JP4777072B2 - Dicing machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dicing apparatus, and more particularly to a dicing apparatus used when a workpiece such as a semiconductor or a wafer of electronic component material is cut into dice chips.

  In the dicing machine, cutting is carried out while spraying cutting water onto the blade for lubrication and cooling between the blade (cutting blade) that rotates at high speed and the semiconductor wafer, and spraying cooling water onto the blade and the cutting part. . In such a dicing machine, if the chip is contaminated with dirty water (dirty cutting water containing cutting powder generated during cutting and cooling water), this dirt causes product defects. A cleaning process provided with an apparatus or the like was provided, and the chips were cleaned in this cleaning process to remove chips and the like.

  By the way, if the chip is dried before the cleaning step in the state where the sewage remains on the surface of the chip, the chips are stuck on the surface of the chip, and therefore the chips cannot be removed by a short cleaning.

  Therefore, in the conventional dicing apparatus, the cleaning time is set longer to remove the chips. Therefore, the conventional dicing apparatus has a problem that the throughput cannot be improved.

In order to solve this problem, the applicant has proposed a dicing apparatus provided with a plurality of nozzles in order to prevent the wafer from drying (see Patent Document 1), and the expected effect has been confirmed.
JP 2000-150428 A

  However, even with the above-described conventional dicing apparatus, it may be difficult to completely remove the chips. Moreover, recent semiconductor wafers have been increased in diameter (for example, a diameter of 203 mm (nominally 8 inches) or more), and such a large-diameter semiconductor wafer has a long cutting time, so that sewage remains on the chip. The time also becomes longer. Therefore, there is a problem that the probability that the chip is contaminated increases as the semiconductor wafer becomes larger in diameter.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and prevents contamination of the workpiece by efficiently cleaning the workpiece during cutting, and improves throughput and yield during processing. An object of the present invention is to provide a dicing apparatus capable of performing the above.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cutting device that rotationally drives a cutting blade, a support table that supports a workpiece and is moved relative to the cutting device, and is fixed to the device main body to perform cutting processing. a first washing water injection means for injecting washing water toward the workpiece in the same side as the first wash water injecting means relative to the cutting device is fixed to an end of the support table, wherein Second cleaning water spraying means for spraying cleaning water toward the workpiece being cut , which is movable to the vicinity of the first cleaning water spraying means with relative movement of the support table ; and close to the washing water spraying means is fixed to the apparatus main body, and scrub cleaning means for cleaning the surface of該被workpiece while abutting entitled over the entire width of the surface of the workpiece during cutting, The entire surface of the workpiece being cut is Providing a dicing apparatus characterized by being adapted to be covered with clean water.

  According to the present invention, the first cleaning water injection means fixed to the apparatus main body and the second cleaning water injection means fixed to the support table are provided, and the entire surface of the workpiece being cut is formed. Since it is covered with cleaning water, it is possible to prevent the wafer from being dried and to prevent contamination of the workpiece.

  Further, according to the present invention, the scrub cleaning means for cleaning while being in contact with the surface of the workpiece being cut is provided, so that the workpiece can be processed by efficiently washing the workpiece being cut. It is possible to prevent contamination of the material and improve the throughput and yield during processing.

  In the present invention, the cutting device is provided with cutting water jetting means for supplying cutting water toward the end surface of the cutting blade, and on both side surfaces of the cutting blade, and at a cutting portion of the workpiece by the cutting blade. Cooling water jetting means for supplying cooling water toward the jetting direction, the jet direction of the wash water jetted from the first wash water jetting means and the jet of the wash water jetted from the second wash water jetting means It is preferable that the direction is set to a direction that does not oppose the blowing direction of the cutting water and cooling water blown off by the cutting blade.

  If the cutting device is provided with such cutting water injection means and cooling water injection means, the workpiece can be cut well. In addition, if the spraying direction of the cleaning water sprayed from the first and second cleaning water spraying means is set in a direction that does not oppose the blowing direction of the cutting water and the cooling water, the workpiece being cut is processed. It is suitable for covering the entire surface of the material with washing water.

