JP5580066B2 - Cutting equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a type of cutting apparatus that cuts a thin plate-like workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer into a plurality of chips.

  In the semiconductor device manufacturing process, a large number of electronic circuits such as ICs and LSIs are formed on the surface of a semiconductor wafer, and then the back surface of the wafer is ground and processed to a predetermined thickness before the electronic circuit is formed. A large number of semiconductor chips are obtained as devices from one wafer by performing dicing for cutting the region along the division line. As a cutting device for dicing such a thin plate-like workpiece such as a wafer, a chuck table that adsorbs and holds the workpiece with a negative pressure to expose the machining surface, and a machining surface of the workpiece held on the chuck table is cut. The thing of the structure provided with the cutting means provided with the cutting blade to process is known (refer patent document 1). In this type of cutting apparatus, a spindle that supports the cutting blade is coaxially arranged, and the tips on which the cutting blades are mounted are arranged to face each other to reduce the size of the apparatus (patent) Reference 2).

JP-A-8-25209 JP 2002-359111 A

  The cutting apparatus of Patent Document 2 includes a cassette placement area in which a cassette that accommodates a plurality of works is placed, a carry-in / out area in which a chuck table that holds a work taken out from the cassette is positioned, and the work is carried in / out. The cleaning area in which the cleaning means for cleaning the workpiece after cutting is disposed, and the processing area in which the chuck table moves and the workpiece is cut by the cutting means are adjacent to each other. Therefore, it is conveyed between each area. However, in such an apparatus, there are many inconvenient parts such as a moving system that conveys a workpiece between areas, and the configuration is complicated, which increases trouble factors and increases costs. It was.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the main technical problem thereof is that the number of movable parts is reduced as much as possible to simplify the configuration and realize efficient work conveyance and processing in the apparatus. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cutting apparatus capable of reducing trouble and cost.

The cutting apparatus according to the present invention includes a loading / unloading area in which a workpiece is loaded / unloaded with respect to a holding unit that holds the workpiece, and a cassette on which one of the loading / unloading areas is located and a cassette that houses a plurality of workpieces is placed. Cleaning provided with a mounting area and a cleaning means that is located on the other side of the carry-in / out area and has a cleaning table that holds a workpiece and a hook portion that stores a cleaning nozzle that supplies cleaning water to the cleaning table The rear side in the front-rear direction with respect to the carry-in / out region when the region, the direction in which the cassette placement region and the carry-in / out region are arranged is the left-right direction, and the direction orthogonal to the left-right direction is the front-rear direction The rotating shaft extending in the left-right direction and a cutting blade attached to the tip of the rotating shaft are held by the holding means by two cutting means arranged in a state of facing each other. A cutting device provided with a processing region for cutting the workpiece, a first portion for pulling the workpiece from the cassette to the loading / unloading region, and holding the workpiece drawn to the loading / unloading region from above. A holding portion, a first left-right movement mechanism that integrally moves the drawer portion and the first holding portion in the left-right direction; and the first left-right movement mechanism that moves the first holding portion in the up-down direction. A first transport mechanism having a first connecting portion that is movably connected; a second holding portion that holds the cut workpiece from above; a cover portion that covers the opening of the hook portion; A second left-right movement mechanism that integrally moves the two holding portions and the cover portion in the left-right direction, and a second connection that connects the cover portion to the second left-right movement mechanism so as to be movable in the vertical direction. And a second transport mechanism having a portion. When the first holding portion of the first transport mechanism is positioned above the cover portion in a state where the cover portion is positioned at a position covering the opening of the hook portion, It is characterized by being disposed at a position offset from the center of the cover part that does not contact the first holding part.

  According to the present invention, since the first transport mechanism has the pull-out portion for pulling out the workpiece from the cassette, a dedicated movable portion for pulling out the workpiece from the cassette can be omitted. Further, since the second transport mechanism has a cover portion that covers the opening of the hook portion of the cleaning means, it is not necessary to separately provide a movable cover that opens and closes the opening of the hook portion. As a result, the number of movable parts is less than that of the prior art, the configuration is simplified, and the workpiece can be efficiently conveyed.

  Further, the second connecting portion of the second transport mechanism is positioned in a position where the cover portion of the second transport mechanism covers the opening of the hook portion of the cleaning means, and the first transport mechanism is connected to the cover portion. When positioned on the upper side, it is disposed at a position where it does not come into contact with the first transport mechanism. Therefore, when the cover portion covers the opening of the hook portion and the workpiece is cleaned by the cleaning means, the first transfer mechanism does not interfere with the second transfer mechanism and the other transfer workpiece is moved by the first transfer mechanism. Can be carried in / out from the holding means in the carry-in / out area, and as a result, the efficiency of the work processing can be improved.

