JP5241904B2 - Film sticking apparatus and film sticking method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a film sticking method for sticking a film such as a surface protective film to a wafer and a film sticking apparatus for carrying out this method.

  In the semiconductor manufacturing process, the size of the wafer increases year by year, and the wafer tends to be thinned from the viewpoint of improving the mounting density. In order to thin the wafer, back grinding (back surface grinding) is performed in which the back surface of the wafer is ground while the surface of the wafer is adsorbed to a suction table. This back grinding reduces the thickness of the wafer to, for example, 25-50 micrometers.

  In order to protect the elements formed on the wafer surface, a surface protective film is pasted on the surface of the wafer before back grinding. In Patent Document 1, after the film is pasted, the surface protection film is cut from the wafer by moving the cutting tool in an inclined manner along the periphery of the wafer.

Japanese Patent No. 3303294

  As is well known, notches for alignment are formed around the wafer. And usually the cutting tool is much larger than the notch. Therefore, if the cutting tool is simply moved along the periphery of the wafer as described in Patent Document 1, the film remains at the notch.

  When such a wafer is ground on the back surface and the subsequent cleaning is insufficient, the grinding scraps of the wafer may adhere to the film remaining in the notch as sludge. Since the notch is used as an index for aligning the wafer, the wafer alignment operation cannot be performed.

  Further, even when the wafer is sufficiently cleaned after the back surface grinding, if the film transmittance is relatively small, the alignment sensor may not be able to detect the edge of the notch well. In such a case, it becomes difficult to stably align the wafer.

  Furthermore, when a cutting tool as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used, the film may be generated as fine chips when the film is cut. Since the wafer becomes fragile by backside grinding, fine chips may become foreign matter in the subsequent process, which may damage the wafer or cause cracks in the wafer.

  It is also possible to cut around the notch using heat rays or a laser. However, when these heat rays or the like are used, the film melts and remains spherical at the edge of the notch. The spherical melt of such a film can also become foreign and cause wafer breakage or cracking. Furthermore, even if the orientation flat is formed on the wafer, the above-described problems may occur as well.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and prevents the film from remaining on a notch or an orientation flat (hereinafter referred to as “notch or the like”) of a wafer, as well as minute chips and spherical melting. It aims at providing the film sticking method which does not produce a thing, and the film sticking apparatus which enforces this method.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, according to a first invention, a feeding means for feeding out a film, and an opening having a shape corresponding to at least a part of a notch or an orientation flat of a wafer are provided in the film fed by the feeding means. An opening forming means for forming a portion, a positioning means for positioning the at least part of the notch or orientation flat of the wafer in the opening formed in the film by the opening forming means, and positioning by the positioning means There is provided a film sticking device comprising sticking means for sticking the film to the wafer.

  That is, in the first invention, an opening having a shape corresponding to a notch or the like is formed in the film by the opening forming means. That is, since the film is removed in advance at the notch or the like, the film does not remain in the notch. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the wafer from being difficult to be aligned in the subsequent process. In addition, since no heat is used, the film can be prevented from becoming a spherical melt.

According to a second invention, in the first invention, the opening forming means includes a punch and a die for punching the film.
That is, in the second invention, since the punch is used, it is possible to prevent the generation of minute chips.

According to a third aspect, in the second aspect, further comprising heating means for heating the punch.
That is, in the third invention, even a relatively thick or relatively hard film can be easily cut.

According to a fourth aspect, in the second or third aspect, the apparatus further includes suction means for sucking a part of the film punched by the punch through the die .
That is, in the fourth invention, the cut film is collected by the suction means. Therefore, it is possible to avoid that a part of the film becomes a minute chip in the subsequent process and damages the wafer or causes a crack inside the wafer.

According to a fifth invention, in any one of the second to fourth inventions, the punch is fixed.
That is, in the fifth aspect, the punching accuracy can be increased.

