JP6229883B2 - Dicing apparatus and cutting method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dicing apparatus and a cutting method therefor, and in particular, a dicing apparatus that cuts a workpiece (workpiece) such as a semiconductor wafer, a CSP (Chip Size Package) substrate, a QFN (Quad Flat Nolead package) substrate, etc. with a blade that rotates at high speed. And a cutting method thereof.

  A dicing apparatus for cutting and grooving a workpiece such as a wafer on which a semiconductor device or an electronic component is formed is a blade (rotating teeth) that rotates at high speed by a spindle, a work table that holds the workpiece, and a work table And X, Y, Z, and θ moving axes (spindle moving mechanisms) that change the relative positions of the blade and the blade.

  As a processing procedure for each street (scheduled cutting line) when the work is divided into individual chips by the dicing machine, the blade is positioned with respect to the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the spindle serving as the rotational axis of the blade, and the height The blade is cut and fed in the direction (Z-axis direction), and the blade is cut and fed in the X-axis direction orthogonal to the Y-axis and the Z-axis from the street cutting start end to the cutting end end. Then, by repeating this procedure, the entire chip is cut out (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Conventionally, a cutting method called bevel cut or step cut that divides a workpiece into chips divided into two processes, groove formation and cutting, in order to prevent chipping (breaking or chipping) from occurring on the chip divided by dicing. Is known (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).

  In bevel cutting, first, in a groove forming step, a cutting line of a workpiece is chamfered and cut by a blade for forming a V groove with a thick blade to form a V-shaped groove (V groove). Thereafter, in the cutting process, the blade is cut to the back surface of the workpiece along the position of the groove with a cutting blade having a thin blade thickness and completely cut. In step cutting, a groove (flat groove) is formed by a blade for forming a flat groove having a thick blade thickness instead of forming a V groove in the groove forming step.

  Conventionally, when cutting a workpiece having a hard-to-cut portion such as a Low-K film (low dielectric constant insulating film) on the surface, after removing the hard-cut portion along the street by laser grooving, A cutting method is known in which the position of a groove (laser groove) in a portion from which a difficult-to-cut portion is removed is cut to the back surface of a workpiece with a cutting blade (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

JP 2003-124148 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-274109 JP 2009-124036 A JP-A-2005-21940

  By the way, in the conventional dicing apparatus, one cutting scheduled line to be cut by cutting feed of the blade in the X-axis direction with respect to the workpiece is a straight line, and the position of the blade in the Y-axis direction is cut after the first positioning. It is not moved until it reaches the end of cutting of the planned line.

  However, there is a minute error in the straightness regarding the cutting feed in the X-axis direction of the blade, and the actually cut line is not an accurate straight line but is slightly curved.

  On the other hand, in a cutting method in which a workpiece is cut in two processes, such as bevel cutting and step cutting, when using a twin spindle type dicing machine equipped with two spindles on which blades are mounted, the blade thickness is applied to one spindle. By mounting a thick blade for forming a groove and mounting a cutting blade with a thin blade thickness on the other spindle, both the groove forming and cutting steps are performed by a single dicing apparatus. In addition, when using a single spindle type dicing machine with only one spindle, if the blade to be mounted on the spindle is replaced with a groove forming blade and a cutting blade to cut one workpiece, production Remarkably deteriorates. For this reason, it is common to use two dicing devices, a single type dicing device having a groove forming blade mounted on the spindle and a single type dicing device having a cutting blade mounted on the spindle.

  Therefore, groove formation and cutting in bevel cut and step cut are usually performed using blades mounted on different spindles.

  Therefore, the straightness regarding the cutting feed in the X-axis direction of the blade used for each of the cutting of the groove formation and the cutting is different, and the shape of the actually cut machining line does not completely match. For this reason, there has been a limit to cutting the position of the center line of the groove formed by the groove forming process with high accuracy by the cutting process. Even when the groove formed by laser grooving is cut with a blade, there is a limit to cutting the position of the center line of the groove formed by laser grooving with high accuracy for the same reason.

  In particular, it is desired to reduce the street width (chip interval) for the purpose of reducing the manufacturing cost of the chip, and for that reason, if the width of the groove formed by the groove forming process has to be reduced, It is desirable to be able to cut the position of the center line of the groove with higher accuracy so that the processing line actually cut by the cutting process does not deviate from the range of the groove.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a specific position (such as the position of the center line of the groove) in the groove region formed on the workpiece in bevel cutting or laser grooving is cut with high accuracy. An object of the present invention is to provide a dicing apparatus and a cutting method thereof.

