JP2005222990A - Cutting device and cutting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate cutting water containing contamination remaining between the lower surface of a spindle housing and an object to be machined, without interrupting the cutting of the object to be machined. <P>SOLUTION: A cutting device 10 comprises a spindle unit 21 having a rotary spindle 24, a spindle housing 26 for rotatably supporting the rotary spindle, and a motor 23 for rotating and driving the rotary spindle; a cutting blade 22 mounted on the tip of the rotary spindle; and a cutting water supply nozzle 28 for jetting out cutting water 70 near the machining point of the cutting blade. The cutting device 10 cuts the object to be machined by the cutting blade, while supplying cutting water to the object 12 to be machined by the cutting water supply nozzle. Further, a washing water supply port 60a, for supplying washing water, between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the object to be machined, is provided to the lower surface of the spindle unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus and a cutting method, and more particularly to a cutting apparatus and a cutting method for cutting a workpiece with a cutting blade while supplying cutting water to the workpiece.

2. Description of the Related Art A cutting device called a dicing device is known as a device that precisely cuts workpieces such as semiconductors and electronic components with a cutting blade. By the way, in a dicing apparatus, since a workpiece is cut by a cutting blade, cutting waste (so-called contamination) is generated. As a method for removing such contamination from the surface of the workpiece, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of ejecting cutting water near a processing point or around a cutting blade to flush out the contamination. By this method, contamination existing in the vicinity of the cutting blade can be eliminated.

However, the method described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the cutting water including the contamination excluded from the vicinity of the cutting blade flows between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece and stays as it is. there were. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, since the gap between the lower surface of the spindle housing 126 and the workpiece 112 is formed very narrow (for example, about 0.5 mm to 5 mm), the cutting water 180 once entering the gap is formed. Cannot move from the lower surface of the spindle housing 126 due to its surface tension. For this reason, on the lower surface of the spindle housing 126, the contamination easily adheres to the workpiece.

In order to deal with such a problem, the conventional dicing apparatus cleans the entire workpiece after cutting the workpiece, and includes contamination that remains between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece. A method of removing cutting water has been adopted. For this reason, even if the cutting water containing contaminants stays between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece, the contaminants are likely to adhere to the workpiece. Contamination that is present in the area was eliminated, so it was not a big problem.

JP-A-5-29453

However, in recent years, when compound semiconductor wafers and electronic parts are used as workpieces, it has been recognized that the above conventional cleaning methods may not sufficiently remove contamination from the surface of the workpiece. It was. In particular, when an imaging device such as a CMOS image sensor or CCD is used as a workpiece, there is a large unevenness on the surface of the workpiece, and a material that is easily contaminated with materials is used. Therefore, once the contamination adheres to the work piece, the contamination existing on the work piece cannot be easily eliminated.

For this reason, it is a new problem that cutting water containing contamination that has not been a problem in the past will lead to an increased chance of adhesion of contamination to the workpiece. It came to be taken up as. For this reason, it has been provided as a new problem to develop a method for preventing cutting water containing contaminants from staying between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece. At this time, it is conceivable to raise the spindle in the Z-axis direction and clean the workpiece each time. However, in such a method, the workpiece is frequently cut during the cutting process of the workpiece. Therefore, production efficiency will be significantly reduced.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel and capable of eliminating cutting water containing contaminants staying between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece without interrupting the cutting of the workpiece. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved cutting apparatus and cutting method.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, in a first aspect of the present invention, a spindle unit including a rotary spindle, a spindle housing that rotatably supports the rotary spindle, and a motor unit that rotationally drives the rotary spindle; , A cutting blade attached to the tip of the rotating spindle, and a cutting water supply nozzle that ejects cutting water near the processing point of the cutting blade, and supplies the cutting water to the workpiece with the cutting water supply nozzle However, in the cutting apparatus for cutting the workpiece by the cutting blade, the cleaning unit further supplies cleaning water to the lower surface of the spindle unit between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece. There is provided a cutting device provided with a cleaning water supply port.

