JP2002110589A - Breaking apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a breaking apparatus and method for precise and easy breaking along programmed breaking line, with relatively simple and high cost performance processing means. SOLUTION: The breaking apparatus and method comprise a laser 3 for heating the programmed breaking line 7 of a material 1 to be broken, and a jig 4 for providing stiffness to the material 1 to be broken at the both sides of programmed breaking line 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cutting device and a cutting method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Semiconductor wafers and glass (eg, CCD)
As a method of cutting (dicing) a brittle material such as forming a surface of a camera), there are conventionally methods such as grinding using an abrasive or fusing by a laser beam. In each case, material deterioration such as heat distortion at the processing point (when fusing with a laser beam) or mechanical cracking (at the time of grinding) causes grinding cracks around the processing point. There is also a drawback such as the occurrence of polishing debris, loss and distortion of the material due to evaporation and melting, and the like.

[0003] In order to solve such a drawback,
A so-called laser cutting method for cutting a material using thermal stress generated by laser beam irradiation has been proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-323384, entitled "Method of Cutting Brittle Materials".

According to this method, a processing line is formed in advance in a brittle material by a notch or the like, and a laser beam is radiated in the vicinity thereof to generate a micro crack due to thermal stress generated by the heating. By guiding a laser beam in a direction along a processing line, a crack is generated on the processing line to cut and break bonds between molecules of the material.

[0005] However, when this technique is actually implemented, if the material does not have a notch of a certain depth or more in advance, the material cannot be cut along the planned processing line.
Chips are generated and the advantage of reduced material loss is somewhat lost. In addition, it has been pointed out that as a troublesome processing, the result does not change even if the cutting is performed without the notch.

If the planned processing line using the notch is not formed in advance, especially in the case of the processed material, if the widths of both sides of the material are not symmetrical with respect to the planned processing portion, each of the two sides is not symmetric. Since the volume and surface area of the materials are different, the rigidity of each is also different, and the thermal stress generated at the planned processing line is unbalanced, and the laser beam is cut off from the center of the laser spot, There is also a problem that the cutting cannot be performed as guided.

On the other hand, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 7-3233
No. 85, “Cleaving method for brittle materials”, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-3287
81, “Cleaving method for brittle material”, Patent 9-1370
Gazette “Cleaving method and cleaving device”, Patent Publication 11-
10374 gazette "Cleaving method", Patent
For example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 75, "Cleaving method", a control method for performing cutting as guided by a laser, even when the width on both sides of an intended cutting line is asymmetric, is disclosed.

[0008] However, a technique for preparing two or more heat sources for processing and monitoring the total amount of heat with a sensor or the like, and adjusting the amounts of heat of the respective heat sources so that the heat of the crack generating portion is evenly distributed. There is a technology that always processes while monitoring the processed part with images etc., and if the crack deviates from the planned processing line, there is a technology to adjust the position of the laser and guide it to return to the planned processing line, etc. However, very sophisticated technology was required for control, and equipment and the like also required a lot of cost, and many were difficult to put into practical use.

[0009] Here, as a conventional cutting method,
There was also a method of generating cracks at the planned processing line from the temperature gradient (temperature difference) generated between the high temperature part caused by the laser beam and the temperature decrease part due to natural cooling after passing through the laser. There is also a method of rapidly quenching by applying cold air to a heated portion after passing through to accelerate the generation of cracks.

[0010] In other words, Japanese Patent No. 3027768 entitled "Method of cutting brittle non-metallic material" or the like proposes a method of generating a difference in thermal stress at an arbitrary portion of the material by forced cooling as a simple control method. However, when the test is actually performed on semiconductor wafers or glass, since these are materials with poor heat transfer properties, cracks are clearly formed at the part (surface) exposed to cooling air, However, since the material could not be cleaved and finally had to be mechanically and forcibly cleaved, it was not practical because it generated chips and trouble.

Further, according to this method, since the cool air is discharged from the outlet, the cooling portion on the workpiece is widened, and the cooling point cannot be narrowed, so that the cutting line may become non-uniform. . In addition, since a gas such as a refrigerant is used for cooling, the structure of the cooling device becomes complicated, and the released gas cannot be reused.

[0012]

The problem to be solved by the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2B, in the conventional processing method, a high-temperature portion (laser beam diameter) caused by a laser beam 54 irradiated from a laser 53 through a condenser lens 58 onto a workpiece 51 and moving in the direction of an arrow 60)
Since a crack was generated in the workpiece 51 placed on the stage 52 due to a temperature gradient (temperature difference) generated between the laser beam 54 and the temperature-lowering portion caused by natural cooling after passing through the laser beam 54, the processing start point 65 When the width and the like of the material are asymmetric on both sides of the planned cutting line 57 connecting the cutting end point 66 and the processing end point 66 (see FIG. 12B), the temperature distribution is changed due to the difference in heat dissipation efficiency. The line 57 is not symmetrical with respect to the line 57 but deviates, and the resulting thermal stress is also biased.

As shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), when the material 51 is asymmetrical on both sides of the planned cutting line 57 in the material to be processed 51, the cutting is symmetrical at the cutting edge. 5
As shown in FIG. 5, it is considered that the cutting line does not go along the expected cutting line 57 in a straight line, and the cutting line is displaced in an arc shape as shown in the asymmetrical time cutting side 56, which is also a problem.

When the behavior of the material 51 to be cut in this asymmetric shape is confirmed by analysis, it is found that the rigidity of the material 51 to be cut (width It was confirmed that the thermal stress generated on the side (where the shape and the shape were small) acted as a knitting deflection, which eventually resulted in an arc-shaped shift of the cleaving line.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and has as its object the purpose of making the processing means relatively simple and economical, while maintaining a high level along the planned cutting line. An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaving device and a method thereof that can easily perform accuracy cleaving.

[0016]

That is, the present invention provides a heating means for heating a position to be cut of a material to be processed, and a stiffening means for adding rigidity to the material to be processed at least on both sides of the position to be cut. The present invention relates to a cleaving device having means and a method.

According to the present invention, a rigidity difference is likely to occur, so that when the material to be cut is difficult to be cut along the cutting line, the rigidity is equalized across the line to be cut. The generation of thermal stress can be limited, and high-precision cutting can be performed.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the present invention, it is preferable that the heating means comprises a heating beam irradiating means, and the stiffness imparting means is arranged at a position of equal width across the cut position.

Preferably, the stiffness imparting means comprises a pressure member for applying an external pressure to the material to be processed, and an elastic body is interposed between the pressure member and the material to be processed.

It is preferable that the stiffness imparting means comprises an adhesive means or a suction means for fixing the work material on a stage, and the stiffness imparting means is fixed to the work material from above.

Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), an apparatus for carrying out the processing method of the present embodiment includes a stage 2 on which a workpiece 1 such as glass, alumina ceramic, or silicon wafer is placed. And a cleaving machine 17 having a laser 3 for irradiating a beam 8 to the workpiece 1 placed on the stage 2 through a condenser lens 13, and a fixing jig 4 for securing the workpiece 1 to the stage 2 , An upper rubber sheet 14, a lower rubber sheet 20, and the like.

The laser 3 can be moved together with the movement of the cleaving machine 17, and the movement of the laser 3 causes the irradiation position of the laser beam 8 on the material 1 to be cut along the line 7 to be cleaved. Can be moved in the direction (shown). The heat distribution curve 18 generated by the laser beam 8 is as shown in FIG.

Now, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the fixing jig 4 is positioned near the irradiation position of the laser beam 8 and parallel to the planned cutting line 7 and has the same width. ,
They are arranged with equal load.

Further, in the present embodiment, the fixing jig 4
Is made of stainless steel, and the work material 1 of the fixing jig 4 is
Is set to 500 g to 1 kg / cm ² . Then, a rubber upper rubber sheet 14 having a thickness of 1 mm is attached to a contact surface with the workpiece 1 to uniformly apply pressure, and the lower rubber sheet is opposed to the workpiece 1 with the lower rubber sheet 14 therebetween. The sheet 20 was provided on the stage 2.

In the cutting process, first, a laser beam 8 is irradiated to the processing start point 5 of the material 1 to be processed and heated to generate a minute crack. Next, the laser 3 is irradiated with the laser beam 8 at the irradiation position of the workpiece 1.
The laser beam 8 is moved in the direction of the black arrow (shown) along the scheduled cutting line 7 from the processing start point 5 to the processing end point 6 to generate a steep temperature gradient behind the traveling direction of the laser beam 8.

At that time, when the stress intensity factor at the tip of the crack exceeds the fracture toughness value of the material 1 to be processed, the crack proceeds sequentially with the progress of the laser beam 8, and finally the crack is formed. When the processing end point 6 of the processing material 1 is reached, the cutting process for one line is completed.

In the above embodiment, rigidity is imparted by the same width and the same load, so that high-precision machining can be performed reliably. (It is assumed that the same effect is obtained hereinafter except for the embodiment shown in FIG. 11.) Further, since a required load can be selected, workability is good.

Further, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment As shown in FIG. 2, an apparatus for carrying out a processing method according to the present embodiment includes a stage 2 on which a workpiece 1 such as glass, alumina ceramic, or silicon wafer is placed. A condensing lens 1 is placed on the material 1 to be processed placed on the stage 2.
It comprises a cleaving machine 17 having a laser 3 for irradiating a laser beam 8 through 3, a fixing jig 4 for fixing the workpiece 1 to the stage 2, an upper rubber sheet 14, a lower rubber sheet 20, and the like.

The laser 3 can be moved together with the movement of the cleaving machine 17, whereby the irradiation position of the laser beam 8 on the workpiece 1 is set along a line for cutting (not shown). Can be moved. Now, as shown in FIG. 2B, the fixing jig 4 is arranged near the irradiation position of the laser beam 8 and in parallel with the scheduled cutting line 7 with equal width and equal load.

In the present embodiment, the fixing jig 4
Is made of stainless steel, and the work material 1 of the fixing jig 4 is
Is set to 500 g to 1 kg / cm ² . Then, an upper rubber sheet 14 having a thickness of 1 mm is attached to a contact surface with the workpiece 1 in order to uniformly apply pressure. The upper rubber sheet 14 has a convex portion 22 on the surface in contact with the material 1 to be processed, and is drawn in an arc, and this surface is fixed with a load (shown by an arrow) for fixing. It is pressed against the surface of the workpiece 1 by the tool 4.

Next, the surface 23 of the lower rubber sheet 20 fitted into the concave portion 21 of the stage 2 so as to slightly protrude from the surface of the stage 2, and the upper rubber sheet 14 loaded by the fixing jig 4. The material to be processed 1 is sandwiched between the convex portions 22 and pressed against the stage 2 to be fixed and to have rigidity.

That is, in this embodiment, the fixing jigs 4 provided on both sides of the scheduled cutting line 7 are
The processing method of equalizing the apparent rigidity of both the workpieces 1 by forcibly pressing both sides of the planned cutting line 7 through which the workpiece 1 passes was carried out.

Then, when this is actually confirmed by a test,
As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), it was possible to carry out seven types of cutting processing along the planned cutting lines, so that not only the symmetrical cutting side 15 but also the asymmetrical cutting side 16 became straight. or,
Since the required load can be selected, workability is improved.

The heating method is not limited to a laser beam, but may be any method that can be heated, such as an infrared heater or a heating wire. Further, the output of the laser 3 may be freely changed depending on conditions such as the thickness of the workpiece 1.

The traveling speed of the cutting machine 17 having the laser 3 may be freely changed as long as it has a predetermined effect.

Next, the shape, width, length, weight, thickness, material, number and the like of the fixing jig 4 can be variously changed in accordance with conditions such as the material of the workpiece 1.

Next, the shape, width, length, weight, thickness, material of the upper rubber sheet 14, the shape of the convex portion 22, and the like depend on the material of the material to be processed, the conditions of the fixing jig 4, and the like. It can be changed in various ways. The same applies to the lower rubber sheet 20 except for the convex portions (not present in the lower rubber sheet 20).

Next, the concave portion 21 provided on the stage 2
The width, the depth, and the number of pieces are freely changed according to the conditions of the material 1 to be processed.

Next, the load (illustrated by an arrow) applied to the workpiece 1 through the fixing jig 4 and the rubber sheet 14 may be variously changed according to various conditions of the workpiece 1.

According to the present embodiment, the control of the cutting process using the laser beam, which has been a bottleneck so far, can be easily performed at low cost. In addition, since this processing method can be put to practical use, the loss of the material is reduced, and the material can be used efficiently.

