JP2023027920A - Preparation method for transportation of frame unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To confirm whether a unit for conveying frame units in a processor is adjusted to match the size of an annular frame.SOLUTION: The size of an annular frame of a frame unit in which a substrate is held through a sheet in the opening of the annular frame is registered, and a gap between the pair of guides on which the annular frame is placed is adjusted to match the registered size. Then, a suction portion 83 of a transfer arm 8 is positioned at a position where the suction portion contacts the upper surface 42 of a guide and suction is performed, and when a measured value of a pressure gauge at that time exceeds a threshold value, it is determined that the position of the suction portion 83 of the transfer arm 8 matches the size of the annular frame.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a transport preparation method for a frame unit for confirming the size of an annular frame before transporting a frame unit having a substrate held in an opening of the annular frame via a sheet.

The annular frame of the frame unit in which the substrate is supported by the annular frame through the sheet has a plurality of sizes. In various devices for processing frame units, in order to deal with annular frames of a plurality of sizes, the suction pads provided on the transport arm in the device, the frame support unit for supporting the frame around the holding table, etc. The position can be adjusted according to the size of the annular frame (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-220634 Patent No. 5956112

If the suction pads on the transfer arm or the frame support units installed around the holding table are not properly adjusted, the frame unit will be transferred without matching the size of the annular frame, resulting in an error. could have occurred.

On the other hand, it is possible to install a sensor or a camera in order to confirm whether the size of the annular frame and the size of each unit such as the frame support unit are matched, but this is costly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention addresses these problems by allowing each unit that carries or holds a frame unit within a processing apparatus to be adjusted to the size of an annular frame without increasing costs. The object is to make it possible to confirm whether or not

The present invention comprises a pair of guides supporting both ends of a frame unit in which a substrate is held in an opening of an annular frame via a sheet, a holding table including a frame supporting unit supporting the annular frame, and a substrate held by the holding table. a processing unit for processing the frame unit thus formed; and a suction unit which is installed movably according to the size of the annular frame and which suctions the annular frame, and conveys the frame unit from the guide to the holding table. A process comprising a transport arm, a pressure gauge installed in a suction path that communicates between the suction unit and the suction source, a driving unit that adjusts the interval between the guides according to the size of the annular frame, and a control unit. A transport preparation method for a frame unit in an apparatus for checking whether the suction unit is adjusted in accordance with the size of the annular frame, comprising: a size registration step of registering the size of the annular frame in the control unit; a guide adjustment step of adjusting the distance between the guides to the size registered in the size registration step; a suction step; and a first determination step of determining that the position of the suction portion of the transfer arm matches the size of the annular frame when the measured value of the pressure gauge exceeds a threshold value. .
In the frame unit transportation preparation method, when the frame support unit is installed outside the holding table so as to be movable according to the size of the annular frame, the annular frame a second suction step of positioning the suction portion determined to match the size of the frame support unit at a position in contact with the frame support unit and performing suction; and a second determining step of determining that the position of the support unit matches the size of the annular frame.

In the present invention, since the position of the suction portion of the transfer arm is confirmed based on the guide that is adjusted according to the size of the annular frame, it is possible to check whether the position of the suction portion of the transfer arm is correct without using additional components. You can check whether Therefore, it is possible to prevent an error from occurring when the frame unit is transported by the transport arm.
In addition, since the position of the frame support unit is confirmed with reference to the suction portion determined to match the size of the annular frame in the first determination step, the frame support unit can be attached to the annular frame without using any additional parts. You can check if it fits the frame size.

