JP4778851B2 - Inspection assistance device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection assistant device for assisting inspection of a semiconductor wafer, and more particularly, to an inspection assistant device for assisting inspection for visually confirming whether a protective sheet is properly attached to the surface of a semiconductor wafer.

  After the formation of the LSI circuit pattern on the semiconductor wafer (pre-process), a package having a predetermined thickness (eg, 1.4 mm, 1.0 mm) is formed in the post-process. The semiconductor wafer in the material stage of the previous process has a certain thickness (for example, 725 μm) to prevent cracking during the process.

  However, in order to obtain a predetermined package thickness in the subsequent process, the entire back surface of the semiconductor wafer is ground after the previous process to reduce the semiconductor wafer to a predetermined thickness (for example, 300 μm to 400 μm). This process is back grinding.

  The back surface grinding is performed by a back surface grinding apparatus, but before that, a dedicated protective sheet is pasted on the pattern surface of the semiconductor wafer by a sheet pasting machine. After sticking the protective sheet, the semiconductor wafer is placed on the stage of the back grinding apparatus with the pasted pattern surface down.

  At this time, the pattern surface of the semiconductor wafer is protected by the affixed protective sheet against rubbing with the surface of the stage. On the stage, the back surface of the semiconductor wafer faces upward, and the back surface is ground with a grinding blade.

  However, for example, due to a defect caused by the sheet sticking machine, only one of the 25 semiconductor wafers in one lot is not attached, or air bubbles are mixed between the protective sheet and the semiconductor wafer. May occur.

  When a semiconductor wafer to which a protective sheet is not attached is ground on the back surface, the pattern surface of the semiconductor wafer and the stage surface are rubbed directly to scratch the circuit pattern, and the semiconductor wafer must be discarded.

  Moreover, when the semiconductor wafer to which the protective sheet is not attached is broken, broken pieces spread on the same stage. In this case, other normal semiconductor wafers on the stage are scratched, causing a decrease in yield. In addition, it is necessary to clean the apparatus by removing the broken pieces from the stage by stopping the apparatus, which becomes an obstacle to productivity.

  On the other hand, if the back surface of the semiconductor wafer in which bubbles are mixed with the protective sheet is ground, the semiconductor wafer is not ground to a uniform thickness. Further, the protective sheet may be peeled off from the semiconductor wafer, and the back surface grinding may not be performed normally.

  The current sheet pasting machine cannot completely eliminate the above-mentioned problems. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm by some method whether or not the protective sheet is normally stuck to each semiconductor wafer by the sheet sticking machine.

  Therefore, at present, the operator brings the wafer carrier containing the semiconductor wafer in front of the illumination, and illuminates the opening on the upper side (front side) of the wafer carrier so that the semiconductor wafer does not jump out of the opening. Check whether each of the pattern reflections (+ protection sheet) on the internal semiconductor wafer is reflected from the opening on the lower side (back side) of the wafer carrier one by one. If it is affixed, the presence or absence of air bubbles is confirmed.

In that case, the wafer carrier containing the semiconductor wafer is held with both hands and lifted to the eye level, and the pattern surface (+ protective sheet) of each semiconductor wafer in the wafer carrier is visually confirmed.
JP2003-152058 JP 2000-114350 A JP 07-074276

  However, when the operator lifts the wafer carrier as described above, dust is generated due to rubbing between the hand (gloves) and the wafer carrier, causing a defect of the semiconductor wafer. Also, the wafer carrier in which a plurality of semiconductor wafers are stored is extremely heavy. For this reason, continuing to lift the wafer carrier to a position suitable for visual inspection until the inspection is completed is an excessive work burden and may cause the wafer carrier to fall.

  Moreover, when the surface of the semiconductor wafer is visually inspected as described above, the wafer carrier is held in a state where the upper surface opening is positioned forward so that the surface of the semiconductor wafer is substantially horizontal.

