JP4796249B2 - Plate-like object conveyance mechanism and dicing apparatus equipped with the conveyance mechanism - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a transport mechanism for transporting a plate-like object such as a semiconductor wafer attached to a protective tape attached to an annular support frame.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, circuits such as ICs and LSIs are formed in a large number of regions arranged in a lattice pattern on the surface of a semiconductor wafer that is a substantially disk-shaped plate, and the circuits are formed. Individual semiconductor chips are manufactured by dividing each region by a dicing apparatus along a cutting line called a street. In order to use the semiconductor wafer effectively, it is important how to reduce the cutting width at the time of division. A dicing apparatus is generally used as a dividing apparatus for dividing the semiconductor wafer, and the dicing apparatus cuts the semiconductor wafer with a cutting blade having a thickness of about 15 μm. In addition, a method is also used in which a cutting line formed on a semiconductor wafer is shocked by a laser beam, and the cutting line is cut to form individual semiconductor chips. As described above, when the semiconductor wafer is divided by the dicing apparatus, the semiconductor wafer is previously supported by the support frame via the protective tape so that the divided semiconductor chips do not fall apart. The support frame is formed in an annular shape having an opening for accommodating a semiconductor wafer and a tape attaching portion to which a protective tape is attached, and the semiconductor wafer is attached to and supported by the protective tape located at the opening. To do. The plurality of semiconductor chips obtained by dividing the semiconductor wafer supported by the support frame through the protective tape in this way have holding means for sucking and holding the support frame in a state of being supported by the support frame through the protective tape. It is transported to the next process by the transport mechanism provided.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Thus, since the semiconductor wafer is formed of a brittle material, the plurality of semiconductor chips into which the semiconductor wafer is divided are adjacent to each other due to the bending of the protective tape when the support frame is sucked and held. There is a problem that the semiconductor chips to be brought into contact with each other cause damage or damage.
Further, in recent years, electric devices using semiconductor chips have been reduced in size and weight, and it is desired that the thickness of the semiconductor wafer be processed to 100 μm or less, more preferably 50 μm or less. For this reason, a semiconductor wafer polished to 100 to 50 μm or less is supported on a support frame via a protective tape and transported to a processing apparatus such as a dicing apparatus. There is a problem that the semiconductor wafer bends due to the bending of the protective tape and stress is generated on the semiconductor wafer.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and the main technical problem thereof can be transported without damaging a plate-like object such as a semiconductor wafer attached to a protective tape attached to a support frame. An object of the present invention is to provide a conveyance mechanism and a dicing apparatus including the conveyance mechanism.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned main technical problem, according to the present invention, a plate-like object that is attached to the upper surface of a protective tape that is attached so as to cover an inner opening of a support frame that is formed in an annular shape is conveyed. A transport mechanism,
A suction holding mechanism having a frame holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the support frame, and a plate-like object holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer divided into a plurality of chips that are the plate-like objects;
A moving mechanism that moves the suction holding mechanism between a first predetermined position and a second predetermined position;
A plate-like object transport mechanism is provided.
[0007]
Further, according to the present invention, the cassette for housing the semiconductor wafer, which is a plate-like object attached to the upper surface of the protective tape attached so as to cover the inner opening of the support frame formed in an annular shape, is placed. A cassette mounting portion, a carry-out mechanism for carrying out the semiconductor wafer held on the support frame, which is placed on the cassette placement portion and accommodated in the cassette, via the protective tape, and the carry-out mechanism. A temporary placement part for temporarily placing the semiconductor wafer held via the protective tape on the support frame carried out from the cassette, and a support frame placed on the temporary placement part via the protective tape A first conveyance mechanism for conveying the held semiconductor wafer to a chuck table; and the semiconductor wafer held on the support frame held on the chuck table via the protective tape. Dicing means for dividing the wafer into individual chips, and a second transport mechanism for transporting the semiconductor wafer divided into individual chips by the dicing means and held on the support frame via the protective tape to the cleaning means And a third transport mechanism that transports the semiconductor wafer divided into individual chips cleaned by the cleaning means and held on the support frame via the protective tape to the temporary storage unit. In the device
The second transport mechanism includes frame holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the support frame and plate-like object holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer divided into a plurality of chips, which are the plate-like objects. A suction holding mechanism, and a moving mechanism for moving the suction holding mechanism between the chuck table and the cleaning means.
