JP2009043870A - Suction pad of annular frame for holding semiconductor substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suction pad without any falling of an annular frame, when a semiconductor substrate is conveyed. <P>SOLUTION: The suction pad 200 is constituted by providing four suction holes in a linear symmetrical arrangement at a position touching an annular frame at a surface member 201 side of a rectangular silicone sponge, wherein a front surface of the silicone sponge with a width of 1 to 5 mm of a suction hole peripheral part touching the annular frame is protruded with a height of 0.5 to 3 mm (201b), and there is provided a level difference between a central spatial portion of a metal annular frame at another surface member side and other silicone sponge front surfaces facing a metal annular frame portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a conveyance device used for adsorbing an annular frame to which a semiconductor substrate is attached via an adhesive tape and conveying the annular frame to a next processing stage such as a mounter stage, an etching stage, or a dicing stage. It relates to a suction pad. The suction pad of the present invention is less likely to fall from the suction pad due to its own weight during suction conveyance of the annular frame, and the pad portion has a small area and a low height. The work of sucking the frame and sucking the suction pad to the grinding stage and sucking the annular frame, or the work of transporting the sucked annular frame to the next processing stage and placing it on this stage is easy.

There is a demand for an extremely thin semiconductor substrate having a diameter of 300 mm or 450 mm and a thickness of 20 to 80 μm. A silicon substrate surface of a semiconductor substrate whose wiring printed surface is covered with a protective tape is attached to an annular frame via an adhesive tape, placed on a grinding stage, and then the silicon substrate surface is ground with a grinding wheel, It has been practiced to reduce the thickness of the substrate to 20 to 80 μm by polishing or / and etching the ground silicon surface.

As a conveyance device used to adsorb the annular frame to which the semiconductor substrate is attached via such an adhesive tape, and to convey the annular frame to the next processing stage such as a mounter stage, an etching stage, or a dicing stage, As shown in FIG. 4, a method has been proposed in which a plurality of suction pads (collets) 10a are used to suck the annular frame 1 and convey it to the next processing stage (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The conveyance device using the plurality of suction pads has a large pad diameter of 6 to 30 mm and a length of 12 to 16 mm, and requires a large distance between the grinding wheel 8 and the substrate holder table 6.

As an apparatus for transferring a frame for improving the disadvantages of the plurality of suction pads described in Patent Document 1 described above, an arm 10 of an edge gripping type transfer robot shown in FIG. 5 is proposed, and a semiconductor substrate is mounted using an adhesive tape. The edge of the disk-shaped rigid support G of the laminated body laminated on the disk-shaped rigid support G having a thickness of 0.5 to 1 mm, which is slightly longer than the diameter of the semiconductor substrate, is attached to the edge of the edge gripping transfer robot 4. -It has been proposed to hold by a pair of fixed holding member 21 and moving holding member 22 provided on the lower surface of the drum, and to carry the disc-shaped rigid support G onto the vacuum chuck or to carry it from above the vacuum chuck. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

It is also known that an acoustic CD or DVD having a hole in the center is sucked and transported using a single silicon rubber suction pad in a flat, ring or crescent shape (for example, non-patent) Reference 1).

Furthermore, a suction pad provided with a number of vacuum holes on the surface side of a disk-like silicon sponge has been put to practical use as a suction arm of a transfer robot that transfers the semiconductor substrate itself.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-302569 JP 2007-027591 A Otani Giken "Various Pads", [online], [Search August 1, 1999], Internet <URL: http: //www.ohtani-eng.com/productionfo/cuptype.htm>

The arm of the edge gripping type transfer robot described in Patent Document 2 has an advantage that it is excellent in carrying-in and transfer workability because it is lower in height than a transfer device using a plurality of suction pads described in Patent Document 1. However, since the outer peripheral edge of the disc-shaped rigid support G is gripped by a pair of fixed gripping members and moving gripping members, the length of the arm has a large number of vacuums on the surface side of a commercially available silicon sponge. The total length (10 to 25 mm) of the fixed gripping member and the movable gripping member is longer than the length of the suction pad provided with the holes. Such an increase in the length of 10 to 25 mm is a room for carrying the disk-shaped rigid support G onto the substrate holder chuck by the arm of the edge gripping type transfer robot in the existing semiconductor substrate grinding apparatus having a diameter of 450 mm. In order to provide a certain space in the substrate holder chuck, there is no room for the diameter of the substrate holder chuck and it is difficult to modify.