  Further, in the present invention, the first cleaning water spraying means and the second cleaning water spraying means are rod-shaped members, and are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction of the cutting device and the support table. It is preferable that cleaning water is supplied from the first cleaning water spraying means and the second cleaning water spraying means so as to cover the entire width of the material. If the cleaning water is supplied so as to cover the entire width of the workpiece by the rod-like first and second cleaning water jetting means, the workpiece being cut can be efficiently cleaned.

  In the present invention, the scrub cleaning means is preferably a sponge member that is disposed in a direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction of the cutting device and the support table and covers the entire width of the workpiece. Thus, if the scrub cleaning means is a sponge member that covers the entire width of the workpiece, the workpiece being cut can be efficiently cleaned.

  Moreover, in this invention, it is preferable that the contact width of the said scrub cleaning means and a workpiece in the relative movement direction of the said cutting device and a support table is 10 mm or less. In this way, by making the contact width between the scrub cleaning means and the workpiece to be an appropriate value, it is possible to achieve both the cleaning performance and the efficiency of the apparatus layout.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the contamination of the workpiece by efficiently cleaning the workpiece during the cutting process, and to improve the throughput and the yield during the machining.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a dicing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected to the same member in each figure.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dicing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the dicing apparatus 1 mainly includes a cutting device 10, a cleaning device 20, a cassette storage unit 30, an elevator device 40, a transport device 50, and the like.

  A process of cutting the wafer W by the dicing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. First, a plurality of unprocessed wafers W stored in the cassette storage unit 30 are sequentially pulled out by the elevator apparatus 40, and the pulled wafers W are set at a position P4 shown in FIG.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the position P2 (loading position and unloading position) by the transfer device 50 via the preload stage at the position P1, and the cutting table 60 (see FIG. 3) of the cutting device 10 at this position P2. ) Is placed on top. Here, the wafer W is sucked and held on a cutting table 60 which is a support table.

  The wafer W held by suction is subjected to image recognition of the pattern on the wafer W by the alignment unit 12 shown in FIG. 2, and is aligned based on this. Then, the aligned wafer W is moved in the Y-axis direction indicated by arrows A and B of the blade 14 constituting the cutting apparatus 10 and in the X-axis direction indicated by arrows C and D in the cutting table 60 (wafer W and the cutting table). Equivalent to 60 relative movements), the street is cut.

  When the first street is cut, the blade 14 of the cutting apparatus 10 is moved in the Y-axis direction by the street pitch, and the cutting table 60 is moved again in the X-axis direction. As a result, the next street is cut.

  When such a cutting operation is repeated and cutting of all streets in one direction (X direction) is completed, the cutting table 60 is rotated by 90 °, and the other direction (in FIG. The same operation is repeated to sequentially cut the streets in the Y direction). Thereby, the wafer W is finally cut into dice.

  After the cutting, the wafer W is returned to the position P2 (unload position) by the cutting table 60, and then transferred to the spinner table of the cleaning device 20 at the position P3 by the transfer device 50. Here, the wafer W is cleaned by cleaning water and then dried by air blow. The dried wafer W is transferred to the position P4 by the transfer device 50, then transferred toward the cassette unit 30 by the elevator device 40, and stored in a predetermined cassette. The above is the flow of the cutting process of one wafer W by the dicing apparatus 1.

  Next, the configuration of the dicing apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a form of the cutting device 10, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cutting device 10 of the dicing apparatus 1 includes a blade 14, a cutting table 60, a fixed water curtain nozzle (corresponding to a first cleaning water spraying unit) 62, a sponge block (scrub cleaning unit). 64), a moving water curtain nozzle (corresponding to the second washing water injection means) 66, and the like.

  The blade 14 is attached to the spindle 70 of the motor 68 shown in FIG. When the motor 68 is driven, the blade 14 is rotated at a high speed in a direction indicated by an arrow A in FIG. The blade 14 is surrounded by a flange cover 72 shown in FIG. The flange cover 72 is fixed to a Y carriage 74 shown in FIG. 4, and the Y carriage 74 is connected to a Y axis direction moving mechanism (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the flange cover (part of the apparatus main body) 72 includes a cutting water supply nozzle (corresponding to the cutting water supply means) 76 and a cooling water supply nozzle (corresponding to the cooling water supply means) 78. Is provided. The cutting water supply nozzle 76 is disposed so as to face the blade 14, and the cutting water sprayed from the cutting water supply nozzle 76 in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3 is supplied to the blade 14 immediately before cutting. Further, a pair of cooling water supply nozzles 78 are provided with the blade 14 interposed therebetween, and the cooling water sprayed from the cooling water supply nozzle 78 is supplied to the blade 14 being cut and the cutting portion of the wafer W, and the blade 14 and the cut are cooled.

