JP2024008133A - Method for manufacturing electronic component and device for manufacturing electronic component - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a device for cutting a mother block more accurately without causing unexpected cutting frequently.

SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing an electronic component has a cutting step of cutting a mother block 1 having an upper main surface MF and a lower main surface MB with an internal electrode buried therein into a plurality of processed products. In the cutting step, the mother block 1 is supported by a curved supporting member 22 from the lower main surface MB side of the mother block 1. The mother block 1 is relatively cut off by a cut knife 12 from the upper main surface MF side of the mother block 1 while being supported by the supporting member 22.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic component manufacturing method and an electronic component manufacturing apparatus.

Conventionally, in the production of multilayer ceramic electronic components, methods have been proposed for cutting green sheet laminates while suppressing the occurrence of delamination. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a cutting method in which the angle and surface roughness of the blade surface are set within a predetermined range when cutting a mother block into small pieces.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-71374

Electronic components such as multilayer ceramic electronic components are becoming smaller. Therefore, there is a need for a technology that can more accurately cut mother blocks such as green sheet laminates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method for cutting a mother block with higher precision and an apparatus for cutting the mother block with less chance of unexpected cuts.

The method for manufacturing an electronic component of the present invention includes:
A method for manufacturing an electronic component, comprising a cutting step of cutting a workpiece having an upper main surface and a lower main surface in which a plurality of internal electrodes are embedded into a plurality of processed products, the method comprising:
In the cutting step,
The workpiece is supported by a curved support member from the lower main surface side of the workpiece,
The workpiece is relatively pushed off by a cutting blade from the upper main surface side of the workpiece while being supported by the support member.

Furthermore, the electronic component manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes:
a support and
A frame body that holds the periphery of the support body,
A curved support member that is pressed against the support member from one main surface side toward the other main surface side, and a curved support member that is positioned opposite to the curved support member on the other main surface side of the support member. It further includes a cut blade arranged in the
Curving the support by pressing the curved support member against the support;
By relatively pressing the cutting blade toward the curved support, the workpiece placed on the other main surface of the support is cut.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method and an apparatus for cutting a mother block more accurately, with less occurrence of unexpected cuts.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cutting device, showing an outline of the cutting device. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an outline of a ceramic green sheet on which electrodes are printed. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the mother block, showing an outline of the mother block. It is a figure showing an outline of a cutting method of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the part where the mother block is cut. It is a figure showing the outline of the cutting method of other this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the shape of the support member of other embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a conventional cutting method. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion where a mother block is cut in a conventional cutting method.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing an electronic component according to the present invention will be explained. In the following description, a multilayer ceramic capacitor will be taken up as an example of an electronic component. However, electronic components manufactured by the electronic component manufacturing method of the present invention are not limited to multilayer ceramic capacitors. The electronic component may be another component such as a laminated wiring board.

<Manufacturing method of multilayer ceramic capacitor>
Multilayer ceramic capacitors are generally manufactured through the following steps. Specifically, there is a lamination process in which a plurality of ceramic green sheets with internal electrodes provided on the surface are laminated to obtain a laminate, a pressure forming process in which the laminates are pressed together to form an unfired mother block, and an internal A first cutting step of cutting the mother block into, for example, four blocks in a cross shape according to the arrangement of the electrodes, and a pressing step of putting the cut blocks into molds and pressing them, respectively. A multilayer ceramic capacitor is manufactured through a second cutting process in which chips are obtained by cutting the pressed block into individual pieces, a firing process in which the chips are fired, and an external electrode forming process in which external electrodes are formed on the fired chips. is manufactured. The present invention relates to the first and second cutting steps among the above steps.

<Outline of cutting device>
Based on FIG. 1, a cutting device 10 used in the first and second cutting steps will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cutting device 10, showing an outline of the cutting device 10. As shown in FIG.
The cutting device 10 will be described below, taking as an example a case where the cutting device 10 is used in the first cutting process. When the cutting device 10 is used in the first cutting step, the mother block 1 as a workpiece is cut by the cut blade 12. A block as a processed product is then obtained.
Note that the cutting device 10 can also be used in the second cutting step. When the cutting device 10 is used in the second cutting step, the workpiece is a block obtained by cutting the mother block 1. The block is then cut into individual pieces by the cutting device 10 to obtain chips as processed products.

