JP2014220448A - Processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a processing device which removes debris on an annular frame with a simple mechanism, and chucks and holds the annular frame with a chucking pad.SOLUTION: A processing device is equipped with transportation means for carrying out a workpiece unit from a chuck table 6. The transportation means comprises: a base section 40 including a frame chucking pad 42 which chucks and holds a top face of an annular frame F and a sliding section 45 which is provided in the vicinity of the frame chucking pad 42 and has an elastic member at a tip thereof; and transferring means for moving the base section close to/away from the chuck table. When carrying out the workpiece unit from the chuck table, the base section of the transportation means moves close to the chuck table on which the workpiece unit is held, the chuck table is suitably rotated with the elastic member of the sliding section contacting with the annular frame so that debris 21 remained on the annular frame is removed, and the chucking pad is pressed to the annular frame in a range where the debris is removed to chuck and hold the annular frame.

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing apparatus such as a cutting apparatus or a laser processing apparatus that includes a conveying unit that conveys a workpiece unit.

  Workpieces such as semiconductor wafers on which a plurality of devices such as IC and LSI are formed on the surface, resin substrates, various ceramic substrates, and glass substrates are divided into individual chips by a cutting device called a dicing machine, and the divided chips Is widely used in various electrical devices.

  This type of cutting apparatus generally cuts a workpiece by cutting a disk-shaped cutting blade rotated at a high speed into the workpiece. Cutting is performed while supplying cutting water such as water.

  The purpose of cutting water supply is to wash away and remove cutting waste (contamination) generated by cooling or cutting of the cutting blade from the work piece. Supplied nearby.

  Similarly to the cutting apparatus, a laser processing apparatus may be used for dividing a semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer. In the laser processing apparatus, water is not used during processing, but a liquid protective film may be applied to the wafer surface in order to protect a device formed on the wafer surface before processing.

  On the other hand, in a processing apparatus such as a cutting apparatus or a laser processing apparatus, a workpiece such as a wafer is fed into the processing apparatus in the form of a workpiece unit supported via an adhesive tape in an opening of an annular frame.

JP 2009-10150 A JP 2007-073670 A

  In a cutting machine, when a workpiece such as a wafer is cut with a cutting blade, cutting water containing a large amount of contamination flows on the annular frame, so that a large amount of contamination adheres to the frame or is scattered by cutting. The end material portion of the workpiece may remain on the annular frame. Further, the liquid protective film used in laser processing is also applied on the annular frame.

  When foreign matter adheres to the annular frame in this way, it becomes a factor that hinders suction when the annular frame of the workpiece unit is sucked and held by the frame suction pad of the transport device that transports the workpiece unit.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the object of the present invention is to remove the foreign matter on the annular frame constituting the workpiece unit with a simple mechanism and then use the frame suction pad to remove the annular frame. It is providing the processing apparatus which can carry out suction holding.

  According to the present invention, a chuck table for holding a workpiece unit in which a plate-like workpiece is supported in an opening of an annular frame via an adhesive tape, and a workpiece held on the holding surface of the chuck table. A processing device comprising: a processing means for processing the workpiece unit; and a transport means for carrying out the workpiece unit from the chuck table, wherein the chuck table is rotatable about a rotation axis orthogonal to the holding surface. The conveying means includes a base portion including a frame suction pad for sucking and holding the upper surface of the annular frame, and a sliding portion disposed in the vicinity of the frame suction pad and having an elastic member at a tip, and the base portion Moving means for moving the chuck table toward and away from the chuck table, and when the elastic member of the sliding portion approaches the chuck table holding the workpiece unit, When the workpiece unit is unloaded from the chuck table, the chuck means holding the workpiece unit is placed on the chuck table. The base part is moved closer, the chuck table is appropriately rotated in a state where the elastic member of the sliding part is in contact with the annular frame, and foreign matters placed on the annular frame are removed by machining, and the base part is further removed. There is provided a processing device characterized in that the annular frame is sucked and held by pressing the suction pad against the annular frame in a range in which the foreign matter has been removed.

  Preferably, when the frame suction pad is positioned at a position for sucking the annular frame by the approaching movement of the base portion, the pressing force pressed toward the annular frame of the elastic member of the sliding portion is Canceled.

  According to the processing apparatus of the present invention, after removing the foreign matter on the frame by sliding the sliding portion on the annular frame, it is easy to suck and hold the frame in the range where the foreign matter has been removed by the frame suction pad. In addition, the annular frame can be securely held by suction.

