JP2024030018A - processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to easily and reliably diagnose the deterioration (normal or abnormal) of a suction cup in a conveyance mechanism and accurately determine the appropriate time to replace the suction cup. SOLUTION: In a cutting device (processing device) 1 that includes a chuck table 40, a processing means 50, a transport mechanism 70, and a diagnosis section 100, the transport mechanism 70 includes a transport pad 74 that includes a suction cup 75 with elastic force. and a lifting mechanism 71 that lifts and lowers the transfer pad 74, and the lifting mechanism 71 includes a ball screw 714, a motor 715, and a load current value detection section 720 that detects a load current value of the motor 715. , the diagnostic unit 100 presses the suction cup 75 against the contact surface, communicates the suction cup 75 with the suction source 78, and operates the lifting mechanism 71 to raise the transport pad 74 a predetermined distance Δh from the contact surface. If the load current value detected by the current value detection unit 720 is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value, the suction cup 75 is diagnosed as normal, and if it does not reach the threshold value, the suction cup 75 is diagnosed as abnormal. [Selection diagram] Figure 2

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a processing apparatus that includes a transport mechanism that suctions and holds a workpiece such as a wafer using a suction cup and transports the workpiece.

For example, in a processing apparatus that processes thin disk-shaped wafers, a work set in which a ring frame and a wafer are attached with tape is suction-held by a transport mechanism and transported to a predetermined position. Here, the transport mechanism includes a transport pad including a plurality of rubber suction cups that are in close contact with the upper surface of the ring frame of the work set and suck the ring frame, an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the transport pad, and a lift mechanism that suctions the suction cups. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

In such a transport mechanism, a plurality of suction cups provided on the transport pad are communicated with a suction source to generate suction force (negative pressure) in each suction cup to suction and hold the work set.

However, when the suction cup deteriorates and its elasticity (flexibility) decreases, a slight gap occurs between the suction cup and the ring frame of the work set, and air leaks from this gap, causing the suction cup to have insufficient elasticity (flexibility). No suction force is generated. For this reason, a problem arises in that the work set falls from the transport pad during transport, and the wafers attached to the ring frame with the tape in this work set are damaged.

JP2019-057618A

However, at present, there is no established method for diagnosing deterioration of the suction cup, and for example, it is not possible to accurately determine the appropriate time to replace the suction cup. For this reason, even though the suction cup is still fully usable, there is a possibility that it would be wasteful to replace the suction cup with a new one.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to easily and reliably diagnose the deterioration (normal or abnormal) of the suction cup of the conveyance mechanism and to accurately determine the appropriate time to replace the suction cup. The objective is to provide processing equipment that can.

To achieve the above object, the present invention includes a chuck table that holds a workpiece on a holding surface, a processing means for processing the workpiece held on the holding surface, and a chuck table that holds a workpiece on a holding surface. A processing device comprising a conveyance mechanism for carrying in or taking out a workpiece, and a diagnosis section, the conveyance mechanism comprising a conveyance pad having an elastic suction cup that sucks the upper surface of the workpiece, and a conveyance pad for raising and lowering the conveyance pad. an elevating mechanism, the elevating mechanism includes a ball screw, a motor that rotates the ball screw, and a load current value detection section that detects a load current value of the motor, and the diagnostic section is configured to detect whether the suction cup is Pressing the lower surface of the suction cup against a suctionable contact surface to communicate the suction cup with a suction source; and applying the load current when activating the lifting mechanism to raise the transfer pad to a predetermined distance from the contact surface. The present invention is characterized in that when the load current value detected by the value detection section is equal to or higher than a preset threshold value, the suction cup is diagnosed as normal, and when the value does not reach the threshold value, the suction cup is diagnosed as abnormal.

According to the present invention, the diagnostic unit 100 is configured to bring the suction cup 75 into contact with the contact surface of the frame guide 30 capable of suction, and to connect the suction cup 75 to the suction source 78 (the suction cup 75 is brought into contact with the contact surface of the frame guide 30). The load current value I of the motor 715 detected by the load current value detection unit 720 when the lifting mechanism 71 is operated to raise the transport pad 74 by a predetermined distance Δh from the contact surface of the guide frame 30 The suction cup 75 is diagnosed as being normal if it is equal to or greater than the preset threshold value Ith (I≧Ith), and the suction cup 75 is diagnosed as being abnormal if it does not reach the threshold value Ith (I<Ith). It is possible to easily and reliably diagnose the deterioration (normal or abnormal) of the suction cup 75 of the first conveyance mechanism 70, and to accurately determine the appropriate time to replace the suction cup 75.

1 is a perspective view of a cutting device that is one form of a processing device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a state in which a suction cup is being diagnosed using the frame guide of the cutting device according to the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the diagnostic procedure of the suction cup by the diagnostic part in the cutting device based on this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the rising height of the suction cup and the load current value of the motor of the lifting mechanism when diagnosing the suction cup in the cutting device according to the present invention. (a) to (d) are diagrams showing the state of the suction cup at the time of diagnosis. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a state in which a suction cup is being diagnosed on the chuck table of the cutting device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a state in which a suction cup is being diagnosed on the spinner table of the cutting device according to the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the accompanying drawings.