The work referred to in the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, a semiconductor wafer made of silicon or gallium arsenide (GaAs), an adhesive member such as DAF (Die Attach Film) provided on the back surface of the wafer for chip mounting, Various electronic components such as semiconductor product packages, ceramics, glass, sapphire (Al ₂ O ₃ ) -based inorganic material substrates, LCD drivers for controlling and driving liquid crystal display devices, and processing position accuracy on the micron order are required. Various processing materials are mentioned.

  According to the present invention, the number of movable parts is reduced as much as possible, the structure is simplified, and efficient work conveyance and processing within the apparatus is realized, thereby reducing troubles and costs. Play.

It is a perspective view showing a work unit formed by supporting a wafer (work) on an annular frame via an adhesive tape. 1 is an overall perspective view of a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a cutting device of one embodiment, and is a perspective view in the state where a cabinet which covers a cutting part was excluded. It is a schematic plan view of the cutting device of one Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the washing | cleaning means which the cutting device of one Embodiment comprises. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2 illustrating a work unit conveyance system. It is sectional drawing which shows the guide frame which positions the work unit conveyance start position provided in the carrying in / out area | region of the cutting device of one Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the cover part which covers the opening of the hook part of a washing | cleaning means. It is a front view of the cutting device of one embodiment, and shows a state where a work unit is pulled out from a cassette by the 1st conveyance mechanism in the order of (a) and (b) when performing a washing process.

Hereinafter, a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
(1) Wafer First, a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as wafer) 1 which is a workpiece in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The wafer 1 is a silicon wafer or the like having a thickness of about 100 to 700 μm, for example, and a large number of rectangular devices 3 are formed on the surface by grid-like division planned lines 2. These devices 3 are formed with electronic circuits such as IC and LSI (not shown). A linear notch 4 called an orientation flat indicating the crystal orientation of the semiconductor is formed at a predetermined location on the peripheral surface of the wafer 1. The wafer 1 is diced into each device (semiconductor chip) 3 by cutting all the division lines 2 by the cutting apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer 1 is a work unit 7 that is concentrically arranged via an adhesive tape 6 in a circular opening 5 a of an annular frame 5 and is integrally supported. 10 is supplied. The adhesive tape 6 has an adhesive surface on one side, and the frame 5 and the back surface of the wafer 1 are attached to the adhesive surface. The frame 5 has rigidity made of a plate material such as metal, and the wafer 1 is transferred together with the work unit 7 by supporting the frame 5.

  The work unit 7 is accommodated in the cassette 9 shown in FIG. A plurality of slots are provided in the cassette 9 in the vertical direction, and a plurality of work units 7 are accommodated in a horizontal state with a space in the vertical direction one by one in each slot. One side surface of the cassette 9 is opened as a loading / unloading port for the work unit 7 (opening in the Y2 direction in FIG. 2), and the work unit 7 is loaded into and unloaded from the slot in the cassette 9. The work unit 7 is accommodated in the cassette 9 in a horizontal state with the adhesive tape 6 facing down and the front side of the wafer 1 facing up.

(2) Cutting device (2-1) Configuration of cutting device Next, the configuration of the cutting device 10 will be described.
FIG. 2 shows the cutting device 10 including the base 11 and the cabinet 12, and FIG. 3 shows the cutting device 19 with the cabinet 12 removed. FIG. 4 schematically shows a plane of the cutting apparatus 10.

  In these drawings, the left-right direction of the device 10 is shown as the Y-axis direction, and the front-rear direction orthogonal to the left-right direction (not necessarily strictly orthogonal) is shown as the X-axis direction. The rear part (X2 side) of the base 11 is covered with a cabinet 12, and the wafer 1 to be cut is loaded into the exposed upper surface of the base 11 on the front side (X1 side) of the cabinet 12. It is a carry-in / out area 11 </ b> A from which the wafer 1 subjected to the cutting process is carried out. One side (Y1 side) across the carry-in / out area 11A on the base 11 is a cassette mounting area 11B, and the other side (Y2 side) is a cleaning area 11C.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a cutting unit 40 is accommodated in the cabinet 12. The cutting unit 40 includes a portal column 45 including a pair of leg portions 451 erected side by side in the Y-axis direction and a beam portion 452 horizontally spanned between the upper end portions of the leg portions 451. ing. A region between the leg portions 451 of the portal column 45 is located behind the carry-in / out region 11A, and this region is a processing region 11D.

  A chuck table 20 on which the wafer 1 of the work unit 7 is held is provided on the base 11 so as to be able to reciprocate from the carry-in / out area 11A to the processing area 11D. The chuck table 20 is a generally well-known vacuum chuck type that sucks and holds a work (wafer 1 in this case) by a negative pressure action by air suction, and a Z-axis direction which is a vertical direction on a rectangular table base 21. Is supported rotatably about the rotation axis. The chuck table 20 is rotationally driven by a rotation driving mechanism (not shown) disposed below the table base 21. The table base 21 is reciprocated in the X axis direction by a moving mechanism (not shown) incorporated in the base 11, and the chuck table 20 reciprocates in the X axis direction together with the table base 21.

