JP2016041468A - Dressing device, and dressing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dressing device and a dressing method, which can enhance the dressing performance of a dicing blade.SOLUTION: A dressing device for a blade 14 to cut a workpiece W comprises: a dress plate 38 (a dress member) for dressing said blade 14; imaging means 38 (observation means) for observing a cut groove formed in said dress plate 38 by said blade 14; and a controller 38 (sharpness deciding means) for deciding sharpness of said blade 14 from a state of said cut groove observed by said imaging means 38.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a dicing apparatus, and more particularly to a dicing apparatus that performs groove processing or cutting processing on a workpiece such as a wafer on which a semiconductor device or an electronic component is formed.

  A dicing machine that performs grooving or cutting on a workpiece such as a wafer on which a semiconductor device or electronic component is formed. The workpiece placed on the work table is sprinkled with grinding water or cleaning water with a dicing blade that rotates at high speed. While processing. As the dicing blade, for example, a fine diamond abrasive grain electrodeposited with Ni is used.

  In such a dicing apparatus, if the dicing blade is used repeatedly, grinding scraps accumulate between the abrasive grains, resulting in clogging, and the tip of the abrasive grains wears down, resulting in a decrease in the sharpness of the dicing blade. End up. When the sharpness of the dicing blade is reduced in this way, clogging can be eliminated by cutting grooves with a dicing blade in a dressing member called a dressing plate or dressing plate, or abrasive grains with worn tips can be removed. Thus, a work called dressing (or dressing) for creating a new cutting edge is performed.

  The dressing operation is usually performed by placing a dress member on a work table on which a work is placed by an operator and machining the dress member in the same manner as the work.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, normally, the operator performs the work of placing the dress member on the work table on which the work is placed, and the dicing is such that the dress member is automatically conveyed to the work table by the conveying device. A device has been proposed. In this dicing apparatus, a dress member is affixed to a dicing tape instead of a work and mounted on a frame, and the dress member is transported using a transport device that transports the work. However, the dressing member must be placed on the work table instead of the workpiece, and when dressing is performed during the machining of the workpiece, it is necessary to interrupt the machining and place the dressing member again instead of the workpiece. is there. For this reason, before the workpiece is placed on the work table again and the machining is resumed, an operation (alignment) for confirming the cutting position is required, which leads to a decrease in productivity.

  On the other hand, a dicing apparatus has been proposed in which a dressing operation of a dicing blade can be performed without removing the workpiece being processed from the work table (for example, see Patent Documents 2 to 4).

  Patent Document 2 describes a dicing method in which a dressing member is affixed at a position adjacent to a workpiece on a dicing tape, and the dressing member is cut in the dicing blade following the workpiece processing or prior to the workpiece processing. Has been.

  Patent Document 3 describes a dicing frame unit in which a dress member is disposed on a dicing tape using a frame itself or a cutout portion of a frame to which a workpiece is attached via a dicing tape.

In Patent Document 4, in a cutting apparatus including first and second dicing blades (cutting blades), a dress member dedicated table on which a dress member corresponding to each dicing blade is adsorbed and held is positioned adjacent to the work table. The provided cutting device is described. According to this cutting apparatus, even when the types of the first and second dicing blades are different, dressing can be performed with a dressing member suitable for each dicing blade without replacing the dressing member.

JP-A-11-204462 JP 2004-288916 A JP 2008-300555 A JP 2011-16175 A

  However, in the techniques described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, there is a limited space for the dressing member that can be placed on the dicing tape or frame, and the width of the dressing member that directly affects the dressing performance (in the grinding feed direction). It is basically difficult to increase the dimension), and there is a limit to improving the dressing performance. For this reason, there is a problem that the replacement frequency of the dress member is increased, the work load of the operator who manually performs the replacement operation of the dress member is increased, and the production capacity is inevitably reduced.

  Similarly, in the technique described in Patent Document 4, the dress member replacement operation must be performed manually by the operator, and the device must be stopped each time the dress member needs to be replaced. As a result, the production capacity is reduced.

  In order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable that the dress member can be automatically replaced. However, it is not preferable to add a new driving mechanism or the like to automatically change the dressing member because it leads to an increase in size and complexity of the apparatus. Particularly in recent years, downsizing of devices has been demanded, and there is a demand for automatic replacement of dress members with a simple configuration and high accuracy.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is possible to perform the dressing operation of the dicing blade without removing the workpiece being processed from the work table, and without causing an increase in the size of the apparatus, It is an object of the present invention to provide a dicing apparatus capable of automatically exchanging dress members with a simple configuration with high accuracy.