  However, when the wafer carrier tilts forward from such a state, the semiconductor wafer slides out from the upper surface opening located in front of the wafer carrier. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to keep the wafer carrier tilted backwards. However, as described above, since the wafer carrier containing the semiconductor wafer is heavy, it is not possible to keep the wafer carrier in a certain state. Have difficulty.

  The inspection auxiliary apparatus of the present invention assists the inspection of semiconductor wafers individually accommodated in a plurality of carrier slots arranged in the front-rear direction inside a box-shaped wafer carrier having an upper surface opening and a lower surface opening. A lower surface holding portion having a holding upper surface in which an inspection opening communicating with the lower surface opening is formed and contacting the lower surface of the wafer carrier, and a front surface of the wafer carrier formed integrally with the lower surface holding portion. A carrier holding member that holds the wafer carrier in a state where the upper surface opening and the lower surface opening are not closed, and supports the carrier holding member so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction. Rotating support mechanism, an initial holding mechanism for holding a rotatable carrier holding member at an initial position where the holding upper surface is substantially horizontal, and a rotatable carrier holding member Holding rear surface having a test holding mechanism for holding the inspection position tilted backward from the horizontal.

  Therefore, in the inspection auxiliary apparatus of the present invention, the wafer carrier is held by the carrier holding member that is rotatably supported by the rotation support mechanism and is held at the initial position by the initial holding mechanism, and holds the wafer carrier. The carrier holding member is rotated to the inspection position held by the inspection holding mechanism. At this time, since the lower surface opening of the wafer carrier is located rearward, the surface of the semiconductor wafer is visually inspected from the lower surface opening. In addition, since the entire wafer carrier is maintained in a state of being inclined backward from the horizontal, the semiconductor wafer is prevented from sliding off from the upper surface opening located in front.

  The various components of the present invention do not necessarily have to be independent of each other. A plurality of components are formed as a single member, and a single component is formed of a plurality of members. It may be that a certain component is a part of another component, a part of a certain component overlaps with a part of another component, or the like.

  In the present invention, the front / rear / left / right directions are defined in addition to the up / down direction, but the front / rear / left / right directions are defined for convenience in order to briefly explain the relative relationship of the components of the present invention. The direction at the time of manufacture or use in carrying out the invention is not limited.

  In the inspection auxiliary apparatus of the present invention, the wafer carrier is held by the carrier holding member that is rotatably supported by the rotation support mechanism and is held at the initial position by the initial holding mechanism, and the carrier holding that holds the wafer carrier. By rotating the member to the inspection position held by the inspection holding mechanism, the lower surface opening of the wafer carrier is positioned rearward, so that the surface of the semiconductor wafer can be visually inspected from the lower surface opening. Since the whole wafer carrier is maintained in a state of being inclined backward from the horizontal, it is possible to prevent the semiconductor wafer from sliding off from the upper surface opening located in front.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, description will be made by defining the directions of up, down, front, back, left and right as shown. However, the front, rear, left, and right are defined for convenience in order to briefly explain the relative relationship of the components of the present embodiment, and limit the direction during production and use when the present invention is implemented. is not.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 11, the inspection auxiliary apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of carriers arranged in the front-rear direction inside a box-shaped wafer carrier 200 having an upper surface opening 201 and a lower surface opening 202. It is formed to assist the inspection of the semiconductor wafer W individually accommodated in a slot (not shown).

  For this reason, the inspection auxiliary apparatus 100 of the present embodiment has a holding upper surface 111 on which the lower surface of the wafer carrier 200 abuts and a holding rear surface 112 on which the front surface abuts, and the wafer carrier 200 is divided into an upper surface opening 201 and a lower surface opening 202. Carrier holding member 110 that holds the carrier holding member 110 in a state in which the carrier holding member 110 is not closed, a rotation support mechanism 120 that rotatably supports the carrier holding member 110 in the front-rear direction, and a holding upper surface 111 that holds the rotatable carrier holding member 110. An initial holding mechanism that holds the carrier holding member 110 in a horizontal initial position; and an inspection holding mechanism that holds the rotatable carrier holding member 110 at an inspection position in which the holding rear surface 112 tilts backward from the horizontal.