[Configuration of processing equipment]
First, the overall configuration of a cutting device as one form of a processing device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. In the following description, the left-right direction in FIG. 1 is referred to as the X-axis direction, the front-back direction as the Y-axis direction, and the up-down direction as the Z-axis direction.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting device according to the present invention. 1 includes a cassette stage 10 on which a cassette 11 (only one of which is shown) is placed, a drawer mechanism 20 that pulls out a work set WS from the cassette 11 placed on the cassette stage 10, and a drawer mechanism 20 that pulls out a work set WS. A pair of frame guides 30 for temporarily placing the pulled out work set WS, a chuck table 40 for holding the work set WS, and a processing means 50 for cutting the wafer W included in the work set WS held by the chuck table 40. A first transport mechanism 70 that carries the work set WS into the chuck table 40, a second transport mechanism 80 that carries the work set WS out from the chuck table 40, and a spinner cleaning mechanism 90 that washes the wafer W after cutting. The main component includes a diagnostic section 100 (see FIG. 2) that diagnoses whether each of the four suction cups 75, 85 of the first transport mechanism 70 and the second transport mechanism 80 is normal or abnormal.

Next, the main elements constituting the cutting device 1 are the cassette stage 10, the drawer mechanism 20, the frame guide 30, the chuck table 40, the processing means 50, and the first and second transport mechanisms 70, 80. , the spinner cleaning mechanism 90, and the diagnostic section 100 will be explained respectively.

(cassette stage)
The cutting device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a base 2 that supports each component. A rectangular opening 3 that is long in the X-axis direction is opened in the center of the base 2 in the Y-axis direction, and the right (+X-axis direction) corner of the front (-Y-axis direction) of this opening 3 is opened. is provided with a cassette stage 10 that is raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by a lifting mechanism (not shown). On the upper surface of this cassette stage 10, there is a rectangular box-shaped cassette 11 that accommodates a plurality of work sets WS (only one is shown in FIG. 1) including disk-shaped wafers W as workpieces. It is located. In addition, in FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, only the outline of the cassette 11 is shown by a chain line.

Here, the surface (top surface in FIG. 1) of the wafer W is divided into a large number of rectangular areas by dividing lines called streets arranged in a grid pattern, and each rectangular area includes ICs and Devices such as LSIs are formed respectively. Then, by cutting the wafer W on which a large number of devices are formed along the streets, a plurality of semiconductor chips are formed. Note that a tape T is attached to the wafer W and the ring frame F to form a work set WS in which the two are integrated.

(drawer mechanism)
The pull-out mechanism 20 is a mechanism that pulls out one work set WS from the cassette 11 in the +Y-axis direction (rearward), and extends along the Y-axis direction (front-back direction) on the +X-axis direction end surface (right end surface) of the base 2 It includes a ball screw 21 and a guide rail 22 arranged vertically in parallel, and an inverted L-shaped drawer arm 23 that moves along the ball screw 21 and guide rail 22 in the Y-axis direction (back and forth direction).

Here, a motor 24 as a drive source is provided at one axial end (left end in FIG. 1) of the ball screw 21, and the other axial end (right end in FIG. 1) is attached to the base 2 by a bearing 25. Rotatably supported. A lower end portion of the vertical portion 23a of the drawer arm 23 is slidably inserted and supported by the guide rail 22, and a ball screw 21 is threadedly inserted into the intermediate portion of the vertical portion 23a in the height direction. Further, a grip portion 26 for holding the work set WS is provided at the tip of a horizontal portion 23b that is bent vertically from the upper end of the vertical portion 23a of the pull-out arm 23 and extends horizontally in the -X axis direction (to the left). It is being

(Frame guide)
The frame guides 30 are a pair of left and right members that are bent in an inverted L shape and temporarily hold the work set WS pulled out from the cassette 11 by the drawer mechanism 20. can move in opposite directions in the left-right direction (X-axis) along a slit-shaped guide hole 2a formed linearly along the X-axis direction (left-right direction) on the upper surface of the device. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, each frame guide 30 has its vertical portion 30a inserted into the guide hole 2a, and the horizontal portion 30b extends from the upper end of each vertical portion 30a in the +Y axis direction (rearward). They extend horizontally and parallel to each other. Here, the pair of frame guides 30 are moved in opposite directions along the X-axis direction (left-right direction) by a moving mechanism (not shown) provided inside the base 2, thereby increasing the distance between them. Or shrink.

(Chuck table)
The chuck table 40 is a disc-shaped member that holds the work set WS, and is arranged so that its holding surface (upper surface) is exposed in the opening 3 that opens on the upper surface of the base 2. Around this chuck table 40, four clamps 41 for fixing the ring frame F (see FIG. 1) of the work set WS from all sides are arranged at equal angular pitches (90° pitch) in the circumferential direction. ing.

Here, the chuck table 40 is rotated around a vertical axis by a rotation drive mechanism (not shown) disposed below, and is driven along the X-axis by an X-axis movement mechanism (not shown) disposed below. It can move back and forth along the direction (left and right). The periphery of the chuck table 40 in the opening 3 is covered with a rectangular plate-shaped cover 4 that moves together with the chuck table 40, and both sides (left and right) in the X-axis direction of the cover 4 in the opening 3 are covered with the cover 4. They are each covered by a bellows-shaped telescopic cover 5 that expands and contracts while moving in the X-axis direction. Therefore, the opening 3 of the base 2 is always closed by the cover 4 and the telescopic cover 5, no matter where the chuck table 40 is located on the X-axis. Intrusion of foreign objects etc. is reliably prevented.

