JP2006294641A - Dicing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the frequency of cleaning in a dicing device by making a sensor for detecting the tip of a blade hardly stained. <P>SOLUTION: The dicing device 1 has a blade 12 rotating to cut a workpiece, and sensors 9, 10 for detecting the tip of the blade. In the blade, a portion near the workpiece rotates from a first side to a second side, rather than the rotating center. The sensors are arranged closer to the first side than to the blade in at least cutting the work. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a dicing apparatus that cuts a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer or a package in which a semiconductor chip is sealed with a resin with a rotating blade, and more particularly to a dicing apparatus that includes a sensor that detects a tip portion of the blade.

  The dicing apparatus is an apparatus that performs cutting (cutting) processing such as grooving of a workpiece with a rotating blade (cutting blade). In this dicing apparatus, even when the blade is deformed or eccentric due to wear or the like or when the blade is replaced, a predetermined cutting amount for the work at the outer peripheral tip can be set with high accuracy. Need to be positioned. In a conventional dicing apparatus, the blade tip can be detected using a contact sensor such as a vibration sensor or a non-contact sensor such as an optical sensor, and the blade positioning is controlled so that the detection can be performed (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 14 shows a configuration example (plan view) of a conventional dicing apparatus. In this figure, 700 is a dicing apparatus. Reference numeral 730 denotes a transfer unit, which takes out a work (semiconductor wafer or the like) 701 that is a processing target mounted on the magazine 770 and transfers it to a supply stage 710 or a cutting stage 720. Reference numeral 740 denotes a spindle, and a blade 741 is attached to the tip of its output shaft. As the spindle 740 rotates, the blade 741 rotates, and the workpiece 701 held on the cutting stage 720 is cut. A portion of the blade 741 closer to the workpiece than the center of rotation (portion on the side in contact with the workpiece) rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B in the drawing, that is, from the front side of the apparatus toward the back side. The cutting stage 720 can be driven in the Y-axis direction in the figure, and the spindle 740 can be driven in the X- and Z-axis directions.

Reference numeral 750 denotes a vibration sensor that detects contact (vibration) caused by contact of the tip of the rotating blade 741. An optical sensor 760 detects that the tip of the blade 741 blocks light from the light projecting system to the light receiving system. By using these sensors 750 and 760, it is possible to detect the position of the tip of the blade 741 in the Z-axis direction. By controlling the position of the blade 741 based on the position of the blade at that time, the blade 741 is deformed. Even if there is eccentric wear, a desired cutting amount can be stably obtained.
JP 2002-313756 (paragraphs 0020 to 0028, FIG. 1, etc.)

  When the workpiece is cut by the blade, as shown in FIG. 14, the cutting waste and the end material fly in the arrow A direction which is the same as the rotation direction (B direction) of the blade. Further, when cutting water is supplied to the cutting portion of the workpiece, the water droplets of the cutting water also fly in the direction of arrow A.

  However, in the dicing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 and FIG. 14, the sensor for detecting the blade tip portion is also arranged on the back side, that is, on the side where splashes fly, from the blade for cutting the workpiece. Therefore, the sensor is easily contaminated by splashes, which may cause a malfunction or require frequent cleaning.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a dicing apparatus in which a sensor for detecting the blade tip portion is not easily soiled and the frequency of cleaning is low.

  The dicing apparatus of the present invention as one aspect includes a blade that rotates and cuts a workpiece, and a sensor that detects a tip portion of the blade. The part of the blade that is closer to the workpiece than the center of rotation rotates from the first side to the second side. The sensor is arranged on the first side of the blade at least when cutting the workpiece.

  Here, the sensor may be movable between a position where the sensor is arranged on the first side of the blade and a position where the tip of the blade is detected by the sensor.

  Further, the work table holding the work may be rotatable with respect to the sensor. Further, a plurality of work tables may be movable with respect to the sensor.

  In addition, when it has the washing | cleaning stage which wash | cleans the workpiece | work after cutting with washing water, it is good to make the direction of this water flow into directions other than the direction which goes to a sensor.

  According to the present invention, since the sensor is disposed on the side opposite to the direction in which the splash of cutting waste or the like flies at least when the workpiece is cut, contamination of the sensor due to the splash can be avoided. Therefore, the cleaning frequency of the sensor can be reduced.

  If the sensor can be moved, it is possible to easily and quickly detect the tip of the blade by the sensor, while avoiding contamination of the sensor due to splashes.

  Further, by making the work table movable with respect to the sensor, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of cutting while avoiding contamination of the sensor due to splashes.

