JP5936845B2 - Cutting equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus for cutting a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer.

  Conventionally, in semiconductor manufacturing processes and various electronic component manufacturing processes, an ultra-thin cutting blade called a dicing saw is rotated at a high speed, and cutting fluid is supplied by nozzles disposed around the semiconductor blade. There is a cutting apparatus called a dicing apparatus that individually divides a plurality of devices formed on a workpiece. In the cutting apparatus, the supply of the cutting fluid by the nozzle is important in order to perform cleaning to prevent the cutting waste generated by the cutting process from adhering to the surface of the workpiece, or to remove the heat generated by the cutting process. Further, in recent years, in cutting of a workpiece in which a plurality of devices that have been miniaturized and miniaturized are formed, it is necessary to adjust the cutting position for dividing with high accuracy. A microscope is attached, a cutting position is imaged with a microscope in an imaging region adjacent to a processing region by a cutting blade, and alignment adjustment is performed based on the captured image (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2002-011641 A JP 2007-088361 A

  By the way, during cutting using a large amount of cutting fluid, an atmosphere containing a large amount of cutting fluid is generated in the processing region, but it is difficult to completely prevent the atmosphere of the processing region from flowing into the adjacent imaging region. is there. Therefore, the microscope is confiscated in the microscope box for the purpose of dustproofing and dripproofing. The microscope box has an imaging aperture, and the imaging aperture is provided with shutter means. When imaging, the shutter means opens the imaging aperture, and the microscope images the workpiece through the imaging aperture, and when not imaging, the shutter means closes the imaging aperture by closing it, and the atmosphere from the processing area is The flow into the microscope box is suppressed. As the shutter means, for example, there is one that shields the imaging opening by a shielding plate that slides and moves on the upper surface of the bottom of the microscope box. Here, since the imaging aperture is opened during imaging, there is a risk that an atmosphere containing cutting fluid may enter the microscope box from the imaging aperture during imaging. When a liquid that contains a viscous substance as an additive is used as the cutting fluid, the cutting fluid that has entered the microscope box dries between the shielding plate and the top of the bottom of the microscope box, and the shielding plate adheres to the bottom plate. As a result, it becomes difficult to slide the shielding plate with respect to the bottom, and there is a risk of malfunction in the opening / closing operation of the imaging aperture, and the parts of the moving mechanism that moves the shielding plate of the shutter means are damaged or broken. There was a fear.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the above, Comprising: It aims at providing the cutting device which can suppress that a shielding board and the bottom part of a microscope box adhere by drying cutting fluid.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, a chuck table for holding a workpiece, a cutting blade for cutting the workpiece held on the chuck table, and a cutting fluid for the cutting blade In a cutting apparatus comprising processing means having a nozzle to be supplied and imaging means for imaging the surface of the workpiece held on the chuck table, the imaging means is the workpiece held on the chuck table. A microscope provided with an objective lens facing the surface of the object, a microscope box that covers the periphery of the microscope and has a bottom part in which an imaging aperture is formed, and the imaging aperture at the time of shielding and at the time of imaging Shutter means for selectively opening and closing the cylinder, and the shutter means is disposed on the bottom surface of the microscope box and on the bottom surface by the cylinder portion. An air cylinder mechanism including a moving piston, and a shielding plate that is connected to the piston and closes the imaging opening at the time of shielding. The shielding plate is a plane parallel to the bottom portion and is shielded at the time of shielding. A plate-like portion that covers the imaging aperture; a plurality of protrusions that project from the plate-like portion toward the bottom portion, and that support the shielding plate in point contact or line contact with the bottom portion; and the plate-like portion a skirt portion which substantially shields with slight clearance the distance between the plate portion and a bottom portion formed by the outer peripheral extending toward the bottom part from, and the protrusion portion of, Tona is, plural The protrusions of the support member support the shielding plate at a position apart from the piston and sandwiching the imaging opening at the time of shielding, and a position on the piston side on the axis of the piston. , Formed on the outer periphery of the plate-like part surrounding the imaging opening when shielded It is, surrounding the aperture for imaging during shield, prevents the atmosphere containing external cutting fluid within the microscope box enters, characterized in that.

