JP2606990B2 - Method and apparatus for reinforcing outer peripheral portion of semiconductor wafer and reinforcing member - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reinforcing an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer and a reinforcing member. More specifically, when the semiconductor wafer is cut into two parts by the inner peripheral slicer from the center of its thickness and width, in order to prevent the outer peripheral part of the semiconductor wafer from being damaged or the like, a separate part is provided near the cutting end of the outer peripheral part of the semiconductor wafer. Improving the method of reinforcing the outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer by bonding and attaching the reinforcing member formed in the adhesive with an adhesive;
The present invention relates to a reinforcing device and a reinforcing member suitable for performing the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When manufacturing a substrate for a discrete element, a semiconductor wafer having an impurity diffusion layer on both sides and an impurity non-diffusion layer at the center is divided into two parts from the center of the thickness by an inner peripheral slicer. Cutting technology (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-1457)
No. 26, etc.) and a technique for reinforcing the vicinity of the cutting end of the outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer to be cut (Japanese Patent Application No. 1-3222).
No. 22, etc.) have been previously proposed by the present applicant in large numbers.

Conventionally, as a technique for reinforcing the vicinity of the cutting end of the outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer, for example, a large number of semiconductor wafers are juxtaposed, and the same number of reinforcing semiconductor wafers as a semiconductor wafer formed separately from the semiconductor wafer are used. 2. Description of the Related Art A thermosetting resin adhesive is applied to a member and is brought into contact with the member, followed by heat treatment to harden the thermosetting resin adhesive and bond and attach a reinforcing member to a semiconductor wafer.

In such a conventional reinforcing means, since a large number of semiconductor wafers and reinforcing members are processed simultaneously, there are many steps which must be performed manually, such as arranging semiconductor wafers in parallel. In addition, in recent thinner semiconductor wafers, since damage due to cutting occurs not only near the cutting end of the outer peripheral portion but also substantially all around the outer peripheral portion, damage is effectively prevented. There is a problem that cannot be done.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and enables a reinforcing member to be attached precisely and efficiently continuously for each semiconductor wafer. An object of the present invention is to provide a method of reinforcing the outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer, which can effectively prevent damage to the outer peripheral portion of the thinned semiconductor wafer, and a reinforcing device and a reinforcing member suitable for implementing the method. I do.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a method for reinforcing an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention comprises:
Prevents damage to the outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer when the semiconductor wafer having an impurity diffusion layer on both sides and an impurity non-diffusion layer in the center is cut into two by an inner peripheral slicer from the center of its thickness and width. Therefore, in a method of reinforcing the outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer, in which a reinforcing member separately formed near the cutting end of the outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer is attached with an adhesive, an arc length of at least half the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer is made of a synthetic resin material. After having one reinforcing member formed to have the same or slightly smaller diameter as the diameter of the semiconductor wafer and having the adhesive applied thereto in an expanded state in which the diameter is enlarged, and fitting one semiconductor wafer, Means characterized by releasing the expanded state of the reinforcing member is employed.

[0007] Further, the apparatus for reinforcing an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention comprises: a wafer supply unit capable of transferring unprocessed semiconductor wafers to which a reinforcing member is not attached one by one;
A wafer collecting portion capable of accepting one processed semiconductor wafer to which the reinforcing member is attached one by one, and an attaching mechanism for fitting one semiconductor wafer to one reinforcing member in an expanded state having an enlarged diameter; A reinforcing member supply unit for supplying a reinforcing member having an arc length of at least half of the outer circumference of the semiconductor wafer to the mounting mechanism and having a diameter equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer one by one; A coating mechanism for applying an adhesive to the reinforcing member supplied to the mounting mechanism;
A means comprising a transport mechanism for transporting the processed semiconductor wafer is employed.

The reinforcing member for the outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer according to the present invention is made of a flexible synthetic resin material and has an arc length of at least half of the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer and is equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer. A means having a small diameter, an L-shaped cross section, and a convex portion formed outside the central portion of the arc length is adopted.

[0009]

According to the above-mentioned means, in the method for reinforcing the outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention, a semiconductor material having a semi-circular length longer than half of the outer circumference of the semiconductor wafer by using a flexible material. One reinforcing member formed to have the same or slightly smaller diameter as the diameter of the wafer is fitted to the semiconductor wafer with the reinforcing member in an expanded state in which the diameter is enlarged, and then the expanded state of the reinforcing member is changed. Since it is released, the mounting position shifts due to the contracting force of the reinforcing member, and even when a thermosetting resin adhesive is used as the adhesive, the adhesive does not flow, and almost the entire circumference of the outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer is also used. Is reinforced by a reinforcing member, so that a continuous reinforcing process can be performed by a mechanical means, and the reinforcing member can be attached precisely and efficiently continuously for each semiconductor wafer, and furthermore, it is extremely thin. Semiconductor c Challenge of providing a method for reinforcing the outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer that can effectively prevent damage to the outer peripheral portion of the wafer can be solved.

In the apparatus for reinforcing an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention, a mounting mechanism for fitting the semiconductor wafer with the reinforcing member in an expanded state, and a wafer supply unit and a wafer recovery unit are linked by a transfer mechanism. In addition, the unprocessed and processed semiconductor wafers are transported, and the mounting mechanism is provided with a reinforcing member supply unit for directly supplying a reinforcing member. It can be recovered by the wafer recovery unit after the reinforcement processing. This solves the problem of providing an apparatus for reinforcing the outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer suitable for carrying out the method.

The reinforcing member for the outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer according to the present invention is formed of a flexible material and has a cross section in a direction perpendicular to the arc length direction having an arc length of at least half of the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer. Since the shape is formed in an L shape,
It can be expanded to make it easier to fit the semiconductor wafer,
At the time of bonding, the semiconductor wafer is easily abutted and is automatically positioned. Further, since the diameter is formed to be the same as or slightly smaller than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer, the entire circumference of the outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer is reinforced, and the semiconductor wafer is firmly held by releasing the expanded state. Further, since the convex portion is formed outside the central portion of the arc length, the collecting operation at the time of dividing the semiconductor wafer into two is facilitated. This solves the problem of providing a reinforcing member for an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer suitable for performing the above method.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a method and apparatus for reinforcing an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a basic outline of an embodiment of a method for reinforcing an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the reinforcing member P
A synthetic resin material (eg, an epoxy resin or a polystyrene resin) which is flexible and does not impair the cutting property , has an arc length equal to or more than half of the outer circumference of the semiconductor wafer W, and is equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W. The diameter is formed separately from the semiconductor wafer W, and has projections Pa projecting outward at both ends. For this one reinforcing member, an adhesive such as a molten wax or a thermosetting resin adhesive E is attached to the inner surface of the arc.
Then, as shown in FIG. 1B, one semiconductor wafer W is fitted in an expanded state in which the diameter is enlarged by separating the protrusions Pa as shown in FIG. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1C, when the expanded state of the reinforcing member P is released, the reinforcing member P is pressed against the semiconductor wafer W and held so as to sandwich the semiconductor wafer W. Drops from W and displacement are prevented. That is, the expansion of the reinforcing member P,
By continuously performing the fitting of the semiconductor wafer W and the release of the expanded state of the reinforcing member P, the reinforcing member P can be continuously attached to the semiconductor wafer W without waiting for the curing time of the adhesive E. it can. After that, the semiconductor wafer W and the reinforcing member P are housed in a wafer carrier, and the adhesive E is cured by standing at room temperature or heating. Since the projections Pa are unnecessary when cutting the wafer, it is preferable that the projections Pa have a structure that can be easily broken.

Next, details of the reinforcing member P used in the above-described reinforcing method will be described with reference to FIGS.

