JP4216565B2 - Cutting equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus for cutting a thin plate-like workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As is well known to those skilled in the art, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a plurality of regions are defined by streets (cutting lines) arranged in a lattice pattern on the surface of a substantially wafer-shaped semiconductor wafer. A circuit such as an IC or an LSI is formed. Then, by cutting the semiconductor wafer along the streets, the regions where the circuits are formed are separated to manufacture individual semiconductor chips. Cutting along the streets of a semiconductor wafer is usually performed by a cutting device called a dicer. This cutting apparatus includes a chuck table configured to hold a workpiece and movable to a cutting region and an alignment region adjacent to the cutting region, and a workpiece disposed in the cutting region and held on the chuck table. A cutting means for cutting while supplying cutting water, an imaging means for detecting a region to be cut of a work piece disposed in the alignment region and held by the chuck table, and the chuck table from the alignment region Chuck table moving means for moving to the cutting area and moving in the cutting feed direction is provided. In such a cutting apparatus, in order to maintain the cutting accuracy of the workpiece, cutting water is supplied even during alignment work so that thermal expansion and contraction of components such as cutting means due to thermal fluctuation does not occur.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Thus, in the above-described cutting apparatus, the cutting area and the alignment area are provided adjacent to each other, so that cutting water adheres to the objective lens constituting the imaging means. If cutting water adheres to the objective lens, an alignment operation malfunctions. For this reason, it is necessary for the operator to perform an operation of cleaning the objective lens every time the alignment operation is performed, which is one of the causes of a decrease in productivity.
[0004]
This invention is made | formed in view of the said fact, The main technical subject is to provide the cutting device which can prevent that cutting water adheres to the objective lens which comprises an imaging means.
[0005]
In order to solve the above main technical problem, according to the present invention, a chuck table configured to hold a workpiece and move to a cutting region and an alignment region adjacent to the cutting region, and disposed in the cutting region. Cutting means for cutting while supplying cutting water to the workpiece held on the chuck table, and imaging for detecting a region to be cut of the workpiece arranged in the alignment region and held on the chuck table And a chuck table moving means for moving the chuck table from the alignment region to the cutting region and moving the chuck table in the cutting feed direction.
A partition wall disposed between the cutting region and the alignment region and having a lower end positioned slightly above the upper surface of the chuck table, and configured to be movable with the chuck table in the moving direction of the chuck table. A cutting water shielding means having a cover member disposed so as to be substantially flush with the upper surface of the chuck table;
The cover member has a hole having a diameter larger than the diameter of the chuck table at the center, and is formed to have a size that always faces the partition wall during cutting in the cutting region.
A cutting device is provided.
[0006]
Preferably, the partition wall is composed of a partition plate and a flexible sheet plate that is attached to the partition plate and has a lower end protruding below the lower end of the partition plate. It is desirable to be attached to each.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a cutting device configured according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a cutting apparatus constructed according to the present invention.
The cutting device shown in FIG. 1 includes a device housing 1 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In the apparatus housing 1, a stationary base 2 shown in FIG. 2 and a chuck table mechanism that is disposed on the stationary base 2 so as to be movable in a direction indicated by an arrow X that is a cutting feed direction and holds a workpiece. 3, a spindle support mechanism 4 disposed on the stationary base 2 so as to be movable in a direction indicated by an arrow Y that is an indexing feed direction (a direction perpendicular to a direction indicated by an arrow X that is a cutting feed direction), and the spindle A spindle unit 5 serving as a cutting means is disposed on the support mechanism 4 so as to be movable in a direction indicated by an arrow Z that is a cutting feed direction.
[0008]
The chuck table mechanism 3 includes two guide rails 31 and 32 arranged in parallel on the stationary base 2 along the direction indicated by the arrow X, and the direction indicated by the arrow X on the guide rails 31 and 32. A chuck table 33 serving as a workpiece holding means disposed in a movable manner and a chuck table support mechanism 34 for supporting the chuck table 33 are provided. The chuck table support mechanism 34 includes a chuck table support 341 movably disposed on the guide rails 31 and 32, a cylindrical member 342 disposed on the chuck table support 341, and the cylindrical member 342. The waterproof cover 343 is mounted on the upper end of the chuck table 33 and disposed below the upper surface of the chuck table 33 by a predetermined height. Referring also to FIG. 3, a rotating shaft 35 is rotatably disposed on the cylindrical member 342 disposed on the chuck table support 341, and the chuck table 33 is mounted on the upper end of the rotating shaft 35. Is done. The rotary shaft 35 is driven to rotate by a servo motor (not shown) disposed in the cylindrical member 342. The chuck table 33 is connected to suction means (not shown) and configured to suck and hold, for example, a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer, which is a workpiece placed on the upper surface thereof. The waterproof cover 343 is formed in a rectangular shape and has a hole 343a through which the rotary shaft 35 is inserted at the center thereof. The waterproof cover 343 is mounted on the upper surface of a mounting flange 342a provided at the upper end of the cylindrical member 342. Bellows means 36, 36 that are expanded and contracted in accordance with the movement of the chuck table support mechanism 34 are attached to both end surfaces of the waterproof cover 343 in the cutting feed direction X (see FIG. 2) (see also FIG. 1).
