JP5945424B2 - Plate-shaped member cutting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a disconnecting device of the plate-like member.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a configuration is known in which chips are formed by cutting a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a “wafer”) into a lattice and dividing it into pieces (for example, see Patent Document 1).
In the configuration of Patent Document 1, a wafer held by suction on a support surface of a cutting table whose one surface is parallel to a horizontal plane (a surface orthogonal to the direction of gravity) is latticed with a blade provided perpendicular to the support surface of the cutting table. The chip is formed by cutting into a shape.

JP 2001-230221 A

However, in the configuration as in Patent Document 1, the wafer held so that the surface to be cut is parallel to the horizontal plane is cut. Therefore, the larger the diameter of the wafer, the larger the wafer as viewed from above in the direction of gravity. The exclusive area such as the support surface, the wafer transfer path, and the wafer stock area becomes large, and the area for installing the cutting device becomes large. In particular, the diameter of recent wafers has been increased, and in some cases, it becomes impossible to install a cutting device in a predetermined space.
Furthermore, if chips such as chips generated during cutting or impurities such as dust in the atmosphere adhere to the wafer, it is necessary to take a step of inspecting or disposing of the chips formed around the attached portion. There is a problem that the yield is reduced.
Further, when the triangular chip (end material on the outer periphery of the wafer) generated at the time of cutting is scattered and dropped on the wafer, there is a problem that the circuit on the chip is broken by the impact when the triangular chip is dropped.

An object of the present invention is to suppress an increase in installation area with increasing size of the plate-like member as much as possible, and to provide a cutting equipment of the plate-like member the occurrence of defective products can also be suppressed as much as possible is there.

In order to achieve the above object, a plate-like member cutting apparatus according to the present invention comprises a support means having a support surface for supporting a plate-like member from one surface side, and the plate-like member from the other surface side. Cutting means for cutting at a time, moving means for cutting the plate-like member into a predetermined shape by relatively moving the support means and the cutting member, and when the support of the support means is released, and a catch means for receiving an angle against the horizontal plane of the support surface is 45 ° to 135 °, the moving means is moved relative to said support means and said cutting member in a direction parallel to the supporting surface The receiving means includes a fall prevention guide provided on the lower side of the support means and a fall prevention plate provided at a position facing the support surface .

In this case, in the plate-shaped member cutting device according to the present invention, the receiving means includes a pair of the fall prevention plates, allows the movement of the cutting member between the pair of fall prevention plates, and It is preferable that a gap having a width that does not allow the plate-like member to pass therethrough is provided .

According to the invention as described above, the plate-like member is supported so that the other surface, which is the cut surface, intersects the horizontal plane. Therefore, even if the size of the plate-like member increases, the plate-like member is viewed from above in the gravity direction. The increase in the area of the support surface of the plate-like member can be suppressed, and the increase in the installation area of the cutting device can be suppressed as much as possible.
In addition, it reduces the possibility that chips and air impurities generated during cutting will adhere to the plate-like member, and even if it adheres, it will easily fall off the plate-like member due to gravity. Can be suppressed, the number of chips to be inspected or discarded can be suppressed, and a decrease in yield can be suppressed.
In addition, when the plate-like member is a wafer, the possibility that the triangular chip falls on the wafer is reduced, and even if it falls on the wafer, the wafer is supported so as to intersect the horizontal plane. The impact can be mitigated, and the possibility that the circuit is broken due to the impact when the triangular tip is dropped can be reduced.

  Furthermore, if a receiving means for receiving the plate-like member when the support of the support means is released is provided, even if the support force of the plate-like member is interrupted for some reason, the plate-like member falls and breaks. Can be prevented.

