JP2003282485A - Apparatus and method for processing semiconductor wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve operating efficiency without having to apply excessive force to a wafer nor flawing the wafer by carrying out both scribing and breaking in a semiconductor processing apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus 10 is equipped with an X table 13 which moves in an X direction, a Y table 12 which moves in a Y direction, a θ table 14 which is rotated on a straight line perpendicular to both the X and Y directions, a sheet-sticking base 18 which moves as the tables 12 to 14 move and where a wafer W2 is set, a scribe unit 30 which flaws the semiconductor wafer, and a break unit which breaks the wafer in the Y direction after the wafer is scribed by the scribe unit 30. The scribe unit 30 and break unit 50 are provided side by side having their operation points for the wafer in one perpendicular plane in the Y direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus and a semiconductor wafer processing method suitable for a semiconductor wafer, particularly a compound semiconductor wafer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An essential step in manufacturing a semiconductor device is a step of cutting a semiconductor wafer into chips.
In this cutting process, the surface of the semiconductor wafer is first scratched (scribed) and then broken along the cleavage plane (break).
In the past, scribing and braking were performed by separate devices in the past, but in recent years, a device that performs both operations by one unit has been developed.

As an example of such a device, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-5
The device described in Japanese Patent No. 10927 is mentioned.
This apparatus is configured to be able to move the wafer W linearly in the X direction and the Y direction, and to be rotationally movable in the θ direction. When a wafer is cut by this device, a scribing tool having diamond at its tip at a scribing station scratches the surface of the wafer W in a mesh shape along the cleavage direction as shown in FIG. Next, the wafer W is transferred to the braking station, and as shown in FIG. 10B, the impulse bar 1 having a sharp tip is lifted from below the wafer W through the sheet 4 to lift the wafer W. The anvil 2 is lowered from the upper side, and the wafer W is sandwiched by both to give an impact. When a shock is applied, stress concentrates on the scratch and cleaves along the scratch. In this case, the wafer W is divided into bars along the X direction while moving in the Y direction.
Is rotated, cleaves along the Y direction while moving in the X direction, and is divided into small chips.

[0004]

By the way, the above-mentioned dividing method is useful for a wafer such as a silicon wafer which has a hardness and does not require the function of the cleavage plane. However, the same method can be applied to gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium phosphide (I), which are softer than silicon wafers.
When it is applied to a compound semiconductor wafer made of nP) or the like, there are the following problems.

In compound semiconductors often used for semiconductor lasers and the like, the cleavage plane, which is the cut surface when cut into chips, is important as a surface for reflecting and transmitting laser light. Therefore, the chip manufacturing process is not a silicon wafer. Will be different. That is, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), the wafer is divided into elongated bars B, B ... (Primary cleaving), and then these bars B, B ... Are stepped as shown in FIG. 11 (b). The spacers S, S ... Are alternately stacked in the stacking box 3 (stacking step). Then, the stacking box 3 is placed in a crucible or the like, and a coating for reflecting or transmitting light of a predetermined wavelength is formed on the cleavage surface. After this coating, each bar B is cleaved into chips (secondary cleaving) to obtain chips.

When carrying out the series of steps of "primary cleavage → stacking → coating → secondary cleavage" with the apparatus of the above-mentioned publication, first, scribing / braking is performed only in the Y direction to produce a bar. However, since the active layer of the compound semiconductor is formed in the vicinity of the surface of the wafer and the entire surface of the wafer cannot be scribed and scratched, as shown in FIG. Add h ... Next, similarly to FIG. 10B, stress is concentrated on each groove h portion by the impulse bar 1 and the anvil 2 to cause a crack in the wafer to run in the Y direction and cleave. This state is enlarged and shown in FIG. When the impulse bar 1 pushes in the seat 4, reaction forces N1 and N2 are generated from the anvil 2. The bending moment causes the upper surface of the wafer W2 to expand and the lower surface of the wafer W2 to contract to the breaking point. But,
Since the upper surface is constrained by the frictional force or the like caused by the reaction force of the anvil 2, the impulse bar 1 is required to have a pressing force FF that overcomes such constraining force. As the pressing force FF increases, the reaction forces N1 and N2 also increase, the pressure on the surface increases, and the displacement force in the surface direction due to the frictional force increases, so that the vicinity of the surface of the soft wafer W2, for example, several tens of angstroms from the surface. There is a possibility of destroying the quantum well structure formed to a certain depth.

Further, in the above-mentioned apparatus, since the sheet 4 is stretched in a circular frame, even if a strong pressing force FF is applied, the force is dispersed in the radial direction over 360 degrees on the surface of the sheet 4 and is effective for cleavage. The force component is reduced. Furthermore, due to the dispersion of the force, the sheet 4 expands and contracts in a direction completely different from the cutting direction, and the already cleaved bars are
For example, there is a possibility that they may collide with each other at the point m1 and damage the upper part of the cleavage plane, which is important for the compound semiconductor, and make it defective. Further, in the step of stacking for coating after the primary cleaving, the step of manually removing the sheets 4 one by one and stacking them was inefficient. Further, since each bar is an extremely fine and brittle material having a width of about 150 to 300 μm, there is a fear that the bar may come into contact with each other and cause a scratch defect.

An object of the present invention is to perform both scribing and breaking steps in a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus and a semiconductor wafer processing method, and is particularly suitable for a compound semiconductor wafer and exerts as much force as possible on the surface or cleaved surface of the wafer. It is intended to improve work efficiency without adding or damaging.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention described in claim 1 is, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, on the base (11), the first direction (X Table (Y table 12) that reciprocates in the Y direction or Y direction) and a second table (X table) that reciprocates in the second direction (Y direction or X direction) orthogonal to the first direction. 13), a third table (θ table 14) that rotates about a straight line orthogonal to both the first direction and the second direction, the first table, the second table, and the third table. And a scribing means for moving the table to set a semiconductor wafer (W2) and for scratching the surface of the semiconductor wafer set in the wafer setting part (sheet upright table 18). (Scribe Unit 30), applies a force to the wound portion of the semiconductor wafer formed by the scribing means, first
Of the first table, the second table and the third table, each of which is substantially parallel to a horizontal plane. In the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus (10) provided in such a manner as to overlap with each other, the scribe means and the break means are arranged such that respective points of action on the semiconductor wafer are within a vertical plane passing through the predetermined direction.
It is characterized in that they are provided side by side.

According to the first aspect of the invention, while moving the semiconductor wafer on the wafer setting section on the first to third tables, the scribe means and the break means move the wafer in the first direction or the second direction. It is possible to split along a given direction, which is either of the directions. Further, since the scribing means and the break means are arranged side by side so that the point of action for each semiconductor wafer is within one vertical plane passing through the predetermined direction, one scratch is made by scribing. The so-called one-by-one process, in which break processing is performed immediately afterwards, is easily possible. Even if it is necessary to move from the scribing means to the break means after the scribing step, since it is only necessary to move the scribing means in a straight line in the predetermined direction, the time efficiency is high, the position accuracy is high, and the scratches due to the scribing are high. Since it is possible to make a break without shifting, it is less likely to scratch a portion other than a desired line, and is suitable for a compound semiconductor wafer which is vulnerable to surface scratches as described above.