  Furthermore, by making a plurality of work tables movable with respect to the sensors, one (or a set) of sensors can be shared with respect to the plurality of work tables, and when a sensor is provided for each work table. In comparison, the number of sensors can be reduced.

  In addition, by making the direction of the water flow in the cleaning stage a direction other than the sensor direction, contamination of the sensor with the cleaning water can be avoided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of a dicing apparatus that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the dicing apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the dicing apparatus. In these figures, the Z-axis direction corresponds to the vertical direction of the apparatus, and the X-axis and Y-axis directions correspond to the horizontal direction and depth method of the apparatus, respectively.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a dicing apparatus. Reference numeral 3 denotes a suction conveyance mechanism, which picks up and removes a workpiece (for example, a plurality of semiconductor wafers or a plurality of resin-sealed packages) 4 mounted on the magazine 20 by negative pressure, and supplies a supply stage. Carry to I. In the supply stage I, a predetermined alignment is performed on the workpiece 4, and then the workpiece 4 is transported to the cutting stage II.
As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting stage II is configured by fixing a suction table 5 on a cutting stage rotating table (work table) 6. The cutting stage rotary table 6 is rotationally driven around the Z axis by a rotational drive mechanism 7. As shown in FIG. 4, a rectangular suction region 51 for sucking and holding the workpiece 4 is formed on the upper surface of the suction table 5. Inside the suction region 51, a plurality of suction holes 52 are arranged in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. A negative pressure is introduced into each suction hole 52 to adsorb the workpiece 4 before cutting and the workpiece pieces (individual semiconductor chips or packages) after cutting. Further, a groove 53 into which a blade to be described later enters is formed in a region corresponding to the cutting line in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction of the workpiece 4 adjacent to each suction hole 52.

  Further, a porous material is used for the suction table 5, and the work 4 may be sucked and held by air suction.

  The cutting stage II configured as described above can be driven in the Y-axis direction by a driving mechanism (not shown).

  Reference numeral 11 denotes a spindle, and a blade 12 is attached to the tip of its output shaft. As the spindle 11 rotates, the blade 12 rotates, and the workpiece 4 held on the suction table 5 can be cut (cut). The spindle 11 can be driven in the X and Z axis directions by a spindle moving mechanism 13.

  In cutting the workpiece 4, first, the spindle 11 and the blade 12 are moved to a predetermined position in the X-axis direction by the operation of the spindle moving mechanism 13, and further determined in advance using at least one of sensors 9, 10 described later. Moved to the Z-axis position (lower end position). Then, the blade 12 is rotated, and the suction table 5 (that is, the workpiece 4) is driven in the Y-axis direction from the initial cutting position. When the cutting of one cutting line is completed, the suction table 5 is returned to the initial cutting position in the Y-axis direction, and the blade 12 is moved in the X-axis direction by one chip pitch, and the suction table 5 is driven again in the Y-axis direction. To do. By repeating this operation, a plurality of cutting lines extending in the vertical direction of the workpiece 4 can be cut.

  Thereafter, the suction table 5 is rotated 90 degrees together with the cutting stage rotary table 6 by the rotation driving mechanism 7, and the same operation is repeated. As a result, the cutting line in the 90 ° direction can be cut with respect to the cutting line of the work 4, and individual work pieces are separated.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the blade 12 is a part closer to the work 4 than the rotation center 12 a (a part on the side in contact with the work 4, and a lower part shown as a hatched area in the drawing. Hereinafter, the workpiece 12b is simply rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow B in the drawing, that is, from the front side (first side) to the back side (second side) of the apparatus. This is because it is preferable that cutting waste (cutting material) generated by cutting the workpiece 4 and cutting water supplied to a cutting part from a cutting water supply device (not shown) (hereinafter referred to as splash) fly toward the front of the device. Because there is no.

  In the dicing apparatus of the present embodiment, two sets of spindles 11 and blades 12 are provided in the X-axis direction in order to shorten the processing time and the like. Rotates from the near side to the far side.

  A sensor table 14 is arranged between the rotary drive mechanism 7 and the cutting stage rotary table 6 described above. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the vibration sensor 9 and the optical sensor 10 are attached to the front side of the sensor table 14, in other words, to the left and right sides of the front side of the blade 12, via a sensor support member 14a. ing.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the vibration sensor 9 detects a vibration generated by the contact of the outer peripheral tip of the rotating blade 12 and outputs a vibration detection signal.

  In the optical sensor 10, light emitted from the light projecting system including the light emitting element 10a, the condensing lens 10c, and the prism 10e is received by the light receiving system including the prism 10f, the condensing lens 10d, and the light receiving element 10b. Then, a bright signal is output from the light receiving element 10b, and an outer peripheral tip portion of the blade 12 enters between the prisms 10e and 10f to block light from the light projecting system, thereby outputting a dark signal from the light receiving element 10b.