  A circular holding surface 22 that sucks and holds the wafer 1 is formed on the horizontal upper surface of the chuck table 20. The diameter of the holding surface 22 is substantially the same as the diameter of the wafer 1. The wafer 1 supported on the frame 5 as described above is placed and held concentrically on the holding surface 22 via the adhesive tape 6. Around the chuck table 20, a plurality of clamps 23 for detachably holding the frame 5 are disposed. These clamps 23 are attached to the table base 21. Further, at both ends of the table base 21 in the X-axis direction, a telescopic bellows that covers the moving area of the table base 21 from the carry-in / out area 11A to the machining area 11D and prevents falling of cutting waste or the like into the base 11 is provided. A cover 24 is attached.

  In the cassette mounting area 11B, a cassette table 13 is installed on which a cassette 9 accommodating a plurality of work units 7 is detachably mounted. The cassette 9 is placed on the cassette table 13 with the loading / unloading port of the work unit 7 facing the loading / unloading area 11A (Y2 direction). The cassette base 13 is an elevator type that is driven in the vertical direction by an elevating mechanism 14 (see FIG. 9), and is moved up and down so that one work unit 7 in the cassette 9 is positioned at a fixed drawing position. It has become.

  In the cleaning region 11C, a spinner type cleaning means 30 for cleaning the wafer 1 after the cutting process is disposed. As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning means 30 has a configuration in which a cleaning table 32 and two horizontal nozzles 33 and 34 are accommodated in a cylindrical hook portion 31 formed in the base 11. is there. The hook portion 31 is opened above the base 11, and the circular opening 311 is opened and closed by a cover portion 240 described later.

  The cleaning table 32 is a vacuum chuck type similar to the chuck table 20 described above, and a circular holding surface 321 that attracts and holds the wafer 1 with substantially the same diameter as the wafer 1 is formed on the horizontal upper surface. . The cleaning table 32 is rotatably supported and is rotationally driven by a rotational drive mechanism 322. A plurality of clamps 323 that detachably hold the frame 5 of the work unit 7 are disposed at equal intervals on the outer peripheral edge of the cleaning table 32 around the holding surface 321. These clamps 323 operate to press the frame 5 from above when the cleaning table 32 rotates and centrifugal force is generated.

  The cleaning table 32 is moved up and down between a work unit delivery position near the height of the opening 311 of the hook 31 and a lower cleaning position in the hook 31 by a lifting mechanism such as an air cylinder (not shown). It is done.

The two nozzles 33, 34 are in an integrated state vertically aligned, and are supported by a nozzle base 35 disposed between the cleaning table 32 and the inner surface of the shuttle 31 so as to be able to turn horizontally. One of the nozzles 33, 34 is the cleaning nozzle 33 and the other is the air nozzle 34, and cleaning water and air are ejected from the opening at the tip bent downward. As cleaning water to be used, pure water or pure water mixed with CO ₂ for preventing static electricity is preferably used. On the other hand, dry compressed air is ejected from the air nozzle 34.

  The cleaning nozzle 33 and the air nozzle 34 are usually positioned on the outer peripheral side of the cleaning table 32 and at a retracted position that does not hinder the lifting and lowering of the cleaning table 32. When the cleaning table 32 is positioned at the cleaning position and the wafer 1 is cleaned, the wafer 1 is swung inward from the retracted position, and is swung horizontally while jetting cleaning water and air downward above the cleaning table 32. The nozzles 33 and 34 are horizontally swiveled so that at least the tip thereof can move in a region corresponding to the radius between the center of the cleaning table 32 and the outer peripheral edge. Thereby, cleaning water and air are jetted over the entire surface of the wafer 1 that rotates as the cleaning table 32 rotates.

  Next, the cutting part 40 will be described with reference to FIG. A pair of left and right sliders, that is, a first Y-axis slider 411 and a second Y-axis slider 421 are provided on the front surface (X1 side surface) of the beam portion 452 of the portal column 45 which is the main body of the cutting portion 40. The upper and lower Y-axis guides 453 are slidably attached in the Y-axis direction. The first Y-axis slider 411 is reciprocated along the Y-axis guide 453 by the first Y-axis ball screw feed mechanism 413 operated by the first Y-axis feed motor 412. The second Y-axis slider 421 is reciprocated along the Y-axis guide 453 by a second Y-axis ball screw feed mechanism 423 operated by a second Y-axis feed motor (not shown).