Even the conventional apparatus disclosed in the above publication can be operated so as to perform break processing after scribing. However, this conventional apparatus has a more complicated structure because it is premised that a break occurs after scribing in a mesh shape, and the points where the scribe means and the break means act on the wafer are arranged in a straight line. It is not a configured configuration. Therefore, when the wafer is moved to the break means after scribing, movement in two directions of the X direction and the Y direction is required, or control is performed so that movement in only one direction is required, and a more complicated operation than that of the present invention. Or control is needed. In addition, the premise of such complicated operations and controls may lead to the spread of scratches formed on the wafer without being able to break on a line that perfectly matches the scratches of the scribe, and compound semiconductor wafers Not appropriate. Further, if the lines are misaligned, it is difficult to break and there is a possibility that a defect may occur.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the semiconductor wafer is set so that the cleavage direction of the semiconductor wafer and the predetermined direction coincide with each other. And According to the second aspect of the invention, since the cleavage direction and the breaking direction of the semiconductor wafer are set in alignment with each other, the wafer can be reliably broken in the desired direction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the semiconductor wafer is parallel to either the first direction or the second direction, and the predetermined distance is set. It is characterized in that it is substantially fixed on the sheet stretched with respect to the wafer set portion so that tension is applied in a direction orthogonal to the direction.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the sheet for fixing the semiconductor wafer is parallel to either the first direction or the second direction and is orthogonal to the predetermined direction. Since the tension is applied to the wafer setting part so that tension is applied, when a force is applied to the wafer at the time of break, the force is applied on the sheet surface like the conventional device in which the sheet is stretched in the circular frame. Therefore, the force from the break means can be sufficiently transmitted to the wafer without being dispersed in various directions. In addition, the seat does not expand or contract in an unexpected direction, and it is possible to fully predict the mechanical influence of the expansion and contraction of the bar on the bar, so it is easy to take measures to prevent the bars from colliding with each other after the break. . Here, "substantially fixed" means that the wafer does not move with respect to the sheet, a sheet having adhesiveness or adhesiveness may be used, or the wafer is locked to the sheet. Such a structure may be provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus, the scribe means has a scriber (41) for contacting and scratching the surface of the semiconductor wafer as in the fourth aspect of the invention, and a semiconductor by the scriber. It is preferable to provide a scribe cradle (34) for supporting the semiconductor wafer via the sheet when the surface of the wafer is scratched.

In the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the scribe means may be specifically configured as in the fifth aspect. That is, the invention according to claim 5 is
The scribing means is provided with a holder for holding the scriber and having an adjustable angle, and urges the rotating arm (31) and the rotating arm so that the scriber moves downward from above. Spring member (tensile spring 37) and an air cylinder (36) having a stopper at the tip of the rod for restricting the rotation of the rotary arm against the urging force of the spring member. The rotating arm rotates so that the scriber comes into contact with and separates from the semiconductor wafer according to the moving direction of the.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the impact force applied when the scriber comes into contact with the surface of the semiconductor wafer is changed by changing the retracting speed of the rod. It is characterized by
According to the invention described in claim 6, the impact force at the time of scribing can be controlled according to the type of the wafer, etc., by a simple method of changing the emergence speed of the air cylinder.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the scriber moves along an arc and scratches the surface of the semiconductor wafer in an arc cross section. To do. According to the invention described in claim 7, it is possible to reduce the impact at the time of first entering the wafer, thereby preventing the generation of undesired cracks and, even if the impact is small, it is gradually deepened, so that the wafer is surely secured. Can be scratched.

In the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to the third aspect, the break means is configured to be movable in the vertical direction as in the invention according to the eighth aspect, and impacts the semiconductor wafer from below the sheet. Breaker to give (60)
And a breaker cradle (52) that is fixed above the semiconductor wafer and presses the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer that is impacted by the breaker.

In the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 8, the break means may be specifically configured as in claim 9. That is, in the invention according to claim 9, the break means contacts the leaf spring (54) directly or indirectly fixed to the base and the lower surface of the leaf spring,
An eccentric cam (break cam 55) that drives the leaf spring up and down by rotating, and a cam motor (56) that rotationally drives the eccentric cam, and the breaker is provided on the leaf spring. To do.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the impact force applied to the semiconductor wafer by the breaker via the sheet is changed by changing the rotation amount of the eccentric cam. It is characterized by According to the tenth aspect of the invention, the impact force at the time of break can be controlled according to the type of wafer and the like by a simple method of changing the rotation amount of the eccentric cam.

The invention according to claim 11 is the invention according to claims 8 to 1.
In the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus described in any one of 0, the tip of the breaker that comes into contact with the sheet is formed in an arcuate cross section. According to the invention of claim 11, since the tip of the breaker is formed in an arcuate cross section, the shearing force generated by the impact force that the breaker gives to the wafer through the sheet is centered on the tip of the breaker. It is suitable for a compound semiconductor wafer having a soft quantum well structure, since the positive and negative changes can be made gentle and the adverse effect due to shearing force can be reduced.

The invention according to claim 12 is the invention according to claims 8 to 1.
In the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to any one of 1,
The lower surface of the breaker cradle is characterized by being above the surface of the semiconductor wafer on the sheet stretched over the wafer setting section. According to the invention as set forth in claim 12, since the lower surface of the breaker cradle is above the surface of the semiconductor wafer on the sheet stretched in the wafer setting section, the wafer is brought into contact with the breaker cradle together with the sheet by the breaker. When pushed up, the seat deforms into a mountain shape with the abutment part of the breaker as the apex, and the desired bending moment is
In other words, it becomes maximum in the wafer portion directly above where the breaker is in contact, and it is possible to easily break due to stress concentration.

The invention described in claim 13 is the invention according to claims 8 to 1.
In the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to any one of 2 above,
The breaker cradle is characterized by being formed of a material having a hardness lower than that of the semiconductor wafer. According to the invention described in claim 13, since the breaker cradle is made of a soft material having a hardness lower than that of the semiconductor wafer, the wafer surface is less likely to be damaged by the cradle at the time of break, which is suitable for a soft compound semiconductor. ing. Specific examples of the soft material include various resins.

The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects can be concretely realized by configuring, for example, as the fourteenth aspect. That is, a fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, further comprising a first table driving means (Y drive motor 15) for driving the first table, and a second table driving means. Table driving means (X driving motor 16) for driving the table No. 3, third table driving means (θ driving motor 17) for driving the third table, and inputs for inputting various data regarding scribe and break Panel (8
1), detection means for detecting the position of the semiconductor wafer (position sensor 73), image processing means (camera 20, image input board 75, image processing CPU 74) for obtaining an image of the semiconductor wafer and processing it as data, and detection Based on the detection result from the means and the image data from the image processing means, the first table driving means and the second table driving means are arranged to move the semiconductor wafer to predetermined positions for scribing and breaking respectively.
It is characterized by comprising a table driving means and a control means (CPU 71) for controlling the third table driving means.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus, as in the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the control means determines the first from the detection result from the detection means and the image data from the image processing means. A correction value as a value to be moved in each of the table, the second table and the third table is obtained, and the correction value is output as a command to the first table driving means, the second table driving means and the third table driving means. It may be configured to do so.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to the third aspect, the first table or the second table is moved to move in either the first direction or the second direction. A wafer gathering unit (unloading table 97) is provided for transporting the semiconductor wafers after break together with the sheets in a direction parallel to each other and orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and collecting the transported semiconductor wafers one by one. Is characterized by.