  More specifically, the inspection auxiliary apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a work table 130 having a flat upper surface 131 as shown in FIG. The carrier holding member 110 is connected to the upper surface 131 of the work table 130 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction by a rotation support mechanism 120 including a so-called hinge mechanism.

  The carrier holding member 110 is formed in a shape in which a plate-like lower surface holding portion 113 having a holding upper surface 111 and a plate-like front surface holding portion 114 having a holding rear surface 112 are connected at a right angle.

  For this reason, the carrier holding member 110 is formed in a shape that is open upward, rearward, and left and right. The lower surface holding part 113 is formed in a flat plate shape, and as shown in FIG. 3, an inspection opening 115 communicating with the lower surface opening 202 of the wafer carrier 200 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the carrier holding member 110 is rotated to the rear and the state where the lower surface holding portion 113 is in contact with the upper surface 131 of the work table 130 is the initial position. For this reason, the lower surface holding part 113 and the work table 130 function as an initial holding mechanism.

  Further, the front holding part 114 is formed in a shape having a thick upper end from the lower end when the carrier holding member 110 is in the initial position. As shown in FIG. 1, the carrier holding member 110 is rotated forward and the front holding portion 114 is in contact with the upper surface 131 of the work table 130 is the inspection position.

  For this reason, the front surface holding unit 114 and the work table 130 function as an inspection holding mechanism. In the inspection assistant device 100 of the present embodiment, the semiconductor wafer W held at the inspection position is inclined backward by an angle θ with respect to the horizontal. This angle θ is set, for example, in a range of 10 to 40 ° so that visual inspection is easy.

  Further, a carrier mounting table 140 is fixed to the upper surface 131 of the work table 130 behind the carrier holding member 110 at the initial position. The carrier mounting table 140 has a mounting upper surface 141 that is continuous from the rear on the holding upper surface 111 of the carrier holding member 110 in the initial state.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the wafer carrier 200 has a pair of rail portions 210 elongated in the front-rear direction on the lower surface. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the carrier holding member 110 is formed with a pair of holding guide portions 116 on the holding upper surface 111 with which the rail portion 210 is slidably engaged in the front-rear direction.

  In the carrier mounting table 140, a mounting guide portion 142 that is continuous with the holding guide portion 116 is formed on the mounting upper surface 141. However, the mounting guide portion 142 of the carrier mounting table 140 is formed in a shape that expands toward the rear.

  In the inspection auxiliary device 100 according to the present embodiment, the carrier mounting table 140 is formed in a pair of left and right structures, and is fixed to the upper surface 131 of the work table 130 with, for example, bolts or screws (not shown). .

  The carrier holding member 110 is connected to a grip lever 150 that is gripped with fingers. As shown in FIG. 2, when the carrier holding member 110 is in the initial position, the grip lever 150 has a tip positioned behind the carrier mounting table 140.

  Furthermore, in the inspection auxiliary device 100 of the present embodiment, the light source 160 is disposed in front of the carrier holding member 110 at the inspection position. The on / off switch 161 of the light source 160 is installed above the rear part of the work table 130.

  The light source 160 is composed of, for example, a surface light source that generates a parallel light beam. As shown in FIG. Is emitted. This angle α is also set to a range of 10 to 40 °, for example, so that visual inspection is easy.

  In the configuration as described above, an inspection method of the semiconductor wafer W using the inspection auxiliary device 100 of the present embodiment will be described in order below. First, as described above, a protective sheet is attached to the surface of a semiconductor wafer W that moves from the previous process to the subsequent process with a sheet applicator (not shown).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the wafer carrier 200 in which such a semiconductor wafer W is housed is placed on the carrier placement table 140 of the inspection assistant device 100 by the operator's manual work.