It is a perspective view of the cutting device concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a 2nd conveyance unit. It is a surface side perspective view of a semiconductor wafer. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a wafer unit in which a wafer is supported in an opening of an annular frame via an adhesive tape. It is a side view which shows a mode that the foreign material on an annular frame is removed by the sliding part of 1st Embodiment. It is a side view which shows a mode that the cyclic | annular flame | frame from which the foreign material was removed with a flame | frame suction pad is sucked and held. It is a partial cross section side view which shows the structure of the sliding part of 2nd Embodiment. It is a partial cross section side view which shows the structure and effect | action of a sliding part of 3rd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a cutting device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Reference numeral 4 denotes a base portion of the cutting device 2, and a chuck table 6 is disposed on the base portion 4 so as to be reciprocally movable in the X axis direction by a cutting feed mechanism (not shown). The chuck table 6 is further configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis orthogonal to the holding surface. A bellows 8 covers the cutting feed mechanism.

  In the base portion 4, a cassette mounting table 10 is disposed so as to be movable up and down in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by a cassette elevator (not shown). A cassette 12 containing a workpiece is placed on the cassette placing table 10.

  A portal-shaped first column 14 is erected on the rear side of the base portion 4, and the first cutting unit 16A and the second cutting unit 16B can move in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction on the first column 14. Is attached. The first and second cutting units 16A and 16B include a cutting blade 18 attached to the tip of a spindle that is rotationally driven.

  A gate-shaped second column 20 is erected at an intermediate portion of the base portion 4. A first guide rail 22 and a second guide rail 24 are fixed to the second column 20. Reference numeral 26 denotes a first transport unit, and the first transport unit 26 is guided by the first guide rail 22 and is configured to be movable in the Y-axis direction.

  The moving mechanism in the Y-axis direction of the first transport unit 26 is composed of, for example, a ball screw and a pulse motor connected to one end of the ball screw, but details of the moving mechanism are omitted in FIG.

  The first transport unit 26 includes a support portion 30 that hangs down from the first guide rail 22, and a cross-shaped base portion 32 that can move in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) with respect to the support portion 30. A frame suction pad 34 is attached to the tip of the cross-shaped base portion 32. Furthermore, a gripping portion 36 for gripping an annular frame of a wafer unit described later is attached to the tip of the base portion 32 facing the cassette 12.

  Reference numeral 28 denotes a second transport unit, and the second transport unit 28 is guided by the second guide rail 24 and arranged to be movable in the Y-axis direction. The moving mechanism in the Y-axis direction of the second transport unit 28 is composed of, for example, a ball screw and a pulse motor connected to one end of the ball screw, but details of the moving mechanism are omitted in FIG.

  The second transport unit 28 has a support portion 38 that moves in the Y-axis direction along the second guide rail 24, and a cross-shaped attachment that is attached to the support portion 38 so as to be movable in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The base part 40 is included.

  As best shown in FIG. 2, a frame suction pad 42 is attached to each tip of the cross-shaped base portion 40. Further, a sliding portion 45 is disposed adjacent to each frame suction pad 42.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the sliding portion 45 of this embodiment is formed of a spatula-like elastic member 44. The spatula-like elastic member 44 is made of, for example, a resin plate or a rubber plate. As apparent from FIG. 5, the tip of the spatula-shaped elastic member 44 constituting the sliding portion 45 protrudes below the frame suction pad 42.

  Referring again to FIG. 1, reference numeral 46 denotes a spinner cleaning unit that cleans and dries the workpiece after cutting, and has a spinner table 48 that holds and rotates the workpiece. The workpiece held by the chuck table 6 and cut by the first cutting unit 16A or the second cutting unit 16B is sucked and held by the frame suction pad 42 of the second transfer unit 28 and transferred to the spinner cleaning unit 46. The

  Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a front side perspective view of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) 11 which is a kind of workpiece. A plurality of planned division lines (streets) 13 are formed in a lattice pattern on the surface 11 a of the wafer 11, and devices 15 such as ICs and LSIs are formed in each region partitioned by the planned division lines 13. Reference numeral 11 b denotes the back surface of the wafer 11.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the wafer 11 is bonded to a dicing tape T, which is an adhesive tape having an outer peripheral portion attached to an annular frame F, to form a wafer unit 17. The wafer unit 17 is a cassette 12 in the form of the wafer unit 17. Housed inside. In other words, the wafer unit 17 is configured such that the wafer 11 is supported in the opening of the annular frame F via the dicing tape T.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the cutting apparatus 2 configured as described above will be described. The wafer unit 17 accommodated in the cassette 12 is pulled out of the cassette 12 with the annular frame F being gripped by the gripping portion 36 of the first transport unit 26, and placed on a pair of positioning bars (not shown).