A dicing apparatus is provided.
[0008]
Further, according to the present invention, the third transport mechanism sucks and holds the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer divided into a plurality of chips as a frame holding means and a frame holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the support frame. A dicing apparatus is provided that includes a suction holding mechanism having a plate-like object holding means, and a moving mechanism that moves the suction holding mechanism between the cleaning means and the temporary placement portion.
The third transport mechanism has the function of the first transport mechanism for transporting a semiconductor wafer held on a support frame placed on the temporary placement unit via a protective tape to a chuck table. Is desirable.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a plate-like material conveyance mechanism constructed according to the present invention and a dicing apparatus equipped with the conveyance mechanism will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0010]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting apparatus as a dicing apparatus equipped with a plate-like object transport mechanism constructed according to the present invention.
The cutting device in the illustrated embodiment includes a device housing 2 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In the apparatus housing 2, a chuck table 3 for holding a workpiece is disposed so as to be movable in a direction indicated by an arrow X that is a cutting feed direction. The chuck table 3 includes a suction chuck support 31 and a suction chuck 32 mounted on the suction chuck support 31, and is a workpiece on a mounting surface that is a surface of the suction chuck 32. For example, a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer is sucked and held by suction means (not shown). The chuck table 3 is configured to be rotatable by a rotation mechanism (not shown).
[0011]
The cutting apparatus in the illustrated embodiment includes a spindle unit 4 as cutting means. The spindle unit 4 is mounted on a moving base (not shown) and is adjusted to move in a direction indicated by an arrow Y that is an indexing direction and a direction indicated by an arrow Z that is a cutting direction. A rotary spindle 42 supported and rotated by a rotary drive mechanism (not shown) is provided, and a cutting blade 43 attached to the rotary spindle 42 is provided.
[0012]
The cutting apparatus in the illustrated embodiment images the surface of the workpiece held on the surface of the suction chuck 32 constituting the chuck table 3, detects the region to be cut by the cutting blade 43, and cuts the groove. The image pickup mechanism 5 for confirming the state is provided. The imaging mechanism 5 is composed of optical means such as a microscope and a CCD camera. In addition, the dicing apparatus includes a display unit 6 that displays an image captured by the imaging mechanism 5.
[0013]
The cutting apparatus in the illustrated embodiment includes a cassette 7 for stocking a semiconductor wafer 8 as a workpiece. Here, the relationship between the semiconductor wafer 8 as a workpiece, the support frame 9, and the protective tape 10 will be described. The support frame 9 is formed in an annular shape by a metal material such as stainless steel, and is formed on the back surface in the state of FIG. 1 with an opening 91 for housing a semiconductor wafer and a protective tape. Have). The protective tape 10 has an adhesive layer on the upper surface and is attached to a tape adhering portion 92 so as to cover the opening 91, and the semiconductor wafer 8 is adhered to the upper surface of the protective tape 10. Thus, the semiconductor wafer 8 supported by the support frame 9 via the protective tape 10 is accommodated in the cassette 7. Further, the cassette 7 is placed on a cassette table 71 that is movably moved up and down by a lifting / lowering means (not shown) in the cassette placing portion 70.
[0014]
The cutting apparatus in the illustrated embodiment includes a workpiece unloading mechanism for unloading a semiconductor wafer 8 (supported by a protective tape 10 on a support frame 9) as a workpiece housed in a cassette 7 to a temporary placement unit 11. 12, a first transport mechanism 13 for transporting the semiconductor wafer 8 unloaded by the workpiece unloading mechanism 12 onto the chuck table 3, and cleaning for cleaning the semiconductor wafer 8 cut on the chuck table 3. Means 14 and a second transport mechanism 15 for transporting the semiconductor wafer 8 cut on the chuck table 3 to the cleaning means 14 are provided. In the illustrated embodiment, the first transport mechanism 13 has the function of the third transport mechanism for transporting the semiconductor wafer 8 cleaned by the cleaning means 14 to the temporary placement unit 11. .