The perspective view of the cutting device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a part of a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In each of the drawings, the shape and arrangement of each component are exaggerated for easy understanding of the contents of the present invention.
For example, when directions such as up, down, left, right, near side, and back are shown without referring to a reference figure in this embodiment, all are based on FIG. In addition, the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis in this specification are in a relationship of being orthogonal to each other, the X axis and the Y axis are axes in a horizontal plane, and the Z axis is an axis that is orthogonal to the horizontal plane. Further, in the case of indicating a direction in each axis, “+” is an arrow direction of each axis, and “−” is a direction opposite to the arrow.
1 and 2, a cutting apparatus 1 cuts a wafer WF as a plate-like member to form a plurality of chips WA, and the wafer WF is a back surface that is one surface (visible in FIG. 1). The adhesive sheet AS is affixed to the WFB and is supported by the ring frame RF via the adhesive sheet AS to form an integrated object W1. The cutting apparatus 1 includes a supporting unit 2 that supports the integrated object W1, a cutting unit 3 that cuts the wafer WF from the surface that is the other surface of the wafer WF (the surface that is visible in FIG. 1) WFA, A moving means 4 for relatively moving the support means 2 and the cutting means 3, a receiving means 5 for receiving the integrated object W1 when the support of the support means 2 is released, and a suction hold (not shown) such as a decompression pump or a vacuum ejector And an articulated robot 6 as a driving device capable of attracting and holding the integral object W1 by means of an arm 61 connected to the means, and being provided in a casing CA that can accommodate the wafer cassette 10 as a whole, The overall operation is controlled by control means (not shown) such as a personal computer or a sequencer.

The support means 2 is related to a support table 21 having a support surface 22 for supporting the integrated object W1 from the back surface WFB side of the wafer WF from the adhesive sheet AS side, and notches RF1 provided at two locations on the ring frame RF. By combining, a pair of positioning means 23 for positioning the position of the wafer WF with respect to the support surface 22 at a predetermined position is provided.
The support surface 22 is a surface parallel to a plane including the X axis and the Z axis, and is disposed in an inclined state (inclination angle 90 °) with respect to a horizontal plane, and is provided by suction holding means (not shown) such as a vacuum pump or a vacuum ejector. The unitary object W1 is sucked and held. The positioning means 23 is arranged along one side edge of the support surface 22 and is formed by pins or the like protruding from the support surface 22.

  The cutting means 3 includes a rotary blade 33 as a disk-shaped cutting member provided on an output shaft 32 of a rotation motor 31 as a drive device, and the moving means 4 is arranged so that the output shaft 32 extends in the Z-axis direction. It is supported.

The moving unit 4 includes an X-axis moving unit 41 that relatively moves the support unit 2 and the cutting unit 3 in the X-axis direction, a Y-axis moving unit 42 that relatively moves them in the Y-axis direction, and those in the Z-axis direction. A Z-axis moving unit 43 that relatively moves, and a rotating unit 44 that relatively rotates them about an axis in the Y-axis direction are provided.
The X-axis moving means 41 includes an X-axis linear motion motor 411 as a pair of driving devices that are supported by a frame (not shown) and extend in the X-axis direction.
The Y-axis moving unit 42 is supported by the Z-axis moving unit 43 and supported by a Y-axis linear motor 421 as a driving device extending in the Y-axis direction and a slider 422 of the Y-axis linear motor 421, and the rotation motor 31. And a motor support portion 423 for supporting the motor.
The Z-axis moving unit 43 includes a Z-axis linear motor 431 as a driving device that is supported by a frame (not shown) and extends in the Z-axis direction. The Y-axis linear motor 421 is attached to the slider 432 of the Z-axis linear motor 431. It is supported.
The rotation means 44 includes a plate 413 supported by each slider 412 of the X axis linear motion motor 411 and a rotation motor 441 as a driving device supported in a recess 414 provided in the plate 413. The support table 21 is supported on the output shaft 442 of the dynamic motor 441.

The receiving means 5 includes a fall prevention guide 52 provided on the lower side of the support means 2 and a fall prevention plate 53 provided on the right side of the support means 2.
The fall prevention guide 52 extends in the X-axis direction and is formed in a substantially U shape in a sectional view with an upper opening, and an elastic member 54 such as rubber, resin, or sponge as a first buffer means is provided at the bottom of the opening. It has been.
The fall prevention plate 53 extends in the X-axis direction, and is provided with an elastic member 55 such as rubber, resin, or sponge as a second buffer means on the left side surface, and a clearance 551 that allows the rotary blade 33 to move in the Z-axis direction. Is provided. The width in the X-axis direction of the gap 551 is set smaller than the width in the X-axis direction of the integrated object W1 supported by the support means 2 so that the integrated object W1 does not pass through.

  The articulated robot 6 can be exemplified by a known 6-axis robot or the like, and the arm 61 can be moved in an arbitrary direction in a space of three orthogonal axes (X, Y, Z axes). The arm 61 is configured to be rotatable about an arbitrary direction as a central axis.