[0009]
Returning to FIG. 2, the description will be continued. The chuck table mechanism 3 in the illustrated embodiment is configured to feed the chuck table support mechanism 34 that supports the chuck table 33 along the two guide rails 31 and 32 by an arrow X. Drive means 37 for moving in the direction is provided. The driving means 37 includes a male screw rod 371 disposed in parallel between the two guide rails 31 and 32, and a drive source such as a servo motor 372 for rotationally driving the male screw rod 371. One end of the male screw rod 371 is rotatably supported by a bearing block 373 fixed to the stationary base 2, and the other end is connected to the output shaft of the servo motor 372 via a reduction gear (not shown). ing. The male screw rod 371 is screwed into a through female screw hole formed in a female screw block (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the center portion of the chuck table support base 341 constituting the chuck table support mechanism 34. Therefore, the chuck table support mechanism 34 is moved in the cutting feed direction indicated by the arrow X along the guide rails 31 and 32 by driving the male screw rod 371 forward and backward by the servo motor 372. Accordingly, the two guide rails 31 and 32 and the driving means 37 function as a chuck table moving means for moving in the chuck table cutting feed direction. The chuck table moving means is configured to be able to move the chuck table 33 between the alignment region A and the cutting region B from the standby position shown in FIG. The alignment area A and the cutting area B are provided adjacent to the cutting feed direction X.
[0010]
The spindle support mechanism 4 includes two guide rails 41 and 42 disposed in parallel along the indexing feed direction indicated by the arrow Y on the stationary base 2, and the arrow Y on the guide rails 41 and 42. A movable support base 43 is provided so as to be movable in the direction shown. The movable support base 43 includes a moving support portion 431 that is movably disposed on the guide rails 41 and 42, and a mounting portion 432 that is attached to the moving support portion 431. The mounting portion 432 is provided with two guide rails 432a and 432a extending in parallel on one side surface in the direction indicated by the arrow Z. The spindle support mechanism 4 in the illustrated embodiment includes a driving means 44 for moving the movable support base 43 along the two guide rails 41 and 42 in the direction indicated by the arrow Y. The drive means 44 includes a drive source such as a male screw rod 441 disposed in parallel between the two guide rails 41 and 42 and a pulse motor 442 for rotating the male screw rod 441. One end of the male screw rod 441 is rotatably supported by a bearing block (not shown) fixed to the stationary base 2 and the other end is connected to the output shaft of the pulse motor 442 via a reduction gear (not shown). Has been. The male screw rod 441 is screwed into a female screw hole formed in a female screw block (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the central portion of the moving support portion 431 constituting the movable support base 43. For this reason, the movable support base 43 is moved along the guide rails 41 and 42 in the index feed direction indicated by the arrow Y by driving the male screw rod 441 forward and backward by the pulse motor 442.
[0011]
The spindle unit 5 in the illustrated embodiment includes a unit holder 51, a spindle housing 52 attached to the unit holder 51, and a rotating spindle 53 that is rotatably supported by the spindle housing 52. The unit holder 51 is provided with two guided rails 51a and 51a slidably fitted to the two guide rails 432a and 432a provided in the mounting portion 432, and the guided rail 51a, By fitting 51a to the guide rails 432a and 432a, the guide rail 432a and 432a are supported so as to be movable in the cutting feed direction indicated by the arrow Z. The rotary spindle 53 is disposed so as to protrude from the tip of the spindle housing 52, and a cutting blade 54 is attached to the tip of the rotary spindle 53. The cutting blade 54 is disposed in the cutting region B as shown in FIG. The rotary spindle 53 on which the cutting blade 54 is mounted is driven to rotate by a drive source such as a servo motor 55. A cutting water supply nozzle 57 that supplies cutting water to the workpiece during cutting is disposed on both sides of the cutting blade 54 (only one is shown in FIG. 2).