It is a perspective view which shows the example of the cutting apparatus which is an example of a processing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a frame unit; It is a perspective view showing an example of a holding table. It is a perspective view which shows the example of a conveyance mechanism. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which the suction portion of the transport mechanism is in contact with the guide of the positioning mechanism; FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which the suction portion of the transport mechanism is not in contact with the guide of the positioning mechanism; FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which the suction portion of the transport mechanism is in contact with the frame support unit of the holding table; FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which the suction portion of the transport mechanism is not in contact with the frame support unit of the holding table; FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state where a part of the suction portion of the transport mechanism is in contact with the frame support unit of the holding table;

1 Configuration of Cutting Device A cutting device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a device for cutting various substrates 11. The substrate 11 as a workpiece is attached to a sheet 12, and the sheet 12 closes the opening of the annular frame 13. The frame unit 10 is configured as a whole. The substrate 11, one example of which is shown in FIG. 2, is a semiconductor wafer partitioned by division lines 110 and having a plurality of devices 111 formed on its surface. The annular frame 13 has a circular inner circumference and straight portions 130 on the four sides of the outer circumference. A plurality of sizes of the annular frame 13 are prepared according to the diameter of the substrate 11 . For example, if the substrate 11 is a semiconductor wafer, the size of the substrate 11 is, for example, 6 inches and 8 inches. Annular frames 13 of different sizes have different distances 14 between two parallel straight portions 130 facing each other.

The cutting apparatus 1 includes a cassette mounting area 2 on which a cassette 21 containing a plurality of frame units 10 is mounted, a push-pull mechanism 3 for carrying the frame unit 10 in and out of the cassette 21, and a fixed frame unit 10. , a holding table 5 holding the frame unit 10, two cutting units 6 cutting the substrate 11 held on the holding table 5, and a cleaning mechanism cleaning the substrate 11 after cutting. 7 and a transfer arm 8 for transferring the frame unit 10 between the positioning mechanism 4 and the cleaning mechanism 7 .

The cassette mounting area 2 can be moved up and down. The cassette 21 has a plurality of stages of slots inside, and the frame units 10 are housed in the respective slots.

The push-pull mechanism 3 includes a clamping portion 31 that clamps the annular frame 13, an arm 32 that supports the clamping portion 31, an elevation driving portion 33 that lifts and lowers the clamping portion 31 and the arm 32 in the Z-axis direction, and A moving portion 34 for moving the elevation driving portion 33 in the Y-axis direction along the extending rail 35 is provided.

The positioning mechanism 4 has a pair of guides 41 extending in the Y-axis direction. Each guide 41 has a mounting surface 42 parallel to the XY plane on which the annular frame 13 is mounted, and a wall portion 43 erected from the end of the mounting surface 42 in the X-axis direction. The wall portion 43 of one guide 41 faces the wall portion 43 of the other guide 41 in the X-axis direction. The positioning mechanism 4 includes a drive unit 44 that drives the pair of guides 41 toward or away from each other in the X-axis direction. The interval between the two guides 41 can be adjusted by using the

The holding table 5 includes, as shown in FIG. It has two frame support units 53 and a rotary drive unit 57 that rotates them around a rotation axis in the Z-axis direction. The holding surface 510, which is the upper surface of the suction portion 51, and the upper surface 520 of the frame 52 are formed flush with each other.
Each frame support unit 53 is slidable along a pair of shafts 530 extending outward from the frame 52 and is movable according to the size of the annular frame 13 . Each frame support unit 53 includes a support plate 54 that supports the annular frame 13 from below, and a support plate 54 that is rotatable about a horizontal axis with respect to the support plate 54 and that supports the annular frame 13 mounted on the support plate 54 from above. It is composed of a pressing portion 55 that presses from the bottom and is sandwiched between the support plate 54 and a driving portion 56 that drives the pressing portion 55 to rotate.

The cutting unit 6 shown in FIG. 1 is a processing unit that performs cutting processing on the substrate 11, and the two cutting units 6 are provided with cutting blades 61 that rotate around the Y-axis direction. The two cutting units 6 are movable in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction.

