JP5420226B2 - Cutting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutting device with improved productivity.

  The semiconductor device assembly process (post-process) includes a dicing process in which a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer or a resin-encapsulated substrate is cut by batch processing to obtain a large number of semiconductor devices (individual workpieces). Subsequently, after the dicing process, a cleaning process, an inspection process, and the like are performed.

  However, dicing processing of a semiconductor device has a longer processing time depending on the workpiece, but as a recent trend, more time is required than cleaning and inspection of a semiconductor device. For this reason, many situations have arisen in which the productivity at the time of manufacturing a semiconductor device cannot be improved. Therefore, there has been a demand for a cutting device that can efficiently perform dicing.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to efficiently perform dicing processing, a cutting device that performs dicing processing using two cutting blades provided at opposing positions and two cutting units that perform cutting using two cutting blades are provided. There is a cutting device.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a multi-dicing apparatus in which two cutting unit units are arranged to face each other. Patent Document 1 discloses that each cutting unit has two cutting blades, and complex multi-processing with a total of four cutting blades is possible.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a singulation apparatus in which processing efficiency is improved by arranging two cutting mechanisms each having two rotary blades in series.
JP 2002-280328 A (paragraphs 0024 to 0026, FIG. 5) JP 2008-153565 A (0050 paragraph, FIG. 3)

  However, although the dicing apparatus (cutting apparatus) disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 includes two cutting units, a specific configuration and a control method for improving production efficiency are disclosed. Not. For this reason, in the apparatus in patent document 1 and patent document 2, production efficiency cannot fully be improved.

  In order to improve production efficiency, it is preferable to place a plurality of workpieces on the cutting stage and cut them at once. However, the dicing devices (cutting devices) of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 cut one workpiece (wafer, sealed substrate) at a time and cannot cut a plurality of workpieces at a time. For this reason, it is difficult to further improve the production efficiency with these apparatuses.

  In view of the above, the present invention provides a cutting device with improved productivity.

A cutting device according to one aspect of the present invention is a cutting device that cuts a workpiece, a supply unit that supplies a plurality of workpieces, a loader that transports the plurality of workpieces from the supply unit, and a plurality of cutting blades. A first cutting unit that includes a first imaging device and that cuts a first workpiece among the plurality of workpieces conveyed by the loader on a first cutting stage; a plurality of cutting blades; A second cutting unit that cuts a second workpiece of the plurality of workpieces conveyed by the loader on a second cutting stage, the first cutting unit, and the first cutting unit. An unloader that conveys the plurality of workpieces cut by the two cutting units, and the loader and the unloader share a track for conveyance, and the first cutting unit and the second cutting unit Move alternately to at least one of the parts, The loader transports the second work to the second cutting part without returning to the supply part after transporting the first work to the first cutting part among the plurality of works, The positions of the first cutting stage, the second cutting stage, and the plurality of cutting blades are corrected based on image information from the first imaging device and the second imaging device, and the first 1 cutting part and 2nd cutting part operate | move simultaneously, cut | disconnect the said 1st workpiece | work and the said 2nd workpiece | work conveyed sequentially by the said loader , the said 1st workpiece | work and the said 2nd workpiece | work Includes a plurality of workpieces, and the loader arranges the first workpieces on the first cutting stage in a staggered arrangement, and the second workpieces in a staggered arrangement on the second cutting stage. Place on top .

  Other objects and advantages of the present invention are illustrated in the following examples.

  According to the present invention, a cutting device with improved productivity can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same reference number is attached | subjected about the same member and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  First, the structure of the cutting device in Example 1 of this invention is demonstrated.

  1A to 1D are schematic configuration diagrams showing a planar arrangement of the cutting device 1 in the present embodiment. 1A to 1D show the state of the cutting device 1 in time series.

  FIG. 1A shows a state in which a loader 40 indicated by a one-dot chain line carries and carries a plurality of workpieces 10. FIG. 1B shows a state in which the loader 40 returns to the supply unit 100 after placing the workpiece 10 on the cutting stages 51 and 52. Further, FIG. 1C shows a state in which the unloader 41 indicated by a two-dot chain line carries and carries the workpiece 11 (11a, 11b) that is a processed product. The workpieces 11a and 11b may be ones that have been processed there, such as a CPU, or may be semi-finished products that are further processed in a later step. FIG. 1D shows a state where the loader 40 loads and conveys the next workpiece 10 and is inspected.

  The cutting device 1 is a device that manufactures a workpiece (a cut semiconductor device) by cutting a workpiece 10 such as a semiconductor wafer or a resin sealing substrate. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the cutting device 1 includes a supply unit 100, a processing unit 200, and a storage unit 300.

  The supply unit 100 includes a plurality of workpieces 10 to be supplied to the processing unit 200. In the supply unit 100, a plurality of workpieces 10 are arranged on the tray 12 carried in a stacked state from an external device (not shown). In FIG. 1A, ten workpieces 10 having a substantially square shape in plan view are arranged on the tray 12 at a regular interval in a matrix of 5 rows and 2 columns (matrix). The number and the form of arrangement are not limited to this, and the number of workpieces 10 other than ten as the predetermined number of rows and columns may be arranged in different forms, and the workpieces 10 may be arranged at different intervals. May be.

