JP2014180738A - Cutting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cutting device that prevents a risk that cutting chips may adhere to a workpiece in a carry-in/carry out region.SOLUTION: A cutting device 10 performs cutting on a wafer (a workpiece) 1 while carrying the wafer 1 in holding means 20 positioned at a carry-in/carry-out region 19, carrying the wafer 1 out of the holding means 20, and feeding the wafer 1 for cutting between the carry-in/carry-out region 19 and a cutting region 23. The cutting device 10 is provided with drying preventing liquid supply means 30 that supplies drying preventing liquid to the wafer 1 positioned at the carry-in/carry-out region 19 so as to prevent the wafer 1 positioned at the carry-in/carry-out region 19 from drying.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutting device for cutting a workpiece.

  For example, when a plate-like object such as a semiconductor wafer, a ceramic plate, or a resin substrate is divided into a large number of chips, a cutting device is used that cuts a cutting blade by cutting a workpiece that is a plate-like object. Yes. This type of cutting device automatically controls the process of removing workpieces one by one from a cassette containing a plurality of workpieces, performing cutting and cleaning in sequence, and returning the cleaned workpieces to the cassette. A cutting device to perform is known (Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-016673 A

  In the cutting apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the holding means for holding the workpiece is disposed so as to be movable between the loading / unloading area and the cutting area, and the holding means is cut and fed between these areas. However, cutting is performed on the workpiece held by the holding means. The workpiece after cutting is transported from the holding means positioned in the carry-in / out area to the cleaning means for cleaning. If the cleaning time is longer than the cutting time, the cut workpiece is held. Waiting in the loading / unloading area while being held by the means.

  Here, the cutting fluid containing the cutting waste generated by cutting adheres to the workpiece after cutting, but if the waiting time for cleaning in the loading / unloading area becomes long, The surface will dry out. When the workpiece of the workpiece is dried, the cutting scraps are fixed, and once fixed, the cutting scraps cannot be easily removed even if the workpiece is washed later.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, The main technical subject is to provide the cutting device which can prevent the possibility that cutting waste adheres to a workpiece in a carrying in / out area | region. .

  The cutting device according to the present invention includes a holding unit having a holding surface for holding a workpiece, a cutting blade for cutting the workpiece held by the holding unit, and the cutting blade being detachably mounted. A cutting means having a spindle for rotating the workpiece, a cutting area where the workpiece held by the holding means is cut by the cutting means, and a workpiece is carried into the holding means or the workpiece is transferred from the holding means. A cutting feed means for cutting and feeding the holding means between a carry-in / carry-out area to be carried out, from an upper surface of a workpiece held by the holding means in the carry-in / carry-out area A cutting hole disposed above and facing a workpiece, and a liquid passage connected to the drying prevention liquid supply source in communication with the ejection hole and waiting in the loading / unloading area Dry against the processed workpiece Characterized by comprising a drying prevention liquid supply means for supplying a stop liquid (claim 1).

  According to the present invention, the anti-drying liquid can be supplied from the ejection hole of the anti-drying liquid supply means to the upper surface of the workpiece while the holding means is positioned in the carry-in / out area. Thereafter, the workpiece held by the holding means positioned in the loading / unloading area is prevented from being dried, and it is possible to prevent the possibility of cutting chips adhering to the workpiece.

  The present invention includes cover means that can be positioned at a cover position and a retreat position that cover the holding surface of the holding means in the carry-in / out area, and the ejection hole of the anti-drying liquid supply means includes the cover means. The form currently formed in the lower surface side of this is included (Claim 2).

  In claim 2, the cover means is positioned at the cover position, and the cover means is positioned at the cover position in a state where the holding means holding the workpiece after cutting is positioned at the loading / unloading area. The drying prevention liquid can be supplied from the ejection hole of the drying prevention liquid supply means on the side, so that the workpiece can be prevented from being dried and the cutting waste can be prevented from adhering to the workpiece. Further, this embodiment has an advantage that the workpiece held by the holding means can be protected by positioning the cover means at the cover position. For example, if it is necessary to replace the cutting blade while holding the workpiece with the holding means, even if tools or parts are dropped on the workpiece during the replacement work, they will remain on the cover means. The workpiece is not dropped and tools or parts do not directly contact the workpiece, and the workpiece is protected by the cover means.

  Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, there is an effect that a cutting device that can prevent a possibility that cutting waste adheres to a workpiece in a carry-in / carry-out region is provided.

It is a perspective view showing the state where the wafer (workpiece) concerning one embodiment of the present invention was supported by the frame via the adhesive tape. It is a perspective view of the cutting device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the cutting device. It is sectional drawing of the drying prevention liquid supply means which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the cutting device provided with the dry prevention liquid supply means of other embodiments of the present invention, and shows the state where a cover means exists in a retreat position. It is sectional drawing of the drying prevention liquid supply means which concerns on other embodiment. It is a perspective view of the cutting device provided with the dry prevention liquid supply means of other embodiments, and shows the state where a cover means exists in a retreat position.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1] Wafer Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 denotes a disk-shaped wafer (workpiece) according to an embodiment. The wafer 1 is, for example, a semiconductor wafer having a thickness of about several hundred μm, and a large number of rectangular devices 2 are disposed on the surface 1a. The device 2 is provided by forming an electronic circuit made of an IC, an LSI, or the like in a number of rectangular regions partitioned on the surface 1a by grid-like division planned lines.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer 1 is attached to the adhesive tape 8 with the surface 1 a side exposed, and a frame 9 surrounding the wafer 1 is attached to the adhesive tape 8 concentrically. Thus, the wafer 1 is carried into the cutting apparatus 10 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in the state of the wafer unit 7 supported by the frame 9 via the adhesive tape 8.

  The frame 9 is made of a metal plate having rigidity such as stainless steel, and is attached to the adhesive tape 8 concentrically with the wafer 1. The wafer 1 is handled by holding the frame 9. The wafer 1 is cut by the cutting apparatus 10 with respect to the planned division line, and dicing is performed for each device 2 along the planned division line.

[2] Cutting Device Next, the configuration of the cutting device 10 and the basic operation for cutting will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. 2 and 3, X and Y indicate horizontal and orthogonal directions, and Z indicates a vertical direction.

  The cutting apparatus 10 has a base 11, and a cassette mounting table 12 is arranged to be movable up and down in the Z direction on the front side (X1 side) of the base 11 (X1 side) and on the Y1 side. . On the cassette mounting table 12, a cassette 13 in which a plurality of wafer units 7 are stacked and accommodated is detachably mounted. A pair of shelves 131 are arranged in the vertical direction on the inner wall surfaces facing each other in the cassette 13, and the frame 9 is inserted into each of these shelves 131 so that the wafer unit 7 is accommodated in the cassette 13 in a horizontal state. .

  The cassette 13 is set on the cassette mounting table 12 with the shelf 131 opened in the front-rear direction and the opening directed in the X direction. The cassette mounting table 12 is moved up and down, and one wafer unit 7 is positioned at a predetermined loading / unloading height position. At this position, the wafer unit 7 is pulled out to the X2 side by loading / unloading means 14 (not shown in FIG. 3). In the temporary placement area 15, the paper is temporarily placed on the centering guide 16 disposed in a pair in the left-right direction (Y direction).

  The loading / unloading means 14 has a clamp 142 attached to the tip of an arm 141 supported on the base 11 so as to be movable in the X direction. The clamp 142 holds the frame 9 in the cassette 13. Then, the arm 141 moves in the X2 direction, the wafer unit 7 is pulled out to a predetermined position in the X direction of the temporary placement area 15, the grip of the clamp 142 is released, and the wafer unit 7 is placed on the centering guide 16.