The cleaning mechanism 7 has a spinner table 71 that can rotate and move up and down, holds the work unit 10 after cutting the substrate 10 and can rotate at high speed, and sprays cleaning liquid onto the substrate 11 that is held and rotated by the spinner table 71 . and a nozzle (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 4, the transfer arm 8 includes a first arm 81 extending in the X-axis direction and a pair of second arms 82 extending in the Y-axis direction that horizontally intersects the first arm 81 . , and two adsorption portions 83 attached to the lower surface side of each of the second arms 82 . The suction section 83 communicates with the negative pressure generating unit 84 via a suction path 85 . A pressure gauge 86 is also connected to the suction path 85 .
A plunger (not shown) is provided on the lower surface side of the second arm 82, and the upper surface of the first arm 81 is provided with a plurality of recessed fitted portions 810 into which the tip of the plunger is fitted. That is, the second arm 82 can be slid in the direction of the arrow 820, which is the extending direction of the first arm 81, and the tip of the plunger can be fitted into the fitted portion 810 and fixed. By changing the position of the two arms 82 , the position of the suction portion 83 can be adjusted according to the size of the annular frame 13 .
As shown in FIG. 1, the first arm 81 is supported by an elevation driving section 87 so as to be able to ascend and descend. The elevation drive unit 87 is movable in the Y-axis direction along a guide rail 88 extending in the Y-axis direction.

The cutting device 1 includes a cassette mounting area 2, a push-pull mechanism 3, a positioning mechanism 4, a holding table 5, a cutting unit 6, a cleaning mechanism 7, a transfer arm 8, and a controller 9 for controlling each unit. there is

2 Operations During Cutting In the cutting apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 , a cassette 21 in which a plurality of frame units 10 are accommodated in multiple stages is placed in the cassette placement area 2 . First, the cassette mounting area 2 is raised and lowered to align the height position of the slot in which the frame unit 10 having the substrate 11 to be cut is accommodated with the height position of the clamping portion 31 of the push-pull mechanism 3 . Then, the distance between the wall portions 43 of the two guides 41 is made slightly larger than the size of the annular frame 13, and in this state, the push-pull mechanism 3 is moved in the -Y direction, and the holding portion 31 moves the annular frame 13. , and then the push-pull mechanism 3 is moved in the +Y direction to place the frame unit 10 on the placement surface 42 of the guide 41 , and both ends of the frame unit 10 in the X-axis direction are supported by the guide 41 . . Thereafter, the holding of the annular frame 13 by the holding portion 31 is released, and the push-pull mechanism 3 is retracted in the +Y direction.

Next, the driving portion 44 moves the pair of guides 41 toward each other, and the wall portions 43 push both ends of the annular frame 13, thereby positioning the frame unit 10 at a fixed position. Then, the transfer arm 8 is moved in the -Y direction to be positioned above the frame unit 10, and in this state, the transfer arm 8 is lowered to bring the suction portion 83 into contact with the upper surface of the annular frame 13, and the suction portion 83 is moved. By communicating with the negative pressure generating unit 84, the annular frame 13 is sucked. Then, after the drive section 44 moves the pair of guides 41 away from each other, the lift drive section 87 lifts the transfer arm 8 to lift the frame unit 10 .

By moving the holding table 5 in the +X direction, it is positioned below the frame unit 10 held by the transfer arm 8 . Then, with the guides 41 separated, the elevation driving section 87 lowers the transfer arm 8 and places the frame unit 10 held by the suction section 83 on the holding table 5 . That is, the substrate 11 is placed on the holding surface 510 and the annular frame 13 is placed on the support plate 54 of the frame support unit 53 . A suction force is applied to the suction portion 51 of the holding table 5 , and the annular frame 13 is held between the support plate 54 and the holding portion 55 of the frame support unit 53 . Then, the suction of the transfer arm 8 by the suction portion 83 is released, and the elevation driving portion 87 lifts the transfer arm 8 to retreat.

Next, the holding table 5 moves in the -X direction and approaches the cutting unit 6 . After the planned division line 110 to be cut is detected, the holding table 5 moves in the -X direction and the rotating cutting blade 61 cuts the detected planned division line 110, and the planned division line 110 is cut. be. By repeating the same cutting while moving the cutting blade 61 in the Y-axis direction, all the planned division lines 110 in the same direction are cut. Further, when the holding table 5 is rotated by 90 degrees and similar cutting is performed, all the lines to be divided 110 are cut vertically and horizontally, and chips are divided into individual devices 111 .