For this reason, in the conventional cutting technology, chips, polishing chips, etc. are generated, and a cleaning step is required after processing in the material manufacturing process. Since it does not occur, the need for cleaning is eliminated, the number of steps is reduced, equipment is not required, and significant cost reduction is possible.

Also, in the conventional contact processing method, since the jig is worn, etc., the accuracy of the product in the first half and the second half of the processing is uneven, the periodic maintenance is performed, and the jig blade is worn. Although the replacement of the product has occurred, the necessity is eliminated if a non-contact laser can be used practically.

When a laser beam fusing method, which is a non-contact processing, is to be carried out on a wafer or the like, a dissolved or evaporated substance adheres to the surface of an LSI or IC accumulated on the wafer or the like, and the conductive property of the electrode portion is reduced. This cannot be performed due to adverse effects such as deterioration of performance, but can be performed according to the present embodiment.

In particular, in the processing of wafers and the like, processing in a clean room and cleaning are performed many times in order to maintain the quality. However, this processing method that does not generate waste can greatly reduce the number of steps. , The quality reliability can be improved. In addition, using this method, the shape after cutting was limited to a strip shape until now, but it is also possible to cut in an intentionally curved state depending on the jig, for example, cutting in a circular shape Is also possible.

Further, the thickness of the work material 1 can be variously changed. Further, the rigidity of the material to be processed 1 along the cutting line is made uniform by the above-mentioned method, thereby enabling high-precision processing. Also, if the material is relatively thin, it can be cracked. Therefore, there is no waste, and the trouble of re-cutting can be saved to some extent.

Second Embodiment As shown in FIG. 4, an apparatus for performing a processing method according to the present embodiment includes a stage 2 on which a workpiece 1 such as glass, alumina ceramic, or silicon wafer is placed. A condensing lens 1 is placed on the workpiece 1 placed on the stage 2.
A cleaving machine 17 having a laser 3 for irradiating a laser beam 8 through 3; a fixing jig 4 for receiving the pressure from the pressing / fixing arm 19 to fix the workpiece 1 to the stage 2; It is composed of the lower rubber sheet 20 and the like.

The laser 3 can be moved together with the movement of the cutting machine 17, and the movement of the laser 3 causes the irradiation position of the laser beam 8 on the material 1 to be cut along the scheduled cutting line 7 along the black arrow ( (Shown). The heat distribution curve 18 generated by the laser beam 8 is as shown in FIG.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the fixing jig 4 is arranged near the irradiation position of the laser beam 8 and in parallel with the line 7 to be cleaved, with equal width and equal load. are doing. In the present embodiment, the fixing jig 4 is made of stainless steel, and the pressure of the fixing jig 4 on the workpiece 1 is 500 g to 1 kg / cm ² . Then, a rubber upper rubber sheet 14 having a thickness of 1 mm is attached to the contact surface with the workpiece 1 to uniformly apply pressure,
Further, a lower rubber sheet 20 was provided on the stage 2 so as to face the material 1 to be processed.

Then, the workpiece 1 is mechanically pressed against the stage 2 by the pressing and fixing arm 19, and the following can be considered for the pressing and fixing arm 19.

That is, the pressing and fixing arm 19 does not need to be an arm-shaped means as shown in the present embodiment.
Other forms of means may be used if they have the desired effect.
Further, the shape, material, number, size, pressure control means, and the like may be changed according to the change to other forms of means. Further, the pressing and fixing arm 19 may be linked with the cutting machine 17 or may be operated independently. Also, the pressure applied by the pressing and fixing arm 19 can be freely changed according to the material and thickness of the work material 1.

Since the pressing and fixing arm 19 is incorporated in the cleaving machine 17, the setting of the work material 1 on the stage 2 is facilitated.

According to the third embodiment, the method of pressing the mechanical work material 1 against the stage 2 by the arm 19 described above is based on the warpage of the work material 1 on both sides of the scheduled cutting line 7. For the purpose of suppressing deformation such as bending, the contact surface with the stage 2 is mechanically pressed. Here, as shown in FIG. The processed material 1 can be provided with rigidity while being fixed to the stage 2 by the applied adhesive 9.