  A tube 77 for supplying cutting water to the cutting water supply nozzle 76 is connected to the flange cover 72, and a tube 79 for supplying cooling water to the cooling water supply nozzle 78 is connected to the flange cover 72. Further, the flange cover 72 incorporates a sensor for detecting the wear and chipping of the blade 14 in a non-contact manner, and information from this sensor is output to a control device (not shown) via the cable 80. .

  Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 4, the fixed water curtain nozzle 62 and the sponge block 64 are disposed on the D direction side (one side) in the X axis movement direction of the blade 14. Further, the fixed water curtain nozzle 62 and the sponge block 64 are arranged close to each other in the vertical direction and are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the X-axis movement direction of the cutting table 60.

  Further, the fixed water curtain nozzle 62 can inject cleaning water onto the entire wafer W passing through the lower side, and the sponge block 64 is set to a length capable of scrub cleaning the entire surface of the wafer W passing through the lower side. Yes. The fixed water curtain nozzle 62 and the sponge block 64 are connected to a Y carriage (part of the apparatus main body) 74. As a result, the fixed water curtain nozzle 62 and the sponge block 64 are moved in the Y-axis direction together with the blade 14.

  The fixed water curtain nozzle 62 is connected to a water supply source via a shut-off valve (not shown). A number of injection holes (not shown) are formed on the lower surface of the fixed water curtain nozzle 62 along the axial direction of the nozzle 62. Accordingly, when the shut-off valve is opened, the cleaning water pumped from the water supply source is sprayed (sprayed) from the injection hole, and the sprayed cleaning water is supplied to the surface of the wafer W in the form of a curtain. The sewage adhering to the surface of the wafer W is washed away by this cleaning water, and chips and the like in the sewage are removed. Since the shutoff valve is always opened during the cutting process of the wafer W, the wafer W is always kept wet. Thereby, drying of the wafer W is prevented.

  The spraying direction of the cleaning water sprayed from the spray hole of the fixed water curtain nozzle 62 is set to a direction that does not oppose the spraying direction of the cutting water and cooling water blown off by the blade 14. Thus, the cleaning water sprayed from the fixed water curtain nozzle 62 is supplied to the wafer W without being interrupted by the cutting water and the cooling water. The direction of washing water injection is indicated by an arrow E in FIGS. 3 and 5. This direction E is substantially the same as the direction B of cutting water sprayed from the cutting water supply nozzle 76.

  The sponge block 64 is scrub cleaning means provided so that the tip (lower end) is in contact with the wafer W. The sponge block 64 as the scrub cleaning means is not limited in material as long as it can remove contamination on the surface of the wafer W without causing defects such as scratches and scratches on the wafer W. For example, PVA A sponge (trade name: Berglin) block is preferably used.

  The sponge block 64 is preferably formed or supported with good straightness so that the tip of the sponge block 64 is in contact with the entire width of the wafer W and can be scrubbed. Moreover, it is preferable that the width | variety which contacts the wafer W of the front-end | tip of the sponge block 64 is 10 mm or less.

  At the time of scrub cleaning by the sponge block 64, it is preferable that cleaning water is supplied to the sponge block 64, but this cleaning water is supplied by a moving water curtain nozzle 66 described later.

  The form of the sponge block 64 is not limited to the illustrated example (for example, Berglin D3), but another form, for example, a sheet of PVA sponge (for example, Berglin D1) is wound around a small diameter backup roller. Various forms such as contacting with the wafer W can be adopted.

  The moving water curtain nozzle 66 is fixed obliquely above the right end of the cutting table 60. That is, one end of a bracket 66A, which is a U-shaped member, is fixed to the right end of the cutting table 60, and the moving water curtain nozzle 66 is attached to the other end of the bracket 66A. Therefore, the moving water curtain nozzle 66 is moved in the X-axis direction together with the cutting table 60.