  The tray 12 is transported in the Y-axis direction by a moving member (not shown) inside the supply unit 100. The tray 12 moves in the Y-axis direction in a state in which the plurality of workpieces 10 are arranged, and the plurality of workpieces 10 are transferred to the loader 40 (work transfer device) at the delivery position of the supply unit 100 (a position on the track of the loader 40). hand over. Specifically, the workpiece 10 in the tray 12 is sucked by the loader 40 and is held below the suction portion of the loader 40.

  After the plurality of workpieces 10 are delivered to the loader 40, the tray 12 becomes an empty tray 12a on which the workpieces 10 are not mounted, and is a predetermined position on the opposite side to the loading position of the tray 12 of the supply unit 100 (see FIG. To the top). Such a process is repeated every time the cutting process by the processing unit 200 of the cutting apparatus 1 is completed. For this reason, the empty tray 12 a on which the workpiece 10 has been delivered to the loader 40 is stacked at a predetermined position of the supply unit 100.

  The loader 40 adsorbs and accepts a plurality of workpieces 10 from the tray 12 and then moves on a track extending from the supply unit 100 to the storage unit 300 in the X-axis direction (right direction in the drawing). Transport. For this reason, the loader 40 is configured to adsorb a plurality of workpieces 10 and move between the supply unit 100 and the processing unit 200.

  The plurality of workpieces 10 adsorbed by the loader 40 are transported in the X-axis direction. When the loader 40 reaches the top of the cutting stage 51 (first cutting stage), the loader 40 stops sucking the workpiece 10a (first workpiece) that is a part of the plurality of workpieces 10, and moves the workpiece 10a onto the cutting stage 51. Placed on.

  In FIG. 1A, as the workpieces 10a placed on the cutting stage 51, among the workpieces 10 arranged in a matrix, five workpieces arranged in a zigzag manner composed of every other workpiece 10a in the matrix direction. Although 10a is shown, it is not limited to this. The loader 40 (work transport device) may be configured to suck and transport one or a plurality of workpieces 10a and place them on the cutting stage 51. Further, the arrangement form of the workpieces 10a is not limited to the staggered arrangement, and other arrangements may be used.

  The loader 40, after placing the workpiece 10a on the cutting stage 51, further moves in the X-axis direction and conveys the remaining workpiece 10b (second workpiece). During this time, the workpiece 10b maintains the state of being attracted to the loader 40. The workpieces 10b are a plurality of (five) workpieces excluding the workpieces 10a among the plurality of workpieces 10 sucked by the loader 40, and are in a state of being sucked in a staggered arrangement.

  The loader 40 moves in the X-axis direction while adsorbing the workpiece 10b, and when reaching the cutting stage 52 (second cutting stage), the loader 40 stops sucking the workpiece 10b adsorbed by the loader 40 and cuts the workpiece 10b. Place on stage 52.

  In FIG. 1A, five workpieces 10b arranged in a staggered manner are shown as the workpieces 10b placed on the cutting stage 52, but the invention is not limited to this. The loader 40 may be configured to adsorb one or more workpieces 10b and place them on the cutting stage 52. Further, the arrangement of the workpieces 10b is not limited to the staggered arrangement, and other arrangements may be used. These points are the same as those of the workpiece 10a.

  Thus, among the plurality of workpieces 10 attracted by the loader 40, the workpiece 10a is placed on the cutting stage 51, and the workpiece 10b is placed on the cutting stage 52. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the loader 40 is configured to be movable in the X-axis direction (left-right direction) between the supply unit 100 and the cutting stage 52 of the processing unit 200.

  The processing unit 200 includes a cutting unit 210 (first cutting unit) for cutting the workpiece 10a and a cutting unit 220 (second cutting unit) for cutting the workpiece 10b.

  The cutting unit 210 includes a cutting stage 51, a spindle 61, a cutting blade 71, and an imaging device 35 (first imaging device). The cutting unit 210 moves the cutting stage 51 in the Y-axis direction (arrow direction) in order to cut the workpiece 10a placed on the cutting stage 51.

  The cutting blade 71 is attached to the tip of the spindle 61. The spindle 61 is configured to be rotatable by a driving means (motor) (not shown). As the spindle 61 rotates, the cutting blade 71 attached to the tip of the spindle 61 rotates, and the workpiece 10a can be cut. The spindle 61 is configured to be movable in the X-axis direction, and the cutting position of the workpiece 10a can be changed in the X-axis direction. The cutting position of the workpiece 10a is determined based on position information (image information) obtained by the imaging device 35.

  The cutting part 210 is provided with a cutting blade 72 so as to face the cutting blade 71 and have a rotation axis on the same axis (or parallel). The cutting blade 72 is attached to the tip of the spindle 62. Similarly to the spindle 61, the spindle 62 is configured to be rotatable by a driving means (motor) (not shown). When the spindle 62 rotates, the cutting blade 72 attached to the tip end portion thereof rotates, and the workpiece 10a can be cut.

  Similarly to the cutting unit 210, the cutting unit 220 includes a cutting stage 52, two spindles 63 and 64, two cutting blades 73 and 74, and an imaging device 36 (second imaging device). The cutting unit 220 has a configuration equivalent to that of the cutting unit 210 and is configured to be able to cut the workpiece 10b on the cutting stage 52 with the cutting blades 73 and 74.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the cutting stages 51 and 52 are configured such that a plurality of workpieces can be fixed at predetermined positions by air suction or the like. In the figure, the cutting stages 51 and 52 on which five workpieces are placed are shown. However, the cutting can be fixed in a multi-row, multi-column staggered arrangement or a multi-row, multi-column matrix arrangement (matrix shape). It is also possible to adopt a stage. In addition, the cutting stages 51 and 52 are configured to be rotatable about a Z axis orthogonal to the X axis and the Y axis, respectively. For this reason, the cutting direction of the workpieces 10a and 10b placed on the cutting stages 51 and 52 can be arbitrarily set.

