JP2001267272A - Grinding apparatus and grinding method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To save the used amount of a working liquid without lowering a grinding accuracy and the quality of the resultant product formed by a grinding, in the grinding work performed as feeding the working liquid to the contracting portion of a grinding blade with a worked object. SOLUTION: A grinding apparatus is provided with a gas jetting means for so jetting a gas as to make forcedly a working liquid penetrate the contacting portion of a grinding blade with a work. Thereby, the working liquid is so concentrated on the contacting portion of the grinding blade with the work by such a gas as air jetted from the gas jetting means to improve the cooling effect of the contacting portion.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cutting method in which a cutting blade is brought into contact with a workpiece to perform a cutting process, and the cutting is performed while supplying a working fluid to a contact portion between the cutting blade and the workpiece. The present invention relates to an apparatus and a cutting method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a cutting apparatus, when a cutting blade is brought into contact with a workpiece and machining is performed, a working fluid is supplied to a contact portion between the cutting blade and the workpiece and the contact portion is cooled. The processing accuracy and quality of the workpiece are improved.

For example, as a cutting device, a dicing device 5 for dicing a semiconductor wafer as shown in FIG.
0 is well known. In this dicing apparatus 50,
As shown in FIG. 6, the semiconductor wafer W to be processed is held by the frame F via the holding tape T and stored in the cassette 71.

[0004] On the surface of the semiconductor wafer W, there are a plurality of straight areas, ie, streets S, arranged in a grid at predetermined intervals, and a circuit pattern is formed in a large number of rectangular areas defined by the streets S. It has been subjected.

The semiconductor wafers W stored in the cassette 71 are temporarily stored one by one by the loading / unloading means 72.
And is adsorbed by the transporting means 74 and transported by the transporting means 74
Is swiveled to be conveyed to the chuck table 58 and held by suction.

The semiconductor wafer W is placed on the chuck table 58.
Is held, the chuck table 58 moves in the X-axis direction, and is positioned directly below the alignment means 75, and the street to be cut is detected by processing such as pattern matching. Further, as the chuck table 58 further moves in the X-axis direction, while receiving the supply of the cutting fluid, which is a kind of the machining fluid, the street detected by the action of the cutting means 77 having the rotating cutting blade 76 is detected. Is cut. In this way, the streets are cut one by one vertically and horizontally to be diced to form individual chips.

As shown in FIG. 7, the cutting means 77 has a structure in which a cutting blade 76 is covered by a blade cover 78, and outer peripheral portions 79 on both surfaces of the cutting blade 76.
, Abrasive grains such as diamond abrasive grains are fixed by a bonding agent to form fixed abrasive grains. As shown in FIG. 8, the cutting means 77 is provided with cutting fluid nozzles 82a and 82b so as to sandwich the cutting blade 76 mounted on the tip of a rotary spindle 81 rotatably supported by a spindle housing 80 from both sides. During the cutting, a cutting fluid of about 2 liters per minute is supplied from the cutting fluid nozzles 82a and 82b to cool the cutting blade 76 and the semiconductor wafer W.

[0008]

However, in the cutting means 77 having such a structure, the cutting fluid spreads to some extent over the entire surface of the semiconductor wafer W, and the cutting portion 77 is particularly focused on the contact portion between the cutting blade 76 and the semiconductor wafer W. Although the cutting fluid is supplied, the cooling effect of the contact portion is not sufficient. Therefore, chipping is likely to occur at the edge of the chip formed by dicing, and there is a problem in processing accuracy and chip quality.

Further, when a large amount of the cutting liquid for the semiconductor wafer W is supplied, a large amount of cutting chips generated by cutting is mixed with the cutting liquid and discharged in a large amount, thereby causing an environmental problem.

Further, the semiconductor wafer W and the cutting blade 7
In order to sufficiently supply cutting fluid to the contact area with 6,
Cutting fluid is used more than necessary, which is wasteful and uneconomical. In particular, it is extremely uneconomical when expensive water such as distilled water is used as a cutting fluid for improving the quality of chips.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION As a specific means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides at least a chuck table for holding a workpiece, and a cutting process in contact with the workpiece held on the chuck table. Cutting means provided with a cutting blade for applying a cutting fluid, and a working fluid supply means for supplying a working fluid to a contact portion between the cutting blade and the workpiece. An object of the present invention is to provide a cutting device provided with gas ejection means for ejecting gas so as to enter a contact portion with a workpiece.