  The centering guide 16 is provided with plate-like members having an L-shaped cross section extending in the X direction in a bilaterally symmetric state, and operates so as to be close to or away from each other. The wafer unit 7 is positioned at the transfer start position in the temporary placement region 15 by placing the frame 9 on the left and right centering guides 16 and moving the centering guide 16 in the proximity direction so that the frame 9 is sandwiched.

  A spinner cleaning device 17 for cleaning the wafer 1 after cutting is disposed below the temporary placement region 15. The spinner cleaning device 17 cleans the wafer 1 held on the spinner table 172 in a cylindrical chamber 171 provided in the base 11 with cleaning water and then performs a drying process. The spinner table 172 has a Z direction. The chamber 171 is provided with a cleaning water supply nozzle and a dry air supply nozzle.

  The wafer unit 7 positioned at the transfer start position by the centering guide 16 is transferred in the Y2 direction by the transfer means 18 (not shown in FIG. 3), and the wafer 1 is held by the vacuum suction type holding means 20 in the loading / unloading area 19. Retained. The transfer means 18 has a vacuum suction disk-like pad 182 attached to the lower end of an arm 181 that is movable in the Y direction and supported so as to move up and down. 1 is absorbed by the pad 182, and the wafer unit 7 is transported to and placed on the holding means 20 by the movement of the arm 181.

  The holding means 20 has a holding surface 201 that is formed in a disc shape and sucks and holds the wafer 1 in a horizontal state. Around the holding means 20, a plurality of frame clamps 21 are fixedly disposed on the holding means 20. The holding surface 201 has the same size as the wafer 1, and the wafer 1 is placed concentrically on the holding surface 201 and held by suction. Further, the frame 9 is held and fixed by the frame clamp 21.

  The holding means 20 is rotatably supported on the moving table 22, and the holding means 20 is connected to the loading / unloading area 19 and the cutting area 23 on the X2 side of the loading / unloading area 19 via the moving table 22. It is arranged to be movable between them. The moving space on both sides in the X direction of the moving table 22 is covered with a bellows-like cover 24 that expands and contracts in accordance with the movement of the moving table 22 in order to prevent the fall of foreign matter such as cutting dust into the base 11.

  In the cutting region 23, a pair of left and right cutting means 25 having a cutting blade 253 is disposed. The cutting means 25 includes a cylindrical spindle housing 251 in which a spindle 252 extending in the Y direction is housed, and a cutting blade 253 is fixed to the tip of the spindle 252. Built in. The pair of cutting means 25 are fixed in the same position in the X direction, the cutting blades 253 are opposed to each other, are supported to be movable in the Y direction, and are movable up and down. The cutting blades 253 are close to each other. Or move away.

  The spindle 1 is rotated to rotate the cutting blade 253, and the cutting blade 253 is set at a depth of cutting with respect to the wafer 1, and the wafer 1 held by the holding means 20 by the moving table 22 is carried in / out. The cutting blade 253 is cut into the wafer 1 by performing cutting feed such as moving from 19 to the cutting area 23 and further reciprocating between both areas 19 and 23. The cutting means 25 has cutting fluid supply means for supplying cutting fluid to the cutting blade 253 and the wafer 1, and the cutting fluid is supplied from the cutting fluid supply means to the cutting blade 253 and the wafer 1 at the time of cutting.

  In this case, the cutting blade 25 is cut along the dividing line of the wafer 1, and the dicing for dividing the wafer 1 into the devices 2 is performed by the cutting means 25. Therefore, by rotating the holding means 20 to set the division line to be parallel to the X direction which is the cutting feed direction, and moving the cutting means 25 in the Y direction, the division line to be cut is determined. .

  In carrying out the cutting process, first, the wafer 1 should be moved to the cutting area 23, the surface 1a of the wafer 1 should be imaged by the imaging means 26 provided with a microscope fixed to the cutting means 25, and cut from the captured image. Detect line to be divided. Then, based on the detection result, the cutting means 25 and the holding means 20 are operated to perform cutting on all the division lines.