  The rotational positions of the cutting stages 51 and 52 are controlled based on a cutting program stored in a memory of a control unit (not shown). Further, the rotational positions of the cutting stages 51 and 52 are finely adjusted based on position information (image information) obtained from the imaging devices 35 and 36. For example, the cutting stages 51 and 52 are configured to rotate 90 degrees after the two opposite sides of the workpieces 10a and 10b are cut by the cutting blades 71 to 74 and cut the other two sides of the workpieces 10a and 10b. . A control method based on the imaging devices 35 and 36 will be described later.

  The loader 40 places the workpieces 10a and 10b on the cutting stages 51 and 52, and then proceeds to the left side (arrow direction) in FIG. 1B to supply the next plurality of workpieces 10 to the processing unit 200. Return to Part 100. A tray 12 on which the next workpiece 10 is arranged is prepared in the supply unit 100, and the loader 40 that has returned to the delivery position of the supply unit 100 sucks the next workpiece 10 from the tray 12. Thus, since the half workpieces adsorbed by the loader 40 are arranged in a staggered arrangement on the respective cutting stages 51 and 52, one loader 40 only makes one reciprocation between the supply unit 100 and the processing unit 200. Thus, the workpieces 10a and 10b can be conveyed to the two cutting stages 51 and 52.

  Subsequently, when the cutting units 210 and 220 operate simultaneously, the workpieces 10a and 10b are simultaneously cut at the cutting units 210 and 220, and are processed into desired outer dimensions. Note that “simultaneous” in this specification means not only a state in which the start and end times of the operations match, but also the operation is performed in parallel even if the start and end times of the operations do not match. A state where there is a time.

  On the other hand, the cutting stage 51 on which the workpiece 11a is placed moves to the downward direction of FIG. Similarly, the cutting stage 52 on which the workpiece 11b is placed also moves in the downward direction in the drawing, that is, to the transfer position of the loader 40 and the unloader 41.

  The unloader 41 (work transfer device) sucks the workpieces 11a and 11b cut at the cutting unit 210 and the cutting unit 220, and transfers them to the storage unit 300 (handler). Therefore, in this embodiment, the unloader 41 moves on the track extending in the X-axis direction (left-right direction) between the cutting stage 51 of the processing unit 200 and the storage unit 300, in other words, the loader 40 moves. It is configured to be movable on the same axis as the axis.

  When the unloader 41 conveys the workpieces 11a and 11b, the unloader 41 moves, for example, from the standby position illustrated in FIG. 1B onto the cutting stage 51 and sucks the five workpieces 11a placed on the cutting stage 51. Adsorb to the part. Next, the unloader 41 moves toward the storage unit 300 in the X-axis direction with the workpiece 11a adsorbed. At this time, when the unloader 41 reaches the cutting stage 52, the unloader 41 sucks the five workpieces 11b placed on the cutting stage 52 to the sucking portion.

  At this time, all ten workpieces 11 (11a, 11b) placed by the loader 40 are sucked to the suction portion of the unloader 41. In this way, since the workpieces 11a and 11b are arranged in a staggered arrangement on the cutting stages 51 and 52, the workpieces 11 are rearranged in a matrix by combining them. As described above, the workpieces 11a and 11b can be transported from the two cutting stages 51 and 52 only by one unloader 41 reciprocating between the processing unit 200 and the storage unit 300 once.

    The unloader 41 further moves in the same direction with the ten workpieces 11 adsorbed, and conveys the workpiece 11 to the storage unit 300. Thus, since the unloader 41 conveys the workpieces 11a and 11b adsorbed by the cutting stages 51 and 52 to the storage unit 300, the unloader 41 can move between the cutting stage 51 and the storage unit 300 of the processing unit 200. It is configured.

  The workpiece 11 (11 a, 11 b) carried into the storage unit 300 is cleaned in a cleaning unit 80 provided inside the storage unit 300. The cut surface of the workpiece 11 is cleaned by the cleaning unit 80.

  The workpiece 11 cleaned by the cleaning unit 80 is inspected by an inspection unit 90 provided inside the storage unit 300. The inspection unit 90 performs, for example, an inspection such as an appearance inspection and a continuity inspection on each of the workpieces 11, and determines whether each workpiece 11 is a non-defective product.

  As shown in FIG. 1C, the loader 40 sucks the next plurality of workpieces 10 arranged on the tray 12 in the supply unit 100, and the next plurality of workpieces 10 are processed into the processing unit 200 (the cutting stage 51, 52). As described above, in this embodiment, the loader 40 that transports the workpiece 10 before cutting and the unloader 41 that transports the workpiece 11 after cutting are provided separately, and are configured to be independently operable. . For this reason, according to the cutting apparatus of the present embodiment, the throughput can be further improved, and the productivity of the semiconductor device can be improved.