The cutting device 10 includes a cutting blade 12, a stage 16, and a camera 20.
<Cut blade>
The cut blade 12 is a part that cuts the mother block 1. The cutting blade 12 is held by a holder 14. The cutting blade 12 is a push cutting blade.
The thickness of the cutting blade 12 is preferably 0.05 mm or more and 0.25 mm or less. The cutting blade 12 is, for example, a rectangular plate. A blade is arranged on one longitudinal side of the rectangular shape. The other side is thick, and this portion is held by the holder 14.

<Stage>
The stage 16 is a portion on which the mother block 1 is placed. The mother block 1 is held on the stage 16 via a lamination jig (not shown in FIG. 1) and a holding member (not shown in FIG. 1).
The stage 16 can move or rotate the mother block 1 placed thereon. In FIG. 1, the direction of movement is indicated by arrow D1, and the direction of rotation is indicated by arrow D2. This movement and rotation is performed by the stage drive section 18.

<Camera>
The camera 20 is a part that photographs the mother block 1. The cutting device 10 performs positioning based on the image taken by the camera 20 so that the mother block 1 is cut at an appropriate position. Specifically, the stage drive unit 18 moves or rotates the stage 16 to perform positioning.
Specifically, the camera 20 may be integrated with a lighting device (not shown). Furthermore, the camera 20 may be one that captures wavelengths other than visible light such as X-rays. Further, the camera 20 is arranged so as to be able to photograph a reference mark, which will be described later, from the side of the mother block 1. Then, based on the position of the reference mark photographed by the camera 20, it is determined where in the mother block 1 the cutting blade 12 is to be inserted, and the position and orientation of the stage 16 are determined.
The stage 16 can rotate at least 90 degrees or more in the in-plane direction. For example, the first cutting is performed, and then the stage 16 is rotated 90 degrees. Then, a second cutting is performed in a direction perpendicular to the first cutting direction. Thereby, the mother block 1 can be divided into small pieces into dice-shaped blocks. Note that the mother block 1 does not necessarily have to be cut into small pieces, and may be cut into a square shape. When cutting in this manner, there is no need to provide reference marks 4, which will be described later, on the mother block 1.

<Ceramic green sheet>
The mother block 1 cut by the cutting device 10 will be described based on FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the ceramic green sheet 5 on which the internal electrodes 3 are printed.
As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of internal electrodes 3 arranged in a grid pattern and a plurality of reference marks 4 arranged near the outer periphery of the ceramic green sheet 5 are printed on the ceramic green sheet 5. .
The thickness of the ceramic green sheet 5 can be, for example, 0.4 μm or more and 5.0 μm. Further, the thickness of the internal electrode 3 can be, for example, 0.1 μm or more and 2.0 μm.
The mother block 1 is formed by laminating a plurality of ceramic green sheets 5 on which internal electrodes 3 are printed.

<Mother block>
FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the mother block 1, showing an outline of the mother block 1. As shown in FIG. The mother block 1 shown in FIG. 3 is the mother block 1 after the surplus portion has been cut so that the reference marks 4 and the internal electrodes 3 are exposed from the side surface of the mother block 1.
As described above, cutting of the mother block 1 is performed after photographing the reference mark 4 and internal electrode 3 exposed from the side surface of the mother block 1 with the camera 20 and aligning the cutting blade 12 and the mother block 1. The mother block 1 is cut at a planned cutting position L shown in FIG. 3, for example.
In the mother block 1, internal electrodes 3 are arranged at high density. For example, 50 to 2000 internal electrodes 3 are stacked on the mother block 1. Further, the distance between adjacent internal electrodes 3 in the same layer can be set to a narrow pitch of, for example, 50 μm or more and 200 μm or less.

<Details of cutting>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of the cutting method of this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the state of cutting from the side of the mother block 1.
As shown in FIG. 4, the mother block 1 is placed on a lamination jig 26.
<Lamination jig>
Lamination jig 26 includes a support body 26a and a frame body 26b.
The frame body 26b is a frame having a rectangular shape or a square shape in plan view. The frame body 26b is made of metal, for example.

<Support>
The support body 26a is a member stretched over a portion surrounded by the frame body 26b. The support body 26a may also be referred to as a base member. The support body 26a is formed of a relatively thin support body. Mother block 1 is placed and held on support 26a.
There is no limitation on the method of holding the mother block 1 on the support body 26a. For example, the mother block 1 may be held on the support body 26a via an adhesive sheet whose adhesiveness decreases as the temperature rises. In this case, the mother block 1 and the support body 26a can be easily separated by heating to reduce the adhesiveness of the adhesive sheet.
The material of the support body 26a is preferably a metal such as stainless steel. The thickness of the support body 26a can be, for example, 0.2 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. When the support 26a is made of metal, it is preferable to apply a sticky substance such as an adhesive to the surface of the support 26a, and then place the mother block 1 thereon.