(Processing means)
The cutting device 1 according to the present embodiment, which is a dual dicer, has a first cutting unit 51 and a second cutting unit arranged in parallel on the left side (-X axis side) of the base 2 as processing means (cutting means). It is equipped with 52. The first cutting unit 51 and the second cutting unit 52 are arranged opposite to each other on both front and rear sides (−Y-axis side and +Y-axis side) of the base 2 with the opening 3 opened on the top surface of the base 2 in between. An imaging unit 53 is attached to each of the first cutting unit 51 and the second cutting unit 252. Here, each imaging unit 53 images the wafer W held on the holding surface of the chuck table 40 to detect the street position.

Further, the first cutting unit 51 and the second cutting unit 52 can be moved up and down in the Z-axis direction (cutting feed direction) by a pair of front and rear Z-axis direction movement mechanisms 55, and can also be moved up and down in the Z-axis direction (cutting feed direction) by a pair of front and rear Y-axis direction movement mechanisms. 60 allows forward and backward movement in the Y-axis direction (index feed direction).

Here, each Z-axis direction movement mechanism 55 includes a pair of Z-axis guide rails 56 arranged vertically and parallel to each other before and after a slider 61 in the shape of a rectangular plate, and a pair of Z-axis guide rails 56 arranged vertically in parallel with each other, and vertically arranged along these Z-axis guide rails 56. A movable lift plate 57, a rotatable Z-axis ball screw 58 vertically arranged between a pair of Z-axis guide rails 56, and a forward-reversible Z-axis pulse motor 59 that rotationally drives the Z-axis ball screw 58. It is composed of each. The first cutting unit 51 and the imaging unit 53 and the second cutting unit 52 and the imaging unit 53 are respectively attached to the lower part of each elevating plate 57. Note that a nut member (not shown) is protruded from the back surface of each elevating plate 57, and a Z-axis ball screw 58 is threadedly inserted into the nut member.

In the Z-axis direction movement mechanism 55 configured as described above, when the Z-axis pulse motor 59 is driven and the Z-axis ball screw 58 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions, a nut member (not shown) that is screwed onto the Z-axis ball screw 58 projects. Since the lifted/lowered plates 57 move up and down along the pair of Z-axis guide rails 56, the first cutting unit 51, imaging unit 53, second cutting unit 52, and imaging unit 53 attached to each lifting plate 57 also move up and down along the pair of Z-axis guide rails 56. Moves up and down along the Z-axis direction (cutting feed direction).

Further, each of the pair of front and rear Y-axis direction moving mechanisms 60 is provided with the slider 61, and these sliders 61 are arranged in a Y-axis direction in front of a gate-shaped column 62 vertically installed on the base 2. It is movable along the Y-axis direction along a pair of upper and lower Y-axis guide rails 63 that are arranged parallel to each other along the axial direction (front-back direction).

In the pair of front and rear Y-axis direction movement mechanisms 60, between the pair of upper and lower Y-axis guide rails 63, there are a pair of upper and lower rotatable Y-axis ball screws 64 arranged along the Y-axis direction (front and rear direction). are arranged, and nut members (not shown) protruding from the back surfaces of each of the pair of front and rear sliders 61 are screwed into these Y-axis ball screws 64, respectively. Further, one axial end of each Y-axis ball screw 64 is connected to a Y-axis pulse motor 65 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1), which is a rotational drive source.

Therefore, in each Y-axis direction movement mechanism 60, when the Y-axis pulse motor 65 is driven to rotate the Y-axis ball screws 64 in the forward and reverse directions, a nut member (not shown) that is screwed into these Y-axis ball screws 64 is protruded. A pair of front and rear sliders 61 can each move along the Y-axis guide rail 63 together with the elevating plate 57 in the Y-axis direction (index feed direction). Therefore, the first cutting unit 51, the imaging unit 53, the second cutting unit 52, and the imaging unit 53, which are respectively attached to the elevating plate 57, move in the Y-axis direction (index feed direction) along the Y-axis guide rail 63. can do.

As described above, in the cutting apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, the chuck table 40 and the wafer W (work set WS) held thereon are movable along the The unit 51, the imaging unit 53, the second cutting unit 52, and the imaging unit 53 are movable along the Y-axis direction (front-back direction) and the Z-axis direction (up-down direction), respectively.

(First and second transport mechanism)
The first transport mechanism 70 suction-holds the work set WS, which has been pulled out from the cassette 11 by the pull-out mechanism 20 and temporarily placed on the pair of left and right frame guides 30, and transports it to the chuck table 40. It is possible to move up and down in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) by an elevating mechanism 71 shown in FIG. 2, and to move horizontally on the XY plane by a moving mechanism (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the elevating mechanism 71 has a pair of guide rails 712 attached perpendicularly and parallel to each other to a vertically erected base plate 711, and a vertical direction (Z-axis) along these guide rails 712. It is equipped with a slider 713 that moves up and down in the direction). A rotatable ball screw 714 is vertically arranged between the pair of guide rails 712, and the upper end of this ball screw 714 is connected to a motor 715 that is a rotational drive source. Further, the lower end of the ball screw 714 is rotatably supported by the base plate 711 by a bearing 716. Here, a nut member (not shown) protrudes from the back surface of the slider 713, and a ball screw 714 is threadedly inserted into this nut member.