  Further, the loader 40 and the unloader 41 share a transportation track and move alternately on the cutting unit 210 and the cutting unit 220. For this reason, the loader 40 and the unloader 41 do not intersect on the axis. Therefore, it is possible to cause these transfer devices to perform separate operations only by providing a single track for transferring a workpiece, and the workpiece can be efficiently transferred with a simple configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 1D, the workpiece 11 (11a, 11b) is transferred to the inspection unit 90 in the storage unit 300 by a transfer member (not shown) after the cleaning by the cleaning unit 80 in the storage unit 300 is completed. . The workpiece 11 is inspected by the inspection unit 90, and the workpiece 11 that has passed the inspection is stored in the tray 14.

  On the other hand, at this time, the next plurality of workpieces 10a and 10b conveyed by the loader 40 are placed on the cutting stages 51 and 52, respectively. The cutting stages 51 and 52 on which the workpieces 10a and 10b are placed move in the Y-axis direction to the positions (cutting positions) of the cutting blades 71 to 74. Thereafter, the next workpieces 10a and 10b are cut by the same method as described with reference to FIG. 1A and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the plurality of workpieces 10a and 10b are placed on the cutting stages 51 and 52 in a staggered arrangement, respectively. For this reason, when cutting a desired workpiece with each of the cutting blades 71 to 74, the cutting blades 71 to 74 do not touch other workpieces placed close to each other, and only the desired workpiece is touched. Can be cut.

  A plurality of workpieces 10 are arranged in a matrix on the tray 12 in order to increase the number of storages, and the intervals between the workpieces are narrow. For this reason, when the workpieces are placed on the cutting stages 51 and 52 in the matrix-like arrangement arranged on the tray 12, the cutting blades 71 to 74 have the cutting blades 71 to 74 when cutting a predetermined one workpiece. In the cutting direction, the adjacent workpiece is touched and cut. Therefore, in this embodiment, when cutting one workpiece by the cutting blades 71 to 74, the workpiece 10 is placed in a staggered arrangement in order to prevent other workpieces adjacent to the cutting blades 71 to 74 from being cut. Thus, the interval between adjacent workpieces is increased beyond a predetermined interval depending on the size of the cutting blades 71 to 74. Therefore, by arranging in a matrix, the arrangement interval can be widened by making a staggered arrangement at the time of cutting while keeping the area during conveyance and storage small. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the size of a cutting device capable of processing a plurality of workpieces to a desired outer dimension. In addition, since the workpieces 10a and 10b to be cut by the two cutting portions 210 and 220 can be transferred at a time, the workpiece can be transferred at high speed and efficiently.

  However, the mounting method of the plurality of workpieces 10a and 10b on the cutting stages 51 and 52 is not limited to the staggered arrangement. Other arrangements may be used as long as they are arranged so as not to touch other adjacent works when cutting one desired work, that is, so as not to affect the work. For example, a plurality of workpieces 10a and 10b may be placed on the cutting stages 51 and 52 at a predetermined interval. Moreover, you may make the some workpiece | work 10a, 10b zigzag arrangement | positioning so that the cutting line by the cutting blades 71-74 may pass the outer side of another workpiece | work.

  At this time, the condition to be satisfied as the predetermined interval depends on the size (diameter, width) of the cutting blades 71 to 74. It is desirable that the adjacent workpieces be arranged at least apart from the protruding width of the cutting blades 71 to 74 from the workpiece end surface at the start of cutting and at the completion of cutting.

  The cutting apparatus according to the present embodiment can cut a plurality of workpieces 10a and 10b by using two cutting portions 210 and 220 provided with two cutting blades 71 and 72 (cutting blades 73 and 74). And when mounting the some workpiece | work 10a, 10b in the cutting stages 51 and 52, these are set as predetermined arrangement | positioning, such as a staggered arrangement | positioning.

  With such an arrangement, when a plurality of workpieces are cut on the same cutting stage, one desired workpiece can be cut without affecting other adjacent workpieces. For this reason, according to the cutting apparatus of the present embodiment, it is possible to improve throughput, that is, improve productivity.

  Next, the loader 40 (work transfer device) in the present embodiment will be described in detail. Note that the unloader 41 in this embodiment also has the same configuration as the loader 40.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the loader 40 in the present embodiment, and is a side view of the loader 40. 2A shows a state where all the suction pads 401 of the loader 40 are raised, and FIG. 2B shows a state where only some of the suction pads 401a of the loader 40 are lowered. . In the present embodiment, the loader 40 is used as pickup means for picking up the workpieces 10 arranged on the tray 12 in the supply unit 100.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the loader 40 is provided with a plurality of suction pads 401 (suction portions) for sucking the workpiece 10. In the present embodiment, the number of the workpieces 10a and 10b placed on the cutting stages 51 and 52 is 5, respectively. For this reason, the loader 40 of the present embodiment has a total of ten suction pads 401 including five suction pads 401a used for sucking the workpiece 10a and five suction pads 401b used for sucking the workpiece 10b. Is provided. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. The number of suction pads 401 can be appropriately changed according to the number of workpieces 10a and 10b to be placed on the cutting stages 51 and 52. Further, the arrangement of the suction pads 401 can be changed according to the arrangement of the workpieces 10 stored in the tray 12.

  The loader 40 is connected to a suction means (vacuum system) (not shown) via the suction unit 405, and is suspended on the above-described track at the upper part of the suction unit 405 and held so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. . The work 10 can be sucked to the suction pad 401 by sucking air with the suction means. Further, by stopping the suction of air by the suction means, the work 10 sucked by the suction pad 401 can be separated and the work 10 can be placed on the cutting stages 51 and 52.