According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the bar-shaped semiconductor after the break is parallel to either the first direction or the second direction and orthogonal to the predetermined direction. Since the wafers are conveyed together with the sheets and the semiconductor wafers are collected one by one in the wafer collecting section, it is possible to easily move to the stacking work shown in FIG. 11 and improve the work efficiency.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to the sixteenth aspect, an adhesive sheet that loses its adhesiveness by ultraviolet rays is used as the sheet, and the sheet is being conveyed from immediately after the break to the wafer collecting section. It is characterized in that it is provided with an ultraviolet irradiating means (ultraviolet light emitting source 93) for irradiating the adhesive sheet with ultraviolet rays from the side opposite to the semiconductor wafer. According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, since the adhesiveness is lost by irradiating the adhesive sheet on which the wafer after the break is mounted with ultraviolet rays, the wafers can be easily collected.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to the sixteenth or seventeenth aspect, one end side of the sheet is directly or indirectly attached to the first table or the second table for transferring the wafer. The other end, which is fixed and faces the one end, is pulled with a substantially constant tension in parallel with the carrying direction so that the sheet is not loosened when the wafer is carried. According to the eighteenth aspect, since the sheet is always pulled with a constant tension in the carrying direction, it is possible to prevent the bar-shaped wafers from hitting each other during the carrying due to the slack of the sheet.

The invention according to claim 19 relates to claims 16 to 16.
In the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to any one of 18,
An arc-shaped guide (a guide cylinder 95 and a wafer guide 98) is provided in front of the wafer collecting unit in the path along which the wafers are transferred after the break, and the semiconductor wafer is transferred along the guides. It is characterized by turning so that the surface stands almost in the vertical plane. According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, the bar-shaped wafers are gathered in the wafer collecting section in a state where the bar-shaped wafers are turned so that their surfaces stand substantially in the vertical plane by moving along the guides.
In other words, since the wafers can be collected in the same situation as the stacking shown in FIG. 11B, the stacking can be carried out at the wafer collecting portion itself, and the stacking can be performed manually by a conventional method as a completely different step from the scribe / break step. The stacking work can be continued, the work efficiency is significantly improved, and since it is not handled by hand, it is difficult to damage the wafer and the generation of defective products can be suppressed.

The invention described in claim 20 is,
19. In the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to any one of 19,
It is characterized in that a pushing member (needle 96) is provided in the vicinity of the wafer collecting portion to push the sheet from the opposite side of the semiconductor wafer and push the semiconductor wafer to the wafer collecting portion. According to the twentieth aspect of the invention, the semiconductor wafer can be reliably collected in the wafer collecting section by the pushing member.

By using the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20 described above, the semiconductor wafer processing method according to any one of claims 21 and 22 can be realized, and the same effect as that of claim 1 can be obtained. That is, the invention according to claim 21 is a method for processing a semiconductor wafer using the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein one scratch is made on the semiconductor wafer by a scribe means. After that, it is characterized in that it is subsequently broken by the break means based on the scratch.

The invention described in claim 22 is the method for processing a semiconductor wafer according to claim 21, wherein after the break,
By moving the first table or the second table, the semiconductor wafer is moved in a direction parallel to either the first direction or the second direction and orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and the next scribe is performed. It is characterized in that the step and the break step are continuously performed.

[0035]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus 10 as an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, it may be simply referred to as the processing device 10. Processing device 10
On the base 11, the Y table 12, the X table 13,
The θ table 14, the scribe unit 30, the break unit 50 and the like are provided and configured. The Y table (first table) 12 is installed on the base 11,
It has a Y drive motor 15 and is driven by the Y drive motor 15 to be in the Y direction in FIG. 1 (first direction, front-back direction).
It is configured to be able to reciprocate. The X table (second table) 13 is installed on the Y table 12, has an X drive motor 16, and is driven by the X drive motor 16 so that the X table in FIG.
It is configured to be capable of reciprocating in a direction (second direction, left-right direction).

The θ table (third table) 14 is X
A substantially disk-shaped member installed on the table 13,
It is configured to be rotatable around a vertical straight line that passes through the center and is perpendicular to the X and Y directions. The θ table 14 has a θ drive motor 17, and the θ drive motor 1
It is configured to rotate on the X table 13 by being driven by 7. The Y drive motor 15, which is the first table drive unit, the X drive motor 16, which is the second table drive unit, and the θ drive motor 17, which is the third table drive unit, are controlled by the CPU 71, respectively, and thus have a predetermined timing. The Y table 12, X table 13, and θ table 1
4 moves a predetermined distance at a predetermined timing.

On the θ table 14, side walls 18a and 18b are provided.
A sheet tension base (wafer setting unit) 18 having a U-shaped cross section is fixed to the θ table 14 so as to be attachable to and detachable from the θ table 14.
A sheet 24 shown by an imaginary line on the upper surfaces of the side walls 18a and 18b
Are fixed while being stretched in the X direction. The upper surface of the sheet 24 has adhesiveness and loses its adhesiveness when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. The wafer W2, which is a compound semiconductor substrate, is attached to the upper surface of the sheet 24 so that the cleavage plane to be broken is substantially parallel to the Y direction. Therefore, the sheet 24 is given tension in the direction orthogonal to the cleavage plane. Specific alignment will be described later. As a concrete fixing method of the seat 24, for example, as shown in FIG.
The holding portions 18c and 18d provided on the respective b b sandwich and fix from the vertical direction. The sheet 24 stretched on the sheet tension base 18 includes the Y table 12, the X table 13,
It moves together with the θ table 14 in accordance with the movement and rotation of these tables.

Each table 12, 1 on the base 11
A solid support column 19 is fixed at a position deeper than 3 and 14. A camera arm 21 is fixed to the upper part of the column 19, and a camera 20 having a CCD (Charged Coupled Device) element is attached to the tip of the camera arm 21 and above the seat 24. This camera 2
0 is adjusted and fixed such that the processed portion of the wafer W2 on the sheet 24 is in the visual field with the lens 20a facing downward. A support arm 23 is provided at an intermediate portion of the pillar 19.
Are fixed so as to face the seat tension base 18. A scribe unit 30 is provided on the support arm 23 side of the support column 19.
The break unit 50 is provided from the lower part of the support column 19 to the tip side of the support arm 23.

FIG. 2 shows a scribing unit (scribing means) 30. The scribe unit 30 has a short striation (see FIG. 3A) at one end of the wafer W2 before breaking the wafer W2 in the Y direction, and includes a rotating arm 31, an air cylinder 36, and It is composed of a tension spring (spring member) 37, a scriber 41, a scribe support 34, and the like. The rotating arm 31 is attached to the lower portion of the side surface of the support arm 23 so as to be rotatable around a fulcrum shaft 32. The lower end of the tension spring 37 is locked to the end of the rotary arm 31 on the side of the column 19.