After cutting, the holding table 5 returns to its original position (below the guide 41). Then, with the guide 41 separated, the lift driving section 87 lowers the transfer arm 8 to bring the suction section 83 into contact with the upper surface of the annular frame 13, thereby communicating the suction section 83 and the negative pressure generating unit 84. , sucks the annular frame 13 . Then, the lift driving section 87 raises the transfer arm 8 to lift the frame unit 10 above the guide 41 and bring the guide 41 slightly closer, and then lowers the transfer arm 8 to place the frame unit 10 on the guide 41. Place on surface 42 . Then, after the adsorption of the adsorption portion 83 is released and the transfer arm 8 is lifted, the guides 41 are brought closer and the wall portions 43 push the frame unit 10 from both sides, thereby positioning the frame unit 10 .

After the frame unit 10 is positioned in this manner, the lift drive unit 87 lowers the transfer arm 8 again, brings the suction unit 83 into contact with the upper surface of the annular frame 13, and communicates the suction unit 83 with the negative pressure generation unit 84 to form an annular structure. The frame 13 is sucked. After separating the guide 41, the transfer arm 8 is raised.

Next, after moving the transfer arm 8 in the +Y direction to position the frame unit 10 above the spinner table 71 of the cleaning mechanism 7, the transfer arm 8 is lowered to place the frame unit 10 on the spinner table 71. . Then, the frame unit 10 is held by suction on the spinner table 71, the suction of the suction portion 83 is released, and the transfer arm 8 is lifted. Next, the surface of the substrate 11 is cleaned by ejecting the cleaning liquid onto the substrate 11 while rotating the spinner table 71 at high speed. After the cleaning is completed, high-pressure air is jetted onto the substrate 10 to remove the cleaning liquid, the rotation of the spinner table 71 is stopped, the transfer arm 8 is lowered to bring the adsorption portion 83 into contact with the annular frame 13, and the adsorption portion 83 and the negative electrode are separated. After communicating with the pressure generating unit 84, the transfer arm 8 is raised.

Next, the transfer arm 8 is moved in the -Y direction and positioned above the guide 41 . Then, the transport arm 8 is lowered to mount the frame unit 10 on the mounting surface 42 of the guide 41 . Then, after positioning the frame unit 10 by bringing the guides 41 closer, the annular frame 13 is clamped by the clamping part 31 of the push-pull mechanism 3, and the push-pull mechanism 3 is moved in the -Y direction to return to the original slot of the cassette 21. It accommodates the frame unit 10 .

By performing the above operation for all the frame units 10 accommodated in the cassette 21, the substrates 11 constituting all the frame units 10 are cut.

3 Method of Preparing for Transportation The substrate 11 has various sizes, and the size of the annular frame 13 varies accordingly. Therefore, in cutting the substrate 11 as described above, the frame unit 10 must be smoothly transported within the cutting apparatus 1 while coping with the difference in size of the annular frame 13 . Therefore, before actual cutting is performed by the cutting device 1, it is confirmed whether the suction portion 83 of the transfer arm 8 is adjusted according to the size of the annular frame 13 as follows.

1 Size registration step The size of the annular frame 13 supporting the substrate 11 to be cut is registered in the storage unit provided in the control unit 9 . This registration is input using input means provided in the cutting apparatus 1, for example, a touch panel (not shown). For example, when it is input whether the substrate 11 is 6 inches or 8 inches, the corresponding size of the annular frame 13 may be stored in the storage unit. Also, in some cases, the size of the annular frame 13 does not match the size of the substrate 11, such as when the substrate 11 of 6 inches is supported by the annular frame 13 of 8 inches that can support 8 inches. , and the size of the substrate 11 may be input and registered in the storage unit. The size of the annular frame 13 is indicated, for example, by the distance 14 between the straight portions 130 of the annular frame 13 shown in FIG. The size of the annular frame 13 may be the inner diameter of the annular frame 13 or the size of the substrate 11 having the maximum diameter that can be supported.