  The loader 40 is provided with shafts 411 and 412. The shafts 411 and 412 are configured to be independently movable in the vertical direction by driving means (not shown). The lower end portion (connecting portion 411a) of the shaft 411 is connected to the plate 421. When the shaft 411 moves in the vertical direction, the plate 421 also moves in the vertical direction.

  Moreover, the lower end part (connection part 412a) of the axis | shaft 412 is connected to the plate 422, and when the axis | shaft 412 moves to an up-down direction, the plate 422 also moves to an up-down direction. Since the shafts 411 and 412 are configured to be independently movable, the plates 421 and 422 can also be independently moved.

  The lower surface of the plate 421 and the suction pad 401a are connected by a shaft 431a. The lower surface of the plate 422 and the suction pad 401b are connected by a shaft 431b. For this reason, when the plates 421 and 422 move in the vertical direction, the shafts 431a and 431b and the suction pads 401a and 401b also move in the vertical direction.

  3 (a), 3 (b), and 3 (c) respectively show an AA cross section, a BB cross section, and a CC plane (viewed from below) of the loader 40 in FIG. 2 (a). ing.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, since the plate 421 is connected to the shaft 411 by the connecting portion 411a, the plate 421 is configured to move in conjunction with the shaft 411. Since the plate 421 is connected to the five shafts 431a, the plate 421 moves in conjunction with the five suction pads 401a connected to the five shafts 431a.

  The plate 421 has five holes 461a. The five holes 461a are formed at locations through which the five shafts 431b connected to the five suction pads 401b pass. The five shafts 431b extend through the insides of the five holes 461a.

  As described above, the plate 421 is provided with the five holes 461a, and the five shafts 431b pass through the holes 461a. Therefore, the plate 421 does not contact the five shafts 431b. . For this reason, even when either the plate 421 or the shaft 431b moves in the vertical direction, they can move independently without interfering with each other.

  The plate 421 has a hole 412b. A shaft 412 connected to the plate 422 passes through the hole 412b, and the plate 421 does not contact the shaft 412. For this reason, even when the shaft 412 connected to the plate 422 moves in the vertical direction, the plate 421 can operate without being interfered by the shaft 412.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the plate 422 is connected to the shaft 412 by a connecting portion 412a, and is configured to move in conjunction with the shaft 412. Since the plate 422 is connected to the five shafts 431b, the plate 422 moves in conjunction with each suction pad 401b connected to the shaft 431b.

  The plate 422 has five holes 461b. The five holes 461b are formed at locations where each of the five shafts 431a connected to the suction pad 401a passes. The five shafts 431a extend through the insides of the five holes 461b.

  For this reason, by providing the hole 461b in the plate 422, the plate 422 does not contact the shaft 431a. For this reason, even when either the plate 422 or the shaft 431a moves in the vertical direction, they can move independently without interfering with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, the suction pads 401a and 401b are each provided with four air holes 402. When suction means (not shown) sucks air through the air holes 402, the suction pads 401a and 401b can suck the workpieces 10a and 10b. On the other hand, when the suction means stops suction from the air holes 402, the suction pads 401a and 401b that have sucked the workpieces 10a and 10b release the workpieces 10a and 10b. For example, one (or a plurality) of air holes 402 may be formed at the center, and it is preferable that an appropriate number of air holes 402 are arranged at positions where workpieces can be adsorbed appropriately.

  The loader 40 of this embodiment is connected to two independent vacuum systems in each of the air hole 402 of the suction pad 401a and the air hole 402 of the suction pad 401b, and is configured to be able to perform suction control and suction stop control of these. Has been. That is, the loader 40 can be controlled to suck air only from the air hole 402 of the suction pad 401a, and can be controlled to suck air only from the air hole 402 of the suction pad 401b.

  The suction pads 401a and 401b are configured to have a staggered arrangement for the above-described effects, but are not limited thereto. It can be appropriately changed according to the form of mounting on the cutting stages 51 and 52.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the relationship between the suction pad and the workpiece in the loader 40 as in FIG. 3C, and is a plan view of the suction pad as viewed from below.

  FIG. 4A shows a state in which the workpiece 10 is not sucked by any of the suction pads 401a and 401b. This state corresponds to a state between the completion of the placement of the workpiece 10 and the delivery of the workpiece 10.

  FIG. 4B shows a state in which only the workpiece 10a of the workpieces 10 is sucked by the suction pad 401a. For example, when the plurality of workpieces 10 on the tray 12 are sucked, the shaft 411 is lowered as shown in FIG. 2B and air is sucked from the air holes 402 of the suction pad 401a. Corresponds to the state of adsorbing. In this case, when the shaft 411 is lowered, the plate 421 also moves downward in conjunction with the movement of the shaft 411. In conjunction with the downward movement of the plate 421, only the suction pad 401a connected to the shaft 431a moves downward.

  At this time, the suction pad 401b connected to the shaft 431b is held in its position without moving. Air is not sucked from the air holes 402 of the suction pad 401b. For this reason, only the workpiece 10a among the workpieces 10 is attracted to the suction pad 401a.

  FIG. 4C shows a state in which the entire workpiece 10 is sucked by the suction pads 401a and 401b. This corresponds to, for example, a state in which, after the work 10a is sucked, the shaft 412 is lowered and air is sucked from the air holes 402 of the suction pad 401b to suck the work 10b. In addition, if both the shafts 411 and 412 are lowered at once without being lowered separately, both the suction pads 401a and 401 are moved downward in conjunction therewith. At this time, if air is sucked from all the air holes 402, all of the ten workpieces 10 are sucked by the suction pads 401a and 401b.