[0015]
Next, the first transport mechanism 13 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The first transport mechanism 13 in the illustrated embodiment includes an L-shaped operating arm 131. One end of the L-shaped operating arm 131 is connected to the lifting means 132. The elevating means 132 is composed of, for example, an air piston, and operates the operating arm 131 in the vertical direction as indicated by an arrow 130a in FIG. The lifting / lowering means 132 connected to one end of the operating arm 131 is connected to a moving mechanism 133 including an electric motor that can rotate forward and reverse. Therefore, by driving the moving mechanism 133 in the forward direction or the reverse direction, the operating arm 131 is swung in the direction indicated by the arrow 130b in FIG. As a result, the operating arm 131 is operated in a horizontal plane, and a suction holding mechanism 20 to be described later attached to the other end portion of the operating arm 131 is in the horizontal plane. It can be moved between the tables 3.
[0016]
The suction holding mechanism 20 attached to the other end of the operating arm 131 includes a support member 21 attached to the lower surface of the other end of the operating arm 131. The support member 21 is formed in an H shape, and includes a center support portion 211 and both side support portions 212 and 212 that are formed at both ends of the center support portion 211 and extend in a direction orthogonal to the center support portion 211. ing. Four frame holding members 22a for sucking and holding the upper surface of the support frame 9 for supporting the semiconductor wafer 8 via the protective tape 10 are provided at both ends of the both side support portions 212 and 212 constituting the support member 21, respectively. , 22a, 22a, and 22a are provided. The four frame holding members 22a, 22a, 22a, 22a constituting the frame holding means 22 may be well-known ones, and are connected to suction means (not shown) via flexible pipes 23, 23, 23, 23, respectively. And communicates with the suction source as appropriate. Therefore, the four frame holding members 22a, 22a, 22a, 22a constituting the frame holding means 22 suck the upper surface of the support frame 9 that supports the semiconductor wafer 8 via the protective tape 10 when communicated with the suction source. Hold. Note that the flexible pipes 23, 23, 23, and 23 are preferably arranged in the operation arm 131 or along the operation arm 131. Also, the frame holding members 22a, 22a, 22a, 22a are respectively attached to the lower ends of the support rods 24, 24, 24, 24, which are slidably arranged on the both side support portions 212, 212, respectively. The coil springs 25, 25, 25, 25 disposed between the lower side support portions 212, 212 are biased to be pressed downward.
[0017]
The central support portion 211 constituting the support member 21 is provided with attachment portions 211a and 211b, and the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 8 supported on the support frame 9 via the protective tape 10 by the attachment portions 211a and 211b. A plate-like object holding means 26 is provided for sucking and holding the liquid. As shown in FIG. 3, the plate-like object holding means 26 includes a base 260 having a circular concave portion 261 that is open at the bottom, and a pad 262 that is fitted in the concave portion 261. The recess 261 of the base 260 is connected to the above-described suction means (not shown) via the flexible pipe 27 so as to communicate with the suction source as appropriate. The base 260 configured as described above is attached to the lower ends of the support rods 28, 28, 28 disposed on the attachment portions 211a and 211b so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. The coil springs 29, 29, 29 disposed between the lower surface and the lower surface are urged to press downward. The pad 262 is made of a disk-shaped porous ceramic member. The plate-like object holding means 26 configured as described above sucks and holds the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 8 supported by the support frame 9 via the protective tape 10 when communicated with the suction source.
[0018]
Next, the second transport mechanism 15 will be described with reference to FIG.
The second transport mechanism 15 in the illustrated embodiment includes an operating arm 151. One end of the operating arm 151 is connected to a conventionally used reciprocating mechanism (not shown). Accordingly, a suction holding mechanism 20 (to be described later) attached to the other end of the operating arm 151 is moved between the cleaning means 14 and the chuck table 3 in a horizontal plane.