  In the above-described invention, the cutting water containing the contamination staying between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece can be eliminated without interrupting the cutting of the workpiece. The opportunity to adhere is reduced. In particular, if the workpiece is such that a cutting water containing contamination is easily retained between the lower surface of the spindle housing, such as a CMOS image sensor or an image sensor such as a CCD, and the workpiece, Since the generation of defective products due to adhesion can be reduced more effectively, the product yield is improved.

Further, the cleaning water supply means for supplying the cleaning water, and a pipe for guiding the cleaning water supplied from the cleaning water supply means to the inside of the spindle housing, the cleaning water supplied to the pipe is the cleaning water. If it is configured so that it is ejected from the supply port, the size of the spindle itself is not changed, so that space can be saved.

Further, if the cleaning water supply port is configured to have a plurality, the cutting water containing contamination can be effectively eliminated over a wide range.

Further, if the cleaning water supply port is configured as a two-fluid nozzle capable of ejecting two fluids consisting of a liquid and a gas, the liquid (for example, cutting water) and the gas (for example, air) are mixed, and 2 Since it is ejected from the fluid nozzle, the cleaning effect of the workpiece surface is increased.

In order to solve the above problems, in a second aspect of the present invention, in a cutting method of cutting the workpiece with a cutting blade while supplying cutting water to the workpiece, the cutting blade There is provided a cutting method characterized in that cleaning water is directly supplied between a lower surface of a spindle unit attached to a tip portion and a workpiece.

  In the above-described invention, the cutting water containing the contamination staying between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece can be eliminated without interrupting the cutting of the workpiece. The opportunity to adhere is reduced. In particular, when a workpiece in which cutting water containing contamination between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece, such as a CMOS image sensor or an imaging device such as a CCD, is likely to stay, is used as the workpiece. Since the generation of defective products due to contamination can be reduced more effectively, the product yield is improved.

In the present invention, the cutting water containing the contamination staying between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece can be eliminated without interrupting the cutting of the workpiece, so that the contamination adheres to the workpiece. The opportunity to do is reduced. In particular, when there is a workpiece in which cutting water containing contamination is likely to stay between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece such as an image sensor such as a CMOS image sensor or CCD, Since the generation of defective products due to contamination can be reduced more effectively, the product yield is improved.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

First, based on FIG. 1, the structure of the cutting device 10 concerning 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cutting apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting device 10 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a chuck table 30 that holds a workpiece 12 such as a semiconductor wafer, and a cutting that cuts the workpiece 12 held on the chuck table 30. Means 20, cutting means moving means for moving the cutting means 20 in, for example, the Y-axis and Z-axis directions, chuck table moving means for moving the chuck table 30 in, for example, the X-axis direction, and processing points of the cutting blade 22 during cutting A cutting water supply nozzle 28 for ejecting cutting water is provided in the vicinity. The workpiece 12 is cut by the cutting blade 22 while supplying cutting water near the processing point of the cutting blade 22 by the cutting water supply nozzle 28.

  The chuck table 30 includes, for example, a vacuum chuck mechanism on the upper surface thereof, and can hold the workpiece 12 by vacuum suction. Further, the chuck table 30 can be rotated in the horizontal direction by an electric motor (not shown) while holding the workpiece 12, for example.

  Below the chuck table 30, chuck table moving means is provided. The chuck table moving means is, for example, disposed on the chuck support member 32 that supports the chuck table 30 substantially horizontally and on the base 39 so as to extend in the X-axis direction. And a pair of first guide rails 34 for guiding the movement of the chuck table and the X-axis direction. The first guide rail 34 engages with the lower portion of the chuck table support member 32 and is driven to rotate by the first electric motor 38. And a first ball screw 36. The chuck table moving means rotates the first ball screw 36 and moves the chuck table support member 32 along the first guide rail 34 in the X-axis direction, thereby moving the chuck table 30 and the workpiece 12 together. It can be moved in the X-axis direction.