  These vibration detection signals and bright / dark signals are input to the controller 30. The controller 30 uses these sensor outputs to control the cutting position (cutting amount) in the Z-axis direction of the outer peripheral tip of the blade 12 with high accuracy. That is, the detection of the blade tip using at least one of the sensors 9 and 10 is performed by reducing or deforming the blade 12 due to wear of the blade 12 when the blade 12 is replaced or when the workpiece 4 is cut. By performing the correction at the time of correcting the eccentricity, a predetermined cutting amount is accurately obtained.

  Specifically, when the vibration sensor 9 is used, the spindle moving mechanism 13 moves the blade 12 above the vibration sensor 9 and then moves the spindle moving mechanism 13 to the Z axis until a vibration detection signal is input. The blade 12 is driven while rotating in the direction (downward), and the Z-axis coordinates when the vibration detection signal is output are stored in a memory (not shown).

  Since the vibration sensor 9 is worn at the portion where the blade 12 is in contact, it is necessary to use the portion where the blade 12 is not in contact next time. When all the contact portions of the vibration sensor 9 are used up, it is necessary to replace the sensor. Thus, since the vibration sensor 9 is a consumable item, it is mainly used when the blade 12 is replaced.

  When the optical sensor 10 is used, the blade 12 is moved above the optical sensor 10 by the spindle moving mechanism 13, and then the spindle moving mechanism 13 is moved in the Z-axis direction until the bright signal is switched to the dark signal ( Drive down) and store the Z-axis coordinates in the memory when switching to the dark signal.

  Then, in the subsequent cutting process of the workpiece 4, the blade 12 is controlled at the tip by each sensor by controlling the drive position of the spindle movement mechanism 13 in the Z-axis direction based on the Z-axis coordinates stored in the memory. The position is accurately moved to the position when it is detected by or by a predetermined amount up and down from the position.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the cutting amount H of the blade 12 with respect to the workpiece 4 can be obtained with high accuracy and can be stably maintained.

  Here, as described above, both the vibration sensor 9 and the optical sensor 10 are disposed on the front side of the blade 12. The near side here is the side opposite to the rotation direction (arrow B direction) of the workpiece side portion 12b of the blade 12, as shown in detail in FIG. In FIG. 5, a region closer to the front side than the end portion on the front side of the blade 12 is shown, but it may be at least closer to the front side than the rotation center 12 a of the blade 12.

  Furthermore, at the time of cutting, both sensors 9 and 10 reciprocate in the Y-axis direction with respect to the blade 12 together with the workpiece 4 and the sensor stage 14 on the suction table 5, but the workpiece 4 has moved to the farthest side. Even in this case, the sensors 9 and 10 are located on the front side of the blade 12. Further, as described above, the cutting stage rotary table 6 is rotationally driven around the Z axis with respect to the sensor table 14, but at this time, the relationship that both sensors 9 and 10 are located on the front side of the blade 12 has the relationship. Maintained.

  On the other hand, the splash generated by cutting the workpiece 4 while the workpiece-side portion 12b of the blade 12 is rotated in the above-mentioned direction flies in the same direction as the B-direction, that is, the direction indicated by the arrow A. Therefore, the splash generated at the time of cutting the workpiece does not fly toward the sensors 9 and 10, and it is possible to reliably avoid the sensors 9 and 10 from being contaminated by the splash.

  In addition, the rotary table 6 for the cutting stage, that is, the workpiece 4 sucked and held by the suction table 5 is rotated around the Z axis with respect to the sensor table 14 that supports both sensors 9 and 10 on the front side of the blade 12. By making it possible, the workpiece 4 can be cut vertically and horizontally by the above-described procedure while the direction of the blade 12 is fixed. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom of cutting and shorten the tact time while avoiding contamination of the sensors 9 and 10 due to splashing.

  In FIG. 7, the top view of the dicing apparatus which is Example 2 of this invention is shown. The present embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, and the constituent elements common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment and are not described.

  In the first embodiment, the case where one suction table 5 is provided separately from the supply stage I has been described, but in this embodiment, the three suction tables 5 and the cutting stage rotation table 6 are placed on the stage moving table 16. It is configured so that one suction table 5 moves to the supply stage I, the other one moves to the cutting stage II, and the other one moves to the unloading stage III.

  The stage moving table 16 is rotated around the Z axis by a table rotation driving mechanism (not shown). As a result, the three suction tables 5 sequentially move to three locations: the supply stage I closest to the magazine 20, the cutting stage II closest to the blade 12, and the unloading stage III away from the magazine 20 and the blade 12.