[0019]
The suction holding mechanism 20 attached to the other end of the operating arm 151 includes a support member 21 and four frame holding members 22a, 22a, 22a constituting a frame holding means 22 disposed on the support member 21. 22a and plate-like object holding means 26. The suction holding mechanism 20 has substantially the same configuration as the suction holding mechanism 20 of the first transport mechanism 13 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. Omitted.
[0020]
A vacuum distributor 152 is disposed on the upper surface of the central support portion 211 of the support member 21 constituting the suction holding mechanism 20. The vacuum distributor 152 is connected to a suction means (not shown) via a flexible pipe 153, and communicates with a suction source as appropriate. In this vacuum distributor 152, four frame holding members 22a, 22a, 22a, 22a constituting the frame holding means 22 and a concave portion 261 (see FIG. 3) of the base 260 constituting the plate-like object holding means 26 are flexible. Connected by pipes 23, 23, 23, 23 and 27. A lifting / lowering means 154 is disposed between the vacuum distributor 152 disposed on the support member 21 and the operating arm 151. The elevating means 154 is composed of, for example, an air piston.
[0021]
A cutting apparatus as a dicing apparatus equipped with a plate-like object conveying mechanism constructed according to the present invention is constructed as described above, and the operation thereof will be described with reference to FIG.
A semiconductor wafer 8 supported by a support frame 9 accommodated in a predetermined position of the cassette 7 via a tape 10 (hereinafter, a semiconductor wafer 8 supported by the support frame 9 by the tape 10 is simply referred to as a semiconductor wafer 8). ) Is positioned at the unloading position when the cassette table 71 moves up and down by a lifting means (not shown). Next, the workpiece unloading means 12 moves forward and backward to unload the semiconductor wafer 8 positioned at the unloading position to the temporary placement unit 11. The semiconductor wafer 8 carried out to the temporary storage unit 11 is sucked and held by the suction holding mechanism 20 by the operation of the lifting and lowering means 132, the moving mechanism 133 and the suction means (not shown) constituting the first transport mechanism 13, and the chuck table 3 Is conveyed onto the mounting surface of the suction chuck 32 constituting the. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the suction holding mechanism 20 constituting the first transport mechanism 13 protects the semiconductor wafer 8 by the four frame holding members 22a, 22a, 22a, 22a constituting the frame holding means 22. The upper surface of the support frame 9 supported via the tape 10 is sucked and held, and the plate-like object holding means 26 sucks and holds the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 8. As described above, the semiconductor wafer 8 supported on the support frame 9 via the protective tape 10 is constituted by the four frame holding members 22a, 22a, 22a, 22a and the plate-like object holding means 26 constituting the frame holding means 22. Since the support frame 9 and the semiconductor wafer 8 are sucked and held, even if the thickness of the semiconductor wafer 8 is polished to 100 to 50 μm or less, the semiconductor wafer 8 is bent due to the bending of the protective tape 10 during transportation. 8 is not curved, and the stress caused by the bending can be prevented in advance.
[0022]
The semiconductor wafer 8 transported onto the suction chuck 32 of the chuck table 3 by the first transport mechanism 13 is released from suction and suction by the suction and holding mechanism 20 constituting the first transport mechanism 13, and the suction chuck 32. Is sucked in. The chuck table 3 that sucks and holds the semiconductor wafer 8 in this way is moved to a position immediately below the imaging mechanism 5. When the chuck table 3 is positioned immediately below the image pickup mechanism 5, a cutting line formed on the semiconductor wafer 8 is detected by the image pickup mechanism 5, and the spindle unit 4 is moved and adjusted in the arrow Y direction as the indexing direction to adjust the precise position. Matching work is performed.