When a suction pad provided with a number of vacuum holes on the surface side of a commercially available disc-shaped silicon sponge is used for suction and transport of the annular frame, it is formed on the surface of a thin silicon substrate having a thickness of 20 to 52 μm located in the ring space of the annular frame. A suction hole trace may remain, which is not preferable. When the annular frame is sucked and transported by closing the vacuum hole on the surface side of the silicon sponge located in the area located in the ring space of the annular frame, it is circular from the suction surface of the suction pad at a rate of 1 to 2 times per 100 transports. It was found that the frame fell.

Fall cause of the annular frame, and the surface roughness of the surface of the silicon sponge _{(Ra max)} is 2μm or less and the surface roughness of the metal annular frame compared to a smooth _{(Ra max)} is 150~300μm An air escape passage of about 150 to 300 μm is formed in a rough surface where the surface of the silicon sponge and the metal annular frame are in contact with each other. It is presumed that the metal annular frame falls when the pump operating voltage changes to a low pressure and becomes lower than the degree of decompression that can withstand the weight of the metal annular frame.

Therefore, it is conceivable to operate the vacuum pump at a voltage that increases the vacuum pressure reduction degree of the vacuum hole by 1.5 to 3 times, but a larger vacuum pump is required, which increases the cost of the transport equipment. To do.

The present inventors reduced the number of suction holes provided on the surface side of the silicon sponge to four, and made the silicon sponge surface of the suction hole part in contact with the annular frame protrude by a height of 0.5 to 3 mm. By using a suction pad with a step between the central space of the metal ring frame on the sponge surface side and the part facing the metal ring frame part, the metal ring frame can be dropped even at a low degree of decompression. The suction pad could not be made.

The invention of claim 1 is an adsorption pad of a conveying device used for adsorbing an annular frame to which a semiconductor substrate is attached via an adhesive tape with one adsorption pad and conveying the annular frame to the next processing stage. In this suction pad, four suction holes having a diameter of 1 to 8 mm are provided on the surface member side of the rectangular silicon sponge at positions where they are in contact with the annular frame in line symmetry, and the suction holes are in contact with the annular frame. By projecting the surface of the silicon sponge having a width of 1 to 5 mm on the outer peripheral portion to a height of 0.5 to 3 mm, the other surface facing the central space portion of the metal annular frame on the silicon sponge surface member side or the metal annular frame portion is provided. A hollow hollow pipe with a structure in which a step is provided between the surface of the silicon sponge and the four suction holes are built into the rectangular silicon sponge surface member side. In the suction pad of the communicated allowed structure.

Since the suction pad of the present invention can suck and transport the annular frame with one suction pad, the suction part is compact compared to the transport device using a plurality of suction pads described in Patent Document 1, Excellent workability of conveyance.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a transport device for an annular frame, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which the suction pad is sucking the annular frame, and FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the suction pad. It is a cutaway view in the line direction, and a partial perspective view of the suction hole of the suction pad is added in a circle.

1 has a base arm 101, an intermediate arm 102, and a distal arm 103 that are rotatably raised from a support column 106. A decompression member storage chamber 104 is provided on the distal arm 103. The pad support plate 105 is extended from the front wall portion of the storage chamber 104, and the suction pad 200 is supported at the tip.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the suction pad 200 includes four suction holes 203 having an inner diameter of 1 to 8 mm, preferably 1 to 3 mm, on the surface member side 201 of a rectangular silicon sponge. The silicon sponge surface 201a having a width of 1 to 5 mm (L) in the outer peripheral portion of the suction hole 203 that is in contact with the annular frame F is made to have a protrusion 201b having a height (H) of 0.5 to 3 mm. Thus, a step having a height H is provided between the center space portion Fv of the metal annular frame on the silicon sponge surface member side and another silicon sponge surface 201a facing the metal annular frame F portion. Each end of the stainless steel cylindrical body 206 constituting the four suction holes 203 is in communication with a U-shaped hollow pipe 207. The hollow pipe 207 made of stainless steel, aluminum or copper is built in between the rectangular silicon sponge surface member side 201 and the backing material 202. The lower surface of the stainless steel cylinder 206 and the lower surface of the silicon sponge protrusion 201b are flush with each other.