  Examples of the cutting process for dicing include a full cut that penetrates the division line and a groove process that forms a groove having a predetermined depth. Further, the same kind of cutting can be simultaneously performed on the two scheduled division lines by the pair of cutting means 25. Further, the thickness of the cutting blade 253 of the pair of cutting means 25 is changed, and one cutting means 25 is first grooved with respect to one division planned line, and then the other cutting means 25 is fully cut. Cutting such as can also be performed. In the case of full cut, the wafer 1 is divided into a large number of chips having the device 2 at this stage, and in the case of grooving, an external force is applied to the wafer 1 in the next process, and the groove, that is, the line to be divided is formed. Along the wafer 1, the wafer 1 is divided into a large number of chips.

  When the cutting process on the wafer 1 is completed, the wafer 1 is returned to the carry-in / carry-out area 19 and the holding and holding of the wafer 1 by the holding means 20 and the holding of the frame 9 by the frame clamp 21 are released. Then, the pad 182 of the transport means 18 adsorbs the wafer 1 that has been cut, transports the wafer unit 7 to the spinner cleaning device 17, and the wafer 1 is placed on the spinner table 172 rising to the standby position in the chamber 171. Is placed. In the spinner cleaning device 17, the spinner table 172 is lowered and rotated, and the wafer 1 that rotates together with the spinner table 172 is cleaned and dried in the chamber 171.

  After the wafer 1 is dried, the spinner table 172 is raised to the standby position in the chamber 171, and the pad 182 of the transfer means 18 sucks the wafer 1 and lifts it onto the centering guide 16. Next, the centering guide 16 moves inward and the spinner table 172 descends, so that the frame 9 of the wafer unit 7 is received by the centering guide 16. Thereafter, the loading / unloading means 14 waiting on the X2 side of the wafer unit 7 moves to the X1 side, and the clamp 142 pushes the frame 9 of the wafer unit 7 on the centering guide 16 to the X1 side. Housed inside.

  This is the processing cycle of the cutting process for one wafer 1, and this cycle is continuously performed on the plurality of wafers 1 accommodated in the cassette 13. In this case, while the wafer 1 is being cleaned by the spinner cleaning device 17, the next wafer unit 7 is taken out from the cassette 13 by the loading / unloading means 14, and the loading / unloading area 19 is held by the conveying means 18 from the centering guide 16. Set on the means 20, the wafer 1 is cut. Therefore, the cutting device 10 includes the wafer 1 to be cut and the wafer 1 to be cleaned at the same time.

  When the last wafer 1 that has been cut is accommodated in the cassette 13, the cassette 13 is unloaded from the cassette mounting table 12 and moved to the next process, and the cassette mounting table 12 contains a wafer to be cut. The accommodated new cassette 13 is placed, and the wafers are subsequently cut in the above cycle.

[3] Drying prevention liquid supply means The above is the basic operation of the cutting apparatus 10, and the cutting apparatus 10 of the present embodiment supplies the drying prevention liquid to the surface of the wafer 1 in the loading / unloading area 19. A prevention liquid supply means is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the drying prevention liquid supply means 30 of one embodiment has a pair of left and right plate-like liquid supply nozzles 31 extending in the X direction and disposed in the carry-in / carry-out region 19. Each liquid supply nozzle 31 is disposed such that an end portion on the X1 side is movable in the Y direction via an arm 32 and is held by holding means 20 positioned in the carry-in / carry-out region 19 close to each other. A supply position (solid line) above the upper surface of the wafer 1 and a retreat position (two-dot chain line) at which the wafer unit 7 can be carried into and out of the holding means 20 by the transfer means 18 spreading on both sides of the holding means 20. Move between.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a liquid path 311 extending in the longitudinal direction (X direction) is formed in the liquid supply nozzle 31, and a plurality of ejection holes communicating with the liquid path 311 are formed on the lower surface of the liquid supply nozzle 31. 312 are formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction. The liquid supply nozzle 31 is connected to an introduction pipe 33 for introducing an anti-drying liquid into the liquid path 311, and the introduction pipe 33 communicates with an anti-drying liquid supply source 34. That is, the drying prevention liquid supply source 34 communicates with the ejection hole 312 via the introduction pipe 33 and the liquid path 311. An electromagnetic opening / closing valve 35 is provided in the middle of the introduction pipe 33, and when the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 35 is opened, the liquid of the drying prevention liquid supply source 34 passes through the introduction pipe 33, the liquid passage 311, and the ejection hole 312. It is designed to spout downward. As the anti-drying liquid, pure water or the like is preferably used.