  Subsequently, when the workpiece 10 is transported to the processing unit 200, the loader 40 is moved to a position directly above the cutting stage 51, and the shaft 411 is driven to move downward to lower the suction pad 401a to which the workpiece 10a has been sucked. Then, the suction of air is stopped and the workpiece 10 a is placed on the cutting stage 51. Next, after the suction pad 401 a is lifted by moving the shaft 411 upward, the loader 40 is moved to just above the cutting stage 52.

  Subsequently, the shaft 412 is driven and moved downward to lower the suction pad 401b on which the workpiece 10b is sucked, and the workpiece 10b is placed on the cutting stage 52. Next, after the suction pad 401b is lifted, the loader 40 that has not sucked the workpiece 10 as shown in FIG.

  As described above, the suction pads 401a and 401b arranged in the staggered arrangement can be independently moved up and down and air can be sucked, so that the workpieces 10a and 10b in the staggered arrangement can be reliably cut with a simple configuration. 51, 52.

    The suction pad 401 can be moved up and down collectively, and the work can be placed in a staggered arrangement by controlling the suction of air while the vacuum system is the same as the above-described configuration. Furthermore, a configuration in which the vertical movement of the individual suction pads 401 and the suction of air are controlled independently can be employed.

  Next, the structure of the cutting part in the cutting apparatus of a present Example is demonstrated. FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the cutting part 210.

  When cutting the workpiece 10a, first, as shown in FIG. 5A, the cutting stage 51 reaches a cutting start position in a state where a plurality of workpieces 10a (five in the drawing) before cutting are placed. Move in the Y-axis direction (up and down arrow direction). Further, the spindles 61 and 62 to which the cutting blades 71 and 72 are attached move in the X-axis direction (left and right arrow directions) to the cutting start position.

  At this time, by moving the spindle 62 in advance so as to be close to the spindle 61 before the cutting stage 51 is moved, the cutting stage 51 can pass directly under the imaging device 35. At this time, an image for generating the current position information can be captured by capturing the workpiece 10a positioned immediately below with the imaging device 35. The control means generates position information including the inclination of the workpiece 10a from the image obtained by the imaging device 35, and finely adjusts the rotational position of the cutting stage 51 to align the workpiece 10a. In this way, the control means cuts while correcting the position of the workpiece 10a one by one. For this reason, the cutting blades 71 and 72 are always controlled to an accurate position based on the position information (image) obtained by the imaging device 35.

  In the present embodiment, the positional relationship between the workpiece 10a and the cutting blades 71 and 72 is configured to be correctable. For this reason, even when these positional relationships deviate from the correct values and the workpiece 10a is placed tilted or displaced, the displacement or inclination is corrected and the positional relationship is always controlled accurately.

  Note that only one image pickup device 35 is provided in the cutting unit 210 of the present embodiment. For this reason, the correction of the positional relationship between the imaging device 35 and the cutting blades 71 and 72 is easy. However, if necessary, for example, an imaging device may also be provided on the spindle 61 (cutting blade 71) side so that two or more imaging devices are provided as a whole.

  When starting the cutting of the workpiece 10a, the control means (not shown) performs the above-described alignment based on the position information obtained by the imaging device 35, and then the cutting blades 71 and 72 come to the cutting start position of the workpiece 10a. In this way, the cutting stage 51 is controlled to move in the Y-axis direction, and the spindles 61 and 62 are controlled to move in the X-axis direction. In FIG. 5A, an example of the cutting position of the workpiece 10a cut by the cutting blades 71 and 72 is represented by a dotted line. Thus, in this embodiment, the edge part in a pair of edge | side which pinches | interposes the workpiece | work 10a with the cutting blades 71 and 72 opposingly arranged is cut off, and between both sides is processed into a regular space | interval. By processing the remaining four workpieces 10a in the same manner, the cutting process on two sides is completed in all the workpieces 10a.

  The cutting stage 51 is configured to be rotatable by a control means (not shown), and when performing the next two-side cutting processing, as shown in FIG. 5B, the direction of FIG. The cutting stage 51 is rotated 90 degrees.

  In this state, the control means performs the cutting process as described above again, and removes the edges of the remaining two sides orthogonal to (intersects with) the previously processed two sides represented by dotted lines in FIG. Cut off. Thereby, all the workpiece | work 10a is processed into a desired external dimension by cut | disconnecting all the sides to a defined shape.

  Thus, the cutting stage 51 is configured to be movable in the Y-axis direction in order to change the cutting position, and is configured to be rotatable about the Z-axis in order to change the cutting direction. The spindles 61 and 62 to which the cutting blades 71 and 72 are attached are configured to be movable in the X-axis direction in order to change the cutting position. The configuration and operation of the cutting unit 210 described above are the same for the cutting unit 220 as indicated by the reference numerals in parentheses in FIG.

  A control unit (not shown) controls the position and angle of the cutting stage 51 to be adjusted every time one workpiece is cut based on the position information from the imaging device 35. In this embodiment, since the workpieces placed on the cutting stage are in a staggered arrangement, it is possible to efficiently avoid a situation in which adjacent workpieces are accidentally cut, and the workpieces adjacent to each other can be avoided. The position and angle can be adjusted flexibly without any influence.