  In order to achieve the above object, a dicing apparatus according to the present invention includes a work table on which a work is placed, a blade for cutting the work, and a work table feed for moving the work table relative to the blade. A dicing apparatus comprising a mechanism, a spindle on which the blade is rotatably mounted, and a spindle moving mechanism that movably supports the spindle. The dicing apparatus is disposed adjacent to the work table and is integrated with the work table. A dressing member holding part configured to be able to exchangeably exchange a dressing member that dresses the blade, and a transport arm configured to be movable integrally with the spindle by the spindle moving mechanism, A dress member held by the dressing member holding portion by the transfer arm is newly added. And a, a dress member conveying mechanism for automatically replaced with.

  According to the present invention, the dressing member holding portion is arranged adjacent to the work table, and is configured to be movable integrally with the work table. Therefore, without removing the work that is processing the dressing member mechanism from the work table, It is possible to perform a dressing operation of the dicing blade. In addition, when replacing the dressing member with a new one, the dressing member is conveyed using the spindle movement mechanism, so the dressing member can be automatically and accurately replaced with a simple configuration without increasing the size of the device. It becomes possible to do.

The perspective view which showed the principal part of the dicing apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. External perspective view showing an example of a device layout of the dicing device 10 The top view which showed the apparatus layout shown in FIG. The flowchart figure which showed an example of the flow of the dicing process at the time of using an imaging means as a means to observe the state of a dress plate The side view which showed the structural example of the dicing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The schematic block diagram which showed the structural example of the dress plate conveyance arm of the dicing apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which showed a mode that a dress plate was reversed by the dress plate conveyance arm shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a dicing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of a dicing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the dicing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment mainly includes a work table 12 on which a work W is placed, blades 14 and 14 that are arranged to face each other and cut the work W, and the work table 12. The work table feed mechanism 16 that moves the workpiece W relative to the blades 14, 14, the spindles 18 and 18 to which the blades 14 and 14 are rotatably attached, and the spindle that supports the spindles 18 and 18 to be movable The moving mechanism 20, the dress plates 38, 38 for dressing the blades 14, 14, the dress plate transport mechanism 42 for transporting the dress plate 38 when the dress plate 38 is replaced with a new one, and each part of the dicing apparatus 10 And a controller 32 for controlling the operation.

  The work table feed mechanism 16 is provided with an X-axis guide rail (not shown) formed so as to extend in the X-axis direction below the work table 12. The X-axis guide rail is a guide member that guides an X table (not shown) along the X-axis direction, and the X table is driven in the X-axis direction by a drive mechanism such as a ball screw or a linear motor. Yes. A θ table (not shown) is placed on the X table, and a work table 12 is attached to the θ table. Therefore, by moving the X table along the X-axis guide rail by the drive mechanism of the work table feeding mechanism 16, the work table 12 supported by the X table via the θ table is ground and fed along the X-axis direction. The Further, the work table 12 can be rotated in the θ direction (rotation direction centered on the Z-axis direction) by the θ table.

  The upper surface of the work table 12 is formed of a porous member for adsorbing and holding the work W, and the work W is adsorbed and held on the upper surface of the work table 12 by suction means (not shown).

  An oil pan 22 that receives cutting water and cleaning water supplied to the workpiece W during processing is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the workpiece table 12. Bellows covers 26 and 26 are provided above the opening of the oil pan 22 with a table cover 24 disposed around the θ table interposed therebetween. The bellows covers 26, 26 are configured to expand and contract in accordance with the movement of the work table 12, and prevent entry of cutting water and cleaning water into the work table feed mechanism 16 disposed below the work table 12. Yes.

  The spindle moving mechanism 20 is arranged along the Y-axis direction by a portal-shaped guide base (Y base) 45, Y-axis guide rails 29 and 29 provided on the side surfaces of the guide base 45, and Y-axis guide rails 29 and 29. The Y tables 28 and 28 are driven in the Y-axis direction by a drive mechanism including a stepping motor (not shown) and a ball screw. Furthermore, each Y table 28, 28 is provided with a Z table 30 that is driven in the Z-axis direction by a guide mechanism and a drive mechanism (not shown). A high frequency motor built-in spindle 18 having a blade 14 attached to the tip is fixed to the Z table 30. As a result, the blade 14 is index-fed in the Y direction and cut and fed in the Z-axis direction.

  An imaging unit 34 for observing the upper surface of the workpiece W is attached to the Z table 30. The imaging means 34 incorporates a CCD camera (not shown), and the image of the workpiece W captured by the CCD camera is subjected to pattern matching processing by an image processing device provided in the controller 32 to align the workpiece W. It is like that. The imaging means 34 functions as a means for observing the alignment and the state of the dress plate 38 when the dress plate 38 is held and fixed to the dress base 36.

  The controller 32 controls the operation of each unit of the dicing apparatus 10 and is composed of a CPU, a memory, an input / output circuit unit, various control circuit units, and the like.

