute to 12 minutes.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dissolving of the protective layer is for a time from 1 minute to 30 minutes.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dissolving of the protective layer includes immersing the diced wafer in the solvent.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dissolving of the protective layer includes spraying the solvent onto the diced wafer.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein the solvent consists of water.