  After the positioning bars move in the direction approaching each other, the wafer unit 17 is centered, and then the annular frame F is sucked and held by the frame suction pad 34 of the first transport unit 26, so that the wafer unit 17 is held in the chuck table 6. And is sucked and held by the chuck table 6.

  The cutting blade 18 of the first cutting unit 16A or the second cutting unit 16B is cut into the division line 13 of the wafer 11 sucked and held by the chuck table 6, and the chuck table 6 is moved while supplying cutting water to the processing point. By processing and feeding in the axial direction, the wafer 11 is completely cut along the division line 13.

  While the first cutting unit 16A or the second cutting unit 16B is indexed and fed in the Y-axis direction, the planned dividing line 13 extending in the first direction is cut sequentially. After completion of the cutting of the division line in the first direction, the chuck table 6 is rotated by 90 degrees, and then all the division lines 13 extending in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction are cut and the wafer 11 is cut. Is divided into device chips.

  In this way, in the cutting apparatus, cutting is performed while supplying cutting water to the vicinity of the processing point at which the cutting blade 18 contacts the wafer 11, so that cutting waste (contamination) generated by the cutting flows on the annular frame F. As a result, a large amount of contamination may adhere to the frame F, or the end material portion of the wafer 11 scattered by cutting may remain on the frame F.

  When the cutting of the wafer 11 is completed, the chuck table 6 is returned to the original position, which is the wafer carry-in / out position, and then the annular frame F is sucked and held by the frame suction pad 42 of the second transport unit 28. Is conveyed to the spinner cleaning unit 46.

  When the frame F of the wafer unit 17 is sucked by the frame suction pad 42 of the second transport unit 28, if foreign matter such as cutting scraps or scraps remains on the frame F, the frame F of the frame F at the frame suction pad 42 Suction retention is inhibited. The action of the sliding portion 45 and the frame suction pad 42 according to the first embodiment of the present invention that solves this problem will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (A), a plurality of foreign matters 21 such as cutting dust and scraps adhere to the annular frame F held on the chuck table 6. In FIG. 5A, when the base portion 40 is moved in the direction of the arrow Z1 so as to be close to the annular frame F on the chuck table 6, as shown in FIG. The moving part 45 contacts the annular frame F.

  In this state, when the chuck table 6 is rotated in the direction of arrow R, the foreign matter 21 with which the sliding portion 45 is in sliding contact is removed from its original position, and as shown in FIG. Is formed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6A, the base portion 40 is further moved in the direction of the arrow Z1 to bring the frame suction pad 42 into contact with the area 50 where the foreign matter on the frame F has been removed. The frame F from which is removed is sucked and held.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6B, the base unit 40 is moved in the arrow Z2 direction while the frame F is sucked and held by the frame suction pad 42, and the wafer unit 17 is separated from the chuck table 6.

  In the present embodiment, the frame suction pad 42 and the sliding portion 45 are attached to the base portion 40 so that the moving tracks on the annular frame F overlap when the chuck table 6 rotates in the direction of arrow R.

  In this embodiment, the foreign matter 21 on the annular frame F is removed by the sliding portion 45 by rotating the chuck table 6 in the direction of the arrow R, but the foreign matter 21 is moved by moving the chuck table 6 in the X-axis direction. May be removed. Alternatively, the foreign matter 21 may be removed from the annular frame F by combining the rotation and movement of the chuck table 6.

  After removing the foreign matter 21 on the frame F by sliding the sliding portion 45 made of the spatula-shaped elastic member 44 on the annular frame F, the frame F in the range where the foreign matter has been removed is sucked by the frame suction pad 42. Since it is held, the annular frame F can be sucked and held easily and reliably.

  Referring to FIG. 7, a partial cross-sectional side view of the sliding portion 45A of the second embodiment of the present invention is shown. The sliding portion 45 </ b> A is inserted into the cylindrical member 52 fixed to the base portion 40, a rod 56 having one end inserted into the cylindrical member 52 and a sponge 54 attached to the other end, and the cylindrical member 52. And a coil spring 58 that urges the rod 56. The sponge 54 is attached to the rod 56 in a replaceable manner.

  In the sliding member 45A of the present embodiment, the sponge 54 biased by the coil spring 58 slides while being pressed against the annular frame F by rotating the chuck table 6 in the direction of arrow R. Therefore, the foreign material 21 adhering to the annular frame F can be effectively removed.