  A first Z-axis slider 414 is attached to the front surface of the first Y-axis slider 411 so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction along a pair of left and right Z-axis guides 415. A second Z-axis slider 424 is attached to the front surface of the second Y-axis slider 421 so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction along a pair of left and right Z-axis guides 425. The first Z-axis slider 414 is moved up and down along the Z-axis guide 415 by a first Z-axis ball screw feed mechanism 417 operated by a first Z-axis feed motor 416. Further, the second Z-axis slider 424 is moved up and down along the Z-axis guide 425 by the second Z-axis ball screw feed mechanism 427 operated by the second Z-axis feed motor 426.

  A first cutting means 41 is fixed to the lower end of the first Z-axis slider 414, and a second cutting means 42 is fixed to the lower end of the second Z-axis slider 424. The cutting means 41 and 42 have the same configuration, and as shown in FIG. 4, a rotating shaft 431 that is rotated at high speed by a servo motor or the like is accommodated in a rectangular parallelepiped spindle housing 43, and protrudes from the tip opening of the spindle housing 43. A disc-shaped cutting blade 44 is concentrically attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 431.

  The spindle housings 43 of the cutting means 41 and 42 are such that the inner rotary shaft 431 is parallel to the Y-axis direction and coaxial with each other, and the tips to which the cutting blades 44 are attached face each other as shown in FIG. The first Z-axis slider 414 and the second Z-axis slider 424 are respectively fixed to the lower end portions. The cutting means 41 and 42 are moved integrally with the Y-axis sliders 411 and 421 in the Y1 direction and the Y2 direction, respectively, and move toward and away from each other in the Y-axis direction. A blade cover 441 is attached to the tip of the spindle housing 43 to suppress scattering of the cutting fluid splashed up by the rotating cutting blade 44 around the periphery.

  Next, a transport system for transporting the work unit 7 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, a first transport mechanism 100 and a second transport mechanism 200 are provided on the front surface of the cabinet 12.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the first transport mechanism 100 includes a first left / right moving mechanism 110 provided on the front surface of the cabinet 12 and a first arm that is moved in the left / right direction by the first left / right moving mechanism 110. Part 120, and a first holding part 130 and a drawer part 140 provided on the first arm part 120.

  The first left-right moving mechanism 110 includes a pair of upper and lower Y-axis guides 111 extending in the left-right direction, and a Y-axis ball screw feeding mechanism 112 disposed between the Y-axis guides 111. The Y-axis ball screw feed mechanism 112 rotates a ball screw 113 extending in the Y-axis direction forward and backward by a Y-axis feed motor 114.

  The first arm unit 120 is configured such that an elevating unit 123 is attached to a lower end of a base unit 121 via an elevating mechanism 122 such as an air cylinder so that the elevating unit 123 can be moved up and down. The ball screw 113 is slidably attached and screwed into the penetrating ball screw 113. When the Y-axis feed motor 114 rotates and the ball screw feed mechanism 112 operates, the first arm unit 120 moves in the left-right direction along the Y-axis guide 111 according to the rotation direction of the ball screw 113.

  The lifting / lowering portion 123 of the first arm portion 120 is an L-shaped one in which a horizontal portion 125 extends from the lower end of a vertically extending vertical portion 124 connected to the lifting / lowering mechanism 122 to the front side (X1 side). The first holding part 130 is disposed on the lower surface of 125. The first holding part 130 is formed by attaching holding pads 132 to four end parts of an H-shaped bracket 131 fixed to the lower surface of the horizontal part 125. The holding pad 132 functions to adsorb and hold the frame 5 of the work unit 7 on the suction surface of the lower surface by a negative pressure action by air suction, and to detach the frame 5 downward by a positive pressure action to blow out air. Therefore, the plurality of holding pads 132 are arranged at positions where they can be adsorbed on the upper surface of the frame 5.

  In addition, on the Y1 side of the horizontal portion 125, the drawer portion 140 is disposed. The lead-out part 140 is provided with a clamp 142 that grips the outer peripheral edge of the frame 5 of the work unit 7 at the tip of a plate 141 that is fixed to the horizontal part 125 and extends in the Y1 direction. And the first arm unit 120 moves in the Y2 direction, whereby one work unit 7 is pulled out from the cassette 9 to the carry-in / out area 11A.

  Note that a pair of guide frames 300 extending in the Y-axis direction on which the work unit 7 pulled out from the cassette 9 by the pull-out unit 140 is placed are disposed above the carry-in / out area 11A. The guide frame 300 is spaced apart in the X-axis direction in a parallel state, and one end of the guide frame 300 is supported between the carry-in / out area 11A and the cassette placement area 11B on the base 11 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the guide frame 300 is a frame formed by placing the frame 5 of the work unit 7 on the upper surface, and rising from the outer end of the placement unit 301 in the X-axis direction. 5 is a rod-shaped member having an L-shaped cross section having an abutting portion 302 to the outer peripheral edge, and is provided symmetrically. The height of the upper surface of the mounting portion 301 is set to a height corresponding to the above-described pulling position for drawing the work unit 7 from the cassette 9.