  In one embodiment, when the cutting process is completed and the wafer 1 is returned to the carry-in / carry-out area 19, the pair of liquid supply nozzles 31 are positioned at the supply position, and the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 35 is opened. Thus, the drying prevention liquid is ejected downward from the ejection holes 312 of each liquid supply nozzle 31, and the drying prevention liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the wafer 1 and is prevented from drying. When the wafer 1 is positioned in the loading / unloading area 19, the anti-drying liquid is supplied from the liquid supply nozzle 31 to the wafer 1, and when the wafer 1 is transported to the spinner cleaning device 17, each liquid supply nozzle 31 is turned on. In addition to being positioned at the retreat position, the ejection of the anti-drying liquid from the liquid supply nozzle 31 is stopped, and the wafer 1 is transferred to the spinner cleaning device 17 by the transport means 18.

  Therefore, in one embodiment, after the wafer 1 is cut, the wafer 1 held by the holding means 20 positioned in the loading / unloading area 19 can be prevented from drying. If the cleaning time by the spinner cleaning device 17 is longer than the time required for cutting the wafer 1, the wafer 1 cannot be immediately transferred from the loading / unloading area 19 to the spinner cleaning device 17, and the wafer 1 is held by the holding means. In the state held at 20, the apparatus waits in the loading / unloading area 19. As described above, the cutting fluid supplied at the time of cutting adheres to the wafer 1, but if the waiting time is long, the cutting fluid dries and it becomes difficult to adhere the cutting waste to the surface 1a and remove it.

  However, in this embodiment, since the anti-drying liquid can be supplied to the cut wafer 1 positioned in the loading / unloading area 19, even if the waiting time in the loading / unloading area 19 is long, Further, by supplying the anti-drying liquid to the wafer 1, it is possible to prevent the wafer 1 from drying, and as a result, it is possible to prevent the chips from adhering to the surface 1 a due to drying.

[4] Another Embodiment of Anti-Drying Liquid Supply Unit FIGS. 5 and 7 show the cutting apparatus 10 including the anti-drying liquid supply unit 40 of another embodiment having a cover unit 46. In FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component same as the said one Embodiment.

  The cover means 46 has a substantially rectangular shape, and a side edge portion 462 extending downward is formed on the edge of the flat top plate portion 461. One side portion of the side edge portion 462 is coupled to the base 11 via a hinge 42, and the cover means 46 is supported rotatably about the hinge 42 as a fulcrum. The cover means 46 is rotated by a rotation mechanism made of, for example, an air cylinder, and can also be rotated manually.

  The cover means 46 is opened when the state shown in FIG. 5 is positioned at the retracted position. When the cover means 46 is rotated in the C direction from the retracted position, the cover means 46 is closed as shown in FIGS. The cover unit 20 is positioned at a cover position that covers the holding surface 201 of the holding unit 20 positioned in the loading / unloading area 19.

  The top plate portion 461 of the cover means 46 is horizontal at the cover position. A disc-shaped shower head portion 41 is formed at the center of the inner surface of the top plate portion 461. The shower head portion 41 is formed at a position facing the holding surface 201 of the holding means 20 at the cover position. As shown in FIG. 6, a liquid passage 411 is formed in the shower head portion 41, and a plurality of ejection holes 412 communicating with the liquid passage 411 are formed on the entire bottom surface of the shower head portion 41. .