The upper end of the tension spring 37 has a tension adjusting member 3
It is locked to 8. The tension adjusting member 38 is a rod-shaped member whose surface is threaded, and is fixed to the support column 19 or the support arm 23 at a central portion thereof via a fixing portion 38a. A screw member 38b screwed into a screw on the surface of the tension adjusting member 38 is fixed to the inside of the fixing portion 38a,
The tension of the tension spring 37 is adjusted by adjusting the vertical height of the tension adjusting member 38a while rotating the tension adjusting member 38a with respect to the screw member 38b. Rotating arm 31
2 is a tension spring 37 adjusted to a predetermined tension by the tension spring 37 shown in FIG.
Is urged counterclockwise.

The air cylinder 36 is fixed to the support arm 23, and a stopper 36b for restricting the movement of the rotary arm 31 is fixed to a rod 36a at the tip thereof. Rotating arm 3
1 is urged counterclockwise by the tension spring 37 as described above, but at a position where it abuts the stopper 36b,
It has stopped. The air cylinder 36 is connected to an air line (not shown), and is turned on by flowing air to one of the air valves 35a and 35b (FIG. 5) provided in this air line, and turned off by flowing air to the other. . Further, a flow valve for adjusting the flow rate of air is connected to the air line, and by adjusting this flow valve, the momentum of the air is changed, thereby adjusting the pulling speed of the rod 36a when turning from off to on. You can do it. When the rod 36a is pulled in, the rotating arm 31 is rotated counterclockwise by the urging force of the tension spring 37 according to the speed thereof.

The scriber 4 is attached to the tip of the support arm 23.
A holder 42 to which 1 is fixed is attached via a dial member 33 for angle adjustment. The dial member 33 is appropriately adjusted to adjust the angle of the scriber 41 with respect to the wafer W2. Scribe 41
Has a diamond at its tip, and the diamond can scratch the wafer W2. Scribe 4
A scriber cradle 34 is provided immediately below the seat 1 and below the seat 24. Scriber cradle 34
Are fixed to the base 11 directly or indirectly. When viewed from the front as shown in FIG. 4A, the scriber cradle 34 has a key shape and is formed in a shape that allows the leaf spring 54 of the break unit 50, which will be described later, to escape. 34a enables the scribe 41
The wafer W2, which is hit by, is supported from below the sheet 24.

The scriber 41 descends as the rotating arm 31 rotates in the counterclockwise direction and enters the wafer W2. Therefore, by adjusting the pulling speed of the rod 36a, it is possible to control the rotating speed of the rotary arm 31 and, consequently, the impact force of the scriber 41 entering the wafer W2. Here, the shape of the diamond at the tip of the scriber 41 is, for example, a two-point shape. When such a scriber 41 is applied to the wafer W2, as shown in FIG.
A scar such as a point p1 shown in (b) is formed, and when the wafer W2 is moved forward along the Y direction as it is (in the y1 direction), a scratch P is formed. The tip shape of the scriber 41 may be other shapes such as single point, three point, and four point.

As shown in FIG. 1, the scribe unit 3
A break unit 50 is provided before 0. The scribe unit 30 and the break unit 50 are arranged side by side so that the respective points of action on the wafer W2 are within one vertical plane passing through the Y direction. FIG. 4 shows a break unit (break means) 50. Figure 4
Then, members related to the scribe unit 30 are omitted. The break unit 50 is the scriber unit 30.
Cleavage is performed by using the streak marked with as a starting point, and includes a breaker receiving base 52, a breaker 60, a leaf spring 54, a break cam 55, and the like. The breaker cradle 52 is
The support arm 23 is fixed to the lower portion on the side of the tip of the support arm via a pedestal guide 51, and is made of a material softer than a compound semiconductor, such as fluororesin or ABS resin. By adjusting the vertical position with respect to the cradle guide 51, the vertical position of the breaker cradle 52 can be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the breaker cradle 52 has a length sufficient to cover, for example, the lengthwise direction of the wafer W2 to be cut, and the lower end portion 52a of FIG. As shown in a), a groove 52b having a U-shaped cross section is formed along the length direction. In FIG. 4A, the left side is a left pressing surface 52c, the right side is a right pressing surface 52d, and the left pressing surface 52c and the right side are right pressing surfaces 52d with the groove 52b sandwiched therebetween. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper and lower positions of the breaker cradle 52 are located on the left pressing surface 52.
c, the right pressing surface 52d is the holding portion 18 of the seat tension base 18.
It is adjusted to be higher than c and 18d. As a result, the left pressing surface 52c and the right pressing surface 52d are located at a position higher than the wafer W2 on the sheet 24 except at the time of break.

A breaker 60 is installed at the tip of the leaf spring 54 with the wafer W2 and the sheet 24 sandwiched therebetween. As shown in FIG. 4 (c), a screw hole 60 b is formed from the lower surface of the breaker 60 toward the inside, and a screw hole (not shown) is formed in the leaf spring 54. The breaker 60 is fixed to the leaf spring 54 by being screwed into the screw hole 60b of the breaker 60 in the state where the breaker 60 is inserted. The breaker 60 is made of metal, for example, and is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), it has a length sufficient to cover the wafer W2 to the same extent as the breaker cradle 52. Furthermore, the breaker 60 is formed in a substantially mountain shape when viewed from the front-rear direction, and its upper end is an arc portion 60a formed in an arc shape. At break, the circular arc portion 60a has the groove 52b.
Face parallel to.

The leaf spring 54 formed in the shape of an elongated plate is fixed to the upper surface of the fixed base 53 fixed to the column 19 at its rear end. The fixed base 53 is attached to the support column 19 so that the vertical and horizontal positions can be freely changed.
By adjusting the position of 3, the height of the rear end of the leaf spring 54 is adjusted. Further, a break cam 55 is provided in a state of contacting the lower surface of the leaf spring 54 midway. The break cam 55 is an eccentric cam, and is located at a position off the center,
A rotary shaft 56a of a cam motor 56 fixed on the base 11 is fixed. Therefore, when the cam motor 56 operates and the break cam 55 rotates together with the rotary shaft 56a, the leaf spring 54 whose lower surface is supported by the break cam 55 swings vertically according to the rotation angle, and the height changes. Then, by changing the rotation angle of the break cam 55, the impact force from the breaker 60 rising through the plate spring 54 to the wafer W2 is controlled.

When the breaker 60 gives an impact to the wafer W2 via the sheet 24, the fixed base 53 is adjusted so that the arc portion 60a and the groove 52b of the breaker receiving base 52 face each other in parallel. Specifically, the rear end side of the leaf spring 54 is higher before the operation of the breaker 60, and the leaf spring 5 after the operation.
The position of the fixed base 53 may be adjusted in advance so that 4 is horizontal, or the position of the fixed base 53 is automatically adjusted along with the operation of the break cam 55 so that the leaf spring 54 becomes horizontal. It may be configured.

FIG. 5 shows the control circuit 70 provided in the processing apparatus 10. Note that the control circuit 70 shows a configuration necessary for explaining the present invention, and may include other sensors and actuators not shown here. The control circuit 70 is a CPU as a control means.
(Central Processing Unit) 71, and the CPU 7
1, the actuator controller 72 is connected, and the position sensor 73 and various drivers 76 to 80 are further connected via the actuator controller 72. Further, the control circuit 70 is provided with an image input board 75 connected to the camera 20 and an image processing CPU 74 connected to the image input board 75.
The PU 74 is connected to the CPU 71. The position sensor 73 is composed of, for example, an optical sensor, and is a detection unit that detects the position of the wafer W2 attached via the sheet 24. On the other hand, the image signal of the wafer W2 captured by the camera 20 is input to the image input board 75, the image processing CPU 74 performs predetermined image processing, and the image information including the position information of the wafer W2 is output to the CPU 71. The camera 20, the image input board 75, and the image processing CPU 74 constitute the image processing means of the present invention.