  On the other hand, the cutting means 20 is disposed, for example, so as to be positioned above the chuck table 30. The cutting means 20 includes, for example, an extremely thin cutting blade 22 having a substantially ring shape, and a rotary shaft arranged to extend in the Y-axis direction. A spindle 24 that rotates at high speed by an electric motor 23 that is driving means connected to the unit, and a spindle housing 26 that rotatably supports the spindle 24 are provided. Hereinafter, the electric motor 23, the spindle 24, and the spindle housing 26 are collectively referred to as a spindle unit (reference numeral 21 in FIG. 2). The cutting means 20 forms a very thin kerf by cutting the workpiece 12 in the X-axis direction by cutting the workpiece 12 while rotating the cutting blade 22 at a high speed by the rotational driving force of the spindle 24. can do. The “axial direction of the spindle” according to the present embodiment is the Y-axis direction, and is perpendicular to both the moving direction (X-axis direction) and the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) of the chuck table 30 that are cutting directions. Direction.

Unlike the prior art, the spindle unit 21 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of cleaning water supply ports (nozzles) 60a and cleaning water supply ports 60a on the lower surface of the spindle housing 26 as shown in FIG. A cleaning water supply unit 60 having a guiding pipe 60b is formed. The configuration of the washing water supply unit will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is a side view showing the configuration of the cleaning water supply unit according to the present embodiment. FIG.2 (b) is a front view which shows the structure of the washing water supply unit concerning this embodiment. FIG.2 (c) is a bottom view which shows the structure of the washing water supply unit concerning this embodiment.

First, as shown in FIG. 2A, a cleaning water supply unit 60 is installed on the lower surface of the spindle housing 26 in the spindle unit 21 according to the present embodiment. The cleaning water supply unit 60 includes a cleaning water supply port 60a for ejecting cleaning water to the workpiece 12 (downward in the figure), and a pipe 60b for guiding the cleaning water to the cleaning water supply port 60a. Consists of In the cleaning water supply unit 60 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of cleaning water supply ports 60a are provided at predetermined intervals in the pipe 60b.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, in the cleaning water supply unit 60 formed in the spindle unit 21 according to the present embodiment, for example, three lines of piping 60b are formed, A cleaning water supply port 60a is arranged in each pipe 60b with a certain direction (for example, the same inclination in the same direction). With this configuration, the cleaning water 70 is ejected from the cleaning water supply port 60a toward the workpiece 12 so as to create a flow in one direction.

With such a configuration, the cleaning water 70 is directly sprayed from the cleaning water supply port 60a directly to the workpiece 12 with a certain direction, so that the gap between the lower surface of the spindle housing 26 and the workpiece 12 is increased. The cutting water containing the contaminants staying in can be swept away. Thus, by providing the cleaning water supply port (nozzle) 60a on the lower surface of the spindle unit 21, the cutting water containing contamination can be removed most efficiently.

Note that cutting water (for example, pure water) can be used as the cleaning water according to the present embodiment. Moreover, the water pressure should just be a water pressure which can wash away the cutting water containing the contamination which has accumulated on the workpiece. However, the water pressure and amount of cleaning water can be appropriately set according to various cutting conditions such as the type of workpiece, the material of the workpiece, and the cutting speed. Further, in this embodiment, an example in which a pipe that guides the cleaning water to the cleaning water supply port is provided outside the spindle housing, but it can be provided in a space inside the spindle housing. With this configuration, the overall size of the spindle unit does not change, and space saving is realized. In addition, for example, a slit-shaped groove can be formed by replacing the cleaning water with a pipe that leads to the cleaning water supply port. In this case, although it is difficult to control the water pressure of the cleaning water, the processing of the cleaning water supply unit is facilitated, and the cleaning water can be sprayed onto the workpiece easily and easily. Therefore, this method is suitable for cutting a work piece for which water pressure control is not so important.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, a cutting means moving mechanism is provided on one side of the cutting means 20. This cutting means moving mechanism generally includes, for example, a suspension part 40 that suspends the cutting means 20, a suspension part support means that includes a support member 50 and a second guide rail 54, and a first part. And a drive mechanism including a ball screw 56 and a second electric motor 58.