A load current value detection unit 720 that detects the load current value of the motor 715 is electrically connected to the motor 715, and a diagnosis unit 100 is electrically connected to the load current value detection unit 720. has been done.

By the way, as shown in detail in FIG. 2, the first conveyance mechanism 70 includes an H-shaped conveyance pad 74 attached to the tip of an L-shaped stay 73 attached to the lower end of the vertical rod 72. Suction cups 75 are attached to each of the four corners of the transport pad 74. Here, the rod 72 is connected to a slider 713 of the elevating mechanism 71.

Therefore, when the motor 715 of the elevating mechanism 71 is activated to rotate the ball screw 714 in the forward and reverse directions, the slider 713 having a protruding nut member (not shown) that is screwed onto the ball screw 714 moves along the guide rail 712 in the Z-axis direction. In order to move up and down, the transport pad 74 connected to this slider 712 moves up and down together with the slider 712.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, each suction cup 75 is formed into a hollow truncated cone shape with an opening at the bottom made of an elastic material such as rubber. The four pipes (suction passages) 76A are connected to each other, and the four pipes (suction passages) 76A are joined by a joint 77 and connected to one pipe (suction passage) 76B. The piping (suction path) 76B is connected to a suction source 78 such as a vacuum pump, and a valve V1 for selectively disconnecting communication between each suction cup 75 and the suction source 78 is provided in the middle of the piping 76B. It is provided. Note that the valve V1 is electrically connected to the diagnostic section 100, and its opening/closing operation is controlled by the diagnostic section 100.

The second transport mechanism 80 suction-holds a work set WS including a wafer W on which a predetermined cutting process has been completed by the first cutting unit 51 and the second cutting unit 52, and transfers it from the chuck table 40 to a spinner cleaning mechanism 90 (described later). It is for transporting to the table 91, and its basic configuration is the same as that of the first transport mechanism 70.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the second transport mechanism 80 can be raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) by the lifting mechanism 81, and can be horizontally moved on the XY plane by a moving mechanism (not shown). As shown in detail in FIG. 7, the second transport mechanism 80 includes an H-shaped transport pad 84 attached to a stay 83 attached to the lower end of a vertical rod 82. Suction cups 85 are attached to each of the four corners.

As shown in FIG. 7, the elevating mechanism 81 has a pair of guide rails 812 attached perpendicularly and parallel to each other to a vertically erected base plate 811, and a vertical direction (Z-axis) along these guide rails 812. It is equipped with a slider 813 that moves up and down in the direction). A rotatable ball screw 814 is vertically arranged between the pair of guide rails 812, and the upper end of this ball screw 814 is connected to a motor 815 that is a rotational drive source. Further, the lower end of the ball screw 814 is rotatably supported by the base plate 811 by a bearing 816. Here, a nut member (not shown) protrudes from the back surface of the slider 813, and a ball screw 814 is threadedly inserted into this nut member.

A load current value detection unit 820 that detects the load current value of the motor 815 is electrically connected to the motor 815, and a diagnosis unit 100 is electrically connected to the load current value detection unit 820. has been done.

By the way, as shown in detail in FIG. 2, the second conveyance mechanism 70 includes an H-shaped conveyance pad 84 attached to the tip of an L-shaped stay 83 attached to the lower end of a vertical rod 82. Suction cups 85 are attached to each of the four corners of the transport pad 84. Here, the rod 82 is connected to a slider 813 of the elevating mechanism 81.

Therefore, when the motor 815 of the elevating mechanism 81 is activated to rotate the ball screw 814 in the forward and reverse directions, the slider 813 protrudingly provided with a nut member (not shown) that is screwed onto the ball screw 814 moves along the guide rail 812 in the Z-axis direction. In order to move up and down, the transport pad 84 connected to this slider 812 moves up and down together with the slider 812.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, each suction cup 85 is formed into a hollow truncated cone shape with an opening at the bottom made of an elastic material such as rubber. The four pipes (suction passages) 86A are connected to each other, and the four pipes (suction passages) 86A are joined by a joint 87 and connected to one pipe (suction passage) 86B. The piping (suction path) 86B is connected to a suction source 88 such as a vacuum pump, and a valve V2 for selectively disconnecting communication between each suction cup 85 and the suction source 88 is provided in the middle of the piping 86B. It is provided. Note that the valve V2 is electrically connected to the diagnostic section 100, and its opening/closing operation is controlled by the diagnostic section 100.

In this embodiment, four suction cups 75, 85 are provided on the conveyance pad 74 of the first conveyance mechanism 70 and the conveyance pad 84 of the second conveyance mechanism 80, but the number of these suction cups 75, 85 is , is arbitrary as long as there are four or more.