As for the adhesive 9, the width, length, thickness, position, viscosity and the like at the time of application may be freely changed according to various conditions such as the thickness of the work material 1. Further, the type of the adhesive 9 may be changed according to the properties of the material 1 to be processed.

According to the above embodiment, the fixing of the workpiece 1 to the stage 2 can be simplified.

In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, an adhesive tape 11 is continuously applied to the surface of the stage 2 from above the work material 1 on both sides along the cutting line 7. In addition, rigidity can be imparted while fixing the work material 1 to the stage 2.

The length of the adhesive tape 11 is as follows.
The width, thickness, position, degree of adhesion and the like may be freely changed according to various conditions such as the thickness of the work material 1.

For example, even if the length of the adhesive tape 11 is set within the width of the material 1 to be processed and the adhesive tape 11 is attached only to the upper surface, rigidity can be imparted to both sides of the planned cutting line 7. According to the above-described embodiment, the fixing of the workpiece 1 to the stage 2 can be simplified. Adhesive tape 1
1 can be easily detached, so that it can be easily attached and detached, and the process can be omitted.

Fifth Embodiment According to the fifth embodiment , at the time of fixing the work material 1 to the stage 2 and applying the rigidity to the work material 1, depending on the material of the work material 1, etc. Stage 2 with suction force
In some cases, it may be sufficient to simply adsorb it.

As shown in FIG. 7, here, the suction holes 10
The work material 1 is placed on the stage 2 provided with so as to cover the suction hole 10.

Next, in this state, the air in the absorption hole 10 is exhausted in the direction of the arrow (illustrated) and extracted. Then, a part of the surface of the workpiece 1 which is in contact with the suction hole 10 due to the vacuum suction effect is formed on the suction hole 10 provided on the surface of the stage 2.
The workpiece 1 adheres to the stage 2 while being bent and adhered. Thereby, the rigidity can be imparted while fixing the work material 1 to the stage 2. Note that the suction force is 500 g to ¹ kg / cm ² .

Further, in the suction holes 10, the number, diameter, length, position and the like provided on the surface of the stage 2 can be freely changed if a predetermined effect is obtained. Further, the suction force can be freely changed according to the strength of the work material 1 and the like. Also, various exhaust means may be used.

According to the above embodiment, since the stage 2 also functions as a suction means, the work material 1 can be fixed to the stage 2 and rigidity can be provided without using any special additional member.

Sixth Embodiment As shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b), an apparatus for carrying out the processing method according to the present embodiment employs a processing material 1 such as glass, alumina ceramic, silicon wafer or the like. , A cutting machine 17 having a laser 3 for irradiating a laser beam through a condensing lens 13 to the work material 1 placed on the stage 2, and fixing the work material 1 to the stage 2. And the like.

The laser 3 can be moved together with the movement of the cutting machine 17, and the movement of the laser 3 causes the irradiation position of the laser beam 8 on the material 1 to be processed along the line 7 to be cut. (Shown). The heat distribution curve 18 generated by the laser beam 8 is as shown in FIG.

Now, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, a clip 24 is used to secure the stage 2 and the work material 1 in close contact with each other to provide rigidity. The clip 24 is composed of a slide-type elastic plate 26 having a distal end 27 of an elastic plate and a fixing portion 25, and a slot 28 into which a bolt 29 can be inserted and fixed is formed.

The expansion and contraction plate 26 is fixed to the fixing portion 25 by bolts 29 via the slot 28.
The fixing portion 25 is fixed so as to sandwich the workpiece 1 and the stage 2.

When the bolt 29 attached to the fixing portion 25 is loosened, the expansion and contraction plate portion 26 can move by being healed by the slot portion 28. Then, the position of the distal end 27 of the elastic plate portion can be changed with the movement of the elastic plate portion 26, and the rigidity can be further provided.

In this embodiment, the distal end 2
The position 7 is arranged in the vicinity of the irradiation position of the laser beam 8 and in parallel to the line 7 to be cleaved, with equal width and equal load. The pressure applied to the workpiece 1 by the distal end 27 of the elastic plate portion is set to 500 g to 1 kg / cm ² .

The following can be considered for the clip 24.