<Holding member>
The lamination jig 26 is fixed to a stage (not shown in FIG. 4) by a holding member 24. Specifically, the lamination jig 26 is fixed by the holding member 24 sandwiching the frame body 26b.
The holding member 24 can be used not only to fix the lamination jig 26 to the stage, but also to transport the lamination jig 26. That is, by moving the holding member 24 while holding the frame body 26b, the lamination jig 26 and, by extension, the mother block 1 can be transported.
Further, the positioning of the mother block 1 based on the image taken by the camera 20 as described above can also be performed by moving or rotating the holding member 24.
Note that the holding member 24 may be used as separate members for conveyance and positioning.

<Cutting>
Cutting of the mother block 1 is performed as follows.
As shown in FIG. 4, the cutting blade 12 is arranged on the upper main surface side SF of the support body 26a, and the cutting blade 12 is fixed at that position. Then, the support member 22 as a push-up member is pressed against the support body 26a from the lower main surface side SB of the support body 26a. Specifically, the support member 22 is moved in the direction of arrow A.
As a result, the cutting blade 12 relatively enters into the mother block 1. As a result, the mother block 1 is cut.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the portion where the mother block 1 is cut. Based on FIG. 5, the manner in which the mother block 1 is cut will be explained in more detail.
As shown in FIG. 5, the tip 22T of the support member 22 has a curved shape. Therefore, when the support member 22 moves in the direction of arrow A and the tip portion 22T comes into contact with the support body 26a, the support body 26a curves with the upper main surface SF convex. As the support body 26a curves, the mother block 1 placed thereon also curves with its upper main surface MF convex.
Then, as the support member 22 further moves in the direction of the arrow A and the cutting blade 12 enters the mother block 1, the mother block 1 splits toward both sides of the cutting blade 12 as shown by the arrow B. Finally, the mother block 1 is cut by being pushed relatively to the cutting blade 12.

During the cutting process, a force that causes the mother block 1 to split in the direction of arrow B is applied to the mother block 1, thereby reducing the load when the cutting blade 12 enters the ceramic green sheet 5.
Furthermore, as the mother block 1 is split toward both sides of the cutting blade 12, compressive stress applied in the in-plane direction of the mother block 1, that is, in the thickness direction of the mother block 1, can be released. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the shape of the cut surface of the mother block 1 from becoming non-uniform.
Further, even if a preliminary crack occurs in the mother block 1, the direction of the preliminary crack can be guided in a direction perpendicular to the main surface of the mother block 1. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of cutting defects caused by the preceding cracks running in a direction other than perpendicular to the main surface of the mother block 1.
<Conventional cutting method>

Here, a conventional cutting method will be explained. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of a conventional cutting method.
In the conventional cutting device 100, the mother block 1 is placed on the cutting table 110 via the support 26a. Then, by moving the cutting blade 12 in the direction of arrow D, the mother block 1 is cut.

Cutting defects that occur in the conventional cutting method will be explained based on FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b). 9(a) and 9(b) are both enlarged views of the portion where the mother block is cut in the conventional cutting method. FIG. 9(a) shows a cutting failure due to a preceding crack, and FIG. 9(b) shows a cutting failure due to an oblique cut.

<Advanced crack>
The preceding crack will be explained based on FIG. 9(a).
As shown in FIG. 9A, as the cutting blade 12 moves in the direction of arrow D and enters the mother block 1, compressive stress is applied in the in-plane direction from the upper main surface MF of the mother block 1. This compressive stress causes a preliminary crack 120 in the mother block 1. The direction in which this pre-crack 120 runs cannot be controlled or predicted. This is because, unlike cutting by the cutting method of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 5, no force is applied to determine the direction in which the mother block 1 is to be cleaved.
Thus, conventional cutting methods result in a pre-crack 120 whose direction cannot be controlled, thereby causing an unexpected cut. This results in poor cutting.

<Diagonal cut>
The diagonal cut will be explained based on FIG. 9(b).
As shown in FIG. 9B, as the cutting blade 12 moves in the direction of arrow D and enters the mother block 1, the tip of the cutting blade 12 may bend. This is because when the cutting blade 12 enters the mother block 1, it receives resistance from the mother block 1. When the tip of the cutting blade 12 is bent, the cut surface of the mother block 1 becomes oblique. This is a cutting defect of the diagonal cut 130.