(Spinner cleaning mechanism)
The spinner cleaning mechanism 90 is for cleaning the wafer W that has been cut, and is disposed on the base 2 at the rear and right side of the opening 3, as shown in FIG. . This spinner cleaning mechanism 90 includes a spinner table 91 that rotates while holding a work set WS (wafer W) under suction, and a cleaning liquid is injected from above onto the work set WS (wafer W) held under suction on the spinner table 91. It is equipped with an injection nozzle (not shown).

(Diagnosis Department)
The diagnosis unit 100 shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 7 includes a load current of each motor 715, 815 detected by each load current detection unit 720, 820 provided in the first transport mechanism 70 and the second transport mechanism 80. The value is used to diagnose whether the suction cups 75, 85 are normal or abnormal, and the details of the diagnosis method will be described later.

[Operation of cutting device]
Next, the operation of the cutting device 1 configured as above will be explained.

When cutting the wafer W, the work set WS is pulled out from the cassette 11 placed on the cassette stage 10 by the pull-out mechanism 20 and temporarily placed on a pair of frame guides 30 . At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the pair of frame guides 30 move toward each other, thereby narrowing the distance between them.

From the above state, when the first transport mechanism 70 is moved above the work set WS by a moving mechanism (not shown), the transport pad 74 of the first transport mechanism 70 is moved in the −Z-axis direction by the lifting mechanism 71 (see FIG. 2). It descends, and the four suction cups 75 provided on the transfer pad 74 come into contact with the upper surface of the ring frame F (see FIG. 1) of the work set WS. Then, the valve V1 shown in FIG. 2 is opened, and the suction cup 75 and the suction source 78 communicate with each other via the piping (suction path) 76A, 76B, so the suction cup 75 is sucked by the suction source 78, and negative pressure is applied to the suction cup 75. is generated, and the work set WS is attracted to the suction cup 75 by this negative pressure. Thereafter, when the transport pad 74 is raised together with the work set WS in the +Z-axis direction by the lifting mechanism 71 and the work set WS is separated from the frame guide 30, a moving mechanism (not shown) moves the pair of frame guides 30 into the guide holes of the base 2. 2a, the distance between both frame guides 30 increases, and the work set WS can pass between these frame guides 30, as shown in FIG.

Next, the chuck table 40 is moved below the work set WS along the +X-axis direction by an X-axis direction movement mechanism (not shown), and from this state, the transport pad 74 is moved to -Z by the lifting mechanism 71 (see FIG. 2). The work set WS held by the transport pad 74 is moved down in the axial direction and transferred to the chuck table 40 . The work set WS transferred to the chuck table 40 is suction-held on the holding surface of the chuck table 40, and the chuck table 40 holding the work set WS is moved along the -X axis by an unillustrated X-axis direction movement mechanism. move towards a direction.

On the other hand, in the first cutting unit 51 and the second cutting unit 52 shown in FIG. 1, when an image is obtained by imaging the surface of the wafer W by each imaging unit 53, a street to be cut is determined by pattern matching processing based on the image. is detected. When the street of the wafer W is detected in this way, the positions of the cutting blades 51a of the first cutting unit 51 and the second cutting unit 52 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) in the Y-axis direction are changed to The positions of these cutting blades 51a in the Y-axis direction are determined by the Y-axis moving mechanism 90, and the positions of the cutting blades 51a are adjusted to the positions of the streets to be cut.

From the above state, each of the cutting blades 51a of the first cutting unit 51 and the second cutting unit 52 is rotated at high speed and lowered by a predetermined depth of cut by each of the pair of front and rear Z-axis direction movement mechanisms 55. At the same time, the chuck table 40 and the work set WS (wafer W) held thereon are moved in the X-axis direction by an X-axis movement mechanism (not shown). Then, the wafer W is cut along the streets by the respective cutting blades 51a of the first cutting unit 51 and the second cutting unit 52, and when such work is performed on all the streets in one direction, The chuck table 40 and the work set WS held thereon are rotated by 90 degrees by the rotation drive mechanism, and the wafer W is similarly cut along a street in the other direction perpendicular to the street where cutting has been completed. . When cutting along all the streets of the wafer W is completed, a plurality of semiconductor chips on which individual devices are mounted are obtained.

When the cutting process on the wafer W is completed as described above, the work set WS held on the chuck table 40 is transferred to the second transport mechanism 80. That is, similarly to the first transport mechanism 70, the work set WS is transferred to the spinner cleaning mechanism 90 while the work set WS is suctioned and held by the four suction cups 85 provided on the transport pad 84 of the second transport mechanism 80. It is transported and delivered to the spinner table 91 of the spinner cleaning mechanism 90.

The work set WS transferred to the spinner table 91 is sucked and held by the holding surface of the spinner table 91 and rotates together with the spinner table 91 at a predetermined speed, while being sprayed with cleaning liquid sprayed from a spray nozzle (not shown). The wafer W is cleaned and the cutting debris attached to the wafer W is removed by the cutting process, and a series of cutting processes on the wafer W is completed.Then, the same operation is continuously repeated to cut a plurality of wafers W.

[Diagnosis of sucker]
Next, a method for diagnosing the suction cups 75 of the first transport mechanism 70 and the suction cups 85 of the second transport mechanism 80 (diagnosing whether they are normal or abnormal) will be described.