  The pair of guide frames 300 operate so as to approach and separate from each other in synchronization with the X-axis direction. Then, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 7, they move in synchronization with the directions approaching each other, and the contact portions 302 of both guide frames 300 come into contact with the outer peripheral edge of the frame 5 placed on the placement portion 301. It works to position the X-axis direction of the work unit on the carry-in / out area 11A.

  The second transport mechanism 200 includes a second left / right movement mechanism 210 provided on the front surface of the cabinet 12, a second arm unit 220 moved in the left / right direction by the second left / right movement mechanism 210, and a second It has a second holding part 230 and a cover part 240 provided on the arm part 220.

  The second left / right moving mechanism 210 has the same configuration as the first left / right moving mechanism 110, and is disposed above the first transport mechanism 100. That is, the second transport mechanism 200 has a pair of upper and lower Y-axis guides 211 extending in the left-right direction and a ball screw 213 disposed between the Y-axis guides 211 extending in the Y-axis direction by a Y-axis feed motor 214. It is composed of a Y-axis ball screw feed mechanism 212 that rotates.

  The second arm part 220 is configured such that an elevating part 223 is attached to the lower end of the base part 221 via an elevating mechanism 222 such as an air cylinder so that the base part 221 is attached to the upper and lower Y-axis guides 211. The ball screw 213 is slidably attached and screwed into a penetrating ball screw 213. When the Y-axis feed motor 214 rotates and the ball screw feed mechanism 212 operates, the second arm unit 220 moves in the left-right direction along the Y-axis guide 211 according to the rotation direction of the ball screw 213.

  The raising / lowering part 223 of the second arm part 220 is an L-shaped one in which the horizontal part 225 extends to the left side (Y1 side) from the lower end of the vertical part 224 connected to the raising / lowering mechanism 222 and extending in the vertical direction. The second holding portion 230 is disposed on the lower surface of the. The second holding portion 230 has the same configuration and function as the first holding portion 130, and the four end portions of the H-shaped bracket 231 fixed to the lower surface of the horizontal portion 225 are attached to the work unit 7. A holding pad 232 for attaching and holding the frame 5 by a negative pressure action is attached. The second holding part 230 is fixed to the lower surface of the horizontal part 225 so that the center of the bracket 231 is substantially coincident with the front end of the horizontal part 225 in the elevating part 223.

  Further, the cover part 240 is fixed to the second arm part 220. As shown in FIG. 8, the cover portion 240 has a configuration in which an annular side wall portion 242 hangs downward from the periphery of the circular top plate portion 241, and is aligned with the bracket 231 of the second holding portion 230. In this state, the top plate portion 241 is integrally fixed to the elevating portion 223 of the second arm portion 220. Since the centers of the bracket 231 and the cover part 240 are arranged at substantially the end of the horizontal part 225 of the second arm part 220, the vertical part 224 of the second arm part 220 is separated from the centers of the bracket 231 and the cover part 240. The Y2 side is offset by the length of the horizontal portion 225. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the vertical portion 224 extends upward from the peripheral edge portion of the end portion on the Y2 side of the cover portion 240, so that a space is vacated in almost the entire area above the cover portion 240. In addition, the position where the second arm part 220 supports the cover part 240, that is, the position where the lower end of the vertical part 224 of the elevating part 223 is relative to the cover part 240 is not limited to the end part on the Y2 side, but on the carry-in / out area 11B side. It may be anywhere as long as it is a peripheral edge.

  The second arm portion 220 is moved in the Y2 direction by the second left / right moving mechanism 210 to be positioned above the hook portion 31, and when the elevating portion 224 is lowered therefrom, as shown in FIG. The side wall portion 242 contacts the periphery of the opening 311 of the hook portion 31 on the upper surface of the base 11, and the opening 311 is covered with the cover portion 240.

(2-2) Operation of Cutting Device Next, an operation example of the cutting device 10 that performs cutting on the work unit 7 and dices the wafer 1 will be described.

  A cassette 9 containing a plurality of work units 7 is placed on a cassette table 13 in a cassette placement area 11B. The cassette base 13 is moved up and down by the lifting mechanism 14, and one work unit 7 is positioned at the drawing position. The first arm part 120 of the first transport mechanism 100 is moved in the Y1 direction by the first left-right movement mechanism 110, and the clamp 142 of the drawer part 140 is positioned outside the frame 5 of the work unit 7 positioned at the drawer position. Grab the periphery. Then, the first arm unit 120 moves in the Y2 direction, and one work unit 7 is pulled out from the cassette 9. The work unit 7 is pulled out while the outer peripheral edge of the frame 5 rests on the upper surface of the mounting portion 301 of the pair of front and rear guide frames 300, and after the gripping by the clamp 142 is released, the first arm portion 120 is further moved to Y2. By slightly moving in the direction, the work unit 7 is placed in a horizontal state on the placement portion 301 of each guide frame 300.

