JP2016041459A - Method for cutting semiconductor substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To firmly hold and highly precisely process a semiconductor substrate even when warpage has occurred due to formation of a through electrode.SOLUTION: A method for cutting a semiconductor substrate includes: a work set formation step of sticking a rear face 1b of a semiconductor substrate 1 having a metal layer 3 thereon to an adhesive tape 7 to form a work set 8 in which a ring frame 5 and the semiconductor substrate 1 are integrated with each other; a first cutting step of sucking and holding the adhesive tape 7 on a holding surface 12a of a chuck table 10, holding the ring frame 5 while positioning the upper face of the ring frame 5 lower than a surface 1a of the semiconductor substrate 1, cutting the metal layer 3 with a cutting tool 22 until a cut trace is formed on the whole surface thereof, and relaxing an internal stress; a peeling step of peeling the adhesive tape 7 from the work set 8; and a second cutting step of measuring the height of the surface 3a of the metal layer 3, and cutting the surface 1a of the semiconductor substrate 1 with the cutting tool 22 into a desired height. The warpage of the semiconductor substrate 1 is reduced, and then the semiconductor substrate 1 is directly held and cut by the chuck table 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutting method for cutting a semiconductor substrate with a cutting tool.

  In recent years, in order to meet the demand for miniaturization of semiconductor devices, attention has been paid to a three-dimensional mounting technique for connecting stacked semiconductor device chips using electrodes called through silicon vias (TSV). In this technique, for example, after grinding the back side of a semiconductor substrate made of a silicon substrate, the semiconductor substrate is etched from the back side by RIE (Reactive Ion Etching), thereby forming a via hole penetrating the semiconductor substrate. Then, an insulating film is formed in the via hole, and a through electrode is formed by injecting a conductive member such as metal into the via hole (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

  In addition, in order to form a circuit prior to the formation of the through electrode, a method of forming a through electrode by embedding a temporary filling material in the via hole and embedding a conductive member in the via hole after forming the element circuit is also proposed (for example, (See Patent Document 2 below).

  Here, for example, when a conductive member is injected from a via hole opened on the surface side of the semiconductor substrate to form a through electrode, the through electrode may protrude from the surface side of the semiconductor substrate and remain as a metal layer on the surface. is there. Therefore, the height of the through electrode is made uniform by cutting this metal layer with a cutting tool.

JP 2012-256539 A JP 2012-195514 A

  As described above, when the through electrode is formed in the via hole, the semiconductor substrate may be warped due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the semiconductor substrate and the conductive member, and warped in the chuck table during cutting with a cutting tool. There is a problem that the semiconductor substrate cannot be sucked and held well and cannot be cut. In addition, even when a via electrode is formed by embedding a temporary filling material in the via hole and a conductive member is buried in the via hole after forming the element circuit, the thermal expansion coefficient of the temporary filling material and the conductive member is different. Warpage may occur in the semiconductor substrate.

  Therefore, it is thought that if a semiconductor substrate with a warp is supported by a ring-shaped ring frame via an adhesive tape, the warp of the semiconductor substrate can be corrected and desired processing can be performed, but the adhesive tape used in that case has a thickness High accuracy is required. Also, when holding a warped semiconductor substrate on the chuck table, it is necessary to use an easily stretchable tape to position the ring frame below the chuck table. There is also a problem of being uneconomical because it is expensive.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and solves the problem of enabling a semiconductor substrate that is warped due to the formation of a through electrode to be firmly held and processed accurately. There is a problem to be solved.