A procedure for cutting the wafer WF in the cutting apparatus 1 as described above will be described.
First, when the wafer cassette 10 is placed in the casing CA by a conveying means (not shown), the articulated robot 6 sucks and holds the integrated object W1 by the arm 61 and takes it out of the wafer cassette 10. Then, the articulated robot 6 engages the notch RF1 of the ring frame RF and the positioning means 23 with respect to the support means 2 at the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, and supports the integrated object W1 from the adhesive sheet AS side. When the surface 22 is brought into surface contact, the supporting means 2 starts sucking and holding the integrated object W1 by suction holding means (not shown). Thereafter, the articulated robot 6 releases the suction holding of the integrated object W1 and separates the arm 61 from the integrated object W1.

  Next, the moving means 4 drives the Z-axis linear motor 431 to move the cutting means 3 in the + Z direction until the rotary blade 33 reaches the height of the initial cutting position (the cutting position at the uppermost position in the Z-axis direction). Next, the moving means 4 drives the X-axis linear motor 411 to move the support means 2 in the + X direction, and when the tip of the wafer WF in the + X direction reaches the cutting position of the rotary blade 33, the moving means 4 moves to the Y-axis. The linear motion motor 421 is driven, and the cutting means 3 is moved in the −Y direction until the rotary blade 33 reaches a position where the wafer WF can be cut. Thereafter, the cutting means 3 drives the rotating motor 31 to rotate the rotating blade 33, and the moving means 4 continues to drive the X-axis linear motor 411 to move the support means 2 in the + X direction. Cuts in the X-axis direction are formed in the wafer WF.

When the first cutting is completed, the moving unit 4 stops driving the X-axis linear motor 411, then drives the Y-axis linear motor 421, and the cutting unit until the rotary blade 33 reaches a preset position. 3 is moved in the + Y direction. Next, the moving unit 4 drives the Z-axis linear motor 431 to move the cutting unit 3 in the −Z direction until the rotary blade 33 reaches the height of the next cutting position. Next, as described above, the moving unit 4 drives the Y-axis linear motor 421 and moves the cutting unit 3 in the −Y direction until the rotary blade 33 reaches a position where the wafer WF can be cut. The linear motion motor 411 is driven and the support means 2 is moved in the −X direction, thereby forming a cut in the X-axis direction in the wafer WF.
Then, after the operation described above is repeated and the rotary blade 33 finishes the last cutting (cutting at the bottom in the Z direction), the moving means 4 stops driving the X-axis linear motor 411 and then the Y-axis linear motor. 421 is driven, and the cutting means 3 is moved in the + Y direction until the rotary blade 33 reaches a preset position. Next, after the moving means 4 drives the rotation motor 441 and rotates the support table 21 until the wafer WF rotates 90 °, the wafer WF is cut into a lattice by performing the same operation as described above. A plurality of chips WA are formed.

When the formation of the chip WA is completed, the moving unit 4 drives the X-axis linear motion motor 411, moves the support unit 2 to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, and stops driving the X-axis linear motion motor 411. To do. Thereafter, the articulated robot 6 is driven, the arm 61 holds the integrated object W1 by suction, the support means 2 releases the suction holding by the suction holding means, and the integrated object W1 is stored in the wafer cassette 10. Then, the same operation as described above is repeated.
Here, when the integrated object W1 is supported by the support table 21, if the suction holding by the suction holding means is released for some reason, the integrated object W1 falls and the wafer WF or the chip WA is damaged. End up. In the case of the present embodiment, even if the suction holding by the suction holding means is canceled, the integrated object W1 is made of the fall prevention guide 52 and the fall prevention plate 53 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Since it is supported, there is no inconvenience that the wafer WF or the chip WA is damaged. Furthermore, since the elastic member 54 of the fall prevention guide 52 and the elastic member 55 of the fall prevention plate 53 absorb the impact when the integrated object W1 is supported, damage to the wafer WF or the chip WA is suppressed, and the yield of the chip WA formation is reduced. Can be suppressed.