  Next, the guide frame 300 moves in a direction approaching each other in synchronization with the X-axis direction, the contact portions 302 of both guide frames 300 come into contact with the outer peripheral edge of the frame 5 of the work unit 7, and the work unit 7 is carried in and out. It is positioned at the center of the region 11A. At this time, the chuck table 20 is positioned at the center of the carry-in / out area 11A and is waiting, and the work unit 7 is pulled out by the pull-out portion 140 as described above and placed on the guide frame 300 and positioned. Thus, it is positioned concentrically with the chuck table 20 above the chuck table 20.

  Next, after the elevating part 123 of the first arm part 120 is raised, it moves in the Y1 direction, the first holding part 130 is positioned above the work unit 7, and the elevating part 123 is lowered. Then, each holding pad 132 of the first holding unit 130 is operated in a vacuum, and each holding pad 132 is attracted to the upper surface of the frame 5 of the work unit 7 supported by the guide frame 300, and then two guides The frame 300 is separated and the work unit 7 is held by the first holding unit 130.

  Next, the chuck table 20 is operated in vacuum, and the elevating unit 123 of the first arm unit 120 is further lowered, and the wafer 1 of the work unit 7 is sucked and held on the holding surface 22 of the chuck table 20 via the adhesive tape 6. Is done. Further, the frame 5 is held by the clamp 23. Thereafter, the vacuum operation of the holding pad 132 is released, and the first arm unit 120 is retracted upward.

  Next, the table base 21 moves in the X2 direction, and the work unit 7 held on the chuck table 20 is transferred from the loading / unloading area 11A to the machining area 11D in the cabinet 12. Then, in this processing region 11D, the cutting means 41 and 42 of the cutting unit 40 cut the planned dividing line 2 of the wafer 1 and dice the wafer 1 into a large number of devices 3.

  The cutting process to the division line 2 is performed by rotating the chuck table 20 to rotate the wafer 1 to make the division line 2 parallel to the X-axis direction and moving the table base 21 in the X-axis direction. This is done by processing feed for cutting the lower end of the cutting blade 44 into the wafer 1. Moreover, selection of the division | segmentation scheduled line 2 to cut is made by the index feed which moves the cutting means 41 and 42 to a Y-axis direction.

  In addition, the cutting by the cutting means 41 and 42 is not only a full cut that penetrates the thickness of the wafer 1 and is completely cut, but a groove that cuts from the surface of the wafer 1 to the middle of the thickness to form a groove. including. When the groove is processed, the remaining thickness portion of the groove is further cut by another cutting blade in a subsequent process, or by applying an external force and cleaving along the groove, the wafer 1 has a large number of devices 3. Is diced.

  Next, the table base 21 moves in the X1 direction, the work unit 7 is once returned to the carry-in / out area 11A, and then the work unit 7 is conveyed to the cleaning area 11C by the second conveyance mechanism 200. At this time, the first arm unit 120 of the first transport mechanism 100 moves in the Y2 direction and retracts above the cleaning region 11C, and instead the second arm unit 220 of the second transport mechanism 200 moves in the Y1 direction. And the second holding unit 230 is positioned above the work unit 7. The difference in the Y-axis direction between the first arm unit 120 and the second arm unit 220 is made when the first arm unit 120 passes below the second arm unit 220.

  When the second holding unit 230 is positioned above the work unit 7, each holding pad 232 of the second holding unit 230 is operated in vacuum and the elevating unit 223 of the second arm unit 220 is lowered to hold each holding unit 232. The pad 232 is attracted to the upper surface of the frame 5 of the work unit 7 held on the chuck table 20. Next, the vacuum operation of the chuck table 20 is released, the lifting unit 223 is raised, and the work unit 7 is sucked and held by the second holding unit 230 and lifted.

  Next, the second arm unit 220 moves in the Y2 direction, the work unit 7 is transferred to the cleaning region 11C, and is positioned above the cleaning unit 30. In parallel with the movement of the second arm unit 220 in the Y2 direction, the first arm unit 120 moves in the Y1 direction, and the standby state is set in the carry-in / out area 11A.

  At this time, the cleaning table 32 of the cleaning means 30 is raised to the work unit delivery position. As described above, when the second arm unit 220 with the work unit 7 held by the second holding unit 230 is transported to the cleaning region 11C, the cleaning table 32 is operated in a vacuum and the elevating unit 223 is lowered. Then, the wafer 1 of the work unit 7 is adsorbed and held via the adhesive tape 6 on the holding surface 321 of the cleaning table 32 that is positioned at the work unit delivery position and is operated in vacuum, and the opening 311 of the hook 31 is formed. Covered with a cover part 240.