  More specifically, the support member 50 is, for example, a gate-shaped metal plate-like member disposed so as to stand substantially vertically. That is, the support member 50 includes, for example, a beam portion 51 disposed so as to extend substantially in the Y-axis direction and two beams that are disposed so as to extend in the Z-axis direction and support both ends of the beam portion 51. It consists of a column 52.

The beam portion 51 extends forward in the Y-axis direction (on the front side of the apparatus) so as to cross the upper portion of the first guide rail 34 of the chuck table moving means. In this beam portion 51, the Y-axis position of the end portion on the front side of the apparatus is substantially the same as the Y-axis position of the end portion on the front side of the chuck table 30 (front side in the Y-axis direction), Compared to the front side of the device, it does not protrude excessively.

  The support member 50 includes, for example, a pair of second guide rails 54 that guide the movement of the cutting means 20 and the suspension part 40 in the Y-axis direction, the cutting means 20, and the suspension part 40. A second electric motor 58 and a second ball screw 56, which are drive mechanisms for moving in the axial direction, are provided. The second ball screw 56 is engaged with the supported member 42 of the suspension portion 40 and is driven to rotate by the second electric motor 58. Further, the support member 50 and the second guide rail 54 can support the suspension part 40 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction. The support member 50, the second guide rail 54, and the drive mechanism having such a configuration are configured by rotating the second ball screw 56 and moving the suspension portion 40 along the second guide rail 54 in the Y-axis direction. The cutting means 20 suspended by the suspension part 40 can be moved in the Y-axis direction so that the cutting edge position of the cutting blade 22 and the cutting line of the workpiece 12 can be aligned.

  The suspension unit 40 has, for example, a function of suspending the cutting means 20 from above and a function of moving the cutting means 20 in the Z-axis direction. More specifically, the suspension portion 40 is connected to, for example, the spindle housing 26 of the cutting means 20 and is supported by a suspension member 41 that suspends the cutting means 20 and the second guide rail 54. A support member 42, a supported member 42, a pair of third guide rails 44 for guiding the movement of the suspension member 41 and the cutting means 20 in the Z-axis direction, and the supported member 42; The cutting means 20 and the third electric motor 48 and the third ball screw 46 which are drive mechanisms for moving the suspension member 41 in the Z-axis direction are configured.

  The suspension member 41 may, for example, suspend a region including the center of gravity of the cutting means 20 to maintain the balance of the cutting means 20, or suspend a portion close to the cutting blade 22 of the cutting means 20. It is also possible to effectively suppress bending and vibration of the spindle 24 closer to the cutting blade 22 than the suspended portion. The third ball screw 46 is engaged with the suspension member 41, supports the suspension member 41, and is rotationally driven by the third electric motor 48 to move the suspension member 41 in the Z-axis direction. Can be moved.

  The suspension part 40 having such a configuration rotates the third ball screw 46 to move the suspension member 41 along the third guide rail 44 in the Z-axis direction, thereby moving the cutting means 20 in the Z-axis direction. The cutting depth of the cutting blade 22 relative to the workpiece 12 can be adjusted.