For example, if the predetermined purpose is achieved, the width, thickness, length, the force for sandwiching the material to be processed, the material, the shape, and the like are freely set in the elastic plate portion 26 and the fixing portion 25 constituting the clip 24. Can be changed to Further, depending on the size and thickness of the material 1 to be processed or the thickness and size of the stage 2, the amount of the extension plate 26 protruding from the fixed portion 25 and the number of clips 24 may be freely changed.

The width and length of the slots 28, the positions provided on the expansion and contraction plates 26, and the number thereof can be freely changed according to various conditions. The diameter, length, number, etc. of the bolts 29 can be freely changed.

It should be noted that once the clip 24 is attached, the telescopic plate portion 26 moves without moving, so that the trouble of removing the clip 24 can be saved. In addition, the clip 24 can be obtained at a low cost by slightly modifying the existing clip.
Further, the clip 24 can be fixed at any position on the stage 2 and can be given rigidity.

Other Embodiments Next, as shown in FIG. 9, if there is no problem in heating, the rigidity imparting portion which also serves as fixing to the work material 1 can be used.
As shown in FIG. 9 (a), not only is provided on both sides of the planned cutting line 7 but also, as shown in FIG. 9 (b), the entire periphery including a part of the planned cutting line 7 is fixed. Rigidity may be provided, and if the material to be processed 1 itself is small as shown in FIG. 9C, the outer periphery of the material to be processed 1 including a part of the scheduled cutting line 7 is cured. It is considered sufficient to provide rigidity by fixing with a tool.

As shown in FIG. 10, the planned cutting line 7 may be curved or circular. In this case, if the planned cutting line 7 is curved, a curve is formed along the line. If the shape is circular, rigidity can be imparted to a concentric shape or the like.

If the scheduled cutting line 7 is located at an asymmetric position with respect to the workpiece 1, the rigidity can be given not only by the equal width but also by changing the width to make the rigidity seemingly equal. .

The reason for this is that the narrow side (smaller area) of the work material 1 necessarily has low rigidity and tends to crack (see FIGS. 13A and 13B).
As shown in FIG. 1, the pressing force of the stiffening portion 12a on the narrow side of the work material 1 cut across the cutting line 7 is relatively greater than the pressing force of the stiffening portion 12b on the wide side. Make it bigger.

While adjusting as described above, the rigidity of each work material 1 at the time of cutting along the planned cutting line 7 is kept uniform.

That is, the position of the rigidity imparting portion 12 is preferably provided on the work material 1 with the same width from the planned cutting line 7, but the width may be changed if the apparent rigidity becomes uniform. it is conceivable that.

The width and length of the rigidity imparting portion 12 and the rigidity imparting portion 1 with respect to the workpiece 1 are determined according to the shape of the planned cutting line 7, the material and thickness of the workpiece 1, the cutting position, and the like.
2, the distance from the planned cutting line 7 when the width is equal, and the respective distance from the planned cutting line 7 to the rigidity imparting portion 12 when the width becomes uneven, may be changed.

When the clip 24 is attached once, only the expansion and contraction portion 26 is moved without moving, so that labor can be saved.

According to the above-described embodiment, the control of the cutting process using the laser beam, which has been a bottleneck so far, can be easily performed at low cost. In addition, since this processing method can be put to practical use, the loss of the material is reduced, and the material can be used efficiently.

For this reason, in the conventional cleaving technique, chips, polishing chips, etc. are generated, and a cleaning step is necessary after processing in the material manufacturing process. No need for cleaning,
The number of processes is reduced, equipment is not required, and a significant cost reduction is possible.

Further, in the conventional contact processing method, since the jig is worn, etc., the accuracy of the product in the first half and the second half of the processing is uneven, periodic maintenance is performed, and the jig blade is worn. Although the replacement of the product has occurred, the necessity is eliminated if a non-contact laser can be put to practical use.

When a method of fusing a laser beam, which is a non-contact processing, is to be carried out on a wafer or the like, a dissolved or evaporated substance adheres to the surface of an LSI or an IC integrated on the wafer or the like, and the conductivity of an electrode portion is reduced. However, it could not be performed due to adverse effects such as deterioration of performance, but can be performed by the present invention.