  In the cutting device of the present invention, the shielding plate is supported with respect to the bottom by a plurality of projections that project from the plate-like portion toward the bottom and are in point contact or line contact with the bottom, so that the shielding plate contacts the bottom. Since the area is reduced, it is possible to suppress the shielding plate from adhering to the bottom even if the cutting fluid dries between the shielding plate and the bottom surface. Further, the cutting device of the present invention can shield the gap between the shielding plate formed by the plurality of protrusions and the bottom portion by the skirt portion formed on the outer periphery of the plate-like portion. It is possible to suppress the external atmosphere from entering the space.

Drawing 1 is a figure showing the example of composition of the cutting device concerning an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the imaging unit. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the shutter unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the shutter unit. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the shutter means. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the shutter unit. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the shutter unit.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments (embodiments) for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the contents described in the following embodiments. The constituent elements described below include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the structures described below can be combined as appropriate. Various omissions, substitutions, or changes in the configuration can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Embodiment
Drawing 1 is a figure showing the example of composition of the cutting device concerning an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the imaging unit. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the shutter unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the shutter unit. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the shutter means. FIG. 3 is a side view of the microscope and shutter means in the microscope box. 4 and 5 are views of the shutter unit in the microscope box as viewed from above, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the shielding state and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the imaging state.

  The cutting apparatus according to the present embodiment relatively moves a chuck table that holds a workpiece after performing alignment adjustment on the processing unit based on an image captured by the imaging unit, and a processing unit having a cutting blade. Thus, the workpiece is cut. As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting apparatus 1 includes a chuck table 10, a processing unit 20, and an imaging unit 30. The cutting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment further includes an X-axis moving unit (not shown), a Y-axis moving unit 40, a Z-axis moving unit 50, a cassette elevator 60, a temporary placing unit 70, and a cleaning / drying unit 80. And a control means 90.

  The chuck table 10 holds the workpiece W. The chuck table 10 has a disk shape in which a portion constituting the surface is made of porous ceramic or the like, is connected to a vacuum suction source (not shown) via a vacuum suction path (not shown), and is a workpiece W placed on the surface. Is held by sucking. The chuck table 10 is detachably fixed to the table moving base 2. In addition, a clamp portion 11 (not shown) is provided around the chuck table 10, and the clamp portion is driven by an air actuator to sandwich the frame F around the workpiece W.

  Here, the workpiece W is a workpiece to be processed by the cutting device 1. In this embodiment, the workpiece W is a semiconductor wafer having a base material of silicon, sapphire, gallium, or the like, or a plate-like member made of glass, resin, or the like. is there. The workpiece W has a device-side surface on which a plurality of devices are formed and a back surface opposite to the device-side surface is attached to the dicing tape T, and the dicing tape T attached to the workpiece W is attached to the frame F. Thus, the frame F is fixed.

  The processing means 20 is for cutting the workpiece W held on the chuck table 10. The processing means 20 includes a cutting blade 21, a spindle 22, a housing 23, and a nozzle 24. The cutting blade 21 is an extremely thin cutting grindstone having a substantially ring shape, and performs a cutting process on the workpiece W by rotating. The cutting blade 21 is detachably attached to the spindle 22. The spindle 22 is rotatably supported by a cylindrical housing 23 and is connected to a blade drive source (not shown) connected to the housing 23. The cutting blade 21 is rotationally driven by the rotational force generated by the blade drive source. The nozzles 24 supply cutting fluid to the cutting blade 21. In this embodiment, the nozzles 24 are arranged in pairs so as to sandwich the cutting blade 21 in the Y-axis direction. Cutting fluid from a cutting fluid supply source (not shown) is supplied to the nozzle 24, and a plurality of injection holes (not shown) are formed in the nozzle. The cutting fluid 21 and the cutting blade 21 are supplied from the plurality of injection holes. Is sprayed toward the cutting portion of the workpiece W to be cut.