The reinforcing member P reinforces substantially the entire outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer W from the shape described above.
Even if the semiconductor wafer W is extremely thin, it is possible to effectively prevent damage or the like due to the two-piece cutting. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cross-sectional shape in a direction perpendicular to the arc length direction is formed in an L-shape, and the semiconductor wafer W is abutted on the two surfaces Pb and Pc to accurately position the semiconductor wafer W. Is being done. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a convex portion Pd is formed outside the central portion of the arc length, and a margin area for cutting by the inner peripheral slicer is secured to collect the divided pieces when the semiconductor wafer W is divided into two. The timing can be adjusted so that the collection operation can be easily performed.

Next, an embodiment of a reinforcing device used in the above-described reinforcing method will be described with reference to FIGS.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, an attachment mechanism 1 for attaching one reinforcing member P to one semiconductor wafer W is installed at the center, and reinforcement is provided on both sides of the attachment mechanism 1. A wafer supply unit 2 capable of delivering unprocessed semiconductor wafers W to which the member P is not attached one by one; a wafer collection unit 3 capable of accepting one processed semiconductor wafer W to which the reinforcing member P is attached; A transfer mechanism 4 for transferring unprocessed and processed semiconductor wafers W is linearly arranged between the mounting mechanism 1, the wafer supply unit 2, and the wafer recovery unit 3. Further, a reinforcing member supply unit 5 that supplies the reinforcing members P one by one is installed adjacent to the mounting mechanism 1 in a direction orthogonal to the transport mechanism 4.
Is provided with an application mechanism 6 for applying the adhesive E to the reinforcing member P.

The mounting mechanism 1 has a horizontal work table 11 for mounting one reinforcing member P on one semiconductor wafer W, as shown in detail in FIG. The work table 11 has a window hole 12 formed at the center thereof to secure an operation area of the coating mechanism 6, and a reinforcing member supplied in a horizontal direction from the reinforcing member supply unit 5 at a periphery of the window hole 12. A vertically movable wafer support 14 for supporting the semiconductor wafer is provided between the work table 11 and the semiconductor wafer W fitted vertically with the reinforcing member P and the stopper 13 for positioning the P. I have. Further, an air cylinder 16 having a flange 15 that can be locked to the projection Pa of the reinforcing member P is installed on the work table 11 so as to face each other.
By driving the air cylinder 16, the reinforcing member P can be brought into an expanded state in which the diameter is enlarged.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, the wafer supply unit 2 lowers a receiving table 22 which vertically stores a wafer carrier 21 in which unprocessed semiconductor wafers W are arranged in parallel by a stepping motor or the like. The stored semiconductor wafers W can be sequentially positioned at a certain position in a horizontal state. On the surface on which the semiconductor wafers W are sequentially positioned, the wafer transfer unit 2
3 are provided. The wafer transfer section 23 is driven by a motor 23a and contacts a lower surface of the sequentially positioned semiconductor wafer W to move the semiconductor wafer W horizontally to a position below the transfer mechanism 4; A fixed guide plate 23c for keeping the orientation of the orientation flat constant, a driven guide roller 23d, and a guide roller 23f driven by a motor 23e.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, the wafer collecting section 3 has a structure including a wafer carrier 31 and a receiving table 32 like the wafer supplying section 2, and the receiving table 32 is lowered by a stepping motor or the like. Processed semiconductor wafers W
Are sequentially stored in a horizontal position at a certain position,
1 is arranged in parallel. The wafer receiving unit 33 corresponding to the wafer transfer unit 23 of the wafer supply unit 2
Since the orientation of the orientation flat of the semiconductor wafer W is not so important when the semiconductor wafer W is arranged in parallel with the wafer carrier 31, a part thereof is omitted, and only the motor 33a, the undertaking belt 33b and the driven guide roller 33c are included.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, the transfer mechanism 4 uses a rodless cylinder, and has an interval corresponding to the interval between the wafer supply section 2, the wafer recovery section 3 and the mounting mechanism 1. , A pair of suction pads 41 and 42 are provided. The suction pads 41, 42 are provided with air cylinders 43, 44 for lifting and lowering.
42 can be horizontally moved integrally in the disposition direction by a piston mount (moving body) 45 of the transport mechanism 4 and each of the suction pads 41 and 42 can be independently moved up and down. I have. That is, the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W is taken out of the wafer supply unit 2 by one suction pad 41 and passed to the mounting mechanism 1, and the other suction pad 42
Then, the semiconductor wafer W which has been processed can be taken out of the mounting mechanism 1 and delivered to the wafer collecting section 3.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 5 and 6, the reinforcing member supply section 5 is provided adjacent to the mounting mechanism 1, and a plurality of reinforcing members P are provided with the convex portions Pd opposite to the mounting mechanism 1 side. Storage magazine 5 with the L-shaped surfaces Pb and Pc on the upper side.
1 and pressurized downward by a weight 56, and reinforced by an extruded plate 54, which is connected to a piston mount (moving body) 53 of a rodless cylinder 52 and slides on the work table 11. P is sent out one by one from the lowermost layer of the storage magazine 51 to the push-out mounting mechanism 1, and the sent-out reinforcing member P is pressed via a spring 55 provided between the piston mount 53 and the push-out plate 54. ing.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 5 and 7, the application mechanism 6 is installed so as to be able to move up and down in the window hole 12 of the mounting mechanism 1, and the adhesive E is attached to the inner surface (surface Pb) of the reinforcing member P. And a pressing member 63 (comprised of a mini-cylinder 63a, a rod 63b, and a spring 63c) that presses the nozzle 61 along a reinforcing member P that is no longer a perfect circle in the expanded state. , A rotary shaft 64 that integrally supports the nozzle 61 and the pressing member 63 so as to be rotatable, and a stepping motor 67 that rotates the rotary shaft 64 via a bearing 65 and a reduction gear 66. That is,
The nozzle 61 waits below the work table 11 when it is unnecessary, rises from the window hole 12 onto the work table 11 when necessary, and slides horizontally along the reinforcing member P which is no longer a perfect circle in the expanded state. While rotating, the reinforcing member P
Is applied with an adhesive E.