  Further, the moving water curtain 66 is disposed in a direction orthogonal to the X-axis moving direction of the cutting table 60. Further, the moving water curtain nozzle 66 is set to a length that allows the cleaning water to be sprayed onto the entire wafer W.

  The moving water curtain nozzle 66 is connected to a water supply source via a shut-off valve (not shown). A number of injection holes (not shown) are formed in the lower surface of the moving water curtain nozzle 66 along the axial direction of the nozzle 66. Accordingly, when the shut-off valve is opened, the cleaning water pumped from the water supply source is sprayed (sprayed) from the injection hole, and the sprayed cleaning water is supplied to the surface of the wafer W in the form of a curtain. The sewage adhering to the surface of the wafer W is washed away by this cleaning water, and chips and the like in the sewage are removed. Since the shutoff valve is always opened during the cutting process of the wafer W, the wafer W is always kept wet. Thereby, drying of the wafer W is prevented.

  The spraying direction of the cleaning water sprayed from the spray hole of the moving water curtain nozzle 66 is set to a direction that does not oppose the spraying direction of the cutting water and cooling water blown off by the blade 14. Thus, the cleaning water sprayed from the moving water curtain nozzle 66 is supplied to the wafer W without being interrupted by the cutting water and the cooling water. The injection direction of the washing water is indicated by an arrow F on FIGS. This direction F is substantially the same as the direction B of cutting water sprayed from the cutting water supply nozzle 76.

  Next, the operation of the cutting apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described. First, the cutting table 60 that sucks and holds the wafer W at the position P2 in FIG. 2 is moved to the cutting start position shown in FIG. 3 and waits at that position. Then, the cutting of the wafer W is started by moving the cutting table 60 in the direction of arrow C in FIG. FIG. 5 shows a middle position of cutting, and FIG. 6 shows a relative position between the blade 14 and the cutting table 60 after cutting.

  At the time of cutting the wafer W, cutting water is constantly supplied from the cutting water supply nozzle 76 toward the blade 14, and cooling water is always supplied from the cooling water supply nozzle 78 to the blade 14 and to the cutting portion. The cleaning liquid is constantly sprayed from the fixed water curtain nozzle 62 and the moving water curtain nozzle 66 onto the wafer W being cut. As a result, the sewage adhering to the wafer W is immediately washed away and drying of the wafer W is prevented.

  At this time, when the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the fixed water curtain nozzle 62 onto the wafer W being cut, the portion of the wafer W to which the cleaning liquid is sprayed varies depending on the position of the cutting table 60. For example, FIG. In the state, the amount of the cleaning liquid sprayed to the vicinity of the left end of the wafer W becomes insufficient.

  On the other hand, the relative position between the moving water curtain nozzle 66 and the wafer W is always constant, and when the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the moving water curtain nozzle 66 to the wafer W being cut, the cleaning liquid regardless of the position of the cutting table 60. There is no change in the portion of the wafer W on which is injected. Therefore, the state in which the cleaning liquid is always sprayed onto the wafer W can be maintained by setting the cleaning liquid spray direction F of the moving water curtain nozzle 66 appropriately in advance.

  According to the present embodiment described above, contamination of the wafer W and the chips by dirty water can be prevented. Further, since the drying of the wafer W is prevented, the cleaning time in the cleaning device 20 (see FIG. 2) after the cutting process can be shortened. Therefore, the throughput of the wafer W can be improved. In particular, the cutting apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is suitable for a large-diameter wafer W.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of the dicing apparatus based on this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Various aspects can be taken.

  For example, in this embodiment, a rod-like fixing member is adopted as the sponge block 64 as the scrub cleaning means, but a roller-like sponge member may be used instead, and the same as in this embodiment. The effect is obtained. In this case, the roller-like sponge member may be driven to rotate or may be supported in a driven state.

  In this embodiment, the cleaning water is sprayed (sprayed) and supplied to the wafer W. However, the cleaning water may be supplied in the form of a shower or spray.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the dicing apparatus that cuts the semiconductor wafer has been described. However, the application target of the workpiece is not limited to the semiconductor wafer, and the workpiece that needs to be cleaned while being cut. The present invention can be applied to any device (for example, a liquid crystal cell).