  Here, an example of the apparatus layout of the dicing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is shown in FIGS. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an example of the device layout of the dicing device 10, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device layout shown in FIG. 2 and 3, some components are not shown in order to avoid complication of the drawings. Further, the device layout of the dicing device 10 is not limited to the example shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a casing 52 that is a main body of the dicing apparatus 10 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a part of which is cut out is a work area for performing work replacement and maintenance work. It has become. On the side surface of the housing 52, an operation unit 72 for performing various operations, a monitor 74, and the like are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the plan view shape of the housing 52 is a square (hereinafter, referred to as “square housing 52”). In this rectangular casing 52, a right isosceles triangular portion at the right front corner in FIG. 3 is notched, and an oblique side edge portion 52a that forms an angle of 45 degrees with the front surface of the dicing apparatus 10 is formed. An opening 54 with an opening / closing cover is provided on the oblique side edge 52 a of the rectangular casing 52. Workpiece replacement and maintenance work can be performed on the rectangular casing 52 from the opening 54.

  On the rectangular casing 52, the work table feeding mechanism 16 is installed on a first diagonal line connecting the right front corner and the left rear corner of the rectangular casing 52, and the spindle moving mechanism 20 is disposed on the square casing 52. Are installed on a second diagonal line connecting the left front corner and the right rear corner. That is, the work table feeding mechanism 16 and the spindle moving mechanism 20 are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other. Then, a substantially central portion of the rectangular casing 52, that is, a portion where the work table feeding mechanism 16 and the spindle moving mechanism 20 are orthogonal to each other in the rectangular casing 52 is a workpiece processing section 56.

  In the present embodiment, since the work table feed mechanism 16 and the spindle moving mechanism 20 are orthogonal to each other as described above, the center of gravity position thereof substantially coincides with the center position of the dicing apparatus 10, and the dicing apparatus The balance of the entire 10 can be stabilized. Thereby, when machining the workpiece W, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of vibration due to unbalance at the center of gravity of the dicing apparatus 10, and the machining accuracy in the dicing apparatus 10 is stably maintained.

  Further, in the workpiece machining unit 56 of the present embodiment, since the moving distance of the spindles 18 and 18 holding the blades 14 and 14 can be increased according to the length of the diagonal line, the workpiece W has a large diameter. Can be cut efficiently.

  Further, the guide base 45 constituting the spindle moving mechanism 20 is configured to be shared with the support of the rectangular casing 52 of the dicing apparatus 10. Therefore, the spindle moving mechanism 20 can be efficiently arranged in the dicing apparatus 10 without specially providing a portal-type support for the spindle moving mechanism 20 having high rigidity, and the highly rigid and highly accurate dicing apparatus 10 is configured. Can do.

  A work exchanging portion 58 is provided on the right front side portion of the dicing apparatus 10. The workpiece replacement part 58 is disposed in the vicinity of the opening part 54 provided in the right front oblique side edge part 52 a of the rectangular casing 52. In this work exchanging portion 58, the work W placed on the work table 12 can be easily exchanged.

  A discharge mechanism 66 having a drain port 60 and an exhaust port 64 is connected to one end of the oil pan 22 at the left rear corner of the rectangular casing 52. When the workpiece W is cut by the blades 14 and 14 that rotate at high speed, the drain port 60 is disposed on an extension line in a direction in which cutting water and cleaning water scatter along the rotation direction of the blades 14 and 14. Further, the exhaust port 64 is formed in a substantially upper part corresponding to the drain port 60.

  Next, a characteristic configuration of the dicing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the dicing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment allows the blades 14 and 14 to be dressed without removing the workpiece W being processed from the workpiece table 12. The dress plate is positioned adjacent to the work table 12 at a position surrounded by the oil pan 22, preferably at a position adjacent to the work table 12 on the downstream side in the X-axis direction (the side where the discharge mechanism 66 is formed) from the work table 12. Dress tables 36 and 36 for holding and fixing 38 and 38 are arranged. The dress plates 38, 38 are dress members formed in a rectangular plate shape (plate shape).

  The dress stands 36 are installed on the table cover 24 and are configured to be movable in the X-axis direction integrally with the work table 12. The upper surfaces of the dress plates 38 and 38 and the upper surface of the work table 12 are arranged so that the height positions in the Z-axis direction are substantially the same (preferably the same position).

  The form of holding and fixing the dress plate 38 to the dressing table 36 is not particularly limited. For example, as with the work table 12, the upper surface of the dressing table 36 is formed of a porous member to attract the dressing plate 38. There are a mode in which the dress plate 38 is fitted and a mode in which the dress plate 38 is fitted into a frame made of metal or the like. In the case of the aspect in which the dress plate 38 is attracted and fixed, the work table 12 and the suction means can be used together, so that effective use of the apparatus space and an increase in cost can be prevented. Also, the dress plate 38 can be easily attached to and detached from the dress base 36. On the other hand, in the case of using a frame made of metal or the like, although the alignment accuracy when the dress plate 38 is fitted into the dress base 36 is required, the dress plate 38 is provided around the dress base 36 with a relatively simple configuration. It becomes possible to hold and fix. In addition, since the frame body is made of metal, the dress plate 38 can be prevented from being charged by grounding the frame body by a grounding means (not shown). As a result, it is possible to prevent the workpiece W from being charged through the blade 14 that has been dressed by the dress plate 38.

