JP2018181951A - Processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently process wafers of different sizes with a simple configuration without changing the external form of a device.SOLUTION: A cutting device (1) includes a cassette stage (4) capable of placing cassettes (C1, C2) for accommodating a plurality of wafers (W) supported on a ring frame (F) via a dicing tape (T) in the X direction, temporary placement means (6) that temporarily places the wafer, push-pull means (7) that transports the wafer between the temporary placement means and the cassette, a holding table (20) that holds the wafer, and transport means (24, 25) that transports the wafer between the temporary placement means and the holding table. The temporary placement means and the push-pull means have X moving means (62, 71) movable in the X direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for processing a wafer supported via a tape on a ring frame.

  Conventionally, in a cutting apparatus for cutting a wafer, the wafer is supported by a ring frame via a dicing tape (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a wafer supported by a ring frame is accommodated in a cassette having a plurality of shelves in the height direction.

  The cassette is placed on a cassette stage having an area corresponding to its size. The wafer is taken out of the cassette by a predetermined transport mechanism and transported onto a holding table. Then, the wafer is cut by a processing means such as a cutting blade, and cutting grooves are formed on the surface of the wafer, for example, along the planned dividing lines.

JP, 2011-159823, A

  By the way, wafers to be processed have various sizes, for example, a wafer having a relatively small outer diameter (hereinafter, referred to as a small diameter wafer) or a wafer having a relatively large outer diameter (hereinafter, a large diameter) There is a wafer). When processing a small diameter wafer with a processing machine dedicated to a large diameter wafer, the transfer path of the wafer is set according to the large diameter wafer, so the small diameter wafer is transferred to a predetermined location along the same transfer path as the large diameter wafer. It will be done. As a result, although the wafer is small in diameter, it is assumed that the moving distance is increased more than necessary and waste is increased. Although it is conceivable to design the processing apparatus in accordance with the size of the small diameter wafer, it is not so preferable from the viewpoint of the number of designing steps.

  The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus capable of efficiently processing wafers of different sizes with a simple configuration without changing the outer shape of the apparatus. One of the

  A processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention extends in a direction away from a cassette stage on which a cassette for storing a work set supporting a wafer at an opening of a ring frame via a tape in a shelf shape is placed. Temporary placement means for temporarily placing a workset with two rails, pulling out the workset from the cassette placed on the cassette stage and temporarily placing it on the temporary placement means, or cassetteing the workset temporarily placed on the temporary placement means Push-pull means for entering the cassette placed on the stage, loading means for loading the work set temporarily placed on the temporary placement means onto the holding table, and processing means for processing the wafer of the work set held by the holding table And Ejecting means for taking out the work set from the holding table and temporarily placing it on the temporary placement means The cassette has an opening for taking out the work set housed in the shelf or entering the work set, and the opening of at least two cassettes is in the Y direction of the extending direction of the two rails of the temporary placement means. The elevating device is provided for moving the cassette stage placed and arranged in the orthogonal X direction orthogonally to the Z direction orthogonal to the X direction and the Y direction, and the push-pull means grips the ring frame of the work set, and And Y first moving means for moving the grip in the X direction, and the temporary placement means includes the two rails. A second X moving means for moving in the X direction is provided.

  According to this configuration, a plurality of cassettes are arranged in the X direction on the cassette stage, and the push-pull unit and the temporary placement unit are moved in the X direction with respect to each cassette. It is possible to transport continuously. That is, it is possible to process more work sets continuously. Therefore, not only a wafer of a normal size but also a relatively small wafer can be efficiently processed with a simple configuration without changing the outer shape of the apparatus.

  Further, in the above-described processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the temporary placement means includes rail distance adjustment means that widens or narrows the distance between the two rails.

  Further, in the above processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the cassette stage, the elevating means, the temporary placement means, and the push-pull means constitute an integrated transport unit, and the transport unit is replaceable. I assume.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of cassettes are arranged in the X direction on the cassette stage, and the push-pull unit and the temporary placement unit are moved in the X direction according to the position of the cassette, thereby simplifying the external shape of the apparatus. With this configuration, it is possible to efficiently process wafers of different sizes.