  The present invention is a semiconductor substrate cutting method for cutting a semiconductor substrate having a metal layer on a surface thereof with a cutting tool, wherein an adhesive tape is attached to a ring frame having an opening in the center, and the opening is formed. A work set forming step of forming a work set by closing and adhering the back surface of the semiconductor substrate to the adhesive tape; and sucking and holding the adhesive tape of the work set on the upper surface of the chuck table and the upper surface of the ring frame A first cutting step of holding the ring frame positioned below the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and cutting the metal layer with the cutting tool until the cutting marks are formed on the entire surface of the metal layer to relieve internal stress; After the first cutting step, a peeling step for peeling the adhesive tape from the work set, and a back surface of the semiconductor substrate from which the adhesive tape has been peeled in the peeling step are attached to the chuck tape. Sucked and held by Le, measured height of the surface of the metal layer, and a second cutting step of cutting the metal layer to a predetermined height in the byte.

  In the cutting method according to the present invention, in the first cutting step, the internal stress is relieved by cutting with a cutting tool until a cutting mark is formed on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate, so that the warp of the semiconductor substrate can be corrected. . Therefore, in the second cutting step, the semiconductor substrate with the warp corrected can be directly sucked and held by the chuck table, so that the semiconductor substrate can be processed to a desired thickness with a cutting tool with high accuracy. Moreover, it is not necessary to use an adhesive tape with high thickness accuracy.

It is sectional drawing which shows a work set formation process. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which hold | maintains a work set with a chuck table. It is sectional drawing which shows a 1st cutting process. It is sectional drawing which shows a peeling process. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which measures the height of the surface of a semiconductor substrate. It is sectional drawing which shows a 2nd cutting process.

  A semiconductor substrate 1 shown in FIG. 1A is an example of a workpiece on which a through electrode (Through Silicon Via) is formed. For example, a via hole 2 penetrating from a front surface 1a to a back surface 1b is formed in a silicon substrate. An insulating layer (not shown) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the via hole 2. The insulating layer is made of an inorganic insulating material such as silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (SiN), or silicon carbide (SiC).

  In the via hole 2, a through electrode 4 is formed which is solidified by injecting a conductive member. For example, a metal such as copper (Cu) or a copper alloy is used as the conductive member. As shown in FIG. 1A, the metal layer 3 remains on the surface 1 a of the semiconductor substrate 1 as the remaining portion of the conductive member filled in the via hole 2. The semiconductor substrate 1 configured as described above is warped due to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the through electrode 4 and the semiconductor substrate 1. Hereinafter, a cutting method for removing the metal layer 3 by performing cutting with a cutting tool (hereinafter referred to as “cutting cutting”) on the metal layer 3 on the surface 1a of the semiconductor substrate 1 will be described.

(1) Workset forming step As shown in FIG. 1A, an adhesive tape 7 is attached to the lower part of an annular ring frame 5 having an opening 6 at the center to close the opening 6, and the adhesive tape 7 The surface of is exposed upward. Next, the back surface 1 b side of the semiconductor substrate 1 is attached to the surface of the adhesive tape 7. In this way, as shown in FIG. 1B, a work set 8 in which the ring frame 5 and the semiconductor substrate 1 are integrated with each other is formed via the adhesive tape 7. The adhesive tape 7 should just have a stretching property and adhesiveness.

(2) First Cutting Process After performing the work set forming process, the work set 8 is held on the chuck table 10 as shown in FIG. The chuck table 10 includes a frame body 11, a holding portion 12 having a holding surface 12 a that holds the semiconductor substrate 1, and a frame holding mechanism 13 that holds the ring frame 5. The holding unit 12 communicates with the suction source 17. A table feeding means 18 for moving the chuck table 10 in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction) is connected to the lower part of the chuck table 10. The frame holding mechanism 13 includes a frame placement portion 14 on which the ring frame 5 is placed, a shaft portion 15 attached to one end of the frame placement portion 14, and a frame placement portion 14 that rotates around the shaft portion 15. And a clamp portion 16 for fixing the ring frame 5 placed on the head.