(First transport mechanism)
First, a method for diagnosing the four suction cups 75 provided on the transport pad 74 of the first transport mechanism 70 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

When diagnosing the four suction cups 75 of the transport pad 74, as shown in FIG. is positioned. Then, the elevating mechanism 71 is driven, and as shown in FIG. 5(a), the transport pad 74 and the four suction cups 75 (only one is shown in FIG. 5(a)) attached to the lower surface of the transport pad 74 are moved to -Z. It descends in the axial direction (step S1 in FIG. 3).

As described above, when the transport pad 74 descends, it is determined whether the four suction cups 75 provided on the transport pad 74 have contacted the upper surfaces of the pair of frame guides 30 (step S2), and the process shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. Valve V1 shown in is opened (step S3). Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the width L1 of the upper surface (contact surface) with which each suction cup 75 of each frame guide 30 contacts is set to be larger than the maximum diameter φd of each suction cup 75 (L1>φd). , the entire surface of each suction cup 75 contacts the contact surface (upper surface) of the frame guide 30. Note that the downward movement of the transport pad 74 is continued until the four suction cups 75 come into contact with the contact surface (upper surface) of the frame guide 30 (step S2→step S1).

As mentioned above, when the valve V1 is opened (step S3), each suction cup 75 and the suction source 78 communicate with each other through the piping 76A, 76B, so negative pressure is generated in each suction cup 75, and this negative pressure causes each suction cup to The suction cup 75 is attracted to the contact surface of the frame guide 30 as shown in FIG. 5(b). When each suction cup 75 is attracted to the contact surface of the frame guide 30 in this manner, the diagnostic unit 100 starts the motor 715 of the lifting mechanism 71 to raise the transport pad 74 to a predetermined height as shown in FIG. 5(c). The load current value I of the motor 715 at that time is detected by the load current value detection unit 720 (step S5 in FIG. 3).

The load current value of the motor 715 when the transport pad 74 is raised by a predetermined height Δh by the lifting mechanism 71 from the state where each suction cup 75 is attracted to the contact surface of the frame guide 30 as shown in FIG. 5(b). As shown by straight line A in FIG. 4, I increases linearly in proportion to the rising height h of the transfer pad 74, but if the suction cup 75 has deteriorated and its elasticity has decreased, this The suction force of the deteriorated suction cup 75 is smaller than the suction force of a normal suction cup 75 that has not deteriorated. Therefore, the deteriorated suction cup 75 leaves the contact surface of the frame guide 30 at the height h1 shown in FIG. 4 before the conveyance pad 74 rises to the predetermined height Δh. In other words, this deteriorated suction cup 75 separates from the contact surface of the frame guide 30 at point a on the straight line A shown in FIG. show. Then, when the suction cup 75 separates from the contact surface of the frame guide 30, the load on the motor 715 decreases rapidly, so the load current value I of the motor 715 changes from the load current value Ia at point a to the broken line as shown in FIG. The load current value Io rapidly decreases along line C to show the load current value Io at point d. After that, the load current value I of the motor 715 shows a constant low value Io shown by the straight line B in FIG.

On the other hand, if the suction cup 75 is normal and has not deteriorated, even if the conveyance pad 74 is raised to the predetermined height Δh, the suction cup 75 will not be attached to the guide frame 30 as shown in FIG. 5(c). It does not separate from the contact surface of the guide frame 30, but remains elastically deformed and adsorbed to the contact surface, and leaves the contact surface of the guide frame 30 when the rising height h of the transport pad 74 reaches h2 shown in FIG. . In other words, the normal suction cup 75 that has not deteriorated separates from the contact surface of the frame guide 30 at point b on the straight line A shown in FIG. 4, but the load current value I of the motor 715 at this time is This load current value Ib is larger than the load current value Ia when the deteriorated suction cup 75 separates from the contact surface of the frame guide 30 (Ib>Ia). Then, when the normal suction cup 75 separates from the contact surface of the frame guide 30, the load on the motor 715 suddenly decreases, so that the load current value I of the motor 715 becomes the load current value Ib at point b, as shown in FIG. The load current value Io rapidly decreases along the straight line D from 0 to 100, indicating the load current value Io at point f. After that, the load current value I of the motor 715 shows a constant low value Io shown by the straight line B in FIG.

Therefore, as the threshold value Ith of the load current value I of the motor 715 of the lifting mechanism 71, the load current value when the deteriorated suction cup 75 separates from the contact surface 30 of the frame guide (load current value at point a in FIG. 4) Ia, A value Ith intermediate between the load current value Ib at which the normal suction cup 75 separates from the contact surface of the frame guide 30 (load current value at point b in FIG. 4) is set, and the transfer pad 75 rises to a predetermined height Δh. When the load current value I of the motor 715 of the lifting mechanism 71 detected by the load current value detection unit 720 exceeds the threshold value Ith (I>Ith), the diagnosis unit 100 determines that the suction cup 75 has deteriorated. If the load current value I is less than the threshold value Ith (I<Ith), the suction cup 75 is deteriorated and abnormal and needs to be replaced with a new one. Diagnose.