It is an appearance perspective view of a cutting device of this embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the cassette stage unit concerning this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the push pull means which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the temporary placement means which concerns on this Embodiment. It is an upper surface schematic diagram which shows the operation example of the cutting device which concerns on this Embodiment. It is an upper surface schematic diagram which shows the operation example of the cutting device which concerns on this Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the cutting device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a cutting device according to the present embodiment. Although FIG. 1 illustrates the cutting device as the processing device, the processing device may have any configuration as long as it transports a wafer supported by a ring frame. In FIG. 1, the cassette and the work set are expressed in an exaggerated manner with respect to the cutting device for the sake of convenience. Further, in FIG. 1, the X direction indicates the processing feed direction, the Y direction indicates the index feed direction, and the Z direction indicates the vertical direction. The X, Y, Z directions are orthogonal to one another.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting apparatus 1 takes out the wafer W from the cassette C accommodating a plurality of wafers W, transports the wafer W to the holding table 20, and then cutting the wafer W on the holding table 20 by cutting means (not shown). The wafer W is configured to be cut along the dividing line L.

  The wafer W to be processed has a substantially circular shape, and a grid-like planned dividing line L is formed on the surface. Various devices (not shown) are formed in each of the areas partitioned by the planned division line L.

  A dicing tape T is attached to the back surface of the wafer W, and a ring frame F is attached to the outer periphery of the dicing tape T. The wafer W is carried into the cutting apparatus 1 in the state of the work set W1 supported by the opening of the ring frame F via the dicing tape T. The wafer W may be any one to be processed, and may be, for example, a semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer on which devices have been formed. Moreover, the dicing tape T may be a DAF (Dai Attach Film) tape in which a DAF is adhered to the tape substrate, in addition to a normal adhesive tape in which an adhesive layer is coated on the tape substrate.

  The plurality of work sets W1 are housed in a shelf shape in a cassette C having an opening for taking out or entering the work set W1 in the front. Specifically, the cassette C is a so-called open-type cassette in which the front and rear surfaces are opened, and the upper and lower ends of a pair of side walls 81 having a plurality of shelf boards 80 are connected by a connecting plate 82. A pillar member 83 extending in the vertical direction is provided inside the side wall 81, and the pillar member 83 functions as a stopper for restricting the movement of the work set W1 to the rear. Further, on the outer side of the side wall 81, a handle 84 is provided. The work set W1 is housed such that the ring frame F is placed on a pair of shelf plates 80 provided at the same height between the pair of opposing side walls 81.

  The cutting apparatus 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped case 11 covering a machining space for cutting, and a support 12 adjacent to the case 11 to form a standby space and a cleaning space. The center of the upper surface of the support 12 is opened so as to extend into the housing 11, and the opening is covered by the movable plate 13 movable with the holding table 20 and the waterproof cover 14 in a bellows shape. . Below the waterproof cover 14, a ball screw type drive mechanism (not shown) for moving the holding table 20 in the X-axis direction is provided. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the holding table 20 is moved to the outside of the housing 11 and made to stand by on the support table 12.

  The holding table 20 has a holding surface formed of a porous ceramic material, and the negative pressure generated on the holding surface suctions and holds the wafer W. Four air-driven clamps 21 are provided around the holding table 20, and the clamps 21 clamp and fix the ring frame F around the wafer W from four directions.

  On the front side of the holding table 20, a cassette stage 4 on which the cassette C is mounted is provided. Although the details will be described later, the cassette stage 4 is configured to be able to be lifted and lowered by the lifting and lowering means 5 (see FIG. 2), and adjusts the loading and unloading position of the work set W1 in the cassette C in the height direction (Z direction).

  Between the cassette stage 4 and the holding table 20, there are temporary placement means 6 for temporarily placing the work set W1 and push-pull means 7 for transporting the work set W1 between the cassette C and the temporary placement means 6. It is provided. The temporary placement means 6 has a pair of guide rails 60 extending in the Y direction. The pair of guide rails 60 is configured such that the distance in the X direction can be adjusted. The temporary placement unit 6 holds the work set W1 placed on the pair of guide rails 60, thereby positioning the work set W1 in the X direction.