  Next, the vacuum operation of each holding pad 232 of the second holding unit 230 is released, whereby the wafer 1 is held on the cleaning table 32, and the work unit 7 is transferred to the cleaning table 32. Subsequently, the cleaning table 32 is lowered to the cleaning position in the shuttle 31 and the wafer 1 is cleaned and dried at the cleaning position. Cleaning of the wafer 1 is performed by spraying cleaning water onto the surface of the wafer 1 from a cleaning nozzle 33 that rotates on the wafer 1 while rotating the cleaning table 32. Note that when the cleaning table 32 rotates, the clamp 323 operates to hold the frame 5 on the cleaning table 32. After the cleaning, the cleaning table 32 is continuously rotated (the number of rotations may be increased as necessary), and dry air is ejected from the rotating air nozzle 34 onto the surface of the wafer 1 to dry the wafer 1. When cleaning the wafer 1, the cleaning water scatters in the pot portion 31 and becomes a mist to fill the pot portion 31, but the scattered cleaning water and mist leak to the outside by the cover portion 240 that covers the pot portion 31. Is prevented.

  During this cleaning process, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, another work unit 7 is pulled out from the cassette 9 by the drawer 140 of the first transport mechanism 100 and mounted on the guide frame 300. Further, the work unit 7 is held on the chuck table 20 and sent to the processing region 11D, and the wafer 1 is diced by the cutting means 41 and 42.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the work unit 7 is pulled out from the cassette 9 by the first transport mechanism 100 with the cover 240 covering the opening 311 of the hook portion 31, The first holding unit 130 of one transport mechanism 100 is positioned above the cover unit 240. At this time, the second arm unit 220 of the second transport mechanism 200 is disposed at a position that is on the Y2 side of the first holding unit 130 and does not contact the first holding unit 130. As a result, another work unit 7 is pulled out from the cassette 9 and held on the chuck table 20 by the first transport mechanism 100 while performing a cleaning process performed with the cover portion 240 covering the opening 311 of the hook portion 31. Then, the wafer 1 can be diced by being sent to the processing region 11D.

  When the cleaning and drying of the wafer 1 are finished in the hook 31, the cleaning table 32 is raised to the work unit delivery position, and the elevating part 223 of the second arm part 220 is raised so that the cover 240 is the hook 31. The opening 311 is retracted upward from the opening 311 and the opening 311 opens. Next, the first arm portion 120 of the first transport mechanism 100 that has finished pulling out another work unit 7 from the cassette 9 moves in the Y2 direction and enters the lower side of the cover portion 240 and is held by the cleaning table 32. Is positioned above the work unit 7. Then, each holding pad 132 of the first holding unit 130 is operated in vacuum, and the elevating unit 123 of the first arm unit 120 is lowered, so that each holding pad 123 is held by the cleaning table 32. Adsorb to the upper surface of the frame 5. Next, the vacuum operation of the cleaning table 32 is released and the elevating unit 123 is raised, and the work unit 7 is attracted and held by the first holding unit 130 and lifted.

  Next, the first arm unit 120 moves in the Y1 direction, the work unit 7 is transferred to the carry-in / out region 11A, the lifting unit 123 of the first arm unit 120 descends, and the vacuum operation of the holding pad 132 is released. As a result, the frame 5 of the work unit 7 is placed on the placement portion 301 of the front and rear guide frames 300 whose interval in the X-axis direction is appropriately adjusted. Then, the front and rear guide frames 300 move in a direction approaching each other, and the work unit 7 is positioned in the X-axis direction. Subsequently, the first arm unit 120 once moves in the Y2 direction, and the elevating unit 123 is lowered until the height of the clamp 142 corresponds to the height of the work unit 7. Subsequently, the first arm unit 120 moves in the Y1 direction, the clamp 142 grips the outer peripheral edge of the frame 5, and the first arm unit 120 continues to move in the Y2 direction. Housed inside. When the work unit 7 is accommodated in the cassette 9, the gripping by the clamp 142 is released, and the first arm unit 120 moves in the Y2 direction and stops at the standby position.

  The above series of operations is a cycle for processing one work unit 7, and this cycle is sequentially performed for all the work units 7 accommodated in the cassette 9. After all the work units 7 in the cassette 9 have been processed, the work units 7 pick up the devices 9 together with the cassette 9 in the next process (for example, the devices 3 that have been diced and stuck to the adhesive tape 6 one by one. To the process).