  At this time, the wafer carrier 200 is disposed such that the surface of the semiconductor wafer W to which the protective sheet is attached is the rear surface. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the wafer carrier 200 is placed on the placement upper surface 141 of the carrier placement table 140 such that the rail portion 210 engages with the placement guide portion 142.

  Since the mounting guide part 142 of the carrier mounting table 140 is sufficiently wider than the rail part 210 of the wafer carrier 200, the wafer carrier 200 can be easily mounted on the carrier mounting table 140.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, the wafer carrier 200 is slid from the position on the carrier mounting table 140 to the position on the carrier holding member 110 by the operator's manual work.

  At this time, the wafer carrier 200 is in an initial position where the front surface is in contact with the holding rear surface 112 of the carrier holding member 110. Further, the rail portion 210 of the wafer carrier 200 is disposed on the holding guide portion 116 of the carrier holding member 110.

  Since the holding guide portion 116 has a lateral width equivalent to that of the rail portion 210, the wafer carrier 200 is disposed at a fixed position with respect to the carrier holding member 110. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 11, the lower surface opening 202 of the wafer carrier 200 and the inspection opening 115 of the carrier holding member 110 communicate appropriately.

  However, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the mounting guide portion 142 of the carrier mounting table 140 wider than the rail portion 210 of the carrier holding member 110 has a sharp shape and the carrier holding member 110 having the same width as the rail portion 210. The holding guide portion 116 is communicated with.

  For this reason, if the wafer carrier 200 on the carrier mounting table 140 is slid onto the carrier holding member 110, the rail portion 210 is automatically inserted from the carrier mounting table 140 into the holding guide portion 116.

  Next, when the operator holds the holding lever 150 and rotates it upward, the wafer carrier 200 is rotated from the initial position to the inspection position together with the carrier holding member 110 as shown in FIG.

  At this time, since the lower surface and the front surface of the wafer carrier 200 are held by the carrier holding member 110, even if the wafer carrier 200 is rotated forward together with the carrier holding member 110, it does not fall off.

  Further, when the wafer carrier 200 is rotated forward together with the carrier holding member 110 and arranged at the inspection position, the semiconductor wafer W inside the wafer carrier 200 is formed due to the deformed front holding portion 114 of the carrier holding member 110. In this state, it is inclined backward by an angle θ with respect to the horizontal.

  In this state, the operator manually operates the on / off switch 161 to turn on the light source 160. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the light source 160 emits light rays downward by an angle θ + α from the horizontal.

  For this reason, light rays are incident on the surface of the semiconductor wafer W at the inspection position at an angle α. At this time, the lower surface opening 202 of the wafer carrier 200 and the inspection opening 115 of the carrier holding member 110 are located rearward.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the surface of the semiconductor wafer W is visually inspected through these openings. When this inspection is completed, the wafer carrier 200 is moved onto the carrier mounting table 140 by the procedure opposite to the above and transferred by the operator.

  As described above, when the operator visually inspects the surface of the semiconductor wafer W, the use of the auxiliary inspection device 100 of the present embodiment eliminates the need for the operator to continue to lift the wafer carrier 200 to a position where it can be visually observed.

  For this reason, the danger of the operator dropping the wafer carrier 200 can be eliminated. In particular, the wafer carrier 200 is held at an appropriate inspection position. For this reason, the inspection accuracy of the semiconductor wafer W can be improved while reducing the burden on the operator.

  In addition, in the inspection auxiliary apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the entire wafer carrier 200 arranged at the inspection position is maintained in a state of being inclined backward from the horizontal. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the semiconductor wafer W from sliding off from the upper surface opening 201 located in front of the wafer carrier 200.

  Furthermore, the mounting upper surface 141 of the carrier mounting table 140 is continuous from the rear side with the holding upper surface 111 of the carrier holding member 110 in the initial state. For this reason, the wafer carrier 200 can be slid onto the carrier holding member 110 after the wafer carrier 200 is first mounted on the carrier mounting table 140.