  In the present embodiment, as a preferred mode, the dress plates 38 and 38 held and fixed to the dress bases 36 and 36 are located downstream of the work table 12 in the position surrounded by the oil pan 22 (the discharge mechanism 66 is formed). However, the position where the dressing bases 36 and 36 are disposed is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and at least the position surrounded by the oil pan 22 is the position of the work table 12. What is necessary is just to arrange | position in the adjacent position. For example, although illustration is omitted, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the work table 12 is disposed upstream of the work table 12 at a position surrounded by the oil pan 22. However, according to the configuration shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the waste water and mist of cutting water and cleaning water generated during the dressing operation are not scattered to the workpiece replacement unit 58 side, but are scattered to the discharge mechanism 66 side. Therefore, the work exchanging part 58 and its peripheral part can be kept as a clean area.

  On the outside of the oil pan 22, a dress plate stock portion 40 for accommodating new (unused) and used dress plates 38 is provided in parallel. The dress plate stock portion 40 includes a first housing portion 40a in which a new dress plate 38 is housed, and a second housing portion 40b in which a used dress plate 38 is housed, and each housing portion 40a. , 40b is provided with a space for accommodating several tens (for example, 40 to 50) dress plates 38. The dress plate stock section 40 is configured to be able to be taken out of the apparatus via an opening / closing door 76 (see FIG. 2) provided on the side surface of the rectangular casing 52. As a result, the operator takes out the dress plate stock portion 40 and replenishes (adds) a new dress plate 38 to the first accommodating portion 40a, or collects the used dress plate 38 from the second accommodating portion 40b. It is possible.

  The dress plate transport mechanism 42 includes a dress plate transport arm 44 that transports the dress plate 38 between the dress base 36 and the dress plate stock unit 40. A suction pad 46 for sucking and holding the dress plate 38 is provided at the tip of the dress plate transport arm 44. The dress plate transfer arm 44 is formed in a downward L-shape, and its proximal end is fixed to the Z table 30. Accordingly, the dress plate transport arm 44 can be moved in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction integrally with the spindle 18 by the spindle moving mechanism 20. By moving the dress plate transport arm 44 using the spindle moving mechanism 20 in this way, the apparatus can be simplified without increasing the size of the apparatus as compared with the case where a dedicated mechanism is provided separately from the spindle moving mechanism 20. It becomes possible to convey the dress plate 38 with the configuration. Further, since the spindle moving mechanism 20 is configured to be capable of highly accurate position control in order to align the blade 14, it is possible to align the dress plate 38 with high accuracy.

  In the present embodiment, a configuration in which only one dress plate transport arm 44 is provided is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and each Z table 30, 30 may be provided with a dress plate transport arm 44. . The same applies to the dress plate stock portion 40, and the dress plate stock portions 40 may be arranged in parallel on both outer sides of the oil pan 22.

  Next, a dicing method using the dicing apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described.

  First, the work W is placed on the upper surface of the work table 12. In the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of reducing the size of the dicing apparatus 10, the work W is placed manually by the operator. However, a work transport mechanism for automatically transporting the work table 12 is provided. The work W stored at a predetermined position may be automatically conveyed onto the work table 12.

  Next, the work table 12 is moved by the work table feeding mechanism 16 to the work processing unit 56 located substantially at the center of the dicing apparatus 10. Then, the workpiece W placed on the workpiece table 12 is imaged by the imaging means 34, and an alignment operation for aligning a desired machining position (referred to as a street) on the workpiece W with the machining position of the blade 14 is performed.

  When the alignment operation is completed, the spindles 18 and 18 are activated to rotate the blades 14 and 14, and various nozzles (not shown) provided at the tips of the spindles 18 and 18 are used for lubrication, cooling, cleaning, and the like. Water and washing water are supplied.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the vicinity of the upstream side of the workpiece processing unit 56 (on the workpiece replacement unit 58 side), a water curtain forming nozzle 78 that injects curtain-shaped cleaning water onto the workpiece W, or curtain-shaped air. Is provided in parallel to the Y-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction. Therefore, water droplets and mist generated by the cutting water and cleaning water supplied during processing of the workpiece W and dressing of the blade 14 are generated, but the water droplets and mist do not reach other than the workpiece processing portion 56. Yes. In FIG. 1, the water curtain forming nozzle and the air curtain forming nozzle are not shown.

  In this state, the work table 12 is ground and fed in the X direction, and the spindles 18 and 18 are cut and fed in the Z direction, so that the work W is diced along the street. Each time one line is processed, the spindles 18 and 18 are indexed in the Y direction. When the processing in one direction is completed, the work table 12 is rotated 90 degrees, and the work W is diced into a lattice shape.