  The imaging means 30 is for imaging the surface of the workpiece W held on the chuck table 10. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the imaging unit 30 includes a microscope 31, a microscope box 32, a shutter unit 33, and an air blow 34. The imaging unit 30 is attached to the support portion 3 on which the processing unit 20 is supported so that the imaging unit 30 has a predetermined positional relationship with the processing unit 20. The air blow 34 injects gas supplied from a gas supply device (not shown) onto the surface of the workpiece W through an imaging opening 32b described later when the imaging unit 30 images the surface of the workpiece W. By removing the cutting fluid adhering to the surface of the workpiece W, the factor that hinders the acquisition of a sharp image existing in the imaging range imaged by the imaging means 30 from the surface of the workpiece W is removed. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the microscope 31 has an objective lens 31 a that faces the surface of the workpiece W held on the chuck table 10. The microscope 31 generates image data of the surface of the workpiece W that is held by controlling the reflected light from the surface of the workpiece W through an objective lens 31a and entering an image sensor (not shown). The means 90 is used to perform alignment adjustment for adjusting the relative position between the processing means 20 and the workpiece W based on the generated image data.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the microscope box 32 covers the periphery of the microscope 31 and suppresses the outside atmosphere from entering the microscope box 32. As shown in FIG. 2, the microscope box 32 has a bottom portion 32 a in which an imaging opening 32 b for imaging the surface of the held workpiece W by the microscope 31 is formed in part. As shown in FIG. 4, the imaging opening 32b is formed in a circular shape at a position facing the microscope 31 in the Z-axis direction so as not to narrow the imaging range of the microscope 31 with respect to the surface of the workpiece W. .

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the shutter unit 33 selectively opens and closes the imaging opening 32 b during shielding and during imaging, and is accommodated in the microscope box 32. As shown in FIG. 3, the shutter unit 33 includes an air cylinder mechanism 35, a shielding plate 36, and a guide member 37. Here, the time of shielding means a state in which the imaging aperture 32b is shielded, that is, closed, by covering the imaging aperture 32b with the shielding plate 36, as shown in FIG. Further, when imaging, as shown in FIG. 5, the imaging aperture 32b is not covered by the shielding plate 36, and the imaging aperture 32b is opened so that the surface of the workpiece W can be imaged by the microscope 31. That is, it means an open state.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the air cylinder mechanism 35 moves the shielding plate 36 along the bottom portion 32a, that is, in the Y-axis direction in the present embodiment, and includes a cylinder portion 35a, a piston 35b, and a flange portion 35c. It is comprised including. The cylinder part 35a is disposed on the upper surface of the bottom part 32a in the microscope box 32, and is connected to a gas supply device (not shown) through a gas supply path (not shown). The cylinder part 35a moves the piston 35b along the bottom part 32a, that is, in the present embodiment in the Y-axis direction, with the gas supplied from the gas supply device. As shown in FIG. 4, the piston 35b is formed with a flange portion 35c at the tip, and for example, the connecting portion 36f of the shielding plate 36 is fixed to the flange portion 35c by fixing means F1 and F2 such as bolts and nuts. Thus, the shielding plates 36 are connected.

  The shielding plate 36 closes the imaging opening 32b at the time of shielding, and includes a plate-like portion 36a, a plurality of projections 36b, 36c, 36d, a skirt portion 36e, and a connection portion 36f. Yes.

  The plate-like portion 36a is a plane parallel to the bottom portion 32a and covers the imaging opening 32b when shielded. In the present embodiment, the plate-like portion 36a has a rectangular shape, and extends upward from a portion of the outer periphery facing the air cylinder mechanism 35 in the Y-axis direction to form a connection portion 36f.

  The plurality of protrusions 36b to 36d are formed to protrude from the plate-like portion 36a toward the bottom portion 32a, that is, downward from the bottom surface of the plate-like portion 36a. In the present embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 36b to 36d are formed in a shape capable of supporting the shielding plate 36 by making point contact with the bottom 32a by doweling or pressing. For example, the plurality of protrusions 36b to 36d are formed so that the cross-sectional shape in a plane including the Z axis is a semicircle or a semi-ellipse. The protrusions 36b and 36c support the shielding plate 36 at a position where the imaging opening 32b is sandwiched between the projections 36b and 36c. Further, the protrusion 36d supports the shielding plate 36 at a position on the axis of the piston 35b. That is, the plurality of protrusions 36b to 36d support the shielding plate 36 at three points. The plurality of protrusions 36b to 36d are not limited to the shape that makes point contact with the bottom portion 32a, but may have a shape that makes line contact with the bottom portion 32a, for example, a semi-cylindrical column, a semi-elliptical column, and one vertex in the Z-axis direction. One may be formed in the polygonal column etc. which oppose the bottom part 32a.