Hereinafter, a detailed embodiment of the reinforcing method will be described together with the operation of the embodiment of the above-described reinforcing device based on FIG.

In FIG. 9A, the attachment of the reinforcing member P to the semiconductor wafer W by the attachment mechanism 1 is completed, and one of the suction pads 41 and 42 of the transfer mechanism 4 is moved onto the wafer supply unit 2 and the attachment mechanism 1. The waiting state is shown.

From the state of FIG. 9A, first, FIG.
As shown in (B), one suction pad 4 of the transport mechanism 4
1, one unprocessed semiconductor wafer W is sucked by the wafer supply unit 2, and one processed semiconductor wafer W is sucked by the other suction pad 42 of the transfer mechanism 4 by the mounting mechanism 1. As shown in FIG. 9C, the transport mechanism 4 is driven so that one suction pad 41 is located on the mounting mechanism 1 and the other suction pad 42 is located on the wafer collection unit 3. During this time, a new reinforcing member P is attached to the mounting mechanism 1.
Is supplied.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG.
The processed semiconductor wafer W is delivered to the wafer collecting section 3 by lowering the other suction pad 42 of FIG. 9A, but the one suction pad 41 of the transfer mechanism 4 is kept waiting at the above position, and FIG.
After the adhesive E is applied by the application mechanism 6 with the reinforcing member P in the expanded state as shown in FIG. 9E, one of the suction pads 41 is lowered as shown in FIG. The semiconductor wafer W is fitted and the expanded state of the reinforcing member P is released as shown in FIG. As a result, the semiconductor wafer W and the reinforcing member P are bonded under pressure by the contraction force of the reinforcing member P.