  The waste water of cutting water and cleaning water supplied to the workpiece W during processing is received by the oil pan 22, then flows downstream of the oil pan 22, passes through the drain pipe from the drain port 60, and is discharged to the outside. The Also, during machining, mist is scattered along with the cutting water and cleaning water along the rotation direction of the blades 14, 14, and the scattered mist rises from the workpiece processing unit 56 to the left rear corner of the rectangular casing 52. It flows toward. The mist that flows to the left rear corner of the rectangular casing 52 passes through the exhaust pipe from the exhaust port 64 provided above the drain port 60 and is discharged to the outside of the apparatus.

  When all the dicing processing of the workpiece W to be processed is completed in this way, the workpiece W is cut and divided into a large number of chips. Thereafter, the work table 12 on which the work W is placed is transported by the work table feeding mechanism 16 to a work exchanging portion 58 installed on the upstream side of the oil pan 22 and is exchanged with the work W to be processed next. Thereafter, dicing of the workpiece W to be newly processed is performed according to the above-described processing procedure.

  In the present embodiment, while the workpiece W is being diced, the blades 14 and 14 are moved to the corresponding dress plates 38 and 38, and the dressing operation is periodically performed by cutting several lines to several tens of lines. Done. At this time, as described above, the dress plates 38, 38 are arranged at positions adjacent to the work table 12 at the position surrounded by the oil pan 22, so that the dressing operation can be performed without removing the workpiece W being processed from the work table 12. Is done. This dressing operation may be performed every time one line is processed, or may be performed every time a plurality of lines are processed. About the frequency which performs a dressing operation | work, it determines suitably according to the material and processing precision of the workpiece | work W. FIG. Then, when the dressing operation is completed, the processing of the workpiece W is resumed. When performing the dressing operation in this way, the workpiece W being processed is not removed from the workpiece table 12, so that it is not necessary to perform the alignment of the workpiece W again, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in productivity. .

  In the present embodiment, the imaging means 34 is used as means for observing the state of the dress plate 38 held and fixed to the dressing table 36. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of dicing when the imaging unit 34 is used as a unit for observing the state of the dress plate 38.

  First, when the dress plate 38 is installed on the dressing table 36 (step S10), focus adjustment is performed so that the focus of the imaging means 34 is aligned with the upper surface of the dress plate 38, and the upper surface (reference surface) of the dress plate 38. Is recognized (step S12).

  Next, a dressing operation for the blade 14 is performed (step S14). At this time, as described above, the dressing operation is performed by cutting the blade 14 into the dress plate 38 by several lines to several tens of lines.

  Next, the kerf (cutting groove) formed on the dress plate 38 is observed by the imaging means 34 (step S16). At this time, the controller 38 acquires the result observed by the imaging means 34 and determines whether the blade 14 has a predetermined cutting ability (sharpness) based on the width of the kerf formed on the dress plate 38 or the like. The determination is made and the dressing operation is continued until the blade 14 obtains a predetermined cutting ability. When the predetermined cutting ability is obtained, the work W is diced (step S18).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the dicing processing of the workpiece W has been completed (step S20). This determination is made every time one line or a plurality of lines are processed on the workpiece W. When it is determined that the dicing processing of the workpiece W has been completed, the work is finished after a predetermined post-process is performed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the dicing process of the workpiece W has not been completed, it is determined whether or not the dress plate 38 needs to be replaced (step S22). Here, the determination is made based on the presence or absence of a portion that can be processed in the processing surface (upper surface) of the dress plate 38. If it is not necessary to replace the dress plate 38, the final line processed in step S14 is confirmed, and the position shifted by 1 pitch from the position is changed to the dressing start position (step S24). On the other hand, when the dress plate 38 needs to be replaced, that is, when there is no portion that can be processed within the processing surface of the dress plate 38, the dress plate 38 is replaced by the dress plate transport arm 44 (step S26). .

  In the exchange operation of the dress plate 38, the dress plate 38 to be exchanged is conveyed to the second accommodating portion 40b of the dress plate stock portion 40, and a new dress plate 38 accommodated in the first accommodating portion 40a is prepared. It is conveyed to a predetermined dressing table 36. In this way, when it is determined that the dress plate 38 needs to be replaced, the dress plate 38 is automatically replaced with a new one, so that the burden on the operator is reduced and the dressing operation can be performed in a good condition at all times. It becomes. As a result, it is possible to always maintain the cutting performance of the blades 14 and 14 and perform highly accurate dicing.

  If the dress plate transport arm 44 is provided with a plate reversing mechanism as in a third embodiment to be described later, the dress plate 38 can be reversed instead of replacing the dress plate 38. It becomes.

  After the dressing start position is changed or the dress plate 38 is replaced in this way, the process returns to step S14, and the above-described processes are repeated again.