  The shower head 41 is connected to an introduction pipe 43 that is in communication with a drying prevention liquid supply source 44 and that is provided with an electromagnetic on-off valve 45 in the middle. In the shower head unit 41, a drying prevention liquid such as pure water is introduced from the drying prevention liquid supply source 44 through the introduction pipe 43 into the liquid passage 411, and the drying prevention liquid is ejected downward from the ejection hole 412. Has been made.

  According to the dry prevention liquid supply means 40 of this embodiment, when the wafer 1 is returned to the loading / unloading area 19 after the cutting process is completed, the cover means 46 is closed and positioned at the cover position, and the electromagnetic on-off valve 45 is opened. Thus, the drying prevention liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the wafer 1 from the ejection holes 412 of the shower head portion 41, and drying is prevented. When the wafer 1 is transported to the spinner cleaning device 17, the cover means 46 is opened and positioned at the retracted position, and the spray of the anti-drying liquid from the shower head portion 41 is stopped, and the wafer 1 is removed by the transport means 18. Move to cleaning device 17.

  In this way, the cover means 46 is positioned at the cover position, and by supplying the anti-drying liquid to the wafer 1 from the ejection holes 412 of the shower head 41, the holding means positioned in the carry-in / out area 19 after the wafer 1 is cut. Thus, drying of the wafer 1 held at 20 can be prevented, and cutting chips can be prevented from adhering to the surface 1a of the wafer 1 due to drying.

  Further, by positioning the cover means 46 at the cover position, there is an advantage that the wafer 1 held by the holding means 20 can be protected. For example, when the cutting blade 253 is damaged during the cutting of the wafer 1, the cutting blade 253 is replaced with a new one. Even if the chip or bar formed by full cut (the aggregate of the long and narrow devices 2 between adjacent parallel division lines that are full cut) moves and cutting is resumed after the cutting blade 253 is replaced, the machining accuracy There is a problem that goes crazy.

  Therefore, it is necessary to replace the cutting blade 253 while the wafer 1 is held by the holding means 20, and at that time, tools or parts are dropped on the wafer 1 or brought into contact with the wafer 1. There is a fear. However, when the cutting blade 253 is replaced, the cover unit 46 is closed so that the wafer 1 on the holding unit 20 is covered with the cover unit 46, so that a tool or the like does not drop or come into contact with the wafer 1 directly. The wafer 1 is protected. In this way, when closing the cover means 46 other than the normal process, the cover means 46 may be manually rotated.

1 ... wafer (workpiece)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Cutting device 19 ... Loading / unloading area | region 20 ... Holding means 201 ... Holding surface 22 ... Moving stand (cutting feed means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 23 ... Cutting area 25 ... Cutting means 252 ... Spindle 253 ... Cutting blade 30, 40 ... Drying prevention liquid supply means 311, 411 ... Liquid path 312, 412 ... Ejection hole 34, 44 ... Drying prevention liquid supply source 46 ... Cover means

Claims (2)

A holding means having a holding surface for holding the workpiece; a cutting blade for cutting the workpiece held by the holding means; and a spindle for detachably mounting the cutting blade and rotating the cutting blade. Cutting means,
The holding between the cutting area where the workpiece held by the holding means is cut by the cutting means and the loading / unloading area where the workpiece is carried into or out of the holding means. A cutting device comprising: cutting feed means for cutting and feeding means;
An ejection hole disposed above the upper surface of the workpiece held by the holding means in the carry-in / out area and facing the workpiece, and connected to the drying prevention liquid supply source in communication with the ejection hole A cutting apparatus comprising: an anti-drying liquid supply unit that supplies an anti-drying liquid to a cut workpiece that has a liquid path and is waiting in the loading / unloading region. Cover means that can be positioned at a cover position and a retracted position that cover the holding surface of the holding means in the loading / unloading area,
2. The cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ejection hole of the anti-drying liquid supply means is formed on the lower surface side of the cover means.

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