  The carrier holding member 110 is rotatable, but the carrier mounting table 140 is fixed. For this reason, by first placing the wafer carrier 200 on the carrier mounting table 140 instead of the carrier holding member 110, the safety of work can be further improved.

  Further, the wafer carrier 200 has a rail portion 210 that is elongated in the front-rear direction on the lower surface. In the carrier holding member 110, a holding guide portion 116 with which the rail portion 210 is slidably engaged in the front-rear direction is formed on the holding upper surface 111, and the carrier mounting table 140 is placed on the holding guide portion 116 continuously. A guide part 142 is formed on the mounting upper surface 141.

  For this reason, the wafer carrier 200 can be smoothly slid from the carrier mounting table 140 to the carrier holding member 110. Further, since the wafer carrier 200 is disposed at a fixed position with respect to the carrier holding member 110, the lower surface opening 202 of the wafer carrier 200 and the inspection opening 115 of the carrier holding member 110 can be appropriately communicated with each other.

  Furthermore, the carrier mounting table 140 is formed in a shape in which the mounting guide portion 142 is expanded toward the rear. For this reason, the wafer carrier 200 can be easily mounted on the carrier mounting table 140.

  Moreover, if the wafer carrier 200 on the carrier mounting table 140 is slid onto the carrier holding member 110, the rail portion 210 can be automatically inserted from the carrier mounting table 140 into the holding guide portion 116.

  Further, a gripping lever 150 gripped with fingers is connected to the carrier holding member 110, and the tip of the gripping lever 150 is located behind the carrier mounting table 140 with the carrier holding member 110 in the initial position. For this reason, the carrier holding member 110 can be easily rotated between the initial position and the inspection position by manual operation.

  The carrier holding member 110 is formed in a shape in which a lower surface holding portion 113 and a front surface holding portion 114 are connected at a right angle and opened upward, rearward, and left and right. Therefore, the lower surface and the front surface of the wafer carrier 200 can be held with a simple structure, and the slide movement of the wafer carrier 200 by manual operation can be easily performed.

  Further, the front holding portion 114 of the carrier holding member 110 is formed in a thicker shape toward the tip. For this reason, the wafer carrier 200 can be disposed at an inspection position inclined backward by a predetermined angle with a simple structure.

  In addition, the light source 160 is disposed in front of the carrier holding member 110 at the inspection position. For this reason, it is possible to irradiate the semiconductor wafer W disposed at the inspection position with light from an appropriate direction.

  Further, an on / off switch 161 of the light source 160 is installed at the rear part of the work table 130. For this reason, the light source 160 can be easily turned on and off without the operator moving.

  The present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and various modifications are allowed without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the carrier mounting table 140 is fixed to the rear end of the upper surface of the work table 130, and the wafer carrier 200 mounted thereon is slid onto the carrier holding member 110. However, the carrier holding member 110 may be rotatably disposed at the rear end of the work table 130, and the wafer carrier 200 may be directly placed thereon.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the wafer carrier 200 is disposed at the inspection position inclined backward by a predetermined angle depending on the shape of the front surface holding portion 114 of the carrier holding member 110. However, with the carrier holding member, the upper surface of the workbench is tilted backward, the convex part is formed on the front part of the upper surface of the workbench, the convex part is formed on the front upper part of the carrier holding member The wafer carrier 200 may be arranged at the inspection position (not shown).

  Furthermore, in the said form, it illustrated that the on-off switch 161 of the light source 160 was installed in the rear part of the work bench 130. FIG. However, the on / off switch 161 may be installed on the upper surface of the work table 130 and turned on by the carrier holding member 110 rotated to the inspection position.