  As described above, according to the dicing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the dressing table 36 for holding and fixing the dress plate 38 is disposed adjacent to the work table 12, and preferably the discharge mechanism 66 is formed more than the work table 12. Since the work table feeding mechanism 16 is configured to be movable integrally with the work table 12, the dressing operation of the blade 14 is performed without removing the work W being processed from the work table 12. Is possible.

  The dress plate transport arm 44 constituting the dress plate transport mechanism 42 is connected to a Z table 30 that is a support member of the spindle 18. For this reason, the dress plate transport arm 44 can be moved using the spindle moving mechanism 20. Therefore, the dressing plate 38 can be automatically and accurately replaced with a simple configuration without increasing the size of the dicing apparatus 10.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, description of parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and description will be made focusing on characteristic parts of the present embodiment.

  In the dicing apparatus 10 of the first embodiment, it is desirable that the work exchanging unit 58 for exchanging the work W is a clean environment area, but the dress table 36 is disposed adjacent to the work table 12, Contamination (such as dressing waste) generated during the dressing operation is easily brought into the workpiece replacement unit 58. As a result, when the workpiece W is exchanged, it easily adheres to the surface of the work table 12, and contamination is interposed between the workpiece W and the work table 12, which causes a decrease in alignment accuracy and processing accuracy. . Further, if the contamination generated during the dressing operation stays on the surface of the dress plate 38, the dress plate 38 is clogged, and the dressing performance as expected when the dressing operation is performed thereafter is obtained. It can cause problems that are not possible. Therefore, the second embodiment aims to solve the problem caused by contamination that occurs during the dressing operation.

  FIG. 5 is a side view showing a configuration example of the dicing apparatus according to the second embodiment. Components in FIG. 5 that are the same as those in FIGS. 1 to 3 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the dicing apparatus 10 </ b> B according to the second embodiment, the dressing base 36 is provided at the distal end portion of the L-shaped connecting member 82, and the base end portion of the connecting member 82 is the X table 25. It is being fixed to the upper surface edge part. As a result, the work table 12 and the dressing table 36 are integrally moved in the X-axis direction as the X table 25 moves.

  In addition, a shielding plate 84 is provided at a position adjacent to the workpiece changing portion 58 side of the imaging means 34, the shielding plate 84 serves as a boundary line, the workpiece changing portion 58 side serves as a clean area, and the opposite side serves as a machining area ( Dirty area). In the processing area, a spindle moving mechanism 20, a blade 14, a discharge mechanism 66, various nozzles (not shown) for supplying cutting water and cleaning water, and the like are provided. Reference numeral 88 denotes an exterior cover of the dicing apparatus 10B.

  As the arrangement configuration of the work table 12 and the dressing table 36, the stroke necessary for the dressing operation is set in a state where the work table 12 is arranged in the clean area with the shielding plate 84 interposed therebetween and the dressing table 36 is arranged in the processing area. When the horizontal distance (distance in the X-axis direction) between L1 and the rear end portion 12a of the work table 12 and the shielding plate 84 is L2, L1 ≦ L2 is satisfied. According to such an arrangement, the work table 12 is processed by the shielding plate 84 without moving to the processing area beyond the shielding plate 84 even if the dressing table 36 is moved by the stroke L1 necessary for the dressing operation. An area always exists in a partitioned clean area. For this reason, the phenomenon that the mist containing the contamination generated during the dressing operation returns to the clean area is effectively suppressed. Further, it is possible to prevent the dress plate to which contamination is attached by the dressing operation from being exposed to the clean area. As a result, it is possible to prevent contamination generated by the dressing operation from adhering to the surface of the workpiece W.

  Further, a frontage 112 having a predetermined width is formed below the shielding plate 84, and the clean area and the processing area are configured to communicate with each other via the frontage 112. It is preferable that the frontage 112 has at least a width through which the work table 12 can pass, and the frontage 112 is configured to be as narrow as possible. By configuring the front opening 112 to be narrow in this manner, a large wind pressure (wind speed) can be secured near the blade 14 from the clean area to the processing area.

  Further, in the processing area, the wall in the apparatus is gradually narrowed in the direction in which the cutting water and cleaning water scatter along the rotation direction of the blade 14, and the exhaust port 64 is provided at the tip of the wall. Air is sucked from the various positions near the blade 14 toward the exhaust port 64 with a large wind pressure.

  With this configuration, the dress plate 38 held and fixed to the dressing table 36 is not only waiting for a dressing operation (for example, when the work W is being diced), but also when the blade 14 is being dressed. In this case, it is arranged in a high wind speed region near the blade 14. Also, in the replacement operation of the dress plate 38, the dress plate 38 conveyed by the dress plate conveying mechanism 42 moves while passing through a region where the wind pressure is high.

  As a result, even if the contamination generated during the dressing operation temporarily stays on the surface of the dress plate 38, the contaminants staying on the surface of the dress plate 38 due to the wind pressure from the clean area to the processing area as described above are not exhausted. Since it is blown off to the 64 side, it is possible to prevent contamination from remaining on the surface of the dress plate 38, and the surface of the dress plate 38 is automatically revised.