  The push-pull means 7 is configured to pull out the unworked work set W1 from the cassette C onto the temporary placement means 6, while pushing the work set W1 after working from the temporary placement means 6 into the cassette C. Although the details will be described later, the cassette stage 4 (including the lifting means 5), the temporary placement means 6, and the push-pull means 7 constitute an integrated transfer unit 3 (see FIG. 2) and can be replaced. There is.

  On the back side of the holding table 20, a cleaning means 22 for cleaning the processed work set W1 is provided. The cleaning means 22 lowers the spinner table 23 holding the work set W1 into the support 12, and sprays washing water toward the work set W1 rotated at high speed to wash the work set W1. After that, the cleaning means 22 sprays dry air instead of the cleaning water to dry the work set W1.

  A first transfer means 24 is provided on the side surface of the housing 11 as a loading means for transferring the work set W1 between the temporary placement means 6 and the holding table 20. In addition, on the side surface of the housing 11, a second transfer means serving as a delivery means for transferring the work set W1 between the holding table 20 and the spinner table 23, and between the spinner table 23 and the temporary placement means 6, respectively. 25 are provided.

  The first transfer means 24 and the second transfer means 25 are configured by attaching transfer pads 24b and 25b to the lower ends of L-shaped transfer arms 24a and 25a from the side surface of the housing 11, respectively. The transfer pads 24 b and 25 b are configured to be capable of adsorbing the upper surface of the wafer W. The transfer arms 24a and 25a are vertically movable in the Z direction by a lift mechanism (not shown), and are movable in the Y direction by ball screw type drive mechanisms 26 and 27 installed on the side surfaces of the housing 11.

  A touch panel monitor 15 is installed on the front of the housing 11. The monitor 15 displays processing conditions and the like, and also displays an operation screen for setting the processing conditions and the like. In addition, the cutting device 1 is provided with control means (not shown) for overall control of each part of the device. The control means is configured by a processor that executes various processes, a memory, and the like. The memory is configured of one or more storage media such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory) depending on the application. The memory stores, for example, a control program for controlling each part of the apparatus, and a processing program for performing image processing to be described later.

  Although not shown, cutting means for cutting the wafer W on the holding table 20 with a pair of cutting blades is provided in the housing 11 and the support 12.

  In such a cutting device 1, the work set W 1 is pulled out from the cassette C by the push-pull means 7 and conveyed (temporarily placed) to the temporary placement means 6. In the temporary placement unit 6, centering of the work set W1 is performed, and the work set W1 is transported (carried in) from the temporary placement unit 6 to the holding table 20 by the first transport unit 24. The holding table 20 holding the work set W1 is moved into the housing 11, and the work set W1 is cut by the cutting means.

  After cutting, the holding table 20 is moved to the outside of the housing 11, and the work set W1 is conveyed from the holding table 20 to the spinner table 23 by the second conveying means 25. When the work set W1 is cleaned by the spinner table 23, the work set W1 is carried out of the spinner table 23 by the second transfer means 25 and transferred (temporarily placed) to the temporary placement means 6. Then, the work set W1 is returned (entered) from the temporary placement unit 6 to the cassette C by the push-pull unit 7.

  By the way, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, there are various types of wafers to be processed. For example, it may be considered to process a relatively small diameter wafer having an outer diameter of φ150 mm using a processing apparatus dedicated to a relatively large diameter wafer having an outer diameter of φ300 mm. In this case, since the transfer path of the wafer is set in accordance with the large diameter wafer, the small diameter wafer is transferred to a predetermined location along the same transfer path as the large diameter wafer. As a result, although the wafer is small in diameter, it is assumed that the moving distance is increased more than necessary and waste is increased.

  Although it is conceivable to design a processing apparatus in accordance with the size of a small-diameter wafer, it is not easy to miniaturize the apparatus in proportion to the reduction in the outer diameter of the wafer. Further, even if the apparatus is miniaturized, the movement distance (transfer distance) of the wafer can not necessarily be shortened.