A suction channel 207 a and a jet channel 207 b are branched on the side of the U-shaped hollow pipe 207 closer to the support plate 105 of the conveying device, and these branch channels 207 a and 207 b hollow pipes are recessed vacancies in the support plate 105. And communicated with the hollow pipe stored in the decompression member storage chamber 104. Reference numeral 207c is a connecting hollow tube provided to reinforce the suction pad.

The material of the silicon sponge surface member 201 is preferably a silicon sponge (rubber) having a hardness (Hs) of 45 to 58 in terms of heat resistance and cold resistance. The operating temperature of the silicon sponge is -70 ° C to + 200 ° C. The backing material 202 is also preferably a silicon sponge, but may be an aromatic polyamide resin, an engineer plastic such as poly (dichlorodifluoroethylene), nitrilo rubber, or an aluminum plate. The thicknesses of the silicon sponge surface member 201 and the backing material 202 are 0.5 to 3 mm, preferably 0.8 to 1.5 mm.

The suction pad 200 sucks the frame portion of the annular frame (F) to which the semiconductor substrate (w) is attached via the adhesive tape (T) through the four suction holes 203. The degree of vacuum may be from -100 pKa to -850 pKa.

The decompression or pressurization in the hollow U-shaped pipe 207 is performed by operating a vacuum pump and a compressor not shown in the conveying device 100 of FIG. The suction of the annular frame (F) by the suction pad 200 is performed by the operation of the vacuum pump, and the annular frame (F) is separated from the suction pad 200 by the operation of the compressor.

The material of the annular frame (F) may be a metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, or brass, but the surface roughness (Ra _max ) of glass, poly (ethylene ether ketone), nylon 6,10, nylon 6,12, polyacetal, etc. However, it is possible to make the degree of decompression smaller when the ring gives a ring of 1 μm or less.

Since the suction pad of the annular frame for holding a semiconductor substrate of the present invention is in contact with the annular frame with a small area, the pressure reduction leakage is very small, so that even if there is a low-pressure passage or a vacuum pump voltage drop, Since the degree of decompression does not decrease to the extent that the frame is dropped, there is no need to worry about dropping of the annular ring even if the semiconductor substrate processing apparatus is continuously operated.

It is a perspective view of the conveyance apparatus for annular frames. It is a top view which shows the state which the suction pad is adsorbing the annular frame. It is a fragmentary sectional view of a suction pad. It is a figure which shows the state which conveys a cyclic | annular flame | frame using a several suction pad. (Known) It is a figure which shows the state which grips a cyclic | annular rigid body with the arm of an edge gripping type | mold robot. (Known)

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Conveying apparatus for annular frames F Annular frame T Adhesive tape w Semiconductor substrate 200 Conveying pad 201 Silicon sponge surface member 201b Stepped part 202 Backing material 203 Suction hole 207 U-shaped hollow pipe

Claims (1)

A suction pad of a transport device used for sucking an annular frame with a semiconductor substrate attached via an adhesive tape with a single suction pad and transporting the annular frame to the next processing stage. Four suction holes with a diameter of 1 to 8 mm are provided on the surface member side of the rectangular silicon sponge at positions where they are in contact with the annular frame in line symmetry, and the outer periphery of the suction hole that contacts the annular frame has a width of 1 to 5 mm. By projecting the surface of the silicon sponge to a height of 0.5 to 3 mm, the silicon sponge surface member side metal ring frame has a central space portion between the metal ring frame and another silicon sponge surface facing the metal ring frame portion. It has a structure in which a step is provided, and the four suction holes are connected by a hollow hollow pipe built in the rectangular silicon sponge surface member side. Wear pad.

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