The cutting apparatus has an additional requirement that the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer and the gas is air.

The present invention also relates to a cutting method for cutting a workpiece by bringing a cutting blade into contact with the workpiece held on a chuck table, wherein the processing is performed on a contact portion between the cutting blade and the workpiece. An object of the present invention is to provide a cutting method for performing cutting while ejecting gas so that a working liquid enters a contact portion between the cutting blade and a workpiece when performing cutting while supplying a liquid.

This cutting method has an additional requirement that the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer and the gas is air.

According to the cutting apparatus and the cutting method configured as described above, a gas such as air is jetted, whereby the working fluid is forcibly pushed into the contact portion between the cutting blade and the workpiece, which is extremely effective. The working fluid is efficiently supplied to the contact portion.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A dicing apparatus for dicing a semiconductor wafer and a method for dicing a semiconductor wafer while supplying a cutting liquid in the dicing apparatus will be described as an embodiment of the present invention. The dicing apparatus described here differs from the dicing apparatus 50 described in the prior art only in the configuration of the cutting means, and is otherwise configured in the same manner as the conventional dicing apparatus. And a description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting means 51 has a structure in which a cutting blade 52 is covered with a blade cover 53, and outer peripheral portions 54 on both surfaces of the cutting blade 52.
The abrasive grains such as diamond abrasive grains are fixed by electrodeposition (electroforming) to form fixed abrasive grains. Further, from the blade cover 53, as shown in FIG.
The two cutting fluid nozzles 55a and 55b, which are the machining fluid supply means, are arranged in parallel with the cutting blade 52 at a fixed distance.

As shown in FIG. 2, a cutting fluid nozzle 56 for supplying a machining fluid as a machining fluid near a contact portion between the cutting blade 52 and the semiconductor wafer W is provided at a position on an extension of the surface of the cutting blade 52. And a gas ejection means 57 for ejecting gas such as high-pressure air.

When cutting the semiconductor wafer W, which is a workpiece, using the cutting means 51 configured as described above, a cutting liquid, for example, water is supplied from each cutting liquid nozzle and the semiconductor wafer W is cut. The chuck table 58, which is a holding unit for suction holding, moves in the X-axis direction, and the cutting blade 52 rotates to form dicing grooves.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting fluid nozzle 55a,
The cutting water supplied from 55b flows toward the contact portion between the cutting blade 52 and the semiconductor wafer W, and the cutting fluid supplied from the cutting fluid nozzle 56 also flows toward the contact portion. Further, the cutting fluid supplied from the cutting fluid nozzle 56 is concentrated on the contact portion by the air jetted from the gas jetting means 57, and the cutting fluid is sufficiently supplied to the contact portion, so that the cutting blade 52 and the semiconductor wafer W It penetrates even into the slight gaps created between them, promoting cooling.

[0021] Further, the vaporization of the cutting fluid is promoted by the ejection of air, and heat of the contact portion is taken away by the vaporization heat, thereby further increasing the cooling effect.

As described above, when the cutting fluid is concentrated on the contact portion between the cutting blade 52 and the semiconductor wafer W to promote the cooling of the contact portion, chipping is less likely to occur in the semiconductor wafer W during cutting, and It was confirmed that the accuracy was increased and the quality of the chip was improved.

The cutting means may be constructed as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In the cutting means 62 in the examples of FIGS. 3 and 4, two cutting fluid nozzles 60 a and 60 b are arranged in parallel with the cutting blade 59 at a fixed distance so as to sandwich the cutting blade 59. On the outside, two gas ejection means 61a, 61 are provided in parallel.
b is provided. Then, gas ejection means 61a, 61
On the cutting fluid nozzle side b, a number of air ejection ports (not shown) are provided.

When air is blown out while supplying the cutting fluid in such a configuration, the cutting fluid supplied from the cutting fluid nozzle 60a is mostly discharged by the air ejected from the gas blowing means 61a. It is concentrated on one side of the contact portion with W. Similarly, the cutting fluid supplied from the cutting fluid nozzle 60 b also
Most of the air is blown out from 1b and concentrated on the other side of the contact portion between the cutting blade 59 and the semiconductor wafer W.

