Although both processes physically separate material from a larger wafer, they serve different purposes. Wafer coring is generally better suited to producing smaller circular wafers or custom diameters<\/strong>, while wafer dicing is typically used for straight-line cutting, rectangular samples, coupons, dies, and wafer singulation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conventional wafer dicing uses a blade or other cutting technology to separate a wafer along defined cutting paths. Blade dicing remains a widely used semiconductor process, while laser-based approaches may also be used depending on the material and application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding the differences is especially important when converting 300 mm wafers to 200 mm, 150 mm, 100 mm, or custom diameters<\/strong>, because the wrong process can increase edge damage, material loss, downstream polishing requirements, and overall processing cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wafer coring is a precision machining process used to remove a circular section from a larger wafer or substrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, a customer may need to convert:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The smaller circular wafer is cut from a defined position on the original substrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After coring, additional processing may be necessary depending on the final specification, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For semiconductor applications, coring should therefore be viewed as more than simply cutting a circle. The objective is to create a resized substrate that remains compatible with downstream handling, processing, bonding, deposition, lithography, testing, or research equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wafer dicing primarily divides a wafer through defined linear cutting paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In semiconductor packaging, dicing is widely used to separate individual dies after wafer fabrication. Diamond blade sawing and laser-based processes are among the established approaches for wafer separation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, dicing can also be used before device fabrication to produce:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A typical example could be converting a 300 mm wafer into multiple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cutting blade removes a narrow region of material called the kerf<\/strong>. Blade selection and cutting conditions therefore affect material loss, edge chipping, throughput, and final sample quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DISCO, for example, describes full-cut blade dicing as cutting completely through the workpiece into the supporting material or dicing tape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most important question is therefore not simply:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which process is more precise?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, the correct question is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What geometry must the finished substrate have?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If the required result is a smaller round wafer, coring is normally the logical starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the required result is rectangular, square, or die-shaped, dicing is usually more appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most common resizing scenarios is converting a 300 mm wafer into a 200 mm wafer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A customer may need this because:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coring allows a smaller circular wafer to be extracted from the larger substrate while preserving as much of the desired surface or film structure as practical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, diameter alone is not enough to define the finished wafer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A proper 300 mm-to-200 mm resizing specification should also address:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The required finished diameter and tolerance should be clearly stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on the application, the wafer may require further edge grinding after the initial circular cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thin wafers are generally more mechanically sensitive during cutting, handling, cleaning, and edge processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blade dicing technology is capable of processing both conventional and specialized thin or thick substrates, but process conditions must be matched to the material and thickness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Customers should indicate whether the wafer is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Surface protection strategies may differ significantly between a bare substrate and a processed device wafer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For crystalline materials such as silicon, sapphire, SiC, GaAs, or InP, orientation information should be retained when required by the downstream process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the resized wafer must be compatible with automated semiconductor equipment, the required notch or orientation flat should be defined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A freshly cut circular edge may not automatically meet the handling requirements of a finished semiconductor wafer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on the project, additional edge processing may be needed to improve mechanical robustness and reduce the risk of edge-related damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wafer coring is usually preferable when the final part must remain circular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parmi les applications courantes, on peut citer :<\/p>\n\n\n\n Par exemple :<\/p>\n\n\n\n 300 mm \u2192 200 mm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 300 mm \u2192 150 mm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 200 mm \u2192 100 mm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This allows valuable wafer material to be adapted for tools or projects designed around another substrate diameter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n University laboratories and semiconductor R&D teams frequently use equipment that does not require standard production wafer sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A project may require a custom diameter for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coring may also be considered for specialized substrates such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because these materials have different fracture behavior, hardness, layer structures, and surface requirements, the machining process should be qualified for the specific wafer stack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wafer dicing should normally be considered when the required samples are not circular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Typical situations include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A single large wafer can be divided into numerous smaller samples for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dicing is one of the established methods used to separate finished semiconductor wafers into individual dies. Samsung describes wafer separation using diamond saw or laser cutting along scribe lines as part of semiconductor packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Customers testing expensive materials such as SiC, sapphire, GaN-related substrates, or compound semiconductors may not need a complete wafer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dicing allows a large substrate to be divided into smaller evaluation samples, reducing the amount of material required for each experiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technically, multiple straight cuts could approximate a circular shape, followed by additional grinding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But for a true 200 mm, 150 mm, 100 mm, or other circular wafer, this normally introduces unnecessary processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A circular conversion usually requires control over:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For that reason, direct circular coring followed by appropriate diameter and edge finishing is generally the more logical process flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mechanical cutting can create damage near the newly formed edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Potential issues include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The acceptable level depends heavily on whether the substrate will be used simply as a research coupon or returned to a sensitive semiconductor process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cutting method, blade specification, feed conditions, material, thickness, film stack, mounting method, and subsequent cleaning can all influence the result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In wafer dicing, cutting technology is specifically optimized around factors such as cutting quality, kerf, chipping, wafer thickness, and material properties. Specialized processes such as stealth dicing can even reduce the street width required compared with conventional cutting in suitable applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For semiconductor-grade resizing, inspection after machining can be just as important as the cutting process itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on the project, customers may request:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verify:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Total Thickness Variation helps determine how much wafer thickness varies across the substrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For bonding, lithography, precision handling, and some advanced packaging processes, excessive TTV may affect downstream performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mechanical processing, thin substrates, deposited films, or bonded stacks may influence wafer shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this reason, bow and warp requirements should be communicated before processing rather than evaluated only after the resized wafer is completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inspection may check for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new edge should be checked for visible chips, cracks, or abnormal damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coring and dicing behavior can vary considerably between substrate materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parmi les mat\u00e9riaux couramment utilis\u00e9s, on trouve :<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silicon, glass, sapphire and SiC should not automatically be processed using identical parameters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hardness, brittleness, wafer thickness, coating condition, crystal structure, and surface requirements all influence process selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Providing complete specifications before machining greatly reduces unnecessary engineering discussions and quotation revisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A useful RFQ should include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For unusual substrates, sending a wafer drawing is strongly recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider three projects starting with the same 300 mm wafer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Required output:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One 200 mm circular wafer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Recommended approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wafer coring + diameter\/edge finishing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Required output:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thirty 20 \u00d7 20 mm samples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Recommended approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n D\u00e9coupage de plaquettes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Required output:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One 150 mm circular wafer plus several rectangular test coupons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Recommended approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A combined process may be appropriate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coring for the circular wafer + dicing for the remaining usable material<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This approach can improve material utilization when the source wafer is expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two processes should not always be treated as competing technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For high-value wafers, a combination can sometimes maximize material usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, after locating the required 150 mm or 200 mm circular region on a 300 mm wafer, the remaining areas may still contain usable material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on the wafer structure and project requirements, those areas may potentially be diced into smaller research coupons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This can be particularly useful for expensive substrates or wafers containing specialized deposited films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A simple rule is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Choose wafer coring when you need another circular wafer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Choose wafer dicing when you need dies, squares, rectangles, or coupons.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For more complicated projects, process selection should consider more than geometry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Important factors include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For 300 mm-to-200 mm or other custom-diameter wafer conversions, discussing these requirements before machining can help avoid unnecessary material loss and reduce the risk of creating substrates that cannot be used in the intended equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wafer coring and wafer dicing solve different substrate-sizing problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coring is primarily suited to diameter conversion and smaller circular wafers<\/strong>, while dicing is better suited to linear separation, dies and rectangular research samples<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a straightforward 300 mm-to-200 mm conversion, wafer coring followed by appropriate edge finishing and inspection is generally the more suitable process flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For projects requiring dozens of smaller samples from the same wafer, wafer dicing provides much greater flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when expensive 300 mm substrates must be used efficiently, a combination of coring and dicing may provide the best material utilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a custom wafer resizing quotation, provide the original wafer diameter, material, thickness, required final dimensions, quantity, surface condition, notch or flat requirements, and key specifications such as TTV, bow, warp and edge quality.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Semiconductor and research projects do not always use wafers in their original manufactured diameter. A customer may have a 300 mm silicon wafer but require 200 mm substrates for an existing tool, smaller circular wafers for R&D, rectangular samples for material characterization, or multiple coupons for process development. In these situations, two machining methods are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[1738,1735,1817,1509,1819,1365,1818,201,1731],"class_list":["post-2855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","tag-200mm-wafer","tag-300mm-wafer","tag-custom-wafer","tag-semiconductor-wafer","tag-silicon-wafer-coring","tag-wafer-coring","tag-wafer-diameter-conversion","tag-wafer-dicing","tag-wafer-resizing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zmsh-semitech.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zmsh-semitech.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zmsh-semitech.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zmsh-semitech.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zmsh-semitech.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2855"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.zmsh-semitech.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2855\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2859,"href":"https:\/\/www.zmsh-semitech.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2855\/revisions\/2859"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zmsh-semitech.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zmsh-semitech.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zmsh-semitech.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zmsh-semitech.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.zmsh-semitech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wafer-Coring-vs-Wafer-Dicing-1024x768.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nQu'est-ce que le carottage des plaquettes ?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
What Is Wafer Dicing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
Wafer Coring vs Wafer Dicing: Key Differences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Requirement<\/th> Wafer Coring<\/th> D\u00e9coupage des plaquettes<\/th><\/tr> Smaller circular wafer<\/td> Excellent<\/td> Not normally preferred<\/td><\/tr> 300 mm \u2192 200 mm conversion<\/td> Recommended<\/td> Usually unsuitable as primary process<\/td><\/tr> 300 mm \u2192 150 mm conversion<\/td> Recommended<\/td> Usually unsuitable as primary process<\/td><\/tr> Custom circular diameter<\/td> Excellent<\/td> Limit\u00e9e<\/td><\/tr> Square samples<\/td> Not ideal<\/td> Excellent<\/td><\/tr> Rectangular coupons<\/td> Not ideal<\/td> Excellent<\/td><\/tr> Individual dies<\/td> Non<\/td> Excellent<\/td><\/tr> Multiple test coupons<\/td> Limit\u00e9e<\/td> Excellent<\/td><\/tr> Diameter control<\/td> High after finishing<\/td> Not the main purpose<\/td><\/tr> Straight-line geometry<\/td> Limit\u00e9e<\/td> Excellent<\/td><\/tr> Edge finishing may be required<\/td> Oui<\/td> Depending on application<\/td><\/tr> Suitable for R&D sample preparation<\/td> Oui<\/td> Oui<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n 300mm-to-200mm Wafer Conversion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Final Diameter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u00c9paisseur de la plaquette<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u00c9tat de surface<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Orientation des cristaux<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Notch or Flat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Profil de l'ar\u00eate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When Wafer Coring Is the Better Choice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Large-Diameter to Small-Diameter Conversion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Custom-Diameter Research Wafers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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3. Engineered Substrate Resizing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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When Wafer Dicing Is the Better Choice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Multiple Rectangular Coupons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Die Singulation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Material Evaluation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What About Using Dicing to Create a Smaller Round Wafer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Edge Damage Is Important in Both Processes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Post-Coring Inspection Requirements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Dimensional Inspection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
TTV<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bow and Warp<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Surface Inspection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Edge Inspection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Material Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Information to Include in a Wafer Resizing RFQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Example: Choosing the Correct Process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Project A<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Project B<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Project C<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Coring and Dicing Can Be Combined<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Which Process Should You Choose?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n