The CPU 71 detects the position and angle of the wafer W2 based on the signal from the position sensor 73 and the image information from the image processing CPU 74. And CPU7
1. Wafer W for scribing or break
The position and angle at which 2 should move, the current X table 13,
The positions of the Y table 12 and the θ table 14 are compared, a correction value for the current position is calculated, and the correction value is used as an X motor driver 76 for driving the X drive motor 16 and a Y motor for driving the Y drive motor 15. The signal is output as a control signal to the driver 77 and the θ motor driver 78 that drives the θ drive motor 17. During scribing, a control signal is output to the air valve drive 80 at a predetermined timing to control the on / off operation of the air valves 35a and 35b. Further, at the time of a break, a control signal is output to the cam motor driver 79 to drive the cam motor 56 by a predetermined amount via the cam motor driver 79 to raise the break cam 55 by a predetermined height.

An input panel 81 and a display device 82 are connected to the CPU 71, and the operator, while looking at the display device 82, various parameters for scribing and braking, such as the type and size of the wafer W2 and the scratches. You can enter data about the distance, length, impact force during scribing and braking, etc. In addition, the operator operates the processing apparatus 10 manually by operating the input panel 81 or selects a sequence operation to automatically perform a series of operations for producing a bar by scribing and breaking one wafer W2. be able to.

The CPU 71 has a memory (not shown),
Control program and control data in the memory, input panel 8
Parameters from 1, position sensor 73 and image processing CP
Temporarily store the image data from U74. For example,
Adjusted spring force of tension spring 37, air cylinder 36
The rotation speed of the rotating arm 31 determined by the operating speed of the scriber 41, the tip shape of the scriber 41, and the contact angle between the scriber 41 and the wafer W2 by adjusting the dial member 33 are set according to the material of the wafer, the cleavage characteristics, and the like. Parameters that are theoretically or theoretically appropriate are stored, and these parameters are extracted according to the operator's operation or automatically and used at each processing operation. Then, according to the control program and control data, and according to the operator's manual operation from the input panel 81 and the selection of the sequence operation, various operations in the processing apparatus 10 are controlled while performing calculations. Furthermore, it also performs error handling when trouble occurs.

Next, the operation of the processing apparatus 10 having the above structure will be described. Here, a wafer W2 made of a compound semiconductor is cleaved along the 110 plane of the crystal structure,
The operation when breaking into a slender bar shape as shown in (a) will be described. An orientation flat (orientation flat) surface is previously formed on the wafer W2 along the surface 110 at the manufacturing stage, and the wafer W2 is attached to the sheet 24 with the orientation flat surface as a reference. Seat 24 in this state
Is fixed to the side walls 18a and 18b of the sheet tensioner 18 removed from the processing apparatus 10 in a state in which tension is applied in the direction connecting the side walls 18a and 18b. Next, seat upright 18
To the predetermined mounting position of the θ table 14
The side walls 18a and 18b are fixed so that they are substantially parallel to each other. As a result, the orientation flat surface of the wafer W2 is processed by the processing apparatus 1
The sheet 24 is stretched in the X direction and is substantially parallel to the Y direction of 0.

Next, when a start button (not shown) provided on the input panel 81 or the like is operated, the position Q1 (FIG. 3A), which is the first scribe position, is within the field of view of the camera 20. As described above, the CPU 71 calculates the movement amount based on the information from the position sensor 73 and the image processing CPU 74, whereby the X table 13 moves a predetermined amount in the left-right direction in FIG. When the camera 20 captures the edge E near the position Q1 which should be parallel to the Y direction, the CPU 71
Calculates the inclination of the edge E with respect to the Y direction from the image information, and commands the θ motor driver 78 to provide a correction value so that the edge becomes parallel to the Y direction. It is driven by 17 to rotate by a predetermined angle and stop. Further, the CPU 71 determines the point p1 at which the wafer W2 is hit by the scriber 41.
A necessary movement amount is calculated in the X direction and the Y direction so as to reach the position corresponding to, and the correction value is output as a command to the X motor driver 76 and the Y motor driver 77. In response to the command, the X table 13 and the Y table 12 are driven by the X drive motor 16 and the Y drive motor 15, respectively, and are moved by a predetermined distance and stopped. Due to these movements, the wafer W2 comes to a position just entering the point p1 when the scriber 41 descends. In addition,
The above X table 13, Y table 12, and θ table 1
The order of movement of No. 4 is an example, and it will be moved as appropriate according to the situation.

Next, under the control of the CPU 71, the air valve driver 80 is controlled so that the air valve 35a,
35b is driven, and the rod 36a of the air cylinder 36 is drawn in at a preset speed. As a result, the rotating arm 31 rotates counterclockwise by the urging force of the tension spring 37, and the scriber 41 at the tip of the rotating arm 31 moves the wafer W2.
Enter the point p1. The Y table 12 moves a predetermined distance in the front direction of FIG. 1 while the scriber 41 remains at the point p1. As a result, as shown in FIG.
The streak P shown in (c) is formed on the edge of the wafer W2, and the scribe is completed.

After the scribing is completed, the Y table 12 is further moved in the front direction of FIG. 1 to position the wafer W2 in the processing area of the break unit 50, as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). State. The groove 52b of the breaker cradle 52 and the arc portion 60a of the breaker 60 are opposed to each other with the striation P formed by the scribe operation therebetween. Further, before the break operation, the air cylinder 36 is turned off and the rod 36a projects, whereby the rotating arm 31 rotates clockwise, the scriber 41 moves up, and returns to the standby position.

In the state shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, when the cam motor 56 operates by a predetermined amount, the break cam 55 rotates by a predetermined angle. By this rotation, the leaf spring 54 is pushed upward, and the breaker 60 begins to contact the seat 24. At this time, the arc portion 60a of the breaker 60 is parallel to the seat 24, and the arc portion 60a extends over the entire length of the seat. Two
Touch 4.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, when the breaker 60 is lifted with force FF, the arcuate portion 60a at the tip of the breaker 60 pushes up the wafer W together with the sheet 24 to a height at which the wafer W2 contacts the breaker cradle 52. Since the left pressing surface 52c and the right pressing surface 52d of the breaker cradle 52 are located higher than the sandwiching portions 18c and 18d for fixing the sheet 24, the sheet 24 is pulled by the sandwiching portions 18c and 18d, respectively, and the wafer W2 It loses the rigidity of both the left and right sides and slightly breaks at that portion, and tensions F1 and F2 are generated. Due to the generation of the tensions F1 and F2, reaction forces f1 and f2 that oppose the rising force FF of the breaker 60 are generated. A bending moment as shown in FIG. 6B is generated by the reaction forces f1 and f2 and the ascending force FF. The bending moment applied to the wafer W2 is caused by the arc portion 6 in contact with the sheet 24.
Since 0a is formed in a round shape, the top portion T1 of the breaker 60 has a gentle roundness even if the breaker 60 is the largest.