In particular, in the processing of a wafer or the like, processing in a clean room or cleaning is performed many times in order to maintain the quality. Further, the reliability of quality can be improved. In addition, if this method is used, the shape after cutting was limited to a strip shape until now, but it is also possible to cut in an intentionally curved state depending on the jig, for example,
It is also possible to cut into a circle.

Further, the thickness of the material 1 to be processed can be variously changed.

According to the above embodiment, the rigidity of the material to be processed 1 along the cutting line becomes uniform, and high-precision processing becomes possible. Also, if the material is relatively thin, it can be cracked. Therefore, no waste is generated, and the trouble of re-cutting can be saved to some extent.

The embodiment described above can be further modified based on the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, various means other than those described above may be used as means for fixing on the stage 2 in order to impart rigidity to the material 1 to be processed. Further, the above-described cutting method may be performed on a production line as a mass production type. Also,
For example, in FIG. 11, the stiffness imparting means 12a and 12b do not need to be present at the same width position with respect to the planned cutting line 7. For example, if the imaginary line is used, the pressure applied to 12a is equivalent to 12b. There are things you can do.

[0092]

According to the present invention, the heating means for heating the cut position of the material to be processed and the stiffening means for imparting rigidity to the material at least on both sides of the cut position are provided. The use of the cleaving device and the method having the same, in the case of various cuts in the material to be processed in which the difference in rigidity is likely to occur, since the rigidity is equal across the planned cleaving line, it is possible to always limit the generation of thermal stress on the planned cleaving line, High-precision cutting can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaving device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed sectional view of the cleaving device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cut material to be processed.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaving device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a fixing unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a fixing means according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a fixing means according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a cleaving device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a rigidity imparting portion in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the stiffness imparting portion.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a stiffness imparting portion.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaving device according to a conventional example.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the cut material to be processed.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 51: Work material, 2, 52: Stage, 3, 53
... Laser, 4 ... Fixing jig, 5,65 ... Processing start point,
6, 66: end point of processing, 7, 57: scheduled cutting line,
8, 54: laser beam, 9: adhesive, 10: suction hole, 11: adhesive tape, 12: rigidity imparting part, 13, 5
8: Condensing lens, 14: Upper rubber sheet, 15, 55: Symmetrical cleaved side, 16, 56: Asymmetrical cleaved side, 17: Cleaver, 18: Heat distribution curve, 19: Press-fixing arm,
Reference numeral 20: lower rubber sheet, 21: concave portion, 22: convex portion, 2
3 ... surface, 24 ... clip, 25 ... fixed part, 26 ... elastic plate part, 27 ... tip of elastic plate part, 28 ... slot part, 29 ...
Bolt, 60 ... Laser beam diameter

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Satoshi Iwazu 6-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Naoki Sawada 6-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony Stock In-house F term (reference) 4E068 AE01 DA10 DB12 DB13 4G015 FA06 FB01 FC02

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A cleaving device comprising: a heating unit for heating a cleaved position of a material to be processed; 2. The cleaving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said heating means comprises a heating beam irradiation means. 3. The cleaving device according to claim 1, wherein said stiffness imparting means is arranged at a position of equal width across said cleaved position. 4. The cleaving device according to claim 1, wherein the stiffness imparting means comprises a pressing member that applies an external pressure to the material to be processed. 5. The cleaving device according to claim 4, wherein an elastic body is interposed between the pressing member and the workpiece. 6. The stiffness providing means comprises an adhesive means or a suction means for fixing the material to be processed on a stage.
The cutting device according to claim 1. 7. The cleaving device according to claim 1, wherein the rigidity imparting means is fixed to the workpiece from an upper surface. 8. A cutting method in which rigidity is given to the material to be processed at least on both sides of the material to be cut and the material to be processed is heated in this state. 9. The cutting method according to claim 8, wherein the position to be cut is heated by irradiation of a heating beam. 10. The cutting method according to claim 8, wherein the rigidity is provided at a position having an equal width across the cut position. 11. The cleaving method according to claim 8, wherein the imparting of the rigidity is performed by pressing the work material. 12. The cutting method according to claim 11, wherein the pressing is performed via an elastic body. 13. The cutting method according to claim 8, wherein the rigidity is provided by fixing the work material on a stage. 14. The cutting method according to claim 8, wherein the rigidity is provided by a fixed body provided on an upper surface of the work material.