According to a sixth invention, in any one of the second to fourth inventions, the punch is movable along the length of the film.
That is, in the sixth aspect of the invention, the accuracy of the punching location on the film can be increased.

According to a seventh invention, in any one of the first to seventh inventions, the film is fed together with a liner of the film by the feeding means, and the opening is formed by the opening forming means. It is formed on both the film and the liner, and further includes a peeling means for peeling the liner from the film before the film is attached to the wafer.
That is, in the seventh invention, when the opening is formed, since the film and the liner (separator) are integrated, the rigidity of the film is relatively high. Therefore, the opening can be reliably formed in the film without being displaced. In this case, since the adhesive layer of the film is covered, the cut film can be easily collected.

  According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the film is fed out, an opening having a shape corresponding to at least a part of the notch or orientation flat of the wafer is formed in the fed film, and the opening formed in the film A film application method is provided for positioning the at least a portion of the notch or orientation flat of a wafer and attaching the film to the positioned wafer.

  That is, in the eighth invention, an opening having a shape corresponding to a notch or the like is formed in the film. That is, since the film is previously removed from the notch or the like, the film does not remain in the notch. Therefore, it is possible to avoid difficulty in aligning the wafer in the subsequent process. In addition, since no heat is used, the film can be prevented from becoming a spherical melt.

According to a ninth invention, in the eighth invention, the film is fed together with a liner of the film, and the opening is formed in both the film and the liner, The method further includes peeling the liner from the film before applying the film to the wafer.
That is, in the ninth aspect, when the opening is formed, since the film and the liner are integrated, the rigidity of the film is relatively high. Therefore, the opening can be reliably formed in the film without the film being displaced. In this case, since the adhesive layer of the film is covered, the cut film can be easily collected.

(A) It is a 1st side view of the film sticking apparatus based on this invention. (B) It is a top view of the film sticking apparatus based on this invention. (A) It is a 1st perspective view of the film sticking apparatus based on this invention. (B) It is a 2nd perspective view of the film sticking apparatus based on this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of an upper punch part. (A) It is an enlarged view of the notch formed in the wafer. (B) It is an enlarged view of a wafer. (A) It is a 3rd perspective view of the film sticking apparatus based on this invention. (B) It is a 4th perspective view of the film sticking apparatus based on this invention. (A) It is a 5th perspective view of the film sticking apparatus based on this invention. (B) It is a 6th perspective view of the film sticking apparatus based on this invention. It is a 2nd side view of the film sticking apparatus based on this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following drawings, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals. In order to facilitate understanding, the scales of these drawings are appropriately changed.
1 (a) and 1 (b) are a side view and a top view, respectively, of a film sticking apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), a film sticking apparatus 10 according to the present invention includes a feeding roll 21 for feeding out a film, for example, the surface protection film 3, and a winding roll 28 for winding up the surface protection film 3. Yes.

  Further, a plurality of guide rolls 22, 23, 25 to 27 are disposed between the feeding roll 21 and the winding roll 28. As illustrated, between the guide roll 23 and the guide roll 25, the surface protection film 3 is drawn out substantially horizontally. Furthermore, a sticking roll 24 for sticking the surface protective film 3 to the wafer 20 is disposed between the guide roll 23 and the guide roll 25.

  Usually, the surface protective film 3 is affixed to the liner 4, and the surface protective film 3 is fed together with the liner 4 from the feeding roll 21. The liner 4 is peeled off from the surface protective film 3 between the guide roll 23 and the guide roll 25 and wound on the winding roll 31. In FIG. 1A, a plurality of guide rolls 32 to 35 that guide the liner 4 to the winding roll 31 are arranged. Among these, the guide rolls 34 and 35 can move integrally along the length of the surface protective film 3. These guide rolls 34 and 35 serve as peeling rolls for peeling the liner 4 from the surface protective film 3.

  Further, in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, an opening forming unit 40 that integrally forms an opening in the surface protective film 3 and the liner 4 is disposed. The opening forming unit 40 will be described later.