2. Guide Adjusting Step Next, the controller 9 adjusts the spacing of the guides 41 of the positioning mechanism 4 so as to match the size of the annular frame 13 registered in the controller 9 in the size registration step. That is, the driving portion 44 drives the guide 41 so that the distance 45 between the two walls 43 forming the guide 41 shown in FIG. 5 is adjusted to the distance 14 shown in FIG. The distance between the two wall portions 43 is made slightly larger than the distance 14 of the annular frame 13 (about several millimeters).

3. First Suction Step After performing the guide adjustment step, the lift drive section 87 and the transfer arm 8 are moved in the Y-axis direction along the guide rail 88 shown in FIG. . Then, the lifting drive section 87 lowers the transfer arm 8 to position the suction section 83 at a position where it contacts the mounting surface 42 of the guide 41 . Then, the suction portion 83 and the negative pressure generating unit 84 are communicated with each other to apply a suction force to the suction portion 83 .

4 First Judgment Step Next, the controller 9 reads the measured value of the pressure gauge 86 shown in FIG. As shown, it is considered that the suction portion 83 is in close contact with the mounting surface 42 , so it is determined that the position of the suction portion 83 matches the size of the annular frame 13 . In the illustrated example, since there are four suction portions 83, the control portion 9 is controlled so that the absolute value of the measured value of the negative pressure exceeds the threshold value only when all of the suction portions 83 are in close contact with the mounting surface 42. A predetermined threshold value is stored in the storage unit.
On the other hand, when the absolute value of the negative pressure measured by the pressure gauge 86 is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, it is considered that the suction portion 83 is not in close contact with the mounting surface 42, and the position of the suction portion 83 is the position of the annular frame. 13 size is not supported. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the suction portion 83 is located inside the guide 41 and does not come into contact with the mounting surface 42, the suction portion 83 has a size smaller than the corresponding size of the annular frame 13. It is determined that the object is at a position corresponding to the object, and an error message is displayed on a display unit (not shown).

In the example of the transfer arm 8 shown in FIG. 4, one negative pressure generating unit 84 is connected to four suction portions 83, and one pressure gauge is provided in the suction path 85 common to all the suction portions 83. Although they are connected, a structure may be adopted in which pressure gauges are individually connected to the suction paths corresponding to the respective suction portions 83 . In that case, the negative pressure readings are individually read out, and when the absolute values of the respective negative pressure readings in all the pressure gauges exceed a predetermined threshold value, the position of the suction portion 83 reaches the position of the annular frame. It is determined that the size of 13 is suitable.

In this manner, before cutting the substrate 11 , it is determined in advance whether the suction portion 83 is suitable for the size of the annular frame 13 based on the guide 41 adjusted by the control portion 9 according to the size of the annular frame 13 . By confirming this, it is possible to prevent an error from occurring when the frame unit 10 is transported by the transport arm 8 without using additional parts or the like.

5. Second Suction Step Next, the connection between the suction portion 83 and the negative pressure generating unit 84 is released to release the suction force of the suction portion 83, the pair of guides 41 are separated, and the transport arm 8 is lowered. As shown in FIG. 7, the suction portion 83, which has been determined to match the size of the frame unit 10 in the first determination step, is attached to the support plate 54 of the frame support unit 53 constituting the holding table 5 or the pressing portion. 55 is positioned to contact. Then, the suction portion 83 and the negative pressure generating unit 84 are communicated with each other to apply a suction force to the suction portion 83 . 7, illustration of the pressing portion 55 shown in FIG. 3 is omitted.