In this way, the cutting water penetrates into the contact portion between the cutting blade and the semiconductor wafer W more than in the case of the example of FIG. 2, and the cooling effect is further enhanced. As a result, the processing accuracy and quality of the chip are further improved.

There are various types of cutting blades, and abrasive grains such as natural diamond abrasive grains, artificial diamond abrasive grains, CBN abrasive grains, carborundum abrasive grains, and alundum abrasive grains are electrodeposited and electroformed. Any fixed abrasive, which is a grindstone hardened by, for example, may be used.

When the cutting device is installed in a relatively closed room such as a clean room, the gas ejected from the gas ejecting means is preferably air. This is because the inert gas may cause the operator to have difficulty breathing.

[0028]

According to the cutting apparatus and the cutting method configured as described above, the working fluid is forcibly pushed into the contact portion between the cutting blade and the workpiece by jetting gas such as air. The working fluid is supplied very effectively and efficiently, and the gas is expelled to promote the vaporization of the working fluid, and the heat of the vaporization deprives the heat of the contact portion to increase the cooling effect.

Therefore, even if the supply amount of the working fluid is set to be much smaller than that of the conventional one, for example, 1/5 or less, cutting comparable to the conventional one can be performed.

Further, since the contact portion is sufficiently cooled by the heat of vaporization, chipping hardly occurs on both sides of the dicing groove, and a high quality chip can be produced.

Further, the problem of the environment and the problem of economy can be simultaneously solved by saving the working fluid.

In addition, not only can the quality of the workpiece be made equal to that of the prior art, but also an excellent effect of enabling high-quality processing, which could not be achieved conventionally, is exhibited.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing cutting means of a dicing device which is an embodiment of a cutting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a first configuration example of the cutting means and a state in which dicing of a semiconductor wafer is performed while supplying cutting water and blowing air using the cutting means.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a second configuration example of the cutting means and a state of dicing a semiconductor wafer while supplying cutting water and blowing air using the cutting means.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a second configuration example of the cutting means and a state of dicing a semiconductor wafer while supplying cutting water and jetting air using the cutting means.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a dicing apparatus.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a surface of a semiconductor wafer held by a frame.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a conventional cutting means in a dicing device.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a configuration of the cutting means and a state of dicing a semiconductor wafer while supplying cutting water using the cutting means.

[Explanation of symbols]

50 dicing device 51 cutting means 52
Cutting blade 53: Blade cover 54: Outer peripheral portion 55a, 5
5b cutting fluid nozzle 56 cutting fluid nozzle 57 gas jetting means 58
... Chuck table 59 ... Cutting blades 60a, 60b ... Cutting fluid nozzles 61a, 61b ... Gas jetting means 62 ... Cutting means 71 ... Cassette 72 ... Carry-in / out means 73 ... Temporary placement area 74 ... Carrying means 75 ... alignment means 76 ...
... cutting blade 77 ... cutting means 78 ... blade cover 79 ...
Blade cover 80 Spindle housing 81 Rotating spindle 82a, 82b Cutting fluid nozzle

Claims (4)

[Claims] At least a cutting table having a chuck table for holding a workpiece, a cutting blade for performing a cutting process by contacting the workpiece held on the chuck table, the cutting blade and the workpiece A machining fluid supply means for supplying a machining fluid to a contact portion with the workpiece, wherein a gas is supplied so that the machining fluid supplied from the machining fluid supply means enters the contact portion between the cutting blade and the workpiece. A cutting device equipped with a gas blowing means for blowing gas. 2. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer, and the gas is air. 3. A cutting method in which a cutting blade is brought into contact with a workpiece held on a chuck table to perform a cutting process on the workpiece, wherein a working fluid is applied to a contact portion between the cutting blade and the workpiece. A cutting method for performing cutting while ejecting gas so that the working fluid enters a contact portion between the cutting blade and the workpiece when the cutting is performed while supplying the cutting fluid. 4. The cutting method according to claim 3, wherein the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer, and the gas is air.