  FIG. 1B shows a first cassette 11 and a second cassette 12 that accommodate a plurality of wafers 20. The robot 15 of the film sticking apparatus 10 takes out one wafer 20 from the first cassette 11 and places it on the table 36. Next, when the surface protection film 3 is attached to the wafer 20, the wafer 20 is accommodated in the second cassette 12 by the robot 15. Since the configuration and operation of such a robot 15 are well known, detailed description thereof is omitted. Further, FIG. 1B shows a pre-aligner 16 that aligns the wafer 20 in the x direction, the y direction, and the θ direction.

  2A and 2B are first and second perspective views of the film sticking apparatus, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2A and the like, the opening forming unit 40 corresponds to the upper punch part 41 positioned above the surface protective film 3 and the upper punch part 41 below the surface protective film 3. And a lower die attachment member 44 located therein.

  The upper punch portion 41 and the lower die attachment member 44 extend perpendicular to the length of the surface protective film 3 and beyond the width of the surface protective film 3. Further, as shown in the drawing, the upper punch portion 41 includes a punch 42 extending toward the surface protective film 3 at the center portion thereof. The punch 42 serves to punch out the surface protective film 3 and / or its liner 4. The lower die attachment member 44 includes a lower die 45 corresponding to the punch 42.

  In the present invention, the punch 42 punches the surface protective film 3 and the like, and therefore, no fine chips that may be generated when using a cutting tool are generated. Further, except when a specific surface protection film 3 is used, the film or the like is punched without applying heat to the film 3, so that the surface protection film 3 does not become a spherical melt. It is also possible to avoid the 20 being damaged.

  As will be described later, the upper punch portion 41 and the lower die attachment member 44 can move integrally along the length of the surface protective film 3. That is, since the position of the opening forming unit 40 can be finely adjusted, in the present invention, the punching accuracy of the surface protective film 3 and the like by the punch 42 of the upper punch portion 41 can be increased.

  Further, in the embodiment not shown, the upper punch portion 41 and the lower die attachment member 44 may be fixed. In this case, it is possible to increase the accuracy of the punched portion in the surface protective film 3 or the like.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper punch portion. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper punch portion 41 and the punch 42 have a hollow structure and communicate with each other. In FIG. 3, one end 44a of the lower die attachment member 44 is open and the other end 44b is closed. As shown, one end 44a is connected to suction means 51, eg, a vacuum source.

  Accordingly, a part of the surface protection film 3 and / or the liner 4 perforated by the punch 42 flows out from the one end 44 a through the inner space of the lower die 45 and the lower die attachment member 44. In other words, in the present invention, the perforated surface protective film 3 and the like are collected by the suction means 51.

  For this reason, in the present invention, a part of the surface protection film 3 or the like becomes a minute chip and does not intervene between the wafer 20 and the surface protection film 3. Accordingly, it is also possible to avoid such chips from damaging the wafer 20 or causing cracks in the wafer 20 during back surface grinding, which is a subsequent process. In the embodiment not shown, such suction means 51 may be connected to both one end 44a and the other end 44b of the lower die attachment member 44.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the heating means 52 is connected to the punch 42. The punch 42 is heated to a desired temperature by the heating means 52. Thereby, even the surface protection film 3 that is difficult to cut, for example, a relatively thick film or a relatively hard film, can be easily cut. The heating means 52 is not necessarily used, and is used according to the type of the surface protective film 3 or the like.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the cooling means 53 is connected to the punch 42. When the punch 42 is continuously used, the punch 42 becomes high temperature and the film is somewhat melted. As a result, the surface protection film 3 and its adhesive may adhere to the punch 42, the lower die 45, and the like. In such a case, by cooling the punch 42 by the cooling means 53, it becomes possible to continue to punch the surface protective film 3 well, and the punched film is the punch 42, the lower die 45, and the lower die 44. Can be prevented.

  FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of the notch formed in the wafer. As shown by the broken line A1 in FIG. 4A, the cross section of the punch 42 corresponds to the shape of the notch 29 of the wafer 20. Alternatively, as indicated by the broken line A2, the cross section of the punch 42 may only partially correspond to the shape of the notch 29. Further, the cross section of the punch 42 may be slightly larger than the notch 29 of the wafer 20 (broken line A3). The cross section of the punch 42 is not limited to a round shape, and may be an oval shape.

  FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the wafer. As shown in FIG. 4B and FIG. 1B, a top plate 37 having an opening having a shape corresponding to the wafer 20 is disposed around the wafer 20 when the surface protection film 3 is attached. The top plate 37 can operate integrally with the table 36. When the top plate 37 is disposed, the top surface of the top plate 37 is assumed to be flush with the surface of the wafer 20. For the sake of brevity, the top plate 37 is not shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the film sticking apparatus 10 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. One wafer 20 is taken out from the first cassette 11 by the robot 15, and alignment in the x direction, the y direction and the θ direction (see FIG. 1B) is performed by the pre-aligner 16. Next, the wafer 20 is placed on the table 36 by the robot 15. As a result, the notch 29 of the wafer 20 is positioned at the center of the wafer 20 in the x direction. Next, as shown in FIG. 2A, the surface protection film 3 fed from the feed roll 21 is extended between the guide roll 23 and the guide roll 25.

  Further, the liner 4 of the surface protection film 3 is peeled off from the guide roll 35 and wound on the winding roll 31. Accordingly, in FIG. 2 and the like, the surface protective film 3 is integrated with the liner 4 on the right side of the guide roll 35. Then, on the left side of the guide roll 35, the surface protective film 3 is in a state where the liner 4 is peeled off and the adhesive surface is exposed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2A, the upper punch 41 of the opening forming unit 40 is moved in the direction of the arrow Z1, and the surface protective film 3 and the like are punched out by the punch 42. Thereby, the opening part 46 (refer FIG.2 (b)) is formed in the surface protection film 3 and the liner 4. FIG. As can be seen with reference to FIG. 4A again, the opening 46 formed by the punch 42 corresponds to the shape of the notch 29.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2B, the opening 46 is formed in both the surface protective film 3 and the liner 4. When the surface protection film 3 is integral with the liner 4, their rigidity is relatively high. Therefore, in this case, it is possible to reliably form the opening 46 in the surface protective film 3 or the like without causing a positional shift as compared with the case where the opening is formed only in the surface protective film 3. Become. Further, as described above, a part of the punched surface protective film 3 and liner 4 is recovered through the one end 44a by the suction means 51 (see FIG. 3). In this case, since the adhesive layer of the surface protective film 3 is covered with the liner 4, the punched surface protective film 3 or the like does not adhere to the inside of the lower die attachment member 44 or the like, and the punched film 3 can be recovered stably.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, the opening forming unit 40 is moved in the direction of the arrow Y <b> 1 toward the guide roll 23. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5A, the guide rolls 35 and 34 for the liner 4 are integrally moved in the arrow Y <b> 2 direction toward the guide roll 33. Thereby, the liner 4 of the surface protective film 3 is peeled off, and the adhesive surface (lower surface) of the surface protective film 3 is exposed between the guide roll 25 and the guide roll 23.

  Next, the table 36 is adjusted again in the x and y directions (FIG. 5B), and the table 36 is moved in the arrow Z2 direction toward the surface protective film 3 (FIG. 6A). Thereby, the wafer 20 is positioned so that the notch 29 of the wafer 20 corresponds to the opening 46 of the surface protection film 3.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6B, the sticking roll 24 is moved toward the guide roll 23 in the arrow Y3 direction. As a result, the surface protective film 3 is continuously attached to the wafer 20 from the notch 29.