  In the cutting parts 210 and 220 of the present embodiment, the same cutting blade can be used as the cutting blades 71 to 74. Further, the same cutting blade may be used for the cutting blades 71 and 72 of the cutting unit 210, and a different type of cutting blade from the cutting blades 71 and 72 may be used for the cutting blades 73 and 74 of the cutting unit 220. It is also possible to make all of the four cutting blades 71 to 74 different cutting blades. The cutting blades 71 to 74 are configured to be detachable from the spindles 61 to 64. These can be changed as appropriate for the purpose of cutting specifications and efficiency improvement of the workpieces 10a and 10b. For this reason, according to the structure of a present Example, while being able to respond | correspond flexibly to the various process of a workpiece | work, productivity can be improved.

  In the cutting device 1 of the present embodiment, the workpiece delivery positions in the loader 40, the unloader 41, the cutting units 210 and 220, and the storage unit 300 are arranged in series on a straight line (X-axis direction). For this reason, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily configure a loader and an unloader as workpiece transfer means.

  As described above, the cutting unit 210 and the cutting unit 220 operate simultaneously to cut (process) the plurality of workpieces 10a and 10b. For this reason, according to the present Example, the cutting device which improved productivity can be provided.

  Next, a cutting device in Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, description of the same parts as those of the cutting device of the first embodiment will be omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the cutting device 2 in the present embodiment. As with the cutting device 1 of the first embodiment, the cutting device 2 is provided with two cutting portions including two opposing cutting blades. For this reason, the basic operation of the cutting device 2 is the same as that of the cutting device 1 of the first embodiment.

  However, in the cutting apparatus 2 of the present embodiment, the workpiece processed in one cutting unit provided on the supply unit 101 side is conveyed to the other cutting unit provided on the storage unit 301 side and further processed. In this respect, it differs from the cutting device 1 that processes different workpieces at different cutting portions.

  The cutting device 2 includes a supply unit 101, a processing unit 201, and a storage unit 301.

  A tray 16 on which two workpieces 13a having a rectangular plan view are arranged is carried into the supply unit 101 from an unillustrated external device (lower left in FIG. 6). The workpieces 13a arranged on the tray 16 are transported from the supply unit 101 to the processing unit 201 by a loader (not shown) provided with two suction pads configured to suck the workpieces 13a.

  The processing unit 201 is provided with a cutting unit 211 (first cutting unit) and a cutting unit 221 (second cutting unit).

  The cutting part 211 is provided with two spindles 65 and 66, and the cutting blades 75 and 76 are attached to the spindles 65 and 66, respectively. The cutting blades 75 and 76 are arranged to face each other. Similarly, the cutting unit 221 includes two spindles 67 and 68, and cutting blades 77 and 78 are attached to the spindles 67 and 68, respectively. The cutting blades 77 and 78 are arranged to face each other.

  The workpiece 13a conveyed from the supply unit 101 by a loader (not shown) is placed on the cutting stage 53 (first cutting stage) in the cutting unit 211. After the workpiece 13a is placed on the cutting stage 53, the cutting stage 53 is moved and processed upward (positions of the cutting blades 75 and 76) in the figure.

  Here, in the cutting part 211 of the present embodiment, the chamfering process of the work 13a is performed, and the chamfered part 21 is formed on the work 13a. In addition to the chamfering process in the cutting part 211, a step of cutting the workpiece 13a may be added.

  Next, the chamfering process of a workpiece will be described.

  FIG. 7 shows a state in which the workpiece 13 a is being processed by the cutting blades 75 and 76. The cutting blades 75 and 76 are an example of a cutting blade for chamfering the workpiece 13a. The tip portions of the cutting blades 75 and 76 are inclined so that the diameters at the both end faces are different, and the cutting blades 75 and 76 having such tip portions cut the upper surface of the workpiece 13a, whereby the upper surface of the workpiece 13a. An inclined portion is formed on the surface. By cutting this as will be described later, the chamfered portion 21 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the workpiece 13 a is chamfered on the cutting stage 53 by the cutting portion 211 to become a workpiece 13 b having the chamfered portion 21 (inclined portion). A loader (not shown) sucks the workpiece 13b from the cutting stage 53 and moves in the X-axis direction (right direction).

  When the loader reaches the position of the cutting stage 54, the work 13 b is placed on the cutting stage 54. The cutting stage 54 on which the workpiece 13b is placed moves to the upper side (the positions of the cutting blades 77 and 78) in the drawing and is processed. The workpiece 13b is cut by the cutting blades 77 and 78 of the cutting portion 221 to become a workpiece 13c. Specifically, the cutting unit 221 cuts the four sides by cutting in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment to obtain a desired external dimension, and the broken line portion shown in FIG. Each workpiece 13b is divided by being cut at either of them and processed into a workpiece 13c which is a product.