In recent years, multilayer ceramic capacitors have become larger in capacity and smaller in size. Therefore, internal electrodes are buried inside the mother block 1 at a high density and are pressed under high pressure. As a result, the mother block 1 has become harder. For this reason, unexpected cuts due to preceding cracks and poor cutting due to diagonal cuts are likely to occur.

In the cutting method of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the support member 22 comes into contact with the support body 26a, so that a force that causes the mother block 1 to split toward both sides of the cut blade 12 is applied to the mother block 1. can be affected. Therefore, the direction of cleavage of the mother block 1 can be determined. Therefore, a leading crack 120 whose direction cannot be controlled as shown in FIG. 9(a) is less likely to occur.
Furthermore, in the cutting method of this embodiment, a force that causes the mother block 1 to split is applied to the mother block 1 toward both sides of the cutting blade 12 . Therefore, when the cutting blade 12 enters the mother block 1, the resistance that the cutting blade 12 receives from the mother block 1 can be reduced. Therefore, diagonal cuts 130 as shown in FIG. 9(b) are less likely to occur.

<Operation during cutting process>
Typical operations in the cutting process will be described below.
The mother block 1 is taken in from the take-in section while being held by the support body 26a, and is conveyed to the processing section. A cutting device 10 is installed in the processing section.
In the processing section, the mother block 1 is cut by a cutting blade 12.
In the processing section, the following (1) to (7) are performed.
(1) The camera 20 reads the reference mark 4 from the side of the mother block 1 transported to the processing section.
(2) By finely adjusting the stage 16 in accordance with the reference mark 4, the mother block 1 is positioned in accordance with the arrangement of the cutting blade 12.
(3) The support member 22 pushes up the mother block 1 together with the support body 26a relative to the cut blade 12, and the mother block 1 is cut by the cut blade 12.
(4) The support member 22 returns to its original position and returns to (1).
(5) Cut the mother block 1 by repeating steps (1) to (5).
(6) By rotating the stage 16 and, by extension, the holding member 24, the mother block 1 is rotated 90 degrees within a plane.
(7) Repeat steps (1) to (5).
After the cutting is completed, the cut mother block 1 is conveyed to the take-out section while being held by the support body 26a, and is taken out.

<Another action>
Another operation in the cutting process will be explained.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of a cutting method that involves another operation in the cutting process.
In the cutting method explained based on FIG. 4, the cutting blade 12 was fixed. On the other hand, in the cutting method shown in FIG. 6, the cutting blade 12 is configured to move.
Specifically, the cutting blade 12 moves in conjunction with the movement of the support member 22 in the direction of arrow A, as shown by arrow C in FIG. That is, the cutting blade 12 moves in a direction approaching the support member 22 in accordance with the movement of the support member 22.
Thereby, the mother block 1 can be cut while the degree of curvature of the support body 26a and the mother block 1 is small.

In the cutting method shown in FIG. 4, the cutting blade 12 is fixed and the mother block 1 is cut only by pushing up the support member 22. Therefore, it was necessary to curve the support body 26a and the mother block 1 to the extent that the mother block 1 was completely cut.
On the other hand, in the cutting method shown in FIG. 5, the cutting blade 12 moves so as to enter the mother block 1 from the upper main surface MF side of the mother block 1. Therefore, cutting of the mother block 1 is performed not only by pushing up the support member 22 but also by the insertion of the cut blade 12. Thereby, even if the degree of curvature of the support body 26a and the mother block 1 due to the pushing up of the support member 22 is reduced, the mother block 1 can be cut.
As a result, the cutting method shown in FIG. 6 can extend the service life of the support 26a. This is because it is possible to suppress deformation of the support body 26a each time the support body 26a is cut.
Further, it is possible to suppress the force that causes the mother block 1 to bend from being applied to the mother block 1. Thereby, accumulation of internal stress in the mother block 1 can be suppressed.

<Shape of support member, etc.>
The support member 22 will be explained in more detail.
It is preferable that the material of the support member 22 has high hardness. For example, the support member 22 is preferably formed of a material having a Rockwell hardness (HRC) of 50 or more.
Note that the hardness of the support member 22 needs to be higher than the hardness of the support body 26a. Thereby, it becomes possible to curve the support body 26a by pushing up the support member 22 from below.
Further, the support member 22 is disposed opposite to the cutting blade 12 with the support body 26a interposed therebetween. The support member 22 is configured to be able to move relatively close to the cut blade 12, and moves simultaneously with the cut blade 12 so as to sandwich the support body 26a. The moving distance at that time, ie, the stroke of the support member 22, is preferably within 1 mm. This makes it possible to speed up the cutting process.