It is a typical vertical side view which shows the inspection method of the semiconductor wafer using the inspection auxiliary | assistance apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is a typical side view showing the whole inspection auxiliary device. It is a top view which shows the principal part of a test | inspection auxiliary | assistance apparatus. It is a vertical front view which shows the shape of each place of a carrier mounting base and a carrier holding member. It is a typical top view which shows the relationship between the mounting guide part of a carrier mounting base, and the rail part of a wafer carrier. It is a typical vertical front view which shows the relationship between the mounting guide part of a carrier mounting base, and the rail part of a wafer carrier. It is a typical side view which shows the state by which the wafer carrier was arrange | positioned in the inspection auxiliary device in the initial position. It is a typical top view which shows the relationship between the holding | maintenance guide part of a carrier holding member, and the rail part of a wafer carrier. It is a typical vertical front view which shows the relationship between the holding | maintenance guide part of a carrier holding member, and the rail part of a wafer carrier. It is a typical side view which shows the state by which the wafer carrier was arrange | positioned in the test | inspection position by the test | inspection auxiliary | assistance apparatus. It is a typical front view which shows the state which looked at the wafer carrier of the test | inspection position from back from the carrier holding member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Inspection auxiliary | assistance apparatus 110 Carrier holding member 111 Holding upper surface 112 Holding rear surface 113 Lower surface holding part 114 Front surface holding part 115 Inspection opening 116 Holding guide part 120 Rotation support mechanism 130 Working table 131 Upper surface 140 Carrier mounting table 141 Mounting upper surface 142 Mounting Guide part 150 Grip lever 160 Light source 161 On-off switch 200 Wafer carrier 201 Upper surface opening 202 Lower surface opening 210 Rail part

Claims (9)

Helps to inspect visually the surface of a semiconductor wafer housed individually into a plurality of carrier slots are arranged in the longitudinal direction in the interior of the box-shaped wafer carrier having an upper opening and a lower surface opening from the bottom surface opening An inspection auxiliary device for
A lower surface holding portion having a holding upper surface where an inspection opening communicating with the lower surface opening is formed and a lower surface of the wafer carrier abuts, and a holding formed integrally with the lower surface holding portion and the front surface of the wafer carrier abuts A carrier holding member that holds the wafer carrier in a state in which the upper surface opening and the lower surface opening are not closed.
A rotation support mechanism that rotatably supports the carrier holding member in the front-rear direction;
An initial holding mechanism and rotatable said carrier holding member said holding upper surface to hold the horizontal initial position,
An inspection holding mechanism for holding the rotatable carrier holding member at an inspection position in which the holding rear surface is inclined backward from the horizontal;
Inspection auxiliary device having   The inspection auxiliary device according to claim 1, wherein the carrier holding member is formed in a shape opened at least rearward.   The inspection auxiliary device according to claim 2, further comprising a carrier mounting table on which the wafer carrier is mounted with a mounting upper surface continuous from the rear on a holding upper surface of the carrier holding member in an initial state. The wafer carrier has a rail portion elongated in the front-rear direction formed on the lower surface,
The inspection auxiliary device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the carrier holding member has a holding guide portion formed on the holding upper surface so that the rail portion is slidably engaged in the front-rear direction. The wafer carrier has a rail portion elongated in the front-rear direction formed on the lower surface,
The carrier holding member is formed with a holding guide portion on the holding upper surface, in which the rail portion is slidably engaged in the front-rear direction,
The inspection support apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the carrier mounting table has a mounting guide portion continuous with the holding guide portion formed on the mounting surface.   The inspection support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the carrier mounting table is formed in a shape in which the mounting guide portion is expanded toward the rear.   The inspection auxiliary device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a grip lever that is gripped by a finger is connected to the carrier holding member. A gripping lever gripped with a finger is connected to the carrier holding member,
The inspection auxiliary device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein a tip end of the grip lever is positioned rearward of the carrier mounting table in a state where the carrier holding member is in an initial position.   The inspection auxiliary device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a light source disposed in front of the carrier holding member at the inspection position.

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