Further, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 6B, a shearing force is generated on the wafer W2 on the vertical surface. If it is an acute angle like the impulse bar-1 shown in FIG.
Large shearing forces are applied in mutually opposite directions around the contact point of the impulse bar 1, and shearing forces as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 6C are generated. When the shearing force is applied in this way, a force that vertically shifts around the impact portion acts largely, which is not preferable in the compound semiconductor. However, in the present embodiment, the peak portion T of the bending moment is
Since 1 is gentle, the shear force is 6
Around the contact position of the circular arc portion 60a of 0, it does not change as shown by the dotted line, but it changes slightly obliquely as shown by the solid line, so the difference in the shearing force in the opposite direction applied to the break portion is small. , The force in the displacement direction is small.

On the other hand, the stress is concentrated on the scribed trace P portion due to the rise of the breaker 60. Eventually, the wafer W2 and the breaker cradle 52 approach each other so that the scratches P are sandwiched between the left pressing surface 52c and the right pressing surface 52d of the breaker cradle 52, and the left pressing surface 52c contacts the wafer W2, and only on one side. When the load is applied, the stress applied to the streak P portion further increases, and the surface pressed by the left pressing surface 52c is broken from the wafer W2 so that a crack is generated from the streak P and cleaves along the Y direction. .

With the above operation, the production of the first bar is completed, the break cam 55 is rotated to the original rotation position, and the breaker 60 is lowered to the original position. Next, in order to manufacture the second bar, the distance X table 13 corresponding to the width of the bar
Moves to the left in FIG. After that, the above-mentioned operations of scribing and breaking are repeated. The same applies to the third and subsequent bars. It is to be noted that, by using a conventionally known technique, the state of cleavage is monitored by the camera 20 during the above operation, the cleavage is stopped in the middle, a crack is generated in the lateral direction (X direction), a step is generated on the cleavage surface, etc. When various abnormal conditions occur, the image processing CPU 74 sends an abnormal signal to the CPU 7
You may make it output to 1.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of the wafer processing process performed by the control circuit 70. This process is started when the operator mounts the sheet tensioner 18 on which the wafer W2 and the sheet 24 are set on the θ table 14 and turns on the power supply (not shown) in step S1. Next, in step S2, parameters and the like are input from the input panel 81 and the like, and the initial values of the parameters for each operation are set accordingly.

Next, in step S3, it is monitored whether or not the start button is operated, and if it is operated, step S3 is performed.
4, shift to step S5. In step S4, the current position and angle of the wafer W2 are calculated based on the image information from the image processing CPU 74 and the detection signal from the position sensor 73. In step S5, in order to move the wafer W2 to the position to be scribed, the correction value for the movement is calculated from the current positions of the θ table 14, the X table 13, and the Y table 12, and is output. Each table 12-14 moves. It should be noted that steps S4 and S5 are not necessarily executed in sequence, and as can be seen from the above-described operation, the wafer W
The detection of the position 2 and the calculation / output of the correction value may be repeated depending on the situation.

Next, in step S6, a scribe process is performed, that is, the air cylinder 36 is turned on, the scriber 41 is rotated, and the Y table 12 is moved while the wafer W2 is scratched. When this process ends, the air cylinder 36 is turned off and the scriber 41 is returned to the original position. Next, in step S7, a cleaving process is performed, that is, the Y table 12 is moved and the break cam 55 is rotated, if necessary.
With the breaker 60 and the breaker cradle 52, step S
The wafer W2 is cleaved at the location scribed in 6 to produce the first bar. When this process ends, the break cam 55 returns to the original rotation position. Next, the process proceeds to step S8, in which the distance X table 13 corresponding to the width of the bar is moved to manufacture the next bar, and step S9 is performed.
Move to. In step S9, it is determined whether the end of the wafer W2 has been reached, that is, whether the wafer W2 has been divided into all the bars. If it is determined that the wafer W2 has not been reached, step S9 is performed.
The process returns to step 6, and if reached, this processing is terminated.

According to the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus 10 and the processing method using this apparatus, the wafer W2 is moved by the scribe unit 30 and the break unit 50 while the wafer W2 is moved by the X table 13, the Y table 12, and the θ table 14. It can be split along the Y direction. In addition, the scribe unit 30 and the break unit 50
Are arranged side by side so that the respective points of action on the wafer W2 are within one vertical plane passing through the Y direction, so that a so-called one-by-one break processing is performed immediately after making one scratch by scribe. The method steps can be easily performed. Even if it is necessary to move the scribing unit 30 to the break unit 50 after the scribing process, it is only necessary to move the scribing unit 30 in a straight line in the Y direction.
High time efficiency. Furthermore, since the position accuracy is high due to the movement of a straight line, it is possible to make a break without shifting with respect to the scratches caused by the scribe, so that it is unlikely that scratches will be attached to places other than the desired line, and as described above, It is suitable for compound semiconductor wafers that are susceptible to scratches.

The sheet 24 for fixing the wafer W2
Is stretched on the sheet tensioner 18 so that tension is applied in the X direction, so that when a force is applied to the wafer W2 at the time of break, the sheet is stretched in a circular frame as in the conventional apparatus. The force is not dispersed in various directions on the sheet surface, and the force from the breaker 60 can be sufficiently transmitted to the wafer W2. In addition, the seat does not expand or contract in an unexpected direction, and it is possible to fully predict the mechanical influence of the expansion and contraction of the bar on the bar, so it is easy to take measures to prevent the bars from colliding with each other after the break. .

The impact force at the time of scribing can be controlled according to the type of wafer by a simple method of changing the speed at which the air cylinder 36 appears and disappears. Further, the impact force at the time of break can be controlled according to the type of wafer by a simple method of changing the rotation amount of the break cam 55.

Further, since the tip of the breaker 60 is formed in an arcuate cross section, the shearing force generated by the impact force applied to the wafer W2 by the breaker 60 via the sheet 24 is positive or negative about the tip of the breaker 60. Can be made gentle, the adverse effect due to shearing force can be reduced, and it is suitable for a compound semiconductor wafer having a soft quantum well structure.

In addition, since the lower surface of the breaker cradle 52 is above the surface of the wafer W2 on the sheet 24, when the wafer W2 together with the sheet 24 is pushed up by the breaker 60 so as to come into contact with the breaker cradle 52, The sheet 24 is deformed into a mountain shape with the contact portion of the breaker 60 as the apex, whereby the bending moment is maximized at the desired wafer portion where the arc portion 60a is in contact, and the break easily due to stress concentration. You can Since the breaker pedestal 52 is formed of a soft material having a hardness lower than that of the wafer W2, the wafer surface is less likely to be damaged by the pedestal at the time of break, and is suitable for a soft compound semiconductor wafer.

As described above, according to the processing apparatus 10 and the processing method using this apparatus, the stress on the wafer can be minimized, and it is very suitable for producing a bar of a compound semiconductor wafer which is easily damaged.