Specifically, when the suction cup 75 is normal and has not deteriorated, the load current value I detected by the load current value detection unit 720 at the time when the transfer pad 74 rises to a predetermined height Δh is: The value Ic at point c shown in FIG. down. On the other hand, if the suction cup 75 is deteriorated, the load current value I detected by the load current value detection unit 720 at the time when the transfer pad 74 rises to the predetermined height Δh is as shown in FIG. Since the value Io at point e is smaller than the threshold value Ith (Io<Ith), the diagnostic unit 100 diagnoses that the suction cup 75 is deteriorated and abnormal. This will be explained below according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

That is, when the transport pad 74 rises by a predetermined height Δh (step S4 in FIG. 3) and the load current value I of the motor 715 of the lifting mechanism 71 at that point is detected by the load current value detection unit 720 (step S4 in FIG. Step S5), the diagnostic unit 100 determines whether the detected load current value I of the motor 715 exceeds the threshold value Ith (I>Ith?) (Step S6 in FIG. 3), and determines whether the detected load current value I exceeds the threshold value Ith (step S6 in FIG. 3: Yes), the diagnostic unit 100 diagnoses that the suction cup 75 is normal (step S7 in FIG. 3), and the load current value I is less than the threshold value Ith. If so (step S6: No), the suction cup 75 is diagnosed as being abnormal (S8), and the series of processes ends (step S9 in FIG. 3).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the diagnostic unit 100 brings the suction cup 75 into contact with the contact surface of the frame guide 30 capable of suction, and communicates the suction cup 75 with the suction source 78 (the suction cup 75 is connected to the frame guide 30). load of the motor 715 detected by the load current value detection unit 720 when the lifting mechanism 71 is operated to raise the transport pad 74 by a predetermined distance Δh from the contact surface of the guide frame 30 If the current value I is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value Ith (I≧Ith), the suction cup 75 is diagnosed as normal, and if the current value I does not reach the threshold value Ith (I<Ith), the suction cup 75 is diagnosed as abnormal. Therefore, it is possible to easily and reliably diagnose the deterioration (normal or abnormal) of the suction cup 75 of the first conveyance mechanism 70 and to accurately determine the appropriate time to replace the suction cup 75. Note that the lifting mechanism 71 is operated to raise the transport pad 74 by a predetermined distance Δh from the contact surface of the guide frame 30, and then the transport pad 74 is stopped at that height position for a preset time to remove the load. Deterioration of the suction cup 75 may be diagnosed based on whether the current value reaches a threshold value Ith.

In the above embodiment, the four suction cups 75 of the first conveyance mechanism 70 are brought into contact with the flat upper surface of the frame guide 30 to diagnose whether the suction cups 75 of the first conveyance mechanism 70 are normal or abnormal. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the four suction cups 75 of the first transport mechanism 70 are brought into contact with the flat annular portion (contact surface) 40a on the upper surface of the outer periphery of the chuck table 40 to diagnose the suction cups 75. You may also do this. In this case, the width L2 of the annular portion 40a on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the chuck table 40 is set larger than the maximum diameter φd of each suction cup 75 (L2>φd). Note that in FIG. 6, the same elements as those shown in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a redundant explanation of these will be omitted.

(Second transport mechanism)
Diagnosis of the suction cup 85 of the second transport mechanism 80 can be performed in the same manner as the diagnosis of the suction cup 75 of the first transport mechanism 70.

That is, in diagnosing the suction cups 85 provided on the conveyance pad 84 of the second conveyance mechanism 80, as shown in FIG. The suction cup 85 is diagnosed by the same method as described above by contacting the flat annular portion (contact surface) 91a on the upper surface. In this case, the width L3 of the annular portion 91a on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the spinner table 91 is set larger than the maximum diameter φd of each suction cup 85 (L3>φd). Note that, in FIG. 7, the same elements as those shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their explanations will be omitted.

Therefore, in diagnosing whether the suction cup 85 provided on the conveyance pad 84 of the second conveyance mechanism 80 is normal or abnormal, the above-mentioned effect obtained in diagnosing the suction cup 75 provided on the conveyance pad 74 of the first conveyance mechanism 70 can be achieved. Similar effects can be obtained, and the deterioration (normal or abnormal) of the suction cup 85 of the second transport mechanism 80 can be easily and reliably diagnosed, and the appropriate time to replace the suction cup 85 can be accurately determined.

Here, the configuration of the elevating mechanism 81 of the second conveyance mechanism 80 will be explained based on FIG. , these guide rails 812 support a slider 813 that moves up and down along the guide rails 812. The slider 813 is connected to the rod 82, and a rotatable ball screw 814 is vertically disposed between the pair of guide rails 812.

The upper end of the ball screw 814 is connected to a motor 815 that is a rotational drive source fixed to the base plate 811, and the lower end of the ball screw 814 is rotatably supported by the base plate 811 by a bearing 816. A load current value detection unit 820 for detecting the load current value of the motor 815 is electrically connected to the motor 815 of the lifting mechanism 81. 100 are electrically connected.

By the way, although the present invention has been described above in a form in which it is applied to a cutting device, the present invention is also applicable to any other processing device equipped with a conveyance mechanism that suctions and holds a workpiece with a suction cup and conveys it. This is included in

Further, in the above, the annular portion 40a of the upper surface of the frame guide 30 and the upper surface of the chuck table 40 is used as the contact surface with which the suction cup 75 of the first transport mechanism 70 comes into contact when diagnosing the suction cup 75, and the second transport mechanism 70 Although the annular portion 91a of the spinner table 91 is used as the contact surface with which the suction cup 85 contacts when diagnosing the suction cup 85 of the mechanism 80, any other arbitrary surface may be used as the surface with which the suction cups 75, 85 come into contact. A flat plane can be used.