  FIG. 7 is a second side view of the film sticking apparatus according to the present invention. The film sticking apparatus 10 includes a cutting unit 60. The cutting unit 60 is normally located above the pre-aligner 16 and is moved to the position on the table 36 when necessary.

  As can be seen from FIG. 7, when the application of the surface protection film 3 is completed, the cutter 61 is rotated around the vertical shaft portion 62 of the cutting unit 60, thereby cutting the surface protection film 3 along the outer shape of the wafer 20. . As a result, holes corresponding to the outer shape of the wafer 20 are formed in the surface protective film 3. Thereafter, the cutting unit 60 is retracted to the original position.

  Next, the surface protection film 3 in which the holes are formed is wound using the winding roll 28 and the table 36 is moved downward. Finally, the wafer 15 is taken out of the table 36 and stored in the second cassette 12 by the robot 15.

  Thus, in the present invention, the surface protective film 3 in which the opening 46 is formed in advance is stuck to the wafer 20. Accordingly, the surface protective film 3 does not exist in the notch 29 of the wafer 20 since the surface protective film 3 is pasted. For this reason, sludge does not remain in the notch 29 during back surface grinding, which is a subsequent process, and it is not difficult to detect the notch 29 by the alignment sensor in the subsequent process.

  Because of such a configuration, it is not necessary to remove the surface protective film 3 in the notch 29 with a cutting tool or the like after the surface protective film 3 is attached. Therefore, it will be understood that when the surface protection film 3 or the like is punched by the punch 42, the entire application time of the surface protection film 3 is shortened as compared with the conventional technique using a cutting tool. Further, it is not necessary to apply a force to the wafer 20 by using a cutting tool after the surface protective film 3 is applied, thereby preventing the wafer 20 from being damaged or causing cracks in the wafer 20. . This also leads to a reduction in the burden on the wafer 20 during back-grinding, which is a subsequent process.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Surface protective film 4 Liner 10 Film sticking apparatus 11 1st cassette 12 2nd cassette 15 Robot 16 Pre-aligner 20 Wafer 21 Feeding roll 22, 23, 25-27 Guide roll 24 Sticking roll 28 Winding roll 29 Notch 31 Winding roll 34 35 Guide roll (peeling means)
36 Table (Positioning means)
37 Top plate 40 Opening forming unit 41 Upper punch part 42 Punch 44 Lower die attaching member 44a One end 44b Other end 45 Lower die 46 Opening part 51 Suction means 52 Heating means 60 Cutting unit 61 Cutter 62 Vertical shaft part

Claims (9)

A feeding means for feeding out the film;
A through-hole forming means for forming a through-hole having a shape corresponding to at least a part of the notch of the wafer in the film fed by the feeding means;
Positioning means for positioning the at least part of the notch of the wafer in the through-hole formed in the film by the through-hole forming means;
A film sticking apparatus comprising: a sticking means for sticking the film to the wafer positioned by the positioning means.   The film sticking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the through-hole forming means includes a punch and a die for punching the film.   Furthermore, the film sticking apparatus of Claim 2 containing the heating means to heat the said punch. The film sticking apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising suction means for sucking a part of the film punched by the punch through the die .   The film sticking device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the punch is fixed with respect to a length direction of the film.   The film sticking apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the punch is movable along a length portion of the film. The film is fed together with the liner of the film by the feeding means, and the through-hole is formed in both the film and the liner by the through-hole forming means,
Furthermore, before sticking the said film on the said wafer, the film sticking apparatus as described in any one of Claim 1 to 6 equipped with the peeling means which peels the said liner from the said film. Pay out the film,
Forming a through-hole having a shape corresponding to at least a part of the notch of the wafer in the fed film,
Positioning the at least part of the notch of the wafer in the through-hole formed in the film;
A film attaching method for attaching the film to the positioned wafer. The film is fed together with a liner of the film, and the through hole is formed in both the film and the liner;
The film sticking method according to claim 8, further comprising peeling the liner from the film before sticking the film to the wafer.

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