  In addition, since the cutting distance by the cutting blade becomes short because the wafer becomes smaller, the wear of the cutting blade is reduced compared to the case of cutting a large diameter wafer. Therefore, it is preferable from the viewpoint of productivity that it is possible to continuously process many wafers as the wafers have a smaller diameter. In particular, if the wafer is a relatively soft material such as a raw ceramic, the wear of the cutting blade is further reduced, and thus the effect of productivity improvement by continuous processing is further expected.

  Therefore, in the processing apparatus for processing a wafer supported by a ring frame via a tape, the inventor of the present invention is a cassette for storing the wafer, a push-pull means for taking the wafer out of the cassette, and a temporary placement means for temporarily placing the wafer. Focusing on the arrangement relationship, the present invention was conceived. Specifically, in the present embodiment, a plurality of (two) cassettes C1 and C2 (see FIG. 2) are arranged in the X direction on the cassette stage 4, and the push-pull means 7 and the temporary placement means 6 are cassettes C1 and C2. It is configured to be movable in the X direction according to the position of.

  According to this configuration, by placing more cassettes C1 and C2 on the cassette stage 4, the work set W1 can be continuously transported from the cassette C. That is, it is possible to process more work sets continuously. Therefore, even a relatively small wafer can be efficiently processed with a simple configuration without changing the outer shape of the apparatus. Further, by forming the cassette stage 4 into a unit, the cassette stage 4 can be exchanged according to the size of the wafer W (the size of the cassette C). Therefore, processing corresponding to various types of wafer sizes is possible.

  Next, the conveyance unit according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the transport unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing push-pull means according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing temporary placement means according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transport unit 3 is configured by unitizing the cassette stage 4, elevating means 5 for raising and lowering the cassette stage 4, temporary placement means 6, and push-pull means 7. The transport unit 3 has a base 31 on the back surface of which a plurality of wheels 30 are attached. The base 31 has a substantially square shape in top view, and one side of the base 31 is provided with a standing wall portion 32 which rises upward. Above the base 31, a cassette stage 4 having a square shape in top view is provided.

  The cassette stage 4 has a mounting surface 40 on which two cassettes C1 and C2 can be placed in the X direction. On the mounting surface 40, positioning portions 41 for positioning the four corners of the cassettes C1 and C2 are provided. The positioning portions 41 are formed in an L shape in top view, and in the present embodiment, a total of eight positioning portions 41 are provided in accordance with the two cassettes C1 and C2. When the positioning portions 41 abut the four corners of the cassette C, the cassettes C1 and C2 are positioned. In addition, the cassette stage 4 is configured to be able to move up and down in the Z direction by the raising and lowering means 5 installed on the standing wall portion 32. The raising and lowering means 5 raises and lowers the cassette stage 4 by, for example, a ball screw type driving mechanism.

  Further, the standing wall portion 32 is provided with a power connection unit 33 and a communication connection unit 34 for connecting to a piping system, a power supply system, and a communication system of the cutting device 1. A temporary placement unit 6 is provided at the upper end of the standing wall portion 32. As shown in FIG. 3, the temporary placement unit 6 includes two guide rails 60 extending in a direction away from the cassette stage 4, a rail interval adjustment unit 61 that widens or narrows the distance between the guide rails 60, and the guides It has the X movement means 62 which moves the rail 60 and the rail space | interval adjustment means 61 to a X direction. The guide rail 60 is formed in a substantially L-shape as viewed from the extending direction, and has a mounting surface 60a on which the ring frame F is mounted, and a guide surface 60b on which the side surface of the ring frame F abuts.

  The rail interval adjustment means 61 is constituted by an air cylinder 64 provided with two rods 63 which can extend and contract in the X direction. Guide rails 60 are attached to both ends of each rod 63. By the extension and contraction of the rod 63, the distance between the two guide rails 60 is adjusted.

  The X moving means 62 is constituted by, for example, a ball screw type drive mechanism, and a pair of guide rails 66 and a ball screw 67 are provided on the upper surface of the base 65 extending in the X direction. A drive motor 68 is provided at one end of the ball screw 67, and a movable table 69 movable in the X direction along the guide rail 66 is engaged with the ball screw 67. An air cylinder 64 is attached to the upper surface of the moving table 69.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the push-pull means 7 has a gripping portion 70 for gripping the ring frame F, and X moving means 71 and Y moving means 72 for moving the gripping portion 70 in the X direction or Y direction. The Y moving means 72 is constituted by, for example, a ball screw type drive mechanism, and a guide rail 73 and a ball screw 74 are provided along a wall surface (not shown) extending in the Y direction in the housing 11. A drive motor 75 is provided at one end of the ball screw 74, and a moving portion 76 movable in the Y direction along the guide rail 73 is screwed into the ball screw 74.

  The moving portion 76 is formed of a long body extending in the Z direction, and the push-pull arm 77 is provided at the upper end thereof. The push-pull arm 77 has a substantially L shape when viewed from the Y direction, and is configured to be extensible and contractible in the Z direction. Further, on the upper surface of the push-pull arm 77 extending in the X direction, a gripping portion 70 and an X moving means 71 are provided.

  The X moving means 71 includes a guide rail 78 extending in the X direction on the top surface of the push-pull arm 77. The guide rail 78 is provided with a gripping portion 70 in a slidable manner. The X moving means 71 moves the grip 70 along the guide rail 78 by an actuator (not shown).

  The gripping portion 70 has a pair of parallel plates 79 projecting toward the cassette stage 4 side, and is configured to sandwich the ring frame F by the pair of parallel plates 79. The pair of parallel plates 79 are arranged one above the other and configured to be able to approach and separate by an actuator (for example, an air cylinder) not shown. In this case, the pair of parallel plates 79 may be configured such that only the other parallel plate 79 is movable with respect to one parallel plate 79, or both parallel plates 79 may be movable.

  Next, with reference to FIG.5 and FIG.6, conveyance operation | movement of the cutting device which concerns on this Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG.5 and FIG.6 is an upper surface schematic diagram which shows the operation example of the cutting device which concerns on this Embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 5 shows a schematic top view in the case of taking out the work set from one of the two cassettes C, and FIG. 5A-G shows its operation transition diagram. FIG. 6 shows a schematic top view in the case of taking out the work set from the other cassette C2 of the two cassettes C, and FIGS. 6A-G show its operation transition diagram. In FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, for convenience of explanation, a part of the configuration (in particular, various moving means) is omitted.

  First, the case where the work set W1 is unloaded from the cassette C1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5A, the gripping portion 70 is positioned in front of the cassette C1 by the X moving means 71 (see FIG. 4). Similar to the push-pull means 7, the temporary placement means 6 is positioned on the front of the cassette C1. Further, the distance between the pair of guide rails 60 is adjusted so as to guide the movement of the work set W1 in the cassette C1. The holding table 20 is positioned at a predetermined standby position, for example, a position where the center position of the first transport means 24 in the X direction coincides with the center of the holding table 20. Further, the cassette stage 4 is positioned at a height at which the push-pull means 7 can grip the work set W1.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the gripping portion 70 is moved toward the cassette C1 along the Y direction, and the parallel plate 79 grips the ring frame F. Next, the gripping portion 70 is moved along the Y direction toward the holding table 20 opposite to the cassette C1. As shown in FIG. 5C, the work set W1 is pulled out of the cassette C1 while being guided along the guide rails 60. Then, the work set W1 is transported to a position where the center of the holding table 20 and the center of the wafer W coincide in the Y direction.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5D, the holding of the ring frame F by the parallel plate 79 is released, and the holding portion 70 is retracted from the work set W1 along the Y direction. Next, as shown in FIG. 5E, the pair of guide rails 60 is moved in the X direction by the X moving means 62 (see FIG. 3), and the centers of the work set W1 are aligned above the holding table 20. Positioned as At this time, since the work set W1 is centered by the pair of guide rails 60, the center of the work set W1 and the center of the holding table 20 are aligned in the X direction.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5F, the first transport means 24 is moved along the Y direction and positioned above the work set W1. The first transport means 24 adjusts the height in the Z direction and suction-holds the upper surface of the work set W1 by the transport pad 24b (see FIG. 1). When the holding of the work set W1 by the first transport means 24 is completed, as shown in FIG. 5G, the pair of guide rails 6 are moved in the direction in which they are separated from each other by the rail spacing adjustment means 61 (see FIG. 3). Then, the first transport means 24 lowers the work set W1, and the work set W1 is placed on the holding table 20. Thus, the work set W1 is transported from the cassette C1 to the holding table 20.