  FIG. 3 shows a state in which the cleaning water supply unit 60 formed on the lower surface of the spindle unit 21 cuts the workpiece 12 while supplying cleaning water onto the surface of the workpiece 12 in the cutting apparatus 10 having the above configuration. Show. As shown in FIG. 3, in the cutting apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, when the cutting blade 22 cuts the workpiece 12, it is provided on the lower surface of the spindle unit 21 (that is, the lower surface of the spindle housing 26). The cleaning water 70 is jetted directly to the workpiece 12 from the cleaning water supply port 60a of the cleaning water supply unit 60. At this time, the cleaning water supply port 60a pushes the cutting water containing the contaminants staying between the lower surface of the spindle housing 26 and the workpiece 12 in a certain direction, so that the cutting water containing the staying contaminants is removed. Water can be effectively eliminated.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the cleaning water supply port is arranged on the lower surface of the spindle housing has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. If cutting water containing contaminants staying between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece can be eliminated, it can be arranged at a location other than the lower surface of the spindle.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a cleaning water supply port (nozzle) that ejects liquid is used has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, a two-fluid nozzle that mixes and injects liquid (cutting water) and gas (air) can also be employed. That is, since the distance between the spindle and the workpiece is very narrow, if high-pressure cleaning water is ejected from the cleaning water supply port, the spindle and the workpiece may vibrate and adversely affect cutting. At this time, by using a two-fluid nozzle, liquid (cutting water) and gas (air) are mixed and injected at a relatively low pressure, so that the spindle and workpiece are prevented from vibrating. Along with this, the cleaning effect of the workpiece surface increases.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although demonstrated giving the example which has arrange | positioned the piping for 3 systems of washing water supply, it is not limited to this example. Depending on the cutting conditions of the workpiece, one, two, or four or more cleaning water supply pipes can be employed. If a small number of piping for supplying cleaning water is used, the cleaning water supply unit can be easily processed.

  The present invention is applicable to a cutting apparatus and a cutting method, and more specifically, to a cutting apparatus and a cutting method for cutting a workpiece with a cutting blade while supplying cutting water to the workpiece. Is possible.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a cutting apparatus according to the first embodiment. Fig.2 (a) is a side view which shows the structure of the washing water supply unit concerning this embodiment. FIG.2 (b) is a front view which shows the structure of the washing water supply unit concerning this embodiment. FIG.2 (c) is a bottom view which shows the structure of the washing water supply unit concerning this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cutting unit according to the first embodiment cuts the workpiece while eliminating cutting water including contamination. It is a side view which shows the state in which the cutting water containing a contamination stayed between the lower surface of the spindle unit of the conventional cutting unit, and a to-be-processed object.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Cutting device 12 Workpiece 20 Cutting means 21 Spindle unit 22 Cutting blade 24 Spindle 26 Spindle housing 28 Cutting water supply nozzle 30 Chuck table 40 Suspension part 50 Support member 51 Beam part 52 Post part 54 Second guide rail 56 Second 2 ball screw 58 second electric motor 60 cleaning liquid supply unit 60a supply port 60b piping 70 cleaning water

Claims (5)

A spindle unit comprising: a rotary spindle; a spindle housing that rotatably supports the rotary spindle; a motor unit that rotationally drives the rotary spindle; a cutting blade attached to a tip of the rotary spindle; and the cutting A cutting device that includes a cutting water supply nozzle that ejects cutting water in the vicinity of a processing point of the blade, and that cuts the workpiece with the cutting blade while supplying cutting water to the workpiece with the cutting water supply nozzle In
Furthermore, a cleaning water supply port for supplying cleaning water between the lower surface of the spindle housing and the workpiece is provided on the lower surface of the spindle unit.
The cutting device characterized by the above-mentioned. Wash water supply means for supplying wash water, and a pipe for guiding the wash water supplied from the wash water supply means to the inside of the spindle housing, wherein the wash water supplied to the pipe is the wash water supply port Erupted from,
The cutting apparatus according to claim 1. The cutting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning water supply port includes a plurality. The cutting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cleaning water supply port is a two-fluid nozzle capable of ejecting two fluids composed of a liquid and a gas. In a cutting method of cutting the workpiece with a cutting blade while supplying cutting water to the workpiece,
Supply cleaning water directly between the work piece and the lower surface of the spindle unit with the cutting blade attached to its tip.
The cutting method characterized by the above-mentioned.

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