  Dicing processing of the silicon wafer was performed using the dicing apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

  As the workpiece W, a silicon wafer (thickness 2 mm) having an outer diameter of 100 mm (nominal 4 inch size) was used. The outer diameter of the blade 14 is 56 mm, and the rotation speed is 3000 rpm. The grinding feed rate in the X direction was 5 mm / second. The surface of the cleaned and dried silicon wafer (chip) was observed (imaged) with an optical microscope (magnification: 50 times and 200 times) to evaluate the state of contamination. The measurement locations are 5 locations (1-5) shown in FIG.

  As an example, the dicing process was performed using all of the fixed water curtain nozzle 62, the sponge block 64, and the moving water curtain nozzle 66.

  As Comparative Example 1, the dicing process was performed using only the fixed water curtain nozzle 62.

  As Comparative Example 2, the dicing process was performed using only the moving water curtain nozzle 66.

  As Comparative Example 3, the dicing process was performed using only the sponge block 64.

  In the examples, no contamination was observed on the surface of the dried silicon wafer (N = 5 points).

  In Comparative Example 1, contamination was observed on almost the entire surface of the dried silicon wafer (N = 5 points).

  In Comparative Example 2, although the contamination state of the surface of the dried silicon wafer (N = 5 points) was better than Comparative Example 1, it was clearly inferior to the Examples.

  In Comparative Example 3, although the contamination state of the surface of the silicon wafer after drying (N = 5 points) was better than that of Comparative Example 1, spot-like contamination was observed locally and was clearly inferior to the Example. It was.

  From the above results, the remarkable effect of the present example was confirmed.

The perspective view which shows the dicing apparatus of embodiment of this invention Plan view of the dicing apparatus shown in FIG. Structure diagram of the cutting device of the dicing device shown in FIG. Plan view of the cutting device shown in FIG. Operation | movement explanatory drawing of the cutting device shown in FIG. Operation | movement explanatory drawing of the cutting device shown in FIG. The top view which shows the measurement location of the wafer in an Example

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Dicing apparatus, 10 ... Cutting apparatus, 14 ... Blade, 60 ... Cutting table, 62 ... Fixed water curtain nozzle, 64 ... Sponge block, 66 ... Moving water curtain nozzle, 72 ... Flange cover, 76 ... Cutting water supply nozzle, 78 ... Cooling water supply nozzle

Claims (5)

A cutting device that rotationally drives the cutting blade;
A support table that supports the workpiece and is moved relative to the cutting device;
A first cleaning water spraying means fixed to the apparatus body and spraying cleaning water toward the workpiece being cut;
It is fixed to the end of the support table on the same side as the first washing water injection means with respect to the cutting device, and is movable to the vicinity of the first washing water injection means with relative movement of the support table. A second cleaning water spraying means for spraying cleaning water toward the workpiece being cut;
Scrub fixed to said device body proximate to the first washing water injection means, for cleaning the surface of該被workpiece while abutting entitled over the entire width of the surface of the workpiece during cutting And a cleaning means,
A dicing apparatus characterized in that the entire surface of a workpiece being cut is covered with cleaning water. The cutting device is provided with cutting water jetting means for supplying cutting water toward the end face of the cutting blade, and both sides of the cutting blade, and cooling water is directed toward the cutting portion of the workpiece by the cutting blade. Cooling water injection means for supplying
The cutting water and the cooling water that are blown off by the cutting blade have the spraying direction of the cleaning water sprayed from the first cleaning water spraying means and the spraying direction of the cleaning water sprayed from the second cleaning water spraying means. The dicing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dicing apparatus is set in a direction that does not oppose the blowing direction.   The first cleaning water spraying means and the second cleaning water spraying means are rod-shaped members, and are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction of the cutting device and the support table so as to cover the entire width of the workpiece. The dicing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein cleaning water is supplied from the first cleaning water injection unit and the second cleaning water injection unit.   The scrub cleaning means is a sponge member that is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction of the cutting device and the support table and covers the entire width of the workpiece. Dicing equipment.   The dicing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a contact width between the scrub cleaning means and the workpiece in a relative movement direction of the cutting apparatus and the support table is 10 mm or less.

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