The shape of the support member 22 will be explained based on FIGS. 7(a) to 7(b).
Each figure in FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the shape of the support member 22. As shown in FIG. Each figure in FIG. 7 is a side view of the support member 22. Viewing from the side here means viewing in the longitudinal direction of the cutting edge of the cutting blade 12.
FIG. 7(a) shows the support member 22 previously described with reference to FIG. 4 and the like. In this support member 22, the tip portion 22T has a curved shape, that is, a curved surface. The radius of polarity of this curved surface is preferably 1 mm or more and 2.5 mm or less.

In the support member 22 shown in FIG. 7(b), the tip portion 22T has a triangular shape, particularly an acute-angled shape. When the tip portion 22T has a triangular shape, when the tip portion 22T comes into contact with the support body 26a, the support body 26a is curved to a smaller diameter. Therefore, the distance over which the tip portion 22T is moved to cut the mother block 1 can be shortened. Thereby, the cutting process can be made faster.

In the support member 22 shown in FIG. 7(c), the tip portion 22T is flat and substantially parallel to the lower main surface MB of the mother block 1 before cutting. When the tip 22T is flat, that is, a plane, and is substantially parallel to the lower main surface MB of the mother block 1 before cutting, when the tip 22T comes into contact with the support 26a, the support 26a This makes it easier to disperse the stress that is applied to the surface within the plane. As a result, the service life of the support body 26a can be extended.
Note that the shape of the tip end 22T of the support member 22 can be various shapes such as a curved shape, an acute angle shape, and a flat shape, as described above, but a curved shape is preferable. This is because various requirements such as the degree of curvature of the support body 26a and the mother block 1 and the time required for cutting can be achieved in a well-balanced manner.

<1>
A method for manufacturing an electronic component, comprising a cutting step of cutting a workpiece having an upper main surface and a lower main surface in which a plurality of internal electrodes are embedded into a plurality of processed products, the method comprising:
In the cutting step,
The workpiece is supported by a curved support member from the lower main surface side of the workpiece,
The workpiece is relatively pushed off by a cutting blade from the upper main surface side of the workpiece while being supported by the support member.
Method of manufacturing electronic components.

<2>
The workpiece is a mother block,
The processed product further comprises a step in which the processed product is a chipped chip.
The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to <1>.

<3>
The workpiece is a mother block,
The processed product is a block,
further comprising a pressing step of placing the blocks in molds and pressing them,
The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to <1>.

<4>
The cut blade is fixedly held, and the workpiece is cut only by a pressing force from the support member.
The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to any one of <1> to <3>.

<5>
The workpiece is supported by a bendable support,
The curved support member presses the workpiece against the blade via the support body.
The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to any one of <1> to <4>.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes and modifications can be made.

1 Mother block 2 Dielectric 3 Internal electrode 4 Reference mark 5 Ceramic green sheet 10 Cutting device 12 Cutting blade (push cutting blade)
14 Holder 16 Stage 18 Stage drive unit 20 Camera 22 Support member (push-up member)
22T Tip 24 Holding member 26 Lamination jig 26a Support (base member)
26b Frame 100 Cutting device 110 Cutting table 120 Leading crack 130 Diagonal cut MF Upper main surface of mother block MB Lower main surface of mother block SF Upper main surface of support SB Lower main surface of support L Planned cutting position

Claims (6)

A method for manufacturing an electronic component, comprising a cutting step of cutting a workpiece having an upper main surface and a lower main surface in which a plurality of internal electrodes are embedded into a plurality of processed products, the method comprising:
In the cutting step,
The workpiece is supported by a curved support member from the lower main surface side of the workpiece,
The workpiece is relatively pushed off by a cutting blade from the upper main surface side of the workpiece while being supported by the support member.
Method of manufacturing electronic components. The workpiece is a mother block,
The processed product further comprises a step in which the processed product is a chipped chip.
The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 1. The workpiece is a mother block,
The processed product is a block,
further comprising a pressing step of placing the blocks in molds and pressing them,
The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 1. The cut blade is fixedly held, and the workpiece is cut only by a pressing force from the support member.
The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The workpiece is supported by a bendable support,
The curved support member presses the workpiece against the blade via the support body.
The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 3. a support and
A frame body that holds the periphery of the support body,
A curved support member that is pressed against the support member from one main surface side toward the other main surface side, and a curved support member that is positioned opposite to the curved support member on the other main surface side of the support member. It further includes a cut blade arranged in the
Curving the support by pressing the curved support member against the support;
cutting a workpiece placed on the other main surface of the support by relatively pressing the cutting blade toward the curved support;
Electronic component manufacturing equipment.

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