  First, the adhesive tape 7 side of the work set 8 is placed on the holding surface 12 a of the holding portion 12, and the ring frame 5 is placed on the frame placement portion 14 via the adhesive tape 7. Thereafter, the suction force of the suction source 17 acts on the holding surface 12 a and sucks and holds the semiconductor substrate 1 via the adhesive tape 7. Further, the clamp portion 16 rotates around the shaft portion 15, and the upper surface of the ring frame 5 is pressed by the clamp portion 16 so that the upper surface of the ring frame 5 is positioned below the surface 1 a of the semiconductor substrate 1. To fix. At this time, since the adhesive tape 7 adhered to the ring frame 5 extends radially outward in the radial direction, the warp of the semiconductor substrate 1 adhered to the adhesive tape 7 is slightly reduced.

  Next, the cutting tool 20 disposed above the chuck table 10 performs cutting on the metal layer 3 on the surface 1 a of the semiconductor substrate 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting tool 20 includes a rotatable arm 21, a cutting tool 22 detachably attached to the arm 21, a rotating means 23 that rotates the arm 21, and an elevating means that moves the arm 21 up and down. 24. A controller 25 that controls the elevator 24 is connected to the elevator 24. The control means 25 includes at least a CPU and a memory, and can adjust the feed amount of the elevating means 24 in the Z-axis direction to move the cutting tool 22 to a desired height position.

  When cutting the metal layer 3 with a cutting tool, the lifting / lowering means 24 lowers the cutting tool 22 in the −Z direction under the control of the control means 25 and positions the lower end of the cutting tool 22 at a predetermined position lower than the surface of the metal layer 3. . Then, the rotating means 23 rotates, for example, in the direction of arrow A, and rotates the cutting tool 22 together with the arm 21 at a predetermined rotational speed.

  Next, while moving the chuck table 10 in, for example, the −Y direction by the table feeding means 18, the cutting tool 22 is brought into contact with the entire surface of the metal layer 3 with the cutting tool 22 that circularly moves in a direction parallel to the holding surface 12 a of the holding unit 12. Cutting is performed until formed. As a result, the internal stress remaining inside the metal layer 3 is relaxed, and the warp of the semiconductor substrate 1 is corrected.

(3) Peeling Step After the first cutting step, the work set 8 is held on the peeling table 30 and the adhesive tape 7 is peeled from the work set 8 as shown in FIG. The peeling table 30 includes a frame body 31, a holding portion 32 having a holding surface 32 a that holds the semiconductor substrate 1, and a frame support portion 33 that is formed on the outer peripheral side of the frame body 31 and supports the ring frame 5 from below. Has been. The frame support portion 33 includes a suction portion 34 that sucks and holds the ring frame 5. The holding surface 32 a and the suction part 34 of the holding part 32 communicate with the suction source 35. Further, a table feed means 36 for moving the peeling table 30 in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction) is connected to the lower part of the frame 31.

  When peeling the adhesive tape 7 from the work set 8, the work set 8 is inverted and the adhesive tape 7 faces upward so that the surface 1 a side of the semiconductor substrate 1 is placed on the holding surface 32 a of the holding portion 32, and the ring The frame 5 is placed on the suction portion 34 of the frame support portion 33. Then, the suction source 35 is activated to suck and hold the semiconductor substrate 1 with the holding surface 32 a of the holding unit 32 and suck and hold the ring frame 5 with the suction unit 34.

  When the work set 8 is held by the peeling table 30, for example, an adhesive peeling tape 38 is attached to one end of the adhesive tape 7. Subsequently, for example, while the gripping portion 37 grips and lifts the peeling tape 38, the table feeding means 36 moves the peeling table 30 in the −Y direction, for example, and peels the adhesive tape 7 from the ring frame 5 side. Then, the adhesive tape 7 is peeled from the entire back surface 1 b of the semiconductor substrate 1.

