JP2000301439A - Grinding device for semiconductor substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a grinding device for a semiconductor substrate capable of reducing the occurrence of a crack of a workpiece greatly when grinding the workpiece and mounting and dismounting a grinding wheel simply and efficiently and having a simple configuration. SOLUTION: In this grinding device for a semiconductor substrate which supports a workpiece W on a set table 21 by vacuum suction to rotate the set table 21 and bringing a rotating grinding wheel 12 into pressure contact with a surface of the workpiece to grind it, a workpiece support face 21a of the set table 21 is along the vertical direction. In a workpiece surface grinding process, the grinding wheel 12 is detachably attached to a spindle 11 constituting a drive mechanism, the grinding wheel 12 opposes to the workpiece support face 21a in the horizontal direction, and its grinding face is brought into pressure contact with a ground face Ws of the workpiece W due to the advance of the grinding wheel 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an apparatus for grinding a semiconductor substrate, and more particularly to an apparatus for mechanically grinding a surface of a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon wafer by a grinding wheel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a semiconductor wafer used as a substrate of a semiconductor device is obtained by slicing a single crystal ingot such as silicon at right angles to a rod axis to form a wafer, chamfering the wafer, and mechanically grinding (lapping) the wafer. , Etching, annealing, polishing and the like.

The above-mentioned mechanical grinding is performed for the purpose of reducing the wafer surface roughness after slicing, improving the parallelism, reducing the variation in thickness, and the like. (1) The method using fixed abrasive grains, that is, rotating. A special grinding stone is pressed against a rotating wafer surface to grind it, and (2) a method using free abrasive grains, that is, a dispersion of free abrasive grains is applied to a rotating wafer surface and a rotating grinding member. And grinding (wet lapping).

Here, an example of the above (1) will be described with reference to FIG.
Explaining in detail based on
A spindle 11 having a motor and a speed reduction mechanism (both not shown) connected thereto; a grinding wheel attachment member 13 attached to the lower end of the spindle 11; A wheel) 12 and a set table 21 and the like disposed directly below the grinding wheel 12 at appropriate intervals and opposed to each other.

[0005] At the lower end of the grinding wheel 12, a plurality of grinding wheels 12a are provided. The set table 21
This is a rotary table for supporting a semiconductor substrate as a work W by vacuum suction (other means), and is rotatable around its central axis by a drive mechanism (not shown). Further, the spindle 11 is vertically movable by an elevating mechanism (not shown). Therefore, the grinding wheel 12 attached to the spindle 11 can approach and separate from the set table 21 integrally with the spindle 11. is there.

In the grinding process, the grinding wheel 12 is mounted on the spindle 11, the work W is positioned and supported at an appropriate position on the set table 21, and then the set table 21 is rotated. Then, the grinding wheel 12 is gradually lowered while rotating, so that the grindstone 12a is pressed against the surface Ws to be ground of the work W.

[0007]

However, the grinding apparatus shown in FIG. 3 has the following problems. (1) Since the grinding wheel 12 is disposed directly above the set table 21, the work W
Is performed immediately below the grinding wheel 12.
Therefore, when setting or before setting the work W,
As shown in FIG. 3A, foreign matter F such as dust and the like falls on the work supporting surface 21a of the set table 21 and
The work W is set in this state as shown in FIG.

Therefore, the grinding is performed with the foreign matter F mixed between the back surface of the work W and the set table 21. In this grinding step, as shown in FIG. 3C, pressure is applied to the work W by the down speed of the grinding wheel 12, and if the foreign matter F is hard, the work W is cracked at a portion where the foreign matter F is mixed. (Cracks) occur. As described above, in the conventional grinding apparatus, there is a problem that the workpiece W is frequently cracked depending on the shape and properties of the contaminating foreign matter.

(2) When attaching / detaching the grinding wheel 12 to / from the grinding wheel attachment member 13 provided at the lower end of the spindle 11, the operator holds the grinding wheel 12 with one hand as shown in FIG. Support and perform the inconvenient operation of tightening or loosening the screw with the remaining one hand. In addition, the operator tends to accumulate fatigue because he works in the middle posture, and an unfamiliar person takes twice as much time as a skilled person. Further, since the mounting / removing operation is performed right above the set table 21, there is a problem that dust or the like easily falls on the set table 21.