  On the other hand, the loader that has finished placing the workpiece 13 b returns to the supply unit 101 to suck the workpiece 13 a and convey it to the cutting unit 211. Thereby, the cutting | disconnection of the workpiece | work 13a in the cutting part 211 is started, and the cutting | disconnection of the workpiece | work 13a, 13b by both the cutting | disconnection parts 211 and 221 will be performed simultaneously. Subsequently, an unloader (not shown) attracts the workpiece 13 c from the cutting stage 54 and moves in the X-axis direction (right direction), and conveys the workpiece 13 c to the storage unit 300. The workpiece 13c conveyed to the storage unit 300 is subjected to inspections such as cleaning of the cutting unit and appearance inspection by the cleaning / inspection unit 95. After the cleaning and inspection of the workpiece 13c are completed, the workpiece 13c is stored in the tray 18 in the storage unit 300.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the workpiece 13b processed by the cutting portion 211 is further processed by the cutting portion 221 to become the workpiece 13c. That is, the workpiece 13a is machined at both of the two cutting portions and is machined into the workpiece 13c. As described above, according to the cutting apparatus of the present embodiment, it is possible to perform a variety of cutting processes and cutting processes conventionally performed using a plurality of cutting apparatuses with a single cutting apparatus.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6, the loader in the present embodiment is configured to be movable between the supply unit 101 and the cutting stage 54 of the processing unit 201 (loader transport range R <b> 1). Further, the unloader in the present embodiment is configured to be able to move the work 13c divided into four parts in total between the cutting stage 54 of the processing unit 201 and the storage unit 301 (unloader transport range R2).

  The loader transport range R1 and the unloader transport range R2 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the unloader conveyance range may be configured to be movable between the cutting stage 53 and the storage unit 301. At this time, the unloader can transport the workpiece 13 b placed on the cutting stage 53 to the cutting stage 54. During this time, the loader can transfer the next workpiece 13a from the supply unit 101 to the cutting stage 53, so that the productivity can be further improved.

  Further, in the cutting device 2 of the present embodiment, the loader 40 and the unloader 41 share the transport track and move alternately on the cutting unit 221. Thus, in the cutting device 2 of the present embodiment, the workpiece delivery positions in the cutting units 211 and 221 and the supply unit 101 and the storage unit 300 are arranged in series on a straight line (X-axis direction). For this reason, also in the present embodiment, it is only necessary to provide one track, and it is possible to easily configure a loader and an unloader as workpiece transfer means.

  As described above, the cutting unit 211 and the cutting unit 221 operate simultaneously to cut (process) the workpieces 13a and 13b sequentially conveyed by the loader. The cutting device 2 of the present embodiment can perform processing such as cutting individual workpieces at the plurality of cutting portions 211 and 221. Processing in the plurality of cutting units 211 and 221 is sequentially executed by transferring the workpiece by the loader. For this reason, according to the cutting apparatus of the present embodiment, the productivity of the semiconductor device can be improved.

  According to each of the above embodiments, a cutting device with improved productivity can be provided.

  In the above, the Example of this invention was described concretely. However, the present invention is not limited to the matters described in the above embodiments, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the technical idea of the present invention.

  For example, in each of the above embodiments, two cutting blades are provided in each cutting part, but the present invention is not limited to this, and each cutting part may be provided with a plurality of three or more cutting blades. Good. Moreover, although the cutting device of each said Example is provided with two cutting parts, it is not limited to this, You may provide three or more cutting parts. With such a configuration, productivity can be further improved.

It is a schematic block diagram of the cutting device in Example 1. It is a schematic block diagram of the cutting device in Example 1. It is a schematic block diagram of the cutting device in Example 1. It is a schematic block diagram of the cutting device in Example 1. It is a schematic block diagram of the workpiece conveyance apparatus in Example 1. FIG. It is the AA cross section, BB cross section, and CC plane in FIG. 2 about the workpiece conveyance apparatus in Example 1. FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the relationship between the suction pad and the workpiece | work in the workpiece conveyance apparatus in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a cut portion in Example 1. It is a schematic block diagram of the cutting device in Example 2. FIG. In Example 2, it is the schematic which shows the process state of the workpiece | work with a cutting blade.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2: Cutting devices 10, 10a, 10b, 11, 11a, 11b: Work piece 12, 14: Tray 12a: Empty tray 35, 36: Imaging device 40: Loader 41: Unloader 51, 52: Cutting stages 61, 62, 63, 64: spindles 71, 72, 73, 74: cutting blade 80: cleaning unit 90: inspection unit 100, 101: supply unit 200, 201: processing units 210, 211, 220, 221: cutting units 300, 301: storage Units 401, 401a, 401b: suction pad 405: suction unit 411, 412: shaft 421, 422: plate

Claims (1)

A cutting device for cutting a workpiece,
A supply unit for supplying a plurality of workpieces;
A loader for conveying the plurality of workpieces from the supply unit;
A first cutting unit that includes a plurality of cutting blades, a first imaging device, and cuts a first workpiece among the plurality of workpieces conveyed by the loader on a first cutting stage;
A second cutting unit comprising a plurality of cutting blades, a second imaging device, and cutting a second workpiece on the second cutting stage among the plurality of workpieces conveyed by the loader;
An unloader that conveys the plurality of workpieces cut by the first cutting unit and the second cutting unit,
The loader and the unloader move alternately to at least one of the first cutting part and the second cutting part, sharing a transport track,
The loader conveys the second workpiece to the second cutting unit without returning to the supply unit after conveying the first workpiece among the plurality of workpieces to the first cutting unit,
The positions of the first cutting stage, the second cutting stage, and the plurality of cutting blades are corrected based on image information from the first imaging device and the second imaging device,
The first cutting unit and the second cutting unit operate simultaneously to cut the first work and the second work sequentially conveyed by the loader ,
Each of the first workpiece and the second workpiece includes a plurality of workpieces,
The loader arranges the first workpiece on the first cutting stage in a staggered arrangement, and arranges the second workpiece on the second cutting stage in a staggered arrangement. Cutting device.