[0012]
The spindle unit 5 in the illustrated embodiment includes driving means 56 for moving the holder 51 in the direction indicated by the arrow Z along the two guide rails 432a and 432a. The drive means 56 is a drive of a male screw rod (not shown) disposed between the guide rails 432a and 432a, a pulse motor 562 for rotationally driving the male screw rod, etc. The unit holder 51, the spindle housing 52, and the rotary spindle 53 are fed along the guide rails 432a and 432a by the arrow Z by driving the male screw rod (not shown) forward and backward by the pulse motor 562. Move in the direction.
[0013]
An imaging means 6 is disposed at the front end portion of the spindle housing 52 constituting the spindle unit 5. The imaging means 6 is composed of a microscope, a CCD camera, etc. for imaging streets and the like formed on the semiconductor wafer, and sends the captured image signal to a control means (not shown). In addition, the imaging means 6 is arrange | positioned at the imaging means accommodating part 1a arrange | positioned at the alignment area | region A of the apparatus housing 1 as shown in FIG. In addition, the illustrated cutting apparatus includes a display unit 7 that displays an image captured by the imaging unit 6 as shown in FIG.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 3, the illustrated cutting apparatus shields the cutting water supplied by the cutting water supply nozzle 57 from scattering into the alignment region A, and the cutting water is applied to the objective lens of the microscope constituting the imaging means 6. Cutting water shielding means 8 for preventing adhesion is provided. The cutting water shielding means 8 is arranged so as to be movable together with the partition wall 81 disposed between the cutting area B and the alignment area A and the chuck table 33 in the moving direction of the chuck table 33 (left and right in FIG. 3). The cover member 82 is provided. The partition wall 81 includes a partition plate 811 and seal plates 812 and 812 attached to both sides of the partition plate 811. The partition plate 811 is formed in a rectangular shape having a length dimension (dimension in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3) larger than the diameter of the chuck table 33, and is attached to the upper side on both sides by attaching portions 811a formed at right angles. Is provided. The seal plates 812 and 812 are made of a flexible sheet member such as rubber, and are formed in a rectangular shape having substantially the same length as the partition plate 811. The seal plates 812 and 812 are mounted on both side surfaces of the partition plate 811 so that the lower ends protrude from the lower end of the partition plate 811. The mounting structure of the seal plates 812 and 812 to the partition plate 811 is such that the contact plates 813 and 813 are provided on the outer surface sides of the seal plates 812 and 812 provided on both sides of the partition plate 811, and a plurality of screws 814, 814 is fastened together with the contact plates 813 and 813. The partition 81 configured in this manner is disposed between the cutting region B and the alignment region A in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the chuck table 33 (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3), and an upper end portion thereof. Is attached to the imaging means accommodating portion 1a in which the imaging means 6 is disposed by a plurality of mounting bolts 851. In this way, the lower ends of the seal plates 812 and 812 constituting the partition wall 81 attached to the imaging means accommodating portion 1 a are positioned at a position 1 to 2 mm above the upper surface of the chuck table 33.
[0015]
The cover member 82 constituting the cutting water shielding means 8 is formed in a rectangular shape having a width dimension substantially equal to the length of the partition wall 81 (a dimension in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3). The cover member 82 is provided with a hole 821 having a diameter larger than the diameter of the chuck table 33 at the center, and the hole 821 is loosely fitted to the chuck table 33. The cover member 82 is opposed to the partition wall 81 at a position where the chuck table 33 is moved by a full stroke in the direction indicated by X1 when the right side in FIG. 3 is cutting, and the left side in FIG. The chuck table 33 has a length dimension facing the partition wall 81 at a position where the chuck table 33 is moved by a full stroke in the direction indicated by X2 when the semiconductor wafer is placed on or aligned. The cover member 82 configured in this manner is attached to a waterproof cover 343 constituting the chuck table support mechanism 34 by a bracket 83. Thus, the cover member 82 attached to the waterproof cover 343 via the bracket 83 is positioned at a height position where the upper surface thereof is substantially flush with the upper surface of the chuck table 33.
[0016]
The cutting device configured according to the present invention is configured as described above, and the operation thereof will be described below.