In order to remove dust on the set table 21, measures such as blowing and cleaning of the set table 21 have been taken. However, the above-mentioned problem could not be drastically solved due to insufficient effect. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor substrate grinding apparatus capable of significantly reducing the occurrence of cracks in a workpiece during grinding. , With a simple configuration. A second object of the present invention is to simplify the work of attaching and detaching a grinding wheel.
An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor substrate grinding apparatus that can be efficiently used with a simple configuration.

[0012]

To achieve the above object, a semiconductor substrate grinding apparatus according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, supports a workpiece W on a workpiece support table 21 and rotates a rotating grinding wheel. 12 is the grinding surface W of the workpiece W
In a semiconductor substrate grinding apparatus in which the workpiece support surface 21a is pressed in contact with the workpiece s to grind the workpiece, the workpiece support surface 21a of the workpiece support table 21 is vertically aligned.

In the above-described grinding apparatus, a grinding wheel 12 is detachably provided on a spindle 11 constituting a driving mechanism, and a grinding surface (that is, a grindstone 12 a) of the grinding wheel 12 is arranged in a horizontal direction with respect to a work supporting surface 21 a of a work supporting table 21. Preferably, the grinding wheel 12 is moved forward and the ground surface thereof is pressed against the ground surface Ws of the workpiece W.

The apparatus for grinding a semiconductor substrate according to the present invention is, for example, as shown in FIG.
In a semiconductor substrate grinding apparatus in which a workpiece W is supported and a rotating grinding wheel 12 is pressed against a surface to be ground Ws of the workpiece to grind the workpiece W, the workpiece support surface 21a of a workpiece support table 21 is moved in a horizontal direction. And the work support surface 21a is directed downward in the vertical direction.

In the above-described grinding apparatus, the grinding wheel 12 is detachably mounted on the spindle 11 constituting the drive mechanism, and is provided directly below the work support table 21 so that the grinding surface of the grinding wheel 12 is adjusted to the work support surface 21a of the work support table 21.
And the grinding wheel 1
It is preferable that the ground surface is pressed against the ground surface Ws of the work W by the rise of 2.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a configuration of a semiconductor substrate grinding apparatus. In the conventional polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the grinding wheel 12 and the set table 21 are vertically opposed to each other, and the grinding wheel 12 is disposed immediately above the set table 21. In the apparatus, the above-described facing arrangement relationship is improved so that the work supporting surface 21a of the set table 21 extends along the vertical direction, and the work supporting surface 21a and the grindstone 12a of the grinding wheel 12 are horizontally opposed to each other. It is.

The grinding wheel 12 is provided with a plurality of grinding wheels 12a at the tip of a ring-shaped member, and is detachable from the spindle 11 via a grinding wheel mounting member 13. The spindle 11 is provided in a longitudinal movement mechanism (not shown), so that the grinding wheel 12 attached to the spindle 11 moves forward and backward integrally with the spindle 11 so that the grinding wheel 12 can approach and separate from the set table 21 freely. is there. Further, a detection mechanism called a height sensor (not shown) for managing the finished thickness of the work by grinding is provided near the set table 21. The height sensor is connected to the longitudinal movement mechanism. ing. Other configurations are the same as those of the conventional grinding apparatus shown in FIG.

In the grinding step, the grinding wheel 12 is manually connected to the spindle 11 via the grinding wheel mounting member 13, and the semiconductor substrate (work) W is transferred by an automatic transfer device (not shown) to set the table. Position it in place on 21. Next, the work W is suction-supported by the set table 21. By rotating the set table 21 and gradually moving the grinding wheel 12 forward while rotating, the grindstone 12a is brought into pressure contact with the grinding surface Ws of the work W.
When the height sensor detects that the finished thickness of the workpiece has reached the predetermined value, the grinding wheel 12 is retracted by the operation of the longitudinal movement mechanism, and the grinding is completed.

In this grinding apparatus, since the work supporting surface 21a (vacuum suction surface of the work) of the set table 21 extends in the vertical direction, the rate at which foreign matter such as dust in the atmosphere adheres to the work supporting surface is: It is greatly reduced as compared with the grinding device shown in FIG. For this reason, grinding is hardly performed in a state where foreign matter is mixed between the set table 21 and the work, and the cracking of the work and the incidence of defective products due to the cracking are significantly reduced. In addition, the work of attaching and detaching the grinding wheel 12 to and from the spindle 11 can be performed easily and in a short time without an unreasonable posture, and even by an unskilled worker. Further, since the worker can perform the attachment / detachment operation while visually checking it, high safety is ensured.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a semiconductor substrate grinding apparatus. This grinding device is common to the conventional device of FIG. 3 in that the grinding wheel 12 and the set table 21 are disposed so as to face each other in the vertical direction. This is basically different from the first embodiment in that the work supporting surface 21a of the set table 21 is disposed directly above the work supporting surface 21a in the horizontal direction and the work supporting surface 21a is directed downward in the vertical direction. Other configurations are the same as those of the grinding device of FIG.