  Therefore, the surface of the dress plate 38 can always be kept clean, and dressing performance when dressing the blade 14 against the dress plate 38 is improved.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, description of parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and description will be made focusing on characteristic parts of the present embodiment.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of a dress plate transfer arm of the dicing apparatus according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same components as those in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the dressing plate transport arm 44 </ b> B according to the third embodiment reverses the suction pad position adjusting mechanism 100 that adjusts the vertical position of the suction pad 46 and the front and back surfaces of the dress plate 38. A dress plate reversing mechanism 102 is provided.

  The suction pad position adjusting mechanism 100 includes an elastic member 106 that is configured to be extendable downward from an arm main body (arm base block) 104, and a suction pad 46 is fixed to the tip of the elastic member 106. For example, a conventionally known cylinder mechanism is used as a mechanism for expanding and contracting the expandable member 106. The suction pad 46 is moved up and down by expanding and contracting the expansion / contraction member 106 by a driving device (not shown). Thereby, the vertical position of the suction pad 46 can be adjusted to a desired position.

  The dress plate reversing mechanism 102 includes a pair of clamp arms 108 and 108 that are disposed on both sides of the elastic member 106 so as to extend downward from the front end surface (lower end surface) of the arm main body 104. The clamp arms 108 and 108 are configured to be movable by a minute distance in the Y-axis direction, and the distance between the clamp arms 108 and 108 (distance in the Y-axis direction) can be increased or decreased. In addition, clampers 110 and 110 are configured to be openable and closable inside the distal ends of the clamp arms 108 and 108 so that both ends of the dress plate 38 can be sandwiched and rotated about the Y-axis direction. Are provided so as to face each other. The opening / closing operation and the rotation operation of the clampers 110, 110 are driven by a driving device (not shown). The dress plate 38 can be reversed by rotating the clampers 110 and 110 180 degrees with the dress plate 38 held between the clampers 110 and 110.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the dress plate 38 is inverted by the dress plate transport arm 44B shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the inversion method of the dress plate 38 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7A, after the dress plate transport arm 44 is moved to a predetermined position (that is, above the position where the dress plate 38 is disposed), the suction pad 46 is moved downward, and the dress is transferred. The dress plate 38 on the table 36 is sucked and held by the suction pad 46. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7B, by moving the suction pad 46 upward, the suction pads 46 suck and hold the tip of the clamp arms 108 and 108, that is, the positions where the clampers 110 and 110 are formed. The dress plate 38 is moved.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7C, the both ends of the dress plate 38 are held by the operation of moving the interval between the clamp arms 108 and 108 in the direction of reducing and the closing operation of the clampers 110 and 110.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7D, after the suction holding of the dress plate 38 by the suction pad 46 is released, the suction pad 46 is moved upward, and the suction pad 46 is retracted to a predetermined retracted position. The clampers 110 and 110 are rotated 180 degrees around the Y-axis direction. Thereby, as shown in FIG.7 (e), the front and back of the dress plate 38 are reversed. The retracted position is a position where the suction pad 46 does not interfere with the dress plate 38 when the dress plate 38 is rotated.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7 (f), the suction pad 46 is moved downward to hold the dress plate 38 held between the clampers 94, 94 to the suction pad 46. Thereafter, the state in which both ends of the dress plate 38 are held is released by the operation of moving the gap between the clamp arms 108 and 108 in the direction of enlarging and the opening operation of the clampers 110 and 110.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7G, the suction pad 46 is moved downward with the dress plate 38 being sucked and held, and the dress plate 38 is placed on the dressing table 36.

  Finally, as shown in FIG. 7H, the suction holding of the dress plate 38 by the suction pad 46 is released, and the suction pad 46 is moved upward to be retracted to a predetermined position. In this way, the inversion of the dress plate 38 is completed.

  According to the present embodiment, since the dress plate transport arm 44B includes the suction pad position adjusting mechanism 100, the height position of the dress plate 38 held and fixed to the dress base 36, and the dress accommodated in the dress plate stock section 40. The height position of the suction pad 46 can be finely adjusted according to the height position (accommodated number) of the plate 38. As a result, the dress plate 38 can be sucked and transported with higher accuracy.

  Further, since the dress plate transport arm 44B includes the dress plate reversing mechanism 102, it must be accommodated in the dress plate stock section 40 as compared with the case where dressing work is performed using only one side of the dress plate 38. The number of new (preliminary) dress plates 38 that cannot be reduced can be reduced. For this reason, it is possible to save the space for the dress plate stock section 40 and to reduce the size of the apparatus.

  Although the dicing apparatus of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is.

<Appendix>
As can be understood from the description of the embodiment described in detail above, the present specification includes disclosure of various technical ideas including the invention described below.