In addition, the application of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, specification, and drawings. Of course.

1: Cutting device (processing device), 2: Base, 2a: Guide hole, 3: Opening of base,
4: Cover, 5: Telescopic cover, 10: Cassette stage, 11: Cassette,
20: Drawer mechanism, 21: Ball screw, 22: Guide rail,
23: Drawer arm, 23a: Vertical part of the drawer arm,
23b: horizontal part of drawer arm, 24: motor, 25: bearing, 26: gripping part,
30: frame guide, 30a: vertical part of frame guide,
30b: horizontal part of frame guide, 40: chuck table,
40a: Annular portion of chuck table, 41: Clamp, 50: Processing means,
51: first cutting unit, 51a: cutting blade, 52: second cutting unit,
53: Imaging unit, 55: Z-axis direction movement mechanism, 56: Z-axis guide rail,
57: Elevating plate, 58: Z-axis ball screw, 59: Z-axis pulse motor,
60: Y-axis direction movement mechanism, 61: Slider, 62: Column, 63: Y-axis guide rail,
64: Y-axis ball screw, 65: Y-axis pulse motor, 70: first transport mechanism,
71: Lifting mechanism, 711: Base plate, 712: Guide rail,
713: Slider, 714: Ball screw, 715: Motor. 716: Bearing,
720: Load current detection section, 72: Rod, 73: Stay, 74: Transfer pad,
75: Suction cup, 76A, 76B: Piping, 77: Joint, 78: Suction source,
80: second transport mechanism, 81: lifting mechanism, 811: base plate,
812: Guide rail, 813: Slider, 814: Ball screw, 815: Motor,
816: Bearing, 820: Load current detection section, 82: Rod, 83: Stay,
84: Transfer pad, 85: Suction cup, 86A, 86B: Piping, 87: Joint,
88: Suction source, 90: Spinner cleaning mechanism, 91: Spinner table,
91a: annular portion of spinner table, 100: diagnosis section, φd: maximum diameter of suction cup,
F: Ring frame, L1: Width of the top surface of the ring frame,
L2: Width of the annular part of the chuck table,
L3: width of the annular part of the spinner table, T: tape, V1, V2: valve,
W: wafer, WS: work set

Claims (5)

A chuck table that holds a workpiece on a holding surface, a processing means that processes the workpiece held on the holding surface, a transport mechanism that carries the workpiece into or out of the holding surface, and a diagnostic section. A processing device comprising:
The transport mechanism is
A conveyor pad equipped with an elastic suction cup that sucks the upper surface of a workpiece, and an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the conveyor pad,
The lifting mechanism includes a ball screw, a motor that rotates the ball screw, and a load current value detection section that detects a load current value of the motor,
The diagnostic department is
Pressing the lower surface of the suction cup against a contact surface where the suction cup is capable of suction to communicate the suction cup with a suction source, and activating the elevating mechanism to raise the transfer pad a predetermined distance above the contact surface. A processing device that diagnoses that the suction cup is normal when the load current value detected by the load current value detection section is equal to or higher than a preset threshold, and that the suction cup is abnormal when the load current value does not reach the threshold. The workpiece is a work set in which a ring frame and a wafer are integrated by pasting tape,
The chuck table includes a suction table that suctions and holds the tape with a suction surface having an area corresponding to the wafer, and a frame clamp that is disposed radially outward of the suction table and clamps the ring frame.
The diagnosis section uses the upper surface of the ring frame clamped by the frame clamp of the chuck table, or the upper surface of the ring frame to which the tape is attached, which is suctioned and held on the suction surface, as the contact surface. 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction cup is sucked and the lifting mechanism raises the suction pad to diagnose whether the suction cup is normal or abnormal. The workpiece is a work set in which a ring frame and a wafer are integrated by pasting tape,
A cassette stage on which a cassette containing the work set is placed, a pull-out mechanism for pulling out the work set from the cassette placed on the cassette stage, and a frame guide for temporarily placing the work set pulled out by the draw-out mechanism. , comprising:
the frame guide includes the contact surface having a larger area than the suction cup;
2. The diagnosis section diagnoses whether the suction cup is normal or abnormal by sucking the contact surface of the frame guide with the suction cup and raising the transport pad with the elevating mechanism. processing equipment. A spinner cleaning mechanism that rotates a spinner table that holds a workpiece and sprays cleaning water onto the workpiece held on the spinner table to clean the workpiece,
the spinner table includes the contact surface having a larger area than the suction cup;
2. The diagnostic unit diagnoses whether the suction cup is normal or abnormal by sucking the contact surface of the spinner table with the suction cup and raising the conveyance pad with the elevating mechanism. processing equipment. The chuck table includes a contact surface having a larger area than the suction cup,
2. The diagnostic unit diagnoses whether the suction cup is normal or abnormal by sucking the contact surface of the chuck table with the suction cup and raising the transfer pad with the elevating mechanism. processing equipment.

Images