In this grinding apparatus, since the work supporting surface 21a of the set table 21 faces directly below, the rate at which foreign matter such as dust in the atmosphere adheres to the work supporting surface 21a is reduced by the grinding apparatus shown in FIG. It is much lower than that. As a result, the cracking of the work and the incidence of defective products resulting from the cracking are significantly reduced. In addition, since the work of attaching and detaching the grinding wheel 12 to and from the spindle 11 can be performed while the grinding wheel 12 is mounted on the grinding wheel mounting member 13, it is possible for an unskilled worker without an unnatural posture. However, it can be performed simply and efficiently in a short time. Further, since the worker can perform the attachment / detachment operation while visually checking it, high safety is ensured.

[0022]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the work supporting surface of the work supporting table is set along the vertical direction, and the grinding wheel is relatively approached to the work supporting surface. Since it is configured to be in pressure contact with the surface of the work on the surface, the ratio of foreign matter such as dust in the atmosphere adhering to the work supporting surface is greatly reduced as compared with a conventional grinding device. For this reason, grinding is hardly performed in a state where foreign matter is mixed between the work supporting table and the work, so that the breakage of the work and the incidence of defective products due to the cracks are significantly reduced. Further, the work of attaching and detaching the grinding wheel to and from the grinding device can be performed easily and in a short time without an unreasonable posture and even by an unskilled worker.
Furthermore, since the worker can perform the attaching / detaching operation while visually confirming it, high safety is ensured.

In the present invention, the work supporting table is
The work support surface is set horizontally and arranged downward, and the grinding wheel is arranged directly below the work support surface. Since it is configured to be pressed against the surface of the work on the surface, the ratio of foreign matter such as dust in the atmosphere adhering to the work support surface is significantly reduced as compared with the conventional grinding device. For this reason, the cracking of the work and the incidence of defective products caused by the cracking are significantly reduced. Also, since the work of attaching and detaching the grinding wheel to and from the spindle can be performed with the grinding wheel mounted on the spindle,
Without an unreasonable posture, even an unskilled worker can carry out the operation easily and efficiently in a short time. Further, since the worker can perform the attachment / detachment operation while visually checking it, high safety is ensured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic front view illustrating a schematic structure of a conventional grinding device and a problem of the grinding device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view for explaining another problem of the grinding device of FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

11: spindle, 12: grinding wheel, 12a: grinding wheel, 13: grinding wheel mounting member, 21: work support table (set table), 21a: work support surface,
F: Foreign matter, W: Workpiece (semiconductor substrate), Ws: Surface to be ground

Claims (4)

[Claims] In a semiconductor substrate grinding apparatus for supporting a work on a work support table and pressing a rotating grinding wheel against a surface to be ground of the work to grind the work, the work support surface of the work support table is provided. A semiconductor substrate grinding apparatus characterized in that the wafers are arranged in a vertical direction. 2. A grinding wheel is detachably provided on a spindle constituting a drive mechanism, a grinding surface of the grinding wheel is horizontally opposed to a work supporting surface of a work support table, and the grinding wheel is advanced by advancing the grinding wheel. 2. The apparatus for grinding a semiconductor substrate according to claim 1, wherein the surface is pressed against a surface to be ground of the workpiece. 3. A semiconductor substrate grinding apparatus in which a work is supported on a work support table, and a rotating grinding wheel is pressed against a surface to be ground of the work to grind it. A semiconductor substrate grinding apparatus characterized by having a horizontal line and a vertical line. 4. A grinding wheel is detachably mounted on a spindle constituting a drive mechanism and is provided directly below a work support table so that a grinding surface of the grinding wheel is vertically opposed to a work support surface of the work support table. 4. The apparatus for grinding a semiconductor substrate according to claim 3, wherein the grinding surface is brought into pressure contact with a surface to be ground of the work by raising the grinding wheel.