  (Invention 1): A work table on which a work is placed, a blade for cutting the work, a work table feeding mechanism for moving the work table relative to the blade, and the blade are rotatably attached. A dicing apparatus including a spindle and a spindle moving mechanism that movably supports the spindle, the dicing apparatus being arranged adjacent to the work table, configured to be movable integrally with the work table, and dressing the blade A dressing member holding part capable of holding the dressing member to be exchanged, and a transfer arm configured to be movable integrally with the spindle by the spindle moving mechanism, and held by the dressing member holding part by the transfer arm. A dressing member conveying mechanism that automatically replaces the dressing member with a new one. Example was dicing apparatus.

  (Invention 2): The dicing apparatus according to Invention 1, wherein the transfer arm is supported by a support member common to the spindle.

  (Invention 3): The dicing apparatus according to Invention 2, wherein the support member is configured to be movable in a direction orthogonal to a relative movement direction of the work table by the work table feeding mechanism by the spindle movement mechanism. .

  (Invention 4): A work exchange part is provided at one end of the work table feeding mechanism, and waste liquid or mist splashing along the rotation direction of the blade during processing of the work is discharged to the outside at the other end. The dicing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising: a discharge mechanism for performing the operation, wherein the dressing member holding portion is provided closer to the discharge mechanism than the work table.

  (Invention 5): A shielding plate is provided between the blade and the workpiece changing portion to prevent scattering of contamination that occurs when the dressing is performed. When the dressing is performed, the workpiece changing portion side The work table, the shielding plate, and the dressing member holding portion are arranged in this order, and the amount of movement of the dressing member holding portion necessary for the dressing is L1, and the distance between the work table and the shielding plate is L2. The dicing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the dicing apparatus is configured to satisfy the following formula L1 ≦ L2.

  (Invention 6): An oil pan that receives waste liquid generated during processing of the workpiece is provided so as to surround an outer periphery of the work table, and the dress member holding portion is provided at a position surrounded by the oil pan. The dicing apparatus according to any one of?

  (Invention 7): On the outside of the oil pan, a dress member accommodating portion for accommodating a new or used dress member is provided, and the transfer arm is provided between the dress member holding portion and the dress member accommodating portion. A dicing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the dressing member is conveyed between the two.

  (Invention 8): The dicing apparatus according to any one of Inventions 1 to 7, wherein a suction pad for sucking and holding the dress member is provided at a tip portion of the transfer arm.

  (Invention 9): The dicing apparatus according to Invention 8, wherein the transfer arm is provided with a suction pad position adjustment mechanism capable of changing a height position of the suction pad.

  (Invention 10): The dicing apparatus according to Invention 9, wherein the transfer arm is provided with a dress member reversing mechanism for reversing the front and back surfaces of the dress member.

  (Invention 11): The work table feeding mechanism and the spindle moving mechanism are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other along a diagonal line of a rectangular casing formed in a square shape in plan view, and a workpiece is disposed at a substantially central portion of the rectangular casing. The dicing apparatus according to any one of inventions 1 to 10, wherein the processing portion is disposed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Dicing apparatus, 12 ... Work table, 14 ... Blade, 16 ... Work table feeding mechanism, 18 ... Spindle, 20 ... Spindle movement mechanism, 22 ... Oil pan, 24 ... Table cover, 26 ... Bellows cover, 28 ... Y table , 30 ... Z table, 32 ... controller, 34 ... imaging means, 36 ... dress table, 38 ... dress plate, 40 ... dress plate stock section, 42 ... dress plate transport mechanism, 44 ... dress plate transport arm, 46 ... suction pad , 52 ... Square housing, 54 ... Opening, 56 ... Work cutting part, 58 ... Work exchanging part, 60 ... Drainage port, 64 ... Exhaust port, 66 ... Discharge mechanism, 84 ... Shield plate, 100 ... Suction pad position Adjustment mechanism, 102 ... Dress plate reversing mechanism, 104 ... Arm main body, 106 ... Extendable member, 108 ... Clamp Over-time, 110 ... clamper

Claims (4)

A blade dressing device for cutting a workpiece,
A dressing member for dressing the blade;
An observation means for observing a cut groove formed in the dress member by the blade;
Sharpness judgment means for judging the sharpness of the blade from the state of the cut groove observed by the observation means;
Dressing device.   The dressing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit configured to perform dressing of the blade with the dress member until the blade has a predetermined sharpness based on a determination result of the sharpness determination unit. A blade dressing method for cutting a workpiece,
A dressing step for dressing the blade by forming a cut groove in a dressing member with the blade; and
An observation step of observing the cut groove formed in the dress member;
A sharpness determination step of determining the sharpness of the blade from the state of the cut groove observed in the observation step;
Dressing method. The dressing method according to claim 3, further comprising a control step of performing dressing of the blade by the dress member until the blade has a predetermined sharpness based on a determination result of the sharpness determination step.

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