At the start of the cutting operation, the chuck table 33 is positioned at the standby position shown in FIG. The semiconductor wafer 9 is placed on the chuck table 33 positioned at this standby position. The semiconductor wafer 9 placed on the chuck table 33 is sucked and held on the chuck table 33 by operation of a suction means (not shown). The chuck table 33 that sucks and holds the semiconductor wafer 9 in this way is moved to the alignment region A along the guide rails 32 and 32. When the chuck table 33 is positioned in the alignment area A, a street (cutting line) formed on the semiconductor wafer 9 is detected by the imaging means 6, and the spindle unit 5 is moved and adjusted in the direction of the arrow Y, which is the indexing direction. Alignment work is performed. The alignment operation is performed with cutting water supplied. As a result, the cutting water ejected from the cutting water supply nozzle 57 scatters, but the entry into the alignment region A is shielded by the partition wall 81 constituting the cutting water shielding means 8. That is, since the seal plates 812 and 812 constituting the partition wall 81 maintain a slight gap with the cover member 82 even when the chuck table 33 moves, the penetration of the cutting water into the alignment region A is shielded. The Therefore, the cutting water does not adhere to the objective lens constituting the imaging means 6. Further, since the seal plates 812 and 812 constituting the partition wall 81 are respectively attached to both side surfaces of the partition wall plate 811, in order to function as a labyrinth seal, cutting water is supplied to the alignment region A through the lower side of the seal plates 812 and 812. Can also be prevented from entering.
[0017]
When the alignment operation is completed as described above, the chuck table 33 that sucks and holds the semiconductor wafer 9 is moved to the cutting region B and moved in the direction indicated by the arrow X that is the cutting feed direction. The held semiconductor wafer 9 is cut along a predetermined cutting line by the cutting blade 54. That is, the cutting blade 54 is mounted on the spindle unit 5 that is moved and adjusted in the direction indicated by the arrow Y that is the indexing direction and the direction indicated by the arrow Z that is the cutting direction, and is rotated at high speed (for example, 30 by the servo motor 55). 000 rpm), the chuck table 33 is held on the chuck table 33 by moving the chuck table 33 along the lower side of the cutting blade 54 in the cutting feed direction indicated by the arrow X at a predetermined speed (for example, 50 mm / sec). The semiconductor wafer 20 is cut along a predetermined street (cutting line) by the cutting blade 54.
[0018]
When the semiconductor wafer 9 is cut by the cutting blade 54 described above, cutting water is supplied from the cutting water supply nozzle 57 to the cutting portion of the semiconductor wafer 9. Although the cutting water is scattered, the partition wall 81 seal plates 812 and 812 and the cover member 82 always face each other and maintain a slight gap as described above. Intrusion is shielded. Therefore, the cutting water does not adhere to the objective lens constituting the imaging means 6.
[0019]
【The invention's effect】
The cutting device according to the present invention is configured as described above, a partition wall disposed between the cutting region and the alignment region and having a lower end positioned slightly above the upper surface of the chuck table, and the chuck table in the moving direction of the chuck table. And a cutting water shielding means having a cover member arranged so as to be movable and having an upper surface substantially flush with the upper surface of the chuck table. Intrusion into is blocked. Therefore, it is prevented that cutting water adheres to the objective lens which comprises an imaging means.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting device constructed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the cutting apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of cutting water shielding means provided in the cutting apparatus shown in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1: device housing 2: stationary base 3: chuck table mechanism 31, 32: guide rail 33: chuck table 34: chuck table support mechanism 341: chuck table support base 342: cylindrical member 343: waterproof cover 35: rotating shaft 36: Bellows means 37: drive means 4: spindle support mechanism 41, 42: guide rail 43: movable support base 44: drive means 5: spindle unit 51: unit holder 52: spindle housing 53: rotating spindle 54: cutting blade 55: servo Motor 57: Cutting water supply nozzle 6: Imaging means 7: Display means 8: Cutting water shielding means 81: Partition wall 811: Partition plate 812: Seal plate 9: Semiconductor wafer

Claims (3)

A chuck table configured to hold a workpiece and move to a cutting region and an alignment region adjacent to the cutting region, and supply cutting water to the workpiece disposed in the cutting region and held by the chuck table Cutting means for cutting while moving, imaging means for detecting a region to be cut of the work piece disposed in the alignment region and held by the chuck table, and moving the chuck table from the alignment region to the cutting region And a chuck table moving means for moving the cutting table in the cutting feed direction,
A partition wall disposed between the cutting region and the alignment region and having a lower end positioned slightly above the upper surface of the chuck table, and configured to be movable with the chuck table in the moving direction of the chuck table. A cutting water shielding means having a cover member disposed so as to be substantially flush with the upper surface of the chuck table;
The cover member has a hole having a diameter larger than the diameter of the chuck table at the center, and is formed to have a size that always faces the partition wall during cutting in the cutting region.
The cutting device characterized by the above.   The cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall includes a partition plate and a flexible seal plate that is attached to the partition plate and has a lower end protruding downward from the lower end of the partition plate.   The cutting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the seal plates are respectively attached to both side surfaces of the partition plate.

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