[0023]
Thereafter, while rotating the cutting blade 43 in a predetermined direction, the chuck table 3 holding the semiconductor wafer 8 is sucked and held in the direction indicated by the arrow X which is the cutting feed direction (direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the cutting blade 43), for example, 30 mm. By moving at a cutting feed rate of / sec, the semiconductor wafer 8 held on the chuck table 3 is cut along a predetermined cutting line by the cutting blade 43. That is, the cutting blade 43 is mounted on the spindle unit 4 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 rotationally driven. Is moved in the cutting feed direction along the lower side of the cutting blade 43, so that the semiconductor wafer 8 held on the chuck table 3 is cut along a predetermined cutting line by the cutting blade 43. When cut along the cutting line, the semiconductor wafer 8 is divided into individual semiconductor chips. The divided semiconductor chips do not fall apart due to the action of the protective tape 10, and the state of the semiconductor wafer 8 supported by the support frame 9 is maintained. After the cutting of the semiconductor wafer 8 is completed in this way, the chuck table 3 holding the semiconductor wafer 8 is returned to the position where the semiconductor wafer 8 is first sucked and held. Here, the suction holding of the semiconductor wafer 8 is released. .
[0024]
Next, the semiconductor wafer 8 divided into individual semiconductor chips whose suction holding has been released on the chuck table 3 is moved up and down 154 constituting the second transport mechanism 15, a reciprocating movement mechanism (not shown), and suction means. It is sucked and held by the suction holding mechanism 20 by the operation, and is conveyed to the cleaning means 14. At this time, the suction holding mechanism 20 constituting the second transport mechanism 15 has four frame holding members 22a, 22a constituting the frame holding means 22 in the same manner as the suction holding mechanism 20 of the first transport mechanism 13. 22a and 22a suck and hold the upper surface of the support frame 9 that supports the semiconductor wafer 8 via the protective tape 10, and the plate-like object holding means 26 sucks and holds the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 8. Therefore, even when the semiconductor wafer 8 is divided into individual semiconductor chips, the adjacent semiconductor chips do not contact each other due to the bending of the protective tape 10, and the defects caused by the contact between the semiconductor chips. Or damage can be prevented.
[0025]
In the semiconductor wafer 8 divided into individual semiconductor chips conveyed to the cleaning means 14 as described above, the contamination generated during the cutting is cleaned and removed by the cleaning means 14. The semiconductor wafer 8 cleaned by the cleaning means 14 is transported to the temporary placement unit 11 by the first transport mechanism 13 functioning as a third transport mechanism. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the suction holding mechanism 20 constituting the first transport mechanism 13 protects the semiconductor wafer 8 by the four frame holding members 22a, 22a, 22a, 22a constituting the frame holding means 22. The upper surface of the support frame 9 supported via the tape 10 is sucked and held, and the plate-like object holding means 26 sucks and holds the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 8 divided into individual semiconductor chips. As a result, adjacent semiconductor chips do not come into contact with each other, and defects or breakage caused by contact between the semiconductor chips can be prevented. The semiconductor wafer 8 conveyed to the temporary placement unit 11 is stored in a predetermined position of the cassette 7 by the workpiece unloading means 12.
[0026]
Although the present invention has been described based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment, the plate-like object holding means 26 includes a base 260 having a circular recess 261 and a pad 262 made of a porous ceramic member fitted in the recess 261, and the recess 261 is connected to the suction means. In this example, a Bernoulli pad that generates a negative pressure in the center by flowing air along the conical inner surface may be used as the plate-like object holding means. When the Bernoulli pad is used, it does not come into contact with the surface of the semiconductor wafer, so that damage to the surface of the semiconductor wafer due to the pad can be prevented.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
Since the plate-like object conveying mechanism according to the present invention and the cutting device as the dicing apparatus provided with the conveying mechanism are configured as described above, the following operational effects are obtained.