(2-3) Effect of Transport System According to the transport system of the cutting apparatus 10 described above, the drawer portion 140 that pulls out the work unit 7 from the cassette 9 is provided integrally with the first arm portion 120 of the first transport mechanism 100. Therefore, there is no need to provide a dedicated movable part having a function of pulling out the work unit 7 from the cassette 9 or accommodating the work unit 7 in the cassette 9. Moreover, since the cover part 240 which covers the opening 311 of the hook part 31 of the washing | cleaning means 30 is integrally provided in the 2nd arm part 220 of the 2nd conveyance mechanism 200, the movable which opens and closes the opening 311 of the hook part 31 is provided. There is no need to provide a separate cover. As a result, the number of movable parts is less than that of the prior art, the configuration is simplified, and the work unit 7 can be efficiently conveyed.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, the second arm portion 220 of the second transport mechanism 200 is such that the vertical portion 224 of the elevating portion 223 is above the peripheral edge portion of the end portion on the Y2 side of the cover portion 240. There is a space in almost the entire area above the cover 240. For this reason, when the cleaning process for cleaning the wafer 1 by covering the opening 311 of the hook portion 31 with the cover portion 240 is performed, the first arm portion 120 and the first arm portion 120 of the first transfer mechanism 100 up to the space. The holding unit 130 moves and another work unit 7 can be pulled out from the cassette 9. As a result, throughput is improved and processing efficiency is improved.

  In addition, as a cassette in which the work unit 7 is accommodated, for example, a sampling inspection wafer for inspecting a cutting state in addition to the above-described slot for supporting a plurality of work units 7 in a stacked state. Also applied to the present embodiment are those provided with an inspection wafer accommodating portion for accommodating the work unit 7 provided with a UV irradiation portion for irradiating UV (ultraviolet rays) for easily peeling the adhesive tape. can do.

  In the cassette having the inspection wafer accommodating portion, the work unit obtained by cutting the inspection wafer is accommodated in the inspection wafer accommodating portion by the drawing portion 140 of the first transport mechanism 100. The work unit 7 accommodated in the inspection wafer accommodating portion is taken out from the accommodating portion, and the state of cutting of the wafer is inspected.

  Further, the cassette having the UV irradiation section is effectively used when the adhesive tape 6 is of a type whose adhesive strength is reduced when UV irradiation is performed. That is, when the work unit 7 that has been cut from the wafer 1 is returned to the cassette, the work unit 7 is first accommodated in the UV irradiation unit by the drawer 140 of the first transport mechanism 100 and the adhesive tape 6 is irradiated with UV. Thereafter, after the work unit 7 is pulled out from the UV irradiation unit, the work unit is accommodated in a regular accommodating part in the cassette.

1 ... Semiconductor wafer (work)
9 ... cassette 10 ... cutting device 20 ... chuck table (holding means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11A ... Loading / unloading area 11B ... Cassette mounting area 11C ... Cleaning area 11D ... Processing area 30 ... Cleaning means 31 ... Pot part 32 ... Cleaning table 33 ... Cleaning nozzle 41 ... 1st cutting means 42 ... 2nd cutting means 44 ... Cutting blade 100 ... First transport mechanism 110 ... First left-right movement mechanism 120 ... First arm part (first connecting part)
130 ... 1st holding | maintenance part 140 ... drawer | drawing-out part 200 ... 2nd conveyance mechanism 210 ... 2nd right-and-left movement mechanism 220 ... 2nd arm part (2nd connection part)
230 ... 2nd holding part 240 ... Cover part 311 ... Opening 431 ... Rotating shaft

Claims (1)

A loading / unloading area in which the workpiece is loaded into and unloaded from the holding means for holding the workpiece;
A cassette placement area that is located on one side of the carry-in / out area and on which a cassette that houses a plurality of workpieces is placed;
A cleaning region, which is located on the other side of the carry-in / out region, is provided with a cleaning table that holds a workpiece and a cleaning unit that has a hook portion that stores a cleaning nozzle that supplies cleaning water to the cleaning table;
When the direction in which the cassette placement area and the carry-in / out area are aligned is the left-right direction, and the direction orthogonal to the left-right direction is the front-rear direction, the cassette placement area and the carry-in / out area are located on the rear side in the front-rear direction with respect to the carry-in / out area. And a workpiece held by the holding means by two cutting means having a rotating shaft extending in the left-right direction and a cutting blade attached to the tip of the rotating shaft, the cutting blades being arranged to face each other. Machining area to cut,
A cutting device comprising:
A drawer part that pulls out the workpiece from the cassette to the carry-in / out area, a first holding part that holds the work drawn out to the carry-in / out area from above, and the drawer part and the first holding part are integrated. A first transport mechanism having a first left-right movement mechanism that moves in the left-right direction, and a first connection portion that connects the first holding portion to the first left-right movement mechanism so as to be movable in the vertical direction. When,
A second holding portion for holding the cut workpiece from above, a cover portion for covering the opening of the hook portion, and a second for integrally moving the second holding portion and the cover portion in the left-right direction. And a second transport mechanism having a second connecting portion that connects the cover portion to the second left and right moving mechanism so as to be movable in the vertical direction.
In the second connecting portion, the first holding portion of the first transport mechanism is positioned above the cover portion in a state where the cover portion is positioned at a position covering the opening of the hook portion. The cutting apparatus is disposed at a position offset from the center of the cover portion that does not come into contact with the first holding portion when the first holding portion is touched.

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