  By sucking and holding the annular frame F in a range where the foreign matter 21 is removed by the frame suction pad 42, the annular frame F can be reliably sucked and held by the frame suction pad 42.

  Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown a partial cross-sectional side view of the sliding portion 45B of the third embodiment of the present invention. The sliding portion 45 </ b> B of this embodiment is connected to the cylindrical member 60 inserted into the base portion 40, a rod 56 with one end inserted into the cylindrical member 60 and a sponge 54 attached to the other end, and the cylindrical member 60. Air pipe 62.

  When removing the foreign matter 21 adhering to the annular frame F, as shown in FIG. 8A, pressurized air is introduced into the cylindrical member 60 via the air pipe 62 and the sponge 54 is pressed against the frame F. By rotating the chuck table 6 in the direction of arrow R while sliding the sponge 54 with respect to the frame F, the foreign material 21 adhering to the frame F can be effectively removed.

  If the foreign matter in the predetermined range is removed, the frame F in the range from which the foreign matter has been removed is sucked by the frame suction pad 42. When the frame suction pad 42 is positioned at the position where the frame F is sucked, FIG. As shown in B), the pressurized air in the cylindrical member 60 is exhausted. Thereby, the pressing force of the sponge 54 against the frame F is released, so that the frame F can be reliably sucked and held by the frame suction pad 42.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the present invention is applied to the cutting apparatus 2 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be similarly applied to a laser processing apparatus that performs ablation processing. .

  In a laser processing apparatus for forming a laser processing groove by ablation processing, in order to protect a device formed on the surface of a wafer, a liquid protective film is usually applied to the wafer unit 17 by a protective film coating apparatus before laser processing is performed. Painted on.

  The liquid protective film is applied not only to the surface 11 a of the wafer 11 but also to the surface of the annular frame F. Therefore, before the annular frame F is sucked and held by the frame suction pad of the transport unit, the liquid protective film (foreign matter) on the annular frame F is removed by sliding the elastic member 44 of the sliding portion 45. Then, the annular frame F can be reliably sucked and held by sucking and holding the frame F in the range where the liquid protective film has been removed by the frame suction pad 42.

  Since the liquid protective film applied on the frame F is in the form of a jelly (gel), the liquid protective film on the annular frame F is also used when the wafer unit 17 is unloaded from the chuck table after laser processing. After the frame is removed from the frame F by the sliding portion 45, the frame F in the range where the liquid protective film is removed is sucked and held by the frame suction pad 42, so that the frame F can be sucked and held reliably.

  In the above-described embodiment, the workpiece is described as being the semiconductor wafer 11, but the workpiece is not limited to the semiconductor wafer, and other wafers such as an optical device wafer, a ceramic substrate, a glass substrate, and the like. The present invention can be similarly applied to other plate-like workpieces.

2 Cutting device 6 Chuck table 16A, 16B Cutting unit 17 Wafer unit 18 Cutting blade 21 Foreign material 26 First transport unit 28 Second transport unit 40 Base part 42 Frame suction pad 44 Elastic member 45, 45A, 45B Sliding part 54 Sponge

Claims (2)

A chuck table for holding a workpiece unit in which a plate-like workpiece is supported in an opening of an annular frame via an adhesive tape, and a processing means for processing the workpiece held on the holding surface of the chuck table And a conveying device that unloads the workpiece unit from the chuck table,
The chuck table is rotatable about a rotation axis orthogonal to the holding surface;
The conveying means is
A base part including a frame suction pad for sucking and holding the upper surface of the annular frame, and a sliding part disposed in the vicinity of the frame suction pad and having an elastic member at the tip;
Moving means for moving the base portion toward and away from the chuck table,
The elastic member of the sliding portion is disposed so as to come into contact with the annular frame prior to the frame suction pad when approached to the chuck table holding the workpiece unit.
When unloading the workpiece unit from the chuck table, the base portion of the conveying means is brought close to the chuck table holding the workpiece unit, and the elastic member of the sliding portion is moved to the annular frame. In this state, the chuck table is appropriately rotated in a state where it is in contact with each other to remove foreign matters placed on the annular frame by processing, and the suction pad is placed on the annular frame in a range where the foreign matters are removed by further approaching the base portion. A processing apparatus that presses and holds the annular frame by suction.   When the frame suction pad is positioned at a position for sucking the annular frame by the approaching movement of the base portion, the pressing force pressed toward the annular frame of the elastic member of the sliding portion is released. The processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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