  The skirt portion 36e extends from the outer periphery of the plate-like portion 36a toward the bottom portion 32a. In this embodiment, the skirt portion 36e is bent from a portion (three sides) of the outer periphery (four sides) of the plate-like portion 36a excluding a portion (one side) where the connecting portion 36f is formed. It is integrally formed toward the bottom 32a. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the skirt portion 36e is formed so as to spread from the plate-like portion 36a toward the bottom portion 32a to the outside of the plate-like portion 36a. The skirt portion 36e is formed so as to substantially shield the interval d2 between the plate-like portion 36a formed by the plurality of protrusions 36b to 36d and the bottom portion 32a with a slight gap d1. In other words, the skirt portion 36e has an extension amount from the plate-like portion 36a toward the bottom portion 32a in the Z-axis direction, and the distance d2 between the plate-like portion 36a and the bottom portion 32a, that is, the protrusion amounts of the plurality of protrusion portions 36b to 36d. Is set smaller than. Here, the slight gap d1 refers to a slight gap (for example, several mm or less, preferably about 0.1 mm) such that the skirt portion 36e does not contact the bottom portion 32a.

  The guide member 37 guides the movement of the shielding plate 36 by the air cylinder mechanism 35, that is, the movement in the Y-axis direction in this embodiment. The guide member 37 is disposed at a position facing the shield plate 36 in the X-axis direction on the top surface of the bottom 32a in the microscope box 32 and in contact with the shield plate 36, and extends in the Y-axis direction. The guide member 37 has an L-shaped cross-section in a plane orthogonal to the Y axis, and is fixed to the bottom 32a by fixing means F3 and F4 such as bolts and nuts, for example. The number of guide members 37 is not limited to one, and two guide members 37 may be disposed with the shielding plate 36 interposed therebetween.

  The X axis moving means moves the workpiece W held on the chuck table 10 relative to the cutting blade 21 in the X axis direction. The X-axis moving means is provided in the apparatus body 4 and includes an X-axis ball screw, an X-axis pulse motor, and a pair of X-axis guide rails. The X-axis ball screw is disposed in the X-axis direction, is screwed with a nut (not shown) provided at the lower portion of the table moving base 2, and an X-axis pulse motor is connected to one end. The pair of X-axis guide rails are formed in parallel with the X-axis ball screw, and the table moving base 2 is slidably mounted thereon. The X-axis moving means rotates the X-axis ball screw by the rotational force generated by the X-axis pulse motor, thereby bringing the table moving base 2 (chuck table 10) into a pair of X-axis guides as shown in FIG. The apparatus body 4 is moved in the X-axis direction while being guided by a rail.

  Here, the table moving base 2 is supported in the apparatus main body 4 so as to be rotatable about the central axis of the table moving base 2. The table moving base 2 is connected to a base driving source (not shown) housed in the apparatus main body 4. The table moving base 2 can be rotated at an arbitrary angle, for example, 90 degrees or continuously by the rotational force generated by the base driving source, and the chuck table 10 is centered on the table moving base 2 with respect to the cutting blade 21. Rotation driving such as arbitrary angle rotation and continuous rotation can be performed around the axis.

  The Y-axis moving unit 40 moves the cutting blade 21 relative to the workpiece W held on the chuck table 10 in the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis moving means 40 is provided in the apparatus main body 4 and includes a Y-axis ball screw (not shown), a Y-axis pulse motor 41, and a pair of Y-axis guide rails (not shown). The Y-axis ball screw is arranged in the Y-axis direction, is screwed with a nut (not shown) provided inside the blade moving base 5, and a Y-axis pulse motor 41 is connected to one end. . The pair of Y-axis guide rails are formed in parallel with the Y-axis ball screw, and the blade moving base 5 is slidably mounted thereon. The Y-axis moving means 40 rotates the Y-axis ball screw by the rotational force generated by the Y-axis pulse motor 41, thereby guiding the blade moving base 5 with the pair of Y-axis guide rails with respect to the apparatus main body 4. Are moved in the Y-axis direction.