<Modification> FIG. 8 shows a modification of the processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. Here, the configuration different from that of the processing apparatus 10 is mainly shown, and other configurations are omitted. Further, the members shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 which are necessary for convenience of explanation are denoted by the same reference numerals. 8 is different from the processing apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 in that the cut bars are gathered at certain positions, and the sheet clamp member 92, the guide cylinder 95, the unloading table 97, and the like are provided.

In the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 8, one side of the sheet 24 to which the wafer W2 is attached is held by the holding section 90 similar to the holding section 18c of the sheet tensioning table 18. The sandwiching unit 90 can move together with the X table 13. The other side of the seat 24 is clamped by a seat clamp member 92. The sheet clamp member 92 is fixed to the rod 91a of the air cylinder 91, and the air cylinder 91 pulls the sheet clamp member 92 in the direction of arrow x1 parallel to the X direction, so that the sheet 24 has a substantially constant tension. It is supposed to take. The air cylinder 91 is directly or indirectly fixed to the base 11.

In the vicinity of the break unit 50, an ultraviolet light emission source (ultraviolet irradiation means) 93 such as a xenon lamp or a mercury lamp, and a reflection plate 94 are provided so as to cover one side of the ultraviolet light emission source 93. . A translucent guide cylinder 95 having a semicircular cross section is provided so as to face the ultraviolet light emission source 93, and the sheet 24 is in contact with the guide cylinder 95 so as to cover the outer surface side thereof. Further, a wafer guide 98 is provided so as to face the guide cylinder 95, and the wafer W is provided below the wafer guide 98.
An unloading table (wafer collecting section) 97 on which two bars w, w ... Further, inside the guide cylinder 95, a needle (pushing member) 96 for thrusting each bar w attached to the sheet 24 slightly above the unloading table 97 and lowering it to the unloading table 97 is in the X direction. It is attached so that it can reciprocate. Although only one needle 96 is shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of needles 96 are provided in the length direction of the bar w, that is, in the depth direction of the paper surface of FIG. Ultraviolet light emitting source 93, reflector 9
4, the guide cylinder 95 and the unloading table 97 are wafers W
It is fixed regardless of the movement of 2.

In the processing apparatus of FIG. 8, the processing apparatus 10 of FIG.
Similarly, the scribe and the cleavage by the break unit 50 (break) are alternately repeated to produce one bar w at a time. When one bar w is manufactured, the X table 13 is moved leftward in FIG. 8 by the width of the bar w, and the next scribe break is performed. The sheet clamp 92 is moved in the arrow x1 direction via the rod 91a of the air cylinder 91 so that the sheet 24 is not loosened by the movement of the X table 13, and the sheet 24 is pulled. 1 bar w
The above-described operation is repeated every time the sheet is manufactured, and the manufactured bars w, w ... Head toward the guide cylinder 95 side together with the sheet 24. The ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet light emitting source 93 irradiates the back surface of the sheet 24 directly or via the guide tube 95 to the back surface of the sheet 24. As a result, the tackiness of the sheet 24 disappears. In this state, the seat 24 and the bar w,
The w is guided by the guide tube 95 and the wafer guide 98 to descend, and is naturally placed on the unloading table 97. Since the guide cylinder 95 and the wafer guide 98 are arcuate, by moving along them, each bar w
Moves to the unloading table 97 by naturally changing its direction so that its surface stands vertically.

Here, instead of reaching the unloading table 97 immediately after being irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the guide tube 9
5 and the wafer guide 98, the reaction time until the adhesiveness of the sheet 24 disappears after irradiation can be secured by passing through the predetermined path. However, when the bar w does not naturally descend to the unloading table 97 due to the adhesiveness remaining on the sheet 24, the bar w is pierced by the needle 96 and is forcibly separated from the sheet 24 and lowered to the unloading table 97. . It should be noted that the needle 96 may always be used for sticking regardless of the adhesiveness.

According to the above processing apparatus and the processing method using the processing apparatus, the bars w are naturally arranged on the unloading table 97 as well as the effects of the processing apparatus 10 as shown in FIG. ). Therefore, it is possible to omit the work of stacking the individual bars w while manually handling them, so that it is possible to prevent the wafers from being damaged by the stacking work, and to omit this work time. Therefore, work efficiency is dramatically improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it is needless to say that the specific shape and structure can be appropriately changed. For example, the scriber in the scribe unit according to each of the above-described embodiments moves the wafer in the Y direction in the state of being pushed into the wafer to form a scratch, but as shown in FIG.
May be rotated around the fulcrum 201 with respect to the wafer W2 to form arcuate scratches on the surface of the wafer W2. Alternatively, it may be moved in the Y direction in synchronization with the vertical direction of the scriber. At this time, the scriber pedestal is formed to have a length that is sufficient for the length of the arc to be formed in the Y direction. With such a method, the impact when the wafer W2 first enters is reduced to prevent the generation of undesired cracks, and the impact is gradually deepened even if the impact is small, so that the wafer can be surely scratched.

The scratches formed by scribing are not only formed as long scratches in the cleavage direction, but also short 1
You may make it concentrate on a point vicinity. In that case, the Y table may be reciprocally moved with the scriber being dropped on the surface of the wafer W2 to form scratches at one location.

Further, the concrete driving method of the scribing unit and the breaking unit can be changed, and for example, various types such as a biasing force of a spring, a motor, a solenoid and an air cylinder can be used as a driving source. Furthermore, although the present invention is particularly useful in breaking compound semiconductor wafers, the wafers to which it is applied are not limited, and it goes without saying that it may be used for other types of wafers such as silicon wafers. .

[0080]

According to the present invention, while moving the semiconductor wafer on the wafer setting section on the first to third tables, the scribe means and the break means move the wafer in either the first direction or the second direction. It can be split along a given direction, which is Further, since the scribing means and the break means are arranged side by side so that the point of action for each semiconductor wafer is within one vertical plane passing through the predetermined direction, one scratch is made by scribing. A so-called one-by-one method step of performing break processing immediately afterward becomes possible easily. Even after the scribing step, even if it is necessary to move from the scribing means to the break means, it is sufficient to move the scribing means in a straight line in the predetermined direction, so that the time efficiency is high and the position accuracy is high,
Since it is possible to make a break without shifting with respect to the scratches caused by the scribe, it is unlikely that scratches will occur on places other than the desired line, and it is suitable for a compound semiconductor wafer that is vulnerable to scratches on the surface as described above. As described above, the bar of the wafer can be manufactured with high work efficiency and high accuracy, which is very useful for processing the compound semiconductor wafer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus as an example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a scribing unit provided in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of FIG.

3A shows the position of a scratch on the wafer formed by the scribe unit of FIG. 2, FIG. 3B is a plan view of the scratch, and FIG. 3C is a sectional view of the scratch. .

FIG. 4 shows a break unit 50 provided in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of FIG. 1, (a) is a front view,
(B) is a side view and (c) is a front view of the breaker.

5 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of FIG.

6A is a diagram for explaining a mechanical element at the time of break, FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a bending moment at the time of break, and FIG. 6C is a diagram showing a shearing force.

7 is a flowchart of a processing process by the control circuit of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a modified example of the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the operation of the scriber.

10 (a) and 10 (b) are views for explaining a state of dividing a silicon wafer in a conventional semiconductor wafer processing apparatus, and FIGS. 10 (c) and 10 (d) are compound semiconductor wafers in a conventional apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the case of cleaving.

FIG. 11A is a perspective view in which a compound semiconductor wafer is divided into bars, and FIG. 11B is a perspective view showing a state in which the bars are stacked and stacked for a coating process.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Semiconductor wafer processing equipment 11 base 12 Y table (first table) 13 X table (second table) 14 θ table (third table) 15 Y drive motor (first table drive means) 16 X drive motor (second table drive means) 17 θ drive motor (third table drive means) 18 Sheet tension base (wafer setting part) 20 camera (image processing means) 24 sheets 30 scribing unit (scribing means) 31 rotating arm 34 scribe cradle 37 Tension spring (spring member) 36 Air cylinder 41 scribe 50 break units (break means) 52 breaker cradle 54 leaf spring 55 Break Come 56 cam motor 60 breakers 60a arc part 70 Control circuit 71 CPU (control means) 74 Image processing CPU (image processing means) 75 Image input board (image processing means) 91 Air cylinder 92 Sheet clamp member 93 Ultraviolet emission source (ultraviolet irradiation means) 95 Guide tube 96 needles (extrusion member) 97 Unloading stand 98 Wafer Guide W2 wafer w bar

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yuji Yamamoto             1 J, 8-2 Kokuryo-cho, Chofu-shi, Tokyo             Within TUKI CORPORATION (72) Inventor Masanori Shinozaki             1 J, 8-2 Kokuryo-cho, Chofu-shi, Tokyo             Within TUKI CORPORATION (72) Inventor Takeshi Ikeda             1 J, 8-2 Kokuryo-cho, Chofu-shi, Tokyo             Within TUKI CORPORATION (72) Inventor Masao Nakamura             1 J, 8-2 Kokuryo-cho, Chofu-shi, Tokyo             Within TUKI CORPORATION

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. A first table reciprocating in a first direction on a base, a second table reciprocating in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the first direction. And a third table that rotates about a straight line orthogonal to both the second direction and the first table, the second table, and the third table. On the surface of the semiconductor wafer set in the wafer setting section for setting and the wafer setting section,
And a break means for applying a force to the scratched portion of the semiconductor wafer formed by the scribing means and breaking along a predetermined direction which is either the first direction or the second direction. In the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus, the first table, the second table, and the third table are provided so as to be superposed so as to be substantially parallel to a horizontal plane, and the scribe means and the break means respectively act on the semiconductor wafer. A semiconductor wafer processing apparatus, wherein the points are provided side by side so that the points are in a vertical plane passing through the predetermined direction. 2. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor wafer is set so that the cleavage direction of the semiconductor wafer and the predetermined direction coincide with each other. 3. A semiconductor wafer is stretched with respect to a wafer setting section so that tension is applied in a direction parallel to either the first direction or the second direction and orthogonal to the predetermined direction. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus is substantially fixed on the sheet. 4. The scribe means comprises a scriber that contacts and scratches the surface of the semiconductor wafer, and a scribe cradle that supports the semiconductor wafer through a sheet when the scriber scratches the surface of the semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: 5. A scribing means is provided with a holder for holding a scriber and having an adjustable angle, the rotating arm being rotatable in a vertical plane, and the rotating arm so that the scriber moves downward from above. It is equipped with a spring member for urging, and an air cylinder having a stopper at the tip of the rod that restricts the rotation of the rotating arm against the urging force of the spring member, depending on the direction of movement of the stopper due to the protruding and retracting of the rod of the air cylinder. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rotating arm rotates so that the scriber comes into contact with and separates from the semiconductor wafer. 6. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the impact force applied when the scriber comes into contact with the surface of the semiconductor wafer is changed by changing the protruding / retracting speed of the rod. 7. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the scriber scratches the surface of the semiconductor wafer in an arc shape in section while moving along the arc. 8. The break means is configured to be movable in the vertical direction, and is fixed above the semiconductor wafer and a breaker that applies an impact force to the semiconductor wafer from below the sheet.
The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a breaker cradle that presses an upper surface of the semiconductor wafer that is impacted by the breaker. 9. The break means includes a leaf spring fixed directly or indirectly to the base, an eccentric cam that contacts the lower surface of the leaf spring and rotates to drive the leaf spring up and down. 9. A semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: a cam motor that rotationally drives the eccentric cam, and the breaker is provided on a leaf spring. 10. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the impact force applied to the semiconductor wafer by the breaker via the sheet is changed by changing the rotation amount of the eccentric cam. 11. A breaker which comes into contact with the sheet has a tip formed in an arcuate cross section.
0. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to any one of 0. 12. The semiconductor wafer processing according to claim 8, wherein a lower surface of the breaker pedestal is higher than a surface of the semiconductor wafer on the sheet stretched in the wafer setting section. apparatus. 13. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the breaker pedestal is made of a material having a hardness lower than that of the semiconductor wafer. 14. A first table driving means for driving a first table, a second table driving means for driving a second table, a third table driving means for driving a third table, a scribe and a break. An input panel for inputting various data relating to the semiconductor wafer, a detecting means for detecting the position of the semiconductor wafer, an image processing means for acquiring an image of the semiconductor wafer and processing it as data, a detection result from the detecting means and Control means for controlling the first table driving means, the second table driving means, and the third table driving means so as to move the semiconductor wafer to predetermined positions for scribing and breaking respectively based on the image data of 1. 14. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus is a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus. 15. The control means, based on the detection result from the detection means and the image data from the image processing means, a correction value as a value to be moved in each of the first table, the second table and the third table. 15. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the correction value is output as a command to the first table driving means, the second table driving means, and the third table driving means. 16. A semiconductor wafer after a break in a direction parallel to either the first direction or the second direction and orthogonal to the predetermined direction due to the movement of the first table or the second table. 4. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a wafer collecting unit that conveys the sheets together with the conveyed semiconductor wafers one by one. 17. An ultraviolet irradiating means for irradiating the adhesive sheet being conveyed with ultraviolet rays from the opposite side of the semiconductor wafer between immediately after the break and the wafer collecting portion, using an adhesive sheet which loses its adhesiveness by ultraviolet rays as said sheet. 1. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
6. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to item 6. 18. One end side of the sheet is directly or indirectly fixed to a first table or a second table for transferring the wafer, and the other end side opposite to the one end is a sheet for transferring the wafer. 18. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus is pulled by a substantially constant tension in parallel with the conveying direction so as not to sag. 19. An arc-shaped guide is provided in front of the wafer collecting portion in the path along which the wafer is transferred after the break, and the surface of the semiconductor wafer is substantially vertical by being transferred along the guide. 19. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the orientation is changed so as to stand in a plane. 20. An extruding member which projects a sheet from the opposite side of the semiconductor wafer and pushes the semiconductor wafer to the wafer collecting portion is provided in the vicinity of the wafer collecting portion. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus described. 21. A method of processing a semiconductor wafer using the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one scratch is made on the semiconductor wafer by a scribe means, and then a break is made. A method for processing a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that it is cracked by means of means. 22. After the break, the first table or the second table
By moving the table, the semiconductor wafer is moved in a direction parallel to either the first direction or the second direction and orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and the next scribe step and break step are continuously performed. 22. The method for processing a semiconductor wafer according to claim 21, wherein