  For each suction table 5, as in the first embodiment, the sensors 9 and 10 supported by the sensor table (only the sensor support member 14a is shown in FIG. 7) so as to be positioned on the front side of the blade 12. Is provided. Each suction table 5 is driven in the Y-axis direction together with the rotary table 6 on the stage moving table 16 by a Y-direction drive mechanism (not shown) in the cutting stage II. Alternatively, the spindle 11 may be driven by providing a Y axis drive mechanism on the spindle 11. Further, the rotary table 6 is rotated about the Z axis with respect to the stage moving table 16 and the sensor table by a rotary drive mechanism (not shown) that rotates the rotary table 6 (see the rotary drive mechanism 7 in FIG. 2).

  The workpiece 4 is supplied from the magazine 20 to the suction table 5 of the supply stage I by the suction conveyance mechanism 3. Thereafter, the stage moving table 16 is driven in the clockwise direction in the drawing to move the suction table 5 supplied with the workpiece 4 to the cutting stage II. In the cutting stage II, the workpiece 4 is cut by the blade 12 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Further, at the time of this cutting, both the sensors 9 and 10 are positioned on the near side of the blade 12, so that the sensors 9 and 10 are prevented from being contaminated by splashes as in the first embodiment.

  When the cutting is completed, the stage moving table 16 is driven again in the clockwise direction, and the suction table 5 holding the cut work (work piece) 4 is moved to the carry-out stage III. The work piece is unloaded from the unloading stage III by an unillustrated unloading mechanism.

  According to this embodiment, while the workpiece 4 is being cut on one suction table 5 in the cutting stage II, the next workpiece 4 can be supplied on another suction table 5 in the supply stage I. Compared to the first embodiment, the tact time when cutting a plurality of workpieces 4 continuously can be shortened.

  8A and 9 show a plan view and a front view of a dicing apparatus that is Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The present embodiment is a modification of the second embodiment, and the constituent elements common to the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the second embodiment and are not described.

  In the second embodiment, the case where the sensors 9 and 10 are provided for each suction table 5 has been described. However, in this embodiment, the sensor table having the same diameter as the stage moving table 16 is provided below the stage moving table 16. 17 is arranged, and one vibration sensor 9 and one optical sensor 10 are provided on the sensor table 17 via a sensor support member 17a. That is, only one set of sensors 9 and 10 is provided for the three suction tables 5. Thereby, the number of sensors 9 and 10 can be reduced compared with Example 2, and it is advantageous to cost reduction and size reduction of an apparatus.

  The procedures for supplying, cutting, and carrying out the workpiece 4 at each stage I to III with respect to each suction table 5 in the present embodiment are the same as those in the second embodiment. In FIG. 9, the table rotation drive mechanism 19 that rotates the stage moving table 16 and the work 4 (work piece) cut from the carry-out stage III, which are not shown in the second embodiment, are adsorbed by negative pressure. The unloading mechanism 18 for unloading is shown.

  Further, the positions of the sensors 9 and 10 in the present embodiment are the front side of the blade 12 as in the first and second embodiments, and more specifically, the three suction tables 5 (or workpieces held by them). This is the front side of 4). Therefore, when the work 4 on each suction table 5 is cut, contamination of the sensors 9 and 10 due to splashing can be avoided.

  However, the sensor position shown in FIG. 8A is farther from the blade 12 than in the first and second embodiments. Therefore, in this embodiment, the sensor table 17 can be rotated around the Z axis by the table rotation drive mechanism 19 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the driving target of the table rotation driving mechanism 19 can be switched between the sensor table 17 and the stage moving table 16 by a predetermined switching operation.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the position of the blade 12 in the Z-axis direction is determined using the sensors 9 and 10, the sensor table 17 is rotated relative to the time of cutting, and the sensors 9 and 10 are rotated. Can be moved closer to the blade 12 (may be located behind the blade 12). Therefore, it is possible to easily and quickly determine the blade position.

  10 and 11 show a plan view and a front view of a dicing apparatus that is Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The present embodiment is a modification of the third embodiment, and the constituent elements common to the third embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the third embodiment, and the description is omitted.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the third embodiment, only one set of sensors 9 and 10 is provided for the three suction tables 5. Thereby, the number of sensors 9 and 10 can be reduced. However, the present embodiment is different from the third embodiment in that a sensor table 21 is provided at the center of the stage moving table 16 and the sensors 9 and 10 are supported by the sensor table 21. The stage moving table 16 and the three suction tables 5 provided thereon move to the respective stages I to III around the sensors 9 and 10.