6. Second determination step Next, the controller 9 reads the measured value of the pressure gauge 86 shown in FIG. is in close contact with the support plate 54 or the pressing portion 55 , it is determined that the position of the frame support unit 53 matches the size of the annular frame 13 . On the other hand, when the absolute value of the negative pressure measured by the pressure gauge 86 is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, it is considered that the suction portion 83 is not in close contact with the support plate 54, and the position of the frame support unit 53 is the position of the annular frame. 13 size, and displays an error message on a display unit (not shown). For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the position of the suction portion 83 is inside the support plate 54 and the suction portion 83 does not come into contact with the support plate 54 . 8, illustration of the pressing portion 55 shown in FIG. 3 is omitted.

There is also a transfer arm 8 having a long second arm 89 as shown in FIG. contact the support plate 54 and the remaining two do not contact the support plate 54 . In this case, a pressure gauge is individually connected to each suction path corresponding to each suction portion 83. For example, as shown in FIG. If the absolute value of the measured value of the negative pressure at the time of suction exceeds a predetermined value, it is determined that the frame unit 10 is supported. 9, illustration of the pressing portion 55 shown in FIG. 3 is omitted.

In this way, an additional part or the like is used to confirm the position of the frame support unit 53 of the holding table 5 with reference to the suction portion 83 determined to match the size of the annular frame 13 in the first determination step. It is possible to check whether the frame support unit 53 is suitable for the size of the annular frame 13 without any need. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an error from occurring when the transport arm 8 transports the frame unit 10 .

In this embodiment, the cutting unit 6 for processing the frame unit 10 in the cutting device 1 has been described as an example of the processing unit. There is no limitation on the target device as long as it is a device that transports the frame unit by sucking the annular frame with the suction portion.

1: Cutting device 2: Cassette placement area 21: Cassette 3: Push-pull mechanism 31: Clamping part 32: Arm 33: Lifting drive part 34: Moving part 35: Rail 4: Positioning mechanism 41: Guide 42: Placement surface 43 : wall portion 44: drive portion 5: holding table 51: suction portion 510: holding surface 52: frame body 520: upper surface 53: frame support unit 530: shaft portion 54: support plate 55: pressing portion 56: driving portion 57: rotation Drive unit 6: Cutting unit 61: Cutting blade 7: Cleaning mechanism 71: Spinner table 8: Transfer arm 81: First arm 810: Fitted portion 82: Second arm 83: Suction unit 84: Negative pressure generating unit 85: Suction path 86: Pressure gauge 87: Elevating drive unit 88: Guide rail 89: Second arm 9: Control unit 10: Frame unit 11: Substrate 110: Planned dividing line 111: Device 12: Sheet 13: Annular frame 130: Straight portion 14: Distance

Claims (2)

guides for supporting both ends of a frame unit in which the substrate is held in the opening of the annular frame via a sheet;
a holding table including a frame support unit for supporting the annular frame;
a processing unit for processing the frame units held in the holding table;
a transfer arm that is movably installed in accordance with the size of the annular frame, has a suction portion that suctions the annular frame, and transfers the frame unit from the guide to the holding table;
a pressure gauge installed in a suction path that communicates the suction unit and the suction source;
a driving unit that adjusts the distance between the guides according to the size of the annular frame;
a control unit;
A frame unit transport preparation method for checking whether the suction unit is adjusted in accordance with the size of the annular frame, in a processing apparatus comprising:
a size registration step of registering the size of the annular frame in the control unit;
a guide adjustment step of adjusting the interval of the guides to the size registered in the size registration step;
a first suction step of positioning the suction portion at a position in contact with the upper surface of the guide and sucking after the guide adjustment step;
and a first determination step of determining that the position of the suction portion of the transfer arm matches the size of the annular frame when the measured value of the pressure gauge exceeds a threshold value. How to prepare the frame unit for transportation. the frame support unit is installed outside the holding table so as to be movable according to the size of the annular frame;
a second suction step of positioning and sucking the suction portion, which has been determined to match the size of the annular frame in the first determination step, at a position in contact with the frame support unit;
a second determining step, if the pressure gauge exceeds a threshold, determining that the position of the frame support unit matches the size of the annular frame;
2. The frame unit transport preparation method according to claim 1, further comprising:

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