(4) 2nd cutting process After implementing a peeling process, the height of the surface of the metal layer 3 is measured, and the metal layer 3 is bite-cut until it reaches a predetermined height. First, as shown in FIG. 5, the back surface 1 b side of the semiconductor substrate 1 is placed on the holding surface 12 a of the holding unit 12, and the front surface 1 a of the semiconductor substrate 1 is turned upward. The suction force of the suction source 17 acts on the holding surface 12a, and the semiconductor substrate 1 is sucked and held by the holding unit 12.

  Thereafter, for example, the height of the surface of the metal layer 3 is measured by using a height measuring means 40 including the measuring element 41. Specifically, the height measuring means 40 measures the upper surface 3a of the metal layer 3 thinned by the first cutting process by bringing the measuring element 41 into contact with the upper surface 3a of the metal layer 3, and the measurement result is obtained. It sends to the control means 25 shown in FIG.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the metal layer 3 is cut by the cutting tool 20. Specifically, the control means 25 causes the lifting / lowering means 24 to lower the cutting tool 22 in the −Z direction by a predetermined feed amount, and positions the lower end of the cutting tool 22 at a predetermined height. Then, the rotating means 23 rotates, for example, in the direction of arrow A, and rotates the cutting tool 22 together with the arm 21 at a predetermined rotational speed. While moving the chuck table 10 in the −Y direction, for example, by the table feeding means 18, the metal layer 3 is cut by the circularly moving cutting tool 22. When the desired amount is cut, the cutting tool 22 is raised in the + Z direction by the lifting / lowering means 24 and the cutting of the cutting tool is terminated.

  As described above, in the cutting method of the present invention, the first cutting process is performed, the ring frame 5 is positioned below the surface 1a of the semiconductor substrate 1, the work set 8 is held on the chuck table 10, and the cutting tool 22 Accordingly, the internal stress is reduced by cutting until a cutting mark is formed on the metal layer 3 on the entire surface 1a of the semiconductor substrate 1, so that the warp of the semiconductor substrate 1 can be corrected. Since the second cutting process is performed after the peeling process, the semiconductor substrate 1 with reduced warpage can be directly sucked and held on the chuck table 10, and the semiconductor substrate 1 is finished to a desired thickness with high accuracy. be able to. Moreover, it is not necessary to use an adhesive tape with high thickness accuracy.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Semiconductor substrate 1a: Front surface 1b: Back surface 2: Via hole 3: Metal layer 4: Through electrode 5: Ring frame 6: Opening part 7: Adhesive tape 8: Work set 10: Chuck table 11: Frame body 12: Holding part 12a : Holding surface 13: Frame holding mechanism 14: Frame placing part 15: Shaft part 16: Clamp part 17: Suction source 18: Table feeding means 20: Tool cutting means 21 Arm 22: Tool 23: Rotating means 24: Lifting means 25 : Control means 30: Peeling table 31: Frame 32: Holding part 32 a: Holding surface 33: Frame support part 34: Suction part 35: Suction source 36: Table feeding means 37: Gripping part 38: Peeling tape 40: Height measurement Means 41: Measuring element

Claims (1)

A semiconductor substrate cutting method of cutting a semiconductor layer having a metal layer on a surface thereof with a cutting tool,
A work set forming step of sticking an adhesive tape to a ring frame having an opening in the center to close the opening and sticking a back surface of a semiconductor substrate to the adhesive tape to form a work set;
The adhesive tape of the work set is sucked and held on the upper surface of the chuck table, and the ring frame is held with the upper surface of the ring frame positioned below the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a cutting mark is formed on the entire surface of the metal layer. A first cutting step in which the metal layer is cut with the cutting tool until the internal stress is relieved,
A peeling step of peeling the adhesive tape from the work set after the first cutting step;
The back surface of the semiconductor substrate from which the adhesive tape has been peeled in the peeling step is sucked and held by the chuck table, the height of the surface of the metal layer is measured, and the metal layer is cut to a predetermined height with the cutting tool. A semiconductor substrate cutting method comprising: a second cutting step.

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