  According to the present embodiment, the sensors 9 and 10 are always located near the blade 12 as compared with the third embodiment shown in FIG. For this reason, when determining the position of the blade 12 in the Z-axis direction using the sensors 9 and 10, the determination work can be easily and quickly performed without rotating the sensor table 17 as in the third embodiment. it can.

  Also in this embodiment, since the positions of the sensors 9 and 10 are closer to the front side than the blades 12, it is possible to avoid contamination of the sensors 9 and 10 due to splashes when the workpiece 4 on each suction table 5 is cut. it can.

  12 and 13 are a plan view and a front view of a dicing apparatus that is Embodiment 5 of the present invention. The present embodiment is a modification of the fourth embodiment, and the constituent elements common to the fourth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the fourth embodiment and are not described. In this embodiment, the case where two workpieces 4 can be sucked and held on each suction table 5 is shown, but the basic configuration is the same as that of the fourth embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the stage III on which one of the suction tables 5 is positioned by the rotation of the stage moving table 16 is used as a cleaning stage, and the workpiece 4 (work piece) on the suction table 5 is cleaned with cleaning water in this cleaning stage III. . Moreover, after washing | cleaning, warm air is sprayed on a workpiece | work piece from the warm air supply apparatus not shown, and these are dried. In this way, by providing a cleaning stage on the dicing device and allowing the workpiece pieces after cleaning and drying to be carried out, the tact time can be shortened compared to the case where a separate cleaning device is provided.

  Reference numeral 25 denotes a waterproof cover that covers the suction table 5 so as to cover the work 4 (work piece) in the cleaning stage III. A cleaning nozzle 26 ejects cleaning water 27 while moving in the X-axis direction within the waterproof cover 25. Here, the ejection direction of the cleaning water 27 from the cleaning nozzle 26 is opposite to the side where the sensors 9 and 10 are arranged, as shown in the figure. Thereby, it can avoid that the washing water 27 splashes toward the sensors 9 and 10, and the sensors 9 and 10 become dirty.

  In each of the above embodiments, the dicing apparatus including both the vibration sensor as the contact sensor and the optical sensor as the non-contact sensor has been described. However, only one of the contact type and the non-contact type is provided. The present invention can also be applied to a dicing apparatus having a dicing apparatus or a sensor other than these.

  Moreover, in Examples 2-5, although the case where three cutting stages were provided was demonstrated, you may provide two or four or more cutting stages.

  Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the blade rotates so that the splash is blown to the back side of the apparatus when the workpiece is cut by the blade has been described, but the present invention allows the splash to fly in a direction other than the back side. It can also be applied when the blade rotates. For example, even when the rotation direction of the blade 12 in FIG. 5 is reversed, the case where the blade 12 is disposed at a position where the splash does not reach the sensor is also included.

The top view of the dicing apparatus which is Example 1 of this invention. 1 is a front view of a dicing apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the dicing apparatus according to the first embodiment. 2 is a detailed view of a suction table in the dicing apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship between a rotation direction of a blade and a sensor position in the dicing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Schematic which shows the structure of the sensor and control system in the dicing apparatus of Example 1. FIG. The top view of the dicing apparatus which is Example 2 of this invention. The top view of the dicing apparatus which is Example 3 of this invention. The front view of the dicing apparatus of Example 3. FIG. The top view of the dicing apparatus which is Example 4 of this invention. The front view of the dicing apparatus of Example 4. FIG. The top view of the dicing apparatus which is Example 5 of this invention. The front view of the dicing apparatus of Example 5. FIG. The top view of the conventional dicing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1A to 1D Dicing device 4 Workpiece 5 Suction table 9 Vibration sensor 10 Optical sensor 11 Spindle 12 Blade 12b Workpiece side portion of blade
I Supply stage
II cutting stage
III Unloading stage / Washing stage

Claims (5)

A blade that rotates to cut the workpiece;
A sensor for detecting the tip of the blade,
The blade is such that a part closer to the workpiece than the center of rotation rotates from the first side to the second side,
The dicing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is disposed on the first side of the blade at least when the workpiece is cut.   2. The mechanism for moving the sensor between a position where the sensor is disposed on the first side of the blade and a position where the tip of the blade is detected by the sensor. The dicing apparatus described in 1. A work table holding the work;
The dicing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for rotating the work table with respect to the sensor and the blade. A plurality of work tables each holding the work;
The dicing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a mechanism for moving the plurality of work tables with respect to the sensor. Having cleaning means for cleaning the workpiece after cutting with a water flow;
The dicing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the direction of the water flow is a direction other than a direction toward the sensor.