  According to the embodiment described above, since the wafer WF is supported by the support means 2 so that the surface WFA is orthogonal to the horizontal plane, even when the size of the wafer WF is increased, the wafer WF is viewed from above in the direction of gravity. An increase in the area of the wafer WF can be suppressed, and an increase in the installation area of the cutting apparatus 1 can also be suppressed. Further, it is possible to reduce the possibility that chips generated at the time of cutting and impurities in the atmosphere adhere to the wafer WF, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in the yield of the chips WA. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the triangular chip falls on the wafer WF and the possibility that the circuit is broken due to an impact when the triangular chip falls.

  As described above, the best configuration, method and the like for carrying out the present invention have been disclosed in the above description, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the invention has been illustrated and described with particular reference to certain specific embodiments, but without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, Various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art in terms of material, quantity, and other detailed configurations. In addition, the description of the shape, material, and the like disclosed above is exemplary for ease of understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The description by the name of the member which remove | excluded the limitation of one part or all of such restrictions is included in this invention.

For example, the support surface 22 may not be parallel to the horizontal plane, and may be inclined without being limited to the orthogonal configuration. At this time, the inclination angle of the support surface 22 with respect to the horizontal plane is preferably 45 ° to 135 ° from the viewpoint of adhesion of impurities such as chips and collision of the triangular tip.
Further, the receiving means 5 may not be provided, and at least one of the elastic member 54 and the elastic member 55 may not be provided. By providing the clearance 551 in the fall prevention plate 53, it is possible to reduce the risk of triangular chips and impurities colliding with or adhering to the wafer WF. In order to give such an effect to the fall prevention plate 53, the width of the fall prevention plate 53 in the Z-axis direction is preferably made wider than the width of the wafer WF in the Z-axis direction.
Further, the relative movement of the support means 2 and the cutting means 3 in the X, Y, and Z directions may be all of the X, Y, and Z directions of the support means 2 in addition to the embodiment shown in the above embodiment. The movement in the direction is regulated, and the cutting means 3 is moved in all the X, Y, Z directions, or any direction, or all the X, Y, Z directions of the cutting means 3 or any one of them. The movement in the direction is regulated, and the support means 2 is moved in all the X, Y, Z directions or in any direction, or the support means 2 and the cutting means 3 are moved in all the X, Y, Z directions. It is good also as a structure moved to.

Moreover, as a plate-shaped member in this invention, not only a glass plate, a steel plate, a resin plate, a board | substrate etc. but another member, the members, articles | goods, etc. of arbitrary forms can also be objected.
Further, the plate-like member does not have to be supported by the ring frame RF via the adhesive sheet AS, and may be configured such that the wafer WF is directly supported by the support means 2 and cut.
Examples of the semiconductor wafer include a silicon semiconductor wafer and a compound semiconductor wafer.
Furthermore, the articulated robot 6 is limited as long as it can take out the integrated object W1 from the wafer cassette 10 and place it on the support means 2, or can support the integrated object W1 from the support means 2 and store it in the wafer cassette 10. For example, a single-axis robot, a robot other than six axes such as two or three axes, a SCARA robot, or the like can be employed.

  In addition, the drive device in the embodiment includes electric devices such as a rotation motor, a linear motion motor, a linear motor, a shaft linear motion motor, an articulated robot, an actuator such as an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a rodless cylinder, and a rotary cylinder. In addition, it is possible to adopt a combination of them directly or indirectly (some of them overlap with those exemplified in the embodiment).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cutting device 2 ... Supporting means 3 ... Cutting means 4 ... Moving means 5 ... Receiving means 22 ... Support surface 33 ... Rotating blade (cutting member)
WF ... Wafer (plate member)

Claims (2)

A support means having a support surface for supporting the plate-like member from one surface side;
Cutting means for cutting the plate-like member from the other surface side with a cutting member;
Moving means for relatively moving the support means and the cutting member to cut the plate-like member into a predetermined shape ;
Receiving means for receiving the plate-like member when the support means is released ,
Angle against the horizontal plane of the support surface is 45 ° to 135 °,
The moving means relatively moves the support means and the cutting member in a direction parallel to the support surface ;
Cutting the plate-like member, wherein the receiving means includes a fall prevention guide provided below the support means and a fall prevention plate provided at a position facing the support surface. apparatus. The receiving means includes a pair of fall prevention plates,
2. The plate-like member according to claim 1, wherein a gap having a width that allows movement of the cutting member and does not pass through the plate-like member is provided between the pair of fall prevention plates. Cutting device.

Images