  Thereafter, the holding table 20 is moved in the X direction into the housing 11 (see FIG. 1), and the processing is performed on the work set W1. The work set W1 after processing is cleaned as described above, and then returned to the temporary placement means 6 by the second transport means 25 (see FIG. 1). The transportation from the temporary placement unit 6 to the return to the cassette C1 is possible by reversely performing the above-described operation.

  Next, the case of carrying out the work set W1 from the cassette C2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6A, the gripping portion 70 is moved in the X direction by the X moving means 71 (see FIG. 4), and is positioned in front of the cassette C2. As shown in FIG. 6B, the gripping portion 70 is moved toward the cassette C2 along the Y direction, and the parallel plate 79 grips the ring frame F. Next, the gripping unit 70 is moved along the Y direction toward the holding table 20 opposite to the cassette C2. As shown in FIG. 6C, the work set W1 is pulled out of the cassette C2 while being guided along the guide rails 60. Then, the work set W1 is transported to a position where the center of the holding table 20 and the center of the wafer W coincide in the Y direction.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6D, the holding of the ring frame F by the parallel plate 79 is released, and the holding portion 70 is retracted from the work set W1 along the Y direction. Next, as shown in FIG. 6E, the pair of guide rails 60 is moved in the X direction by the X moving means 62 (see FIG. 3), and the centers of the work set W1 are aligned above the holding table 20. Positioned as At this time, since the work set W1 is centered by the pair of guide rails 60, the center of the work set W1 and the center of the holding table 20 are aligned in the X direction.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6F, the first transport means 24 is moved along the Y direction and positioned above the work set W1. The first transport means 24 adjusts the height in the Z direction and suction-holds the upper surface of the work set W1 by the transport pad 24b (see FIG. 1). When the holding of the work set W1 by the first transport means 24 is completed, as shown in FIG. 6G, the pair of guide rails 6 are moved in the direction in which they are separated from each other by the rail spacing adjustment means 61 (see FIG. 3). Then, the first transport means 24 lowers the work set W1, and the work set W1 is placed on the holding table 20. Thus, the work set W1 is transported from the cassette C1 to the holding table 20.

  Thereafter, in the same manner as described above, the holding table 20 is moved along the X direction into the housing 11 (see FIG. 1), and the processing is performed on the work set W1. The work set W1 after processing is cleaned as described above, and then returned to the temporary placement means 6 by the second transport means 25 (see FIG. 1). The transportation from the temporary placement unit 6 to the return to the cassette C1 is possible by reversely performing the above-described operation. As described above, by moving the gripping portion 70 and the pair of guide rails 60 in the X direction, the work set W1 is taken out from both the cassettes C1 and C2, and the processed work set W1 is transferred to the respective cassettes C1 and C2. It is possible to return.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the plurality of cassettes C1 and C2 are arranged in the X direction on the cassette stage 4, and the gripping portion 70 and the pair of guide rails 60 are arranged in the X direction with respect to each cassette C1 and C2. As a result of the movement to the position, it is possible to continuously transport the small work set W1 with respect to the cassette stage 4. That is, it is possible to process more work sets W1 continuously. Therefore, not only a wafer of a normal size but also a relatively small wafer W can be efficiently processed with a simple configuration without changing the outer shape of the apparatus. Further, by forming the cassette stage 4 into a unit, the cassette stage 4 can be replaced according to the size of the wafer W (size of the cassettes C1, C2). Therefore, processing corresponding to various types of wafer sizes is possible.

  Although the present embodiment has been described by exemplifying a cutting device for cutting a wafer as a processing device, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The present invention is applicable to other processing apparatuses for processing a wafer supported via a tape on a ring frame. For example, the present invention may be applied to other processing devices such as a laser processing device, an edge trimming device, an expanding device, a breaking device, and a cluster device combining these.