  The Z-axis moving unit 50 moves the cutting blade 21 relative to the workpiece W held on the chuck table 10 in the Z-axis direction. The Z-axis moving means 50 is provided on the blade moving base 5 and includes a Z-axis ball screw 51, a Z-axis pulse motor 52, and a pair of Z-axis guide rails 53a and 53b. . The Z-axis ball screw 51 is disposed in the Z-axis direction, is screwed with a nut (not shown) provided in the arm portion 6 to which the support portion 3 is connected, and has a Z-axis pulse motor at one end. 52 are connected. The pair of Z-axis guide rails 53a and 53b is formed in parallel with the Z-axis ball screw 51, and the arm portion 6 is slidably mounted thereon. The Z-axis moving means 50 rotates the Z-axis ball screw 51 by the rotational force generated by the Z-axis pulse motor 52, so that the support part 3 is moved by the pair of Z-axis guide rails 53a and 53b via the arm part 6. It is moved in the Z-axis direction with respect to the apparatus body 4 while being guided.

  The cassette elevator 60 has a plurality of storage portions in the Z-axis direction that store the workpieces W one by one, and stores a plurality of workpieces W at a time. The cassette elevator 60 is configured such that a space formed inside the apparatus main body 4 can be raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction. The temporary placing means 70 has a pair of rails 71 and temporarily places the workpiece W before and after machining on the pair of rails 71. The cleaning / drying unit 80 includes a spinner table 81 on which the processed workpiece W is placed and held. The spinner table 81 is connected to a spinner table driving source housed in the apparatus body 4. When the workpiece W is held on the spinner table 81, the cleaning / drying unit 80 rotates the workpiece W by the rotational force generated by the spinner table driving source, and the workpiece W is fed from a cleaning liquid ejecting apparatus (not shown). The cleaning is performed by spraying a cleaning liquid, and the workpiece W after cleaning is dried by spraying a gas from a gas spray device (not shown).

  The control means 90 controls each of the above-described components constituting the cutting device 1. The control means 90 causes the cutting device 1 to perform a machining operation on the workpiece W. Further, when the imaging unit 30 images the surface of the workpiece W, the control unit 90 drives the air cylinder mechanism 35 to shift the imaging opening 32b from the closed state to the opened state. is there. The control means 90 is mainly composed of an arithmetic processing unit constituted by, for example, a CPU or the like and a microprocessor (not shown) provided with a ROM, a RAM, etc. It is connected to operating means used when registering content information and the like.

  Next, the machining operation of the cutting device 1 according to this embodiment will be described. First, when the operator registers the machining content information and receives an instruction to start the machining operation, the machining operation is started. In the processing operation, the workpiece W is unloaded from the cassette elevator 60 to the temporary placing means 70 by the unloading / unloading means 100, placed on the pair of rails 71 of the temporary placing means 70, and then chucked by the unillustrated conveying means. It is conveyed to the table 10 and held on the chuck table 10.

  Next, alignment adjustment is performed. In alignment adjustment, first, the control unit 90 moves the chuck table 10 holding the workpiece W in the X-axis direction to the imaging position. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 90 moves the shielding plate 36 from the state where the imaging opening 32 b is closed by the shielding plate 36 to the air cylinder mechanism 35 in the Y-axis direction by the air cylinder mechanism 35. The shielding plate 36 is moved in an approaching direction (A direction in the figure) to bring the imaging opening 32b into an open state as shown in FIG. At this time, even if the shielding plate 36 moves in the X-axis direction when moving in the approaching direction, the movement in the X-axis direction is restricted by the guide member 37, so the shielding plate 36 moves smoothly in the approaching direction. be able to. Next, the control unit 90 images the surface of the workpiece W held by the imaging unit 30 and adjusts the relative position of the held workpiece W with respect to the processing unit 20 based on the captured image.