After the reinforcing member P is temporarily attached to the semiconductor wafer W in this manner, one suction pad 41 of the transfer mechanism 4 is raised as shown in FIG. 9H, and as shown in FIG. 9I. Then, the transport mechanism 4 is operated to reach the state shown in FIG.

[0030]

As described above, the method for reinforcing the outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention comprises the steps of combining one semiconductor wafer and one reinforcing member that surrounds substantially the entire outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer. Since the reinforcing member is in the expanded state and fitted and bonded, the semiconductor member is sandwiched by the reinforcing member.
Generally, even when a thermosetting resin adhesive having a long curing time is used as an adhesive, continuous operation is possible without waiting for the adhesive to be cured, and displacement of the reinforcing member is prevented, and mounting accuracy is reduced. In addition, since the entire outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer is reinforced, the reinforcing member can be accurately and efficiently attached to each of the thinner semiconductor wafers. This also has the effect of effectively preventing damage to the outer peripheral portion of the wafer, thereby reducing material loss and cost.

Further, the apparatus for reinforcing the outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention is provided with each mechanism for performing the above-described method, thereby contributing to the achievement of the above-mentioned effects, and focusing on a mounting mechanism for attaching a reinforcing member to the semiconductor wafer. Since each mechanism is arranged, there is an effect that the whole is made compact.

Further, the reinforcing member for the outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer according to the present invention reinforces substantially the entire outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer by an arc length and a diameter, and performs the above-described method with an L-shaped cross section. This has the effect of increasing the contact with the inner surface and contributing to the achievement of the above-mentioned effects, and also facilitating the recovery operation when the inner peripheral slicer is divided into two parts.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram showing an embodiment of a method for reinforcing an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention, showing steps in the order of (A) to (C).

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a reinforcing member for an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention, and (A)-(A) of FIG. 1 (A).
It is a line sectional view.

FIG. 3 (B)-(B) of FIG.
It is a line sectional view.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an apparatus for reinforcing an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line (c)-(c) of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line (d)-(d) of FIG.

8 is a sectional view taken along line (e)-(e) of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a simplified view showing the operation of the embodiment of the device for reinforcing the outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mounting mechanism 2 Wafer supply part 3 Wafer collection part 4 Transfer mechanism 5 Reinforcement member supply part 6 Coating mechanism P Reinforcement member W Semiconductor wafer

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A semiconductor wafer having an impurity diffusion layer on both surfaces and an impurity non-diffusion layer at the center is cut into two parts by an inner peripheral slicer from the center of the thickness of the semiconductor wafer. In order to prevent damage to the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer, a reinforcing member separately formed near the cutting end of the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer is bonded and attached with an adhesive. One reinforcing member having an arc length of at least half and having a diameter equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer and coated with an adhesive is placed in an expanded state in which the diameter is enlarged, and one semiconductor wafer is removed. A method for reinforcing an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer, wherein the expanded state of the reinforcing member is released after the fitting. 2. A wafer supply unit capable of delivering unprocessed semiconductor wafers to which no reinforcing member is attached one by one,
A wafer collecting portion capable of accepting one processed semiconductor wafer to which the reinforcing member is attached one by one, and an attaching mechanism for fitting one semiconductor wafer to one reinforcing member in an expanded state having an enlarged diameter; A reinforcing member supply unit for supplying a reinforcing member having an arc length of at least half of the outer circumference of the semiconductor wafer to the mounting mechanism and having a diameter equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer one by one; A coating mechanism for applying an adhesive to the reinforcing member supplied to the mounting mechanism;
A reinforcing device for an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer, comprising a transport mechanism for transporting a processed semiconductor wafer. 3. A flexible synthetic resin material having an arc length of at least half of the outer circumference of the semiconductor wafer and having the same or slightly smaller diameter as the semiconductor wafer, and having an L-shaped cross section. A reinforcing member for an outer peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer having a convex portion formed outside a central portion of an arc length.