Chip Supply often has customers that ask for their die to be thinned. This requirement is most common from customers building modules or very slim packages and have a need for the smallest possible "z" axis. Some examples are smart card systems, wireless devices and medical implants.

Wafer thinning is used with various types of compound semiconductors, but the most common material it is applied to is silicon. It takes the careful handling of an experienced technician to ensure that the wafers are not overstressed where cracking and splintering may occur. To de-stress the wafer after thinning it is sent through a polishing process where inconsistencies and imperfections on the back surface are eliminated.

During the thinning process the active side of the wafer is mounted on a specialized adhesive tape. This is to protect it from the abrasive slurry, a combination of lapping oil and silicon carbide or aluminum oxide, used to thin the wafer. Using a high-precision polishing machine the wafer is mounted so that it can be thinned to the desired thickness, polished and cleansed. Upon completion of this process the wafer is carefully removed from the protective tape and can be processed into the form factor the customer needs.