  Next, the control means 90 moves the chuck table 10 holding the workpiece W at the imaging position to the machining position in the X-axis direction. Here, before the chuck table 10 is moved to the processing position and the processing is executed, the control means 90 starts the air cylinder mechanism from the state where the imaging opening 32b is opened as shown in FIG. 35, the shielding plate 36 is moved in the Y-axis direction in the separating direction (B direction in the figure) for separating the shielding plate 36 from the air cylinder mechanism 35, and the imaging opening 32b is closed as shown in FIG. State. At this time, even if the shielding plate 36 moves in the X-axis direction when moving in the separation direction, the movement in the X-axis direction is restricted by the guide member 37, so the shielding plate 36 moves smoothly in the separation direction. be able to. Next, the control means 90 cuts the workpiece W along the planned division line based on the machining content information, and divides the outer periphery of the workpiece W to divide each of a plurality of devices to be described later. Cutting in the circumferential direction is performed to remove a part of the outer periphery of the workpiece W (hereinafter, simply referred to as “removal processing”). The processed workpiece W is transported from the chuck table 10 to the cleaning / drying means 80 by a transport means (not shown), washed and dried by the cleaning / drying means 80, and then temporarily placed by a transport means (not shown). 70, and is carried into the cassette elevator 60 from the temporary placing means 70 by the carry-in / out means 100.

  As described above, in the cutting device 1 according to the present embodiment, the plurality of projecting portions 36b to 36d project from the plate-like portion 36a toward the bottom portion 32a and make point contact with the bottom portion 32a, whereby the shielding plate 36 is disposed. It supports with respect to the bottom part 32a. Therefore, the contact area of the shielding plate 36 with respect to the bottom portion 32a is reduced as compared with the case where the shielding plate 36 is in direct contact with the bottom portion 32a, that is, in surface contact. Therefore, even if the cutting fluid in the atmosphere is dried between the shielding plate 36 and the upper surface of the bottom portion 32a, it is possible to suppress the shielding plate 36 from adhering to the bottom portion 32a. Thereby, it is suppressed that the shielding plate 36 is difficult to slide with respect to the bottom portion 32 a, the malfunction of the opening / closing operation of the imaging opening 32 a, and parts such as the air cylinder mechanism 35 that moves the shielding plate 36 of the shutter unit 33. Can be prevented from being damaged or broken. Further, in the point contact, since the wear of the microscope box 32 or the shielding plate 36 can be suppressed with respect to the surface contact, dust generation due to wear can be suppressed, and the inside of the microscope box 32 can be kept clean. it can.

  Further, the cutting device 1 according to the present embodiment uses the skirt portion 36e formed on the outer periphery of the plate-like portion 36a to provide a gap between the shielding plate 36 and the bottom portion 32a formed by the plurality of projection portions 36b to 36d. It can shield compared with the case where 36e is not formed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the outside atmosphere, particularly the atmosphere containing the cutting fluid, from entering the microscope box 32 at the time of shielding.

[Modification of Embodiment]
In the above embodiment, the skirt portion 36e is formed extending from the outer periphery of a part of the plate-like portion 36a toward the bottom portion 32a, but the present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the shutter unit. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the shutter unit. FIG. 6 is a side view of the microscope and shutter means in the microscope box. FIG. 7 is a top view of the shutter means in the microscope box when shielded.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the shutter unit 33 includes an air cylinder mechanism 35, a shielding plate 38, a guide member 37, and a connection member 39. The shielding plate 38 includes a plate-like portion 38a, a plurality of projecting portions 38b, 38c, 38d, and a skirt portion 38e. Note that the plate-like portion 38a and the plurality of protrusions 38b to 38d are the same as the plate-like portion 36a and the plurality of protrusions 36b to 36d of the embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The skirt portion 38e extends from the entire outer periphery of the plate-like portion 38a toward the bottom portion 32a. In this embodiment, the skirt portion 38e is integrally formed from the entire outer periphery of the plate-like portion 38a toward the bottom portion 32a by bending or the like. As shown in FIG. 7, the skirt part 38e is formed so as to spread from the plate-like part 38a toward the bottom part 32a outside the plate-like part 38a. The skirt portion 38e is formed so as to substantially shield the interval d4 between the plate-like portion 38a formed by the plurality of protrusions 38b to 38d and the bottom portion 32a with a slight gap d3.

  The connection member 39 connects the piston 35b and the shielding plate 38, is formed in an L shape, and includes a first connection piece 39a and a second connection piece 39b. The first connection piece 39a is fixed to the flange portion 35c by fixing means F1, F2 such as bolts and nuts, for example. The second connection piece 39b is fixed to a portion of the outer periphery of the plate-like portion 38a facing the air cylinder mechanism 35 in the Y-axis direction by fixing means F5 and F6 such as bolts and nuts, for example. Therefore, since it is not necessary to form a portion connected to the piston 35b on the outer periphery of the plate-like portion 38a, the skirt portion 38e can be formed from the entire outer periphery (four sides) of the plate-like portion 38a toward the bottom portion 32a. . Accordingly, the gap between the shielding plate 38 and the bottom 32a formed by the plurality of protrusions 38b to 38d can be further shielded, so that an external atmosphere, particularly an atmosphere containing cutting fluid, is present in the microscope box 32 at the time of shielding. Intrusion can be further suppressed.

  In the embodiment and the modification, the air cylinder mechanism 35 is used as a mechanism for moving the shielding plates 36 and 38. However, any actuator or the like can be used as long as the actuator can open and close the imaging opening 32b. Also good. In addition, the imaging openings 32b are opened and closed by moving the shielding plates 36 and 38 in the Y-axis direction. However, the shielding plates 36 and 38 may be moved in the X-axis direction and rotated around the rotation axis. You may let them. In this case, the plurality of protrusions 36b to 36d and 38b to 38d are preferably formed in the plate-like portion 38a so as not to pass through the imaging opening 32b when viewed in the Z-axis direction due to the movement of the shielding plate 38. .

  Further, the shielding plates 36 and 38 are not limited to a rectangular shape, and may be a disk or an ellipse. The skirt portions 36e and 38e are formed so as to spread outward from the plate-like portions 36a and 38a from the plate-like portions 36a and 38a toward the bottom portion 32a, but may be formed parallel to the Z-axis direction. Alternatively, it may be formed so as to narrow from the plate-like portions 36a, 38a toward the bottom portion 32a inside the plate-like portions 36a, 38a.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cutting device 10 Chuck table 20 Processing means 30 Imaging means 31 Microscope 31a Objective lens 32 Microscope box 32a Bottom part 32b Imaging opening 33 Shutter means 35 Air cylinder mechanism 35a Cylinder part 35b Piston 36, 38 Shielding plate 36a, 38a Plate-like part 36b -36d, 38b-38d Protrusion part 36e, 38e Skirt part 37 Guide member 40 Y-axis moving means 50 Z-axis moving means 60 Cassette elevator 70 Temporary placing means 80 Cleaning / drying means 90 Control means 100 Loading / unloading means

Claims (1)

A chuck table for holding a workpiece, a cutting blade for cutting the workpiece held on the chuck table, a processing means having a nozzle for supplying a cutting fluid to the cutting blade, and a chuck table In a cutting apparatus comprising an imaging means for imaging the surface of the workpiece that has been made,
The imaging means has a microscope having an objective lens facing the surface of the workpiece held by the chuck table, and a bottom portion that covers the periphery of the microscope and is partially formed with an imaging aperture. A microscope box, and shutter means for selectively opening and closing the imaging opening at the time of shielding and at the time of imaging,
The shutter means includes an air cylinder mechanism including a cylinder portion disposed on an upper surface of a bottom portion in the microscope box and a piston that moves along the bottom portion by the cylinder portion, and is connected to the piston when the shielding is performed. A shielding plate for closing the imaging aperture;
The shielding plate has a plane parallel to the bottom and covers the imaging aperture when shielded, protrudes from the plate to the bottom, and makes point contact or line contact with the bottom. A plurality of protrusions that support the shielding plate and a slight gap extending from the outer periphery of the plate-like part toward the bottom and formed by the protrusions between the plate-like part and the bottom part and a skirt portion that is substantially shielded with, Ri Tona,
The plurality of protrusions support the shielding plate at a position apart from the piston and sandwiching the imaging opening at the time of shielding, and a position on the piston side on an axis of the piston,
The skirt portion is formed on the outer periphery of the plate-like portion that surrounds the imaging opening when shielded, and surrounds the imaging opening when shielded, and an atmosphere containing an external cutting fluid enters the microscope box. Suppress that,
The cutting device characterized by the above.

Images