[0028]
That is, the plate-like object transport mechanism according to the present invention is divided into a frame holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the annular support frame and a plurality of chips which are plate-like objects supported on the support frame via a protective tape. Since the suction holding mechanism has a plate-like object holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer , the frame holding means sucks and holds the upper surface of the support frame, and the plate-like object holding means has a plate shape. Even if the plate-like object is very thin or divided into a plurality of chips to hold the upper surface of the object by suction, it can be bent or chipped due to the bending of the protective tape when transported by suction Can be conveyed without damaging the plate-like object.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting apparatus as a dicing apparatus equipped with a plate-like object conveying mechanism constructed according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first transport mechanism as a transport mechanism configured according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second transport mechanism as a transport mechanism configured according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
2: Device housing 3: Chuck table 31: Adsorption chuck support base 32: Adsorption chuck 4: Spindle unit 41: Spindle housing 42: Spindle spindle 43: Cutting blade 5: Imaging mechanism 6: Display means 7: Cassette 71: Cassette table 8 : Support frame 9: Tape 10: Semiconductor wafer 11: Workpiece placement area 12: Workpiece unloading means 13: First transport mechanism 131: Actuating arm 132: Lifting means 133: Moving mechanism 14: Cleaning means 15: Second transport mechanism 151: Actuating arm 152: Vacuum distributor 154: Lifting means 20: Suction holding mechanism 21: Support member 22: Frame holding means 26: Plate-like object holding means

Claims (4)

A transport mechanism for transporting a plate-like object attached to the upper surface of a protective tape mounted so as to cover an inner opening of a support frame formed in an annular shape,
A suction holding mechanism having a frame holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the support frame, and a plate-like object holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer divided into a plurality of chips that are the plate-like objects;
A moving mechanism that moves the suction holding mechanism between a first predetermined position and a second predetermined position;
A plate-like object conveying mechanism characterized by the above. A cassette mounting portion on which a cassette for housing a semiconductor wafer, which is a plate attached to the upper surface of a protective tape mounted so as to cover the inner opening of the support frame formed in an annular shape, is mounted; An unloading mechanism for unloading the semiconductor wafer held on the support frame, which is mounted on the cassette mounting portion and accommodated in the cassette, via the protective tape; and the support unloaded from the cassette by the unloading mechanism Temporarily placing the semiconductor wafer held on the frame via the protective tape, and chucking the semiconductor wafer held on the support frame placed on the temporary placement part via the protective tape A first transport mechanism for transporting to a table, and the semiconductor wafer held on the support frame held on the chuck table via the protective tape for each chip A dicing means for splitting, a second transport mechanism for transporting the semiconductor wafer divided into individual chips by the dicing means and held on the support frame via the protective tape to the cleaning means, and cleaning by the cleaning means A dicing apparatus comprising: a third transport mechanism that transports the semiconductor wafer divided into individual chips and held on the support frame via the protective tape to the temporary placement unit;
The second transport mechanism includes frame holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the support frame and plate-like object holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer divided into a plurality of chips, which are the plate-like objects. A suction holding mechanism, and a moving mechanism for moving the suction holding mechanism between the chuck table and the cleaning means.
A dicing apparatus characterized by the above. A cassette mounting portion on which a cassette for housing a semiconductor wafer, which is a plate attached to the upper surface of a protective tape mounted so as to cover the inner opening of the support frame formed in an annular shape, is mounted; An unloading mechanism for unloading the semiconductor wafer held on the support frame, which is mounted on the cassette mounting portion and accommodated in the cassette, via the protective tape; and the support unloaded from the cassette by the unloading mechanism Temporarily placing the semiconductor wafer held on the frame via the protective tape, and chucking the semiconductor wafer held on the support frame placed on the temporary placement part via the protective tape A first transport mechanism for transporting to a table, and the semiconductor wafer held on the support frame held on the chuck table via the protective tape for each chip A dicing means for splitting, a second transport mechanism for transporting the semiconductor wafer divided into individual chips by the dicing means and held on the support frame via the protective tape to the cleaning means, and cleaning by the cleaning means A dicing apparatus comprising: a third transport mechanism that transports the semiconductor wafer divided into individual chips and held on the support frame via the protective tape to the temporary placement unit;
The third transport mechanism includes frame holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the support frame and plate-like object holding means for sucking and holding the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer divided into a plurality of chips. A suction holding mechanism, and a moving mechanism for moving the suction holding mechanism between the cleaning means and the temporary placement unit.
A dicing apparatus characterized by the above. The third transport mechanism has a function of the first transport mechanism for transporting the semiconductor wafer held on the support frame placed on the temporary placement portion via the protective tape to a chuck table. The dicing apparatus according to claim 3 .

Images