  Also, as workpieces to be processed, various workpieces such as semiconductor device wafers, optical device wafers, package substrates, semiconductor substrates, inorganic material substrates, oxide wafers, green ceramic substrates, piezoelectric substrates, etc., according to the type of processing It may be used. As a semiconductor device wafer, a silicon wafer or a compound semiconductor wafer after device formation may be used. As the optical device wafer, a sapphire wafer or a silicon carbide wafer after device formation may be used. Further, a CSP (Chip Size Package) substrate may be used as the package substrate, silicon, gallium arsenide or the like may be used as the semiconductor substrate, and sapphire, ceramics, glass or the like may be used as the inorganic material substrate. Furthermore, as the oxide wafer, lithium tantalate or lithium niobate after device formation or before device formation may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the two cassettes C1 and C2 are arranged on the cassette stage 4 side by side in the X direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The number of cassettes may be three or more. For example, another cassette may be stacked and used on the cassettes C1 and C2 aligned in the X direction. Practically, a plurality of cassettes can be stacked and up to six cassettes can be mounted on the cassette stage 4. Further, in order to carry out and carry in the wafers from the stacked cassettes, the upper portion of the lower lower cassette and the lower portion of the upper cassette are respectively provided with a convex and a concave, and the convex and the concave are engaged to overlap The registered cassettes are aligned.

  Further, in the above embodiment, a ball screw type drive mechanism has been described as an example of the drive mechanism of various moving means, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The drive mechanism may be air driven.

  Moreover, although each embodiment of this invention was described, you may combine the said embodiment and modification with the whole or partial as another embodiment of this invention.

  Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various changes, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Furthermore, if technical progress of the technology or another technology derived therefrom can realize the technical concept of the present invention in another way, it may be implemented using that method. Therefore, the claims cover all the embodiments that can be included within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

  As described above, the present invention has an effect that wafers of different sizes can be efficiently processed with a simple configuration without changing the outer shape of the apparatus, and in particular, it is possible to use a tape on a ring frame. It is useful for the processing apparatus which processes the wafer supported via it.

T dicing tape (tape)
F ring frame W wafer W1 work set C, C1, C2 cassette 1 cutting device (processing device)
20 holding table 24 first conveying means (loading means)
25 Second transportation means (delivery means)
3 Transport unit 4 Cassette stage 5 Lifting means 6 Temporary placement means 60 Guide rail (rail)
61 Rail spacing adjustment means 62 X moving means (second X moving means)
7 Push-Pull Means 70 Gripping Portion 71 X Moving Means (First X Moving Means)
72 Y moving means

Claims (3)

A cassette stage on which a cassette for storing a work set supporting a wafer at an opening of a ring frame through a tape in a shelf shape is placed;
Temporary placement means for temporarily placing a work set with two rails extending in a direction away from the cassette stage;
The work set is pulled out from the cassette placed on the cassette stage and temporarily placed on the temporary placement means, or the work set temporarily placed on the temporary placement means is pushed into the cassette placed on the cassette stage Pull means,
Carrying-in means for carrying in the work set temporarily placed on the temporary placing means onto the holding table;
Processing means for processing the wafer of the work set held by the holding table;
And a carrying out means for carrying out the work set from the holding table and temporarily placing the work set on the temporary placement means,
The cassette has an opening for taking out the shelf-set work set or for entering the work set,
The cassette stage in which the openings of at least two of the cassettes are placed side by side in the X direction orthogonal to the Y direction of the extension direction of the two rails of the temporary placement means, in the X and Y directions Equipped with lifting means for moving in the orthogonal Z direction,
The push-pull means is
A gripping unit that grips the ring frame of the work set;
Y moving means for moving the grip portion in the Y direction of the extension direction of the two rails;
First moving means for moving the holding portion in the X direction,
The temporary placement means comprises a second X moving means for moving the two rails in the X direction.   The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temporary placement means comprises rail space adjustment means for widening or narrowing the space between the two rails. The cassette stage, the elevating means, the temporary placement means, and the push-pull means constitute an integrated transfer unit,
The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport unit is replaceable.

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