  In order to achieve the above object, a dicing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a work table that holds a plate-like work having grooves formed along a street on the surface, and a rotating table about a rotation axis. A blade for cutting the workpiece by contact with the workpiece, a first driving means for relatively moving the blade in a first direction parallel to the table surface of the work table, and a table surface of the work table A second driving means for relatively moving the blade in a second direction parallel to the first direction and different from the first direction, and detecting a region of the groove formed in the workpiece A groove area detecting means, a cutting line indexing means for determining a cutting line that passes through the groove area detected by the groove area detecting means, and the blade During the cutting of the workpiece that is in contact with a workpiece, the blade is moved in the first direction and the second direction by the first driving means and the second driving means, thereby causing the planned cutting line. Cutting control means for cutting the position along the planned cutting line indexed by the indexing means with the blade.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, when a groove formed along a work street (cutting allowance) is curved instead of a straight line, a planned cutting line passing through the groove region is set. Can do. And even if the shape of the planned cutting line is curved according to the shape of the groove, the blade is moved relative to the workpiece along the position of the planned cutting line, so that the position of the planned cutting line is accurate. It can cut well.

  In the dicing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the dicing apparatus includes a turning drive unit that relatively turns the rotation shaft of the blade around a turning axis that is orthogonal to the table surface of the work table, and the cutting control unit includes: During the cutting of the scheduled cutting line, the rotation axis of the blade is rotated by the rotation driving means so that the direction of the rotating axis of the blade is orthogonal to the direction of the scheduled cutting line at the processing point. be able to.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to cut the blade in accordance with the direction of the scheduled cutting line, and it is possible to prevent the blade from being subjected to a load in the rotation axis direction.

  The dicing apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a spindle shaft to which the blade is attached, a spindle shaft extending in a direction parallel to the rotation axis, and the blade rotating around the rotation axis. The second drive unit may be a unit that moves the spindle shaft forward and backward in a direction along the rotation axis.

  In the dicing apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention, the planned cutting line indexing unit is configured to calculate the position of the center line of the groove region detected by the groove region detecting unit as the planned cutting line. it can.

  According to this aspect, the position of the line passing through the center position of the groove width, that is, the position of the center line of the groove can be cut as the position of the planned cutting line.

  In the dicing apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention, the planned cutting line indexing means is provided at a plurality of positions of each groove formed in the workpiece based on the groove area detected by the groove area detecting means. The center position of the groove width can be detected, and a curve or a straight line connecting the center positions can be calculated as a planned cutting line corresponding to each groove.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to shorten the time for determining the scheduled cutting line.

  In the dicing apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention, the planned cutting line indexing means is the longest groove among the grooves formed in the workpiece based on the groove area detected by the groove area detecting means. Detecting the center position of the groove width in a plurality of locations, and calculating a curve or straight line connecting the center positions as the planned cutting line corresponding to the longest groove, and based on the planned cutting line corresponding to the longest groove, It can be set as the aspect which calculates the cutting scheduled line of each groove | channel formed along the street of a fixed space | interval.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to shorten the time for determining the scheduled cutting line.

  Further, the cutting method of the dicing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a work table that holds a plate-like work having grooves formed along the streets on the surface, and the work while rotating around a rotation axis. A blade for cutting the workpiece by contact, a first drive means for relatively moving the blade in a first direction parallel to the table surface of the work table, and a table surface of the work table And a second driving means for relatively moving the blade in a second direction different from the first direction, and a groove for detecting a groove region formed in the workpiece. A dicing machine cutting device comprising: a region detecting unit; and a planned cutting line indexing unit that calculates a planned cutting line that passes through the groove region detected by the groove region detecting unit. A cutting feed step in which the blade is moved in the first direction by the first driving means during the cutting of the workpiece in which the blade is in contact with the workpiece, and the cutting feed step is performed. A distance calculating step of calculating a distance in the second direction between a processing point at which the blade and the workpiece are in contact with the planned cutting line indexed by the planned cutting line indexing means, and the cutting feed When the determination by the determination step is affirmed during the execution of the step, the determination step of determining whether the distance calculated by the distance calculation step is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and the cutting feed step The blade is moved by the distance calculated by the distance calculating step in the second direction and in the direction approaching the planned cutting line. To implement a feed step.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, when a groove formed along a work street (cutting allowance) is curved instead of a straight line, a planned cutting line passing through the groove region is set. Can do. And even if the shape of the planned cutting line is curved according to the shape of the groove, the blade is moved relative to the workpiece along the position of the planned cutting line, so that the position of the planned cutting line is accurate. It can cut well.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the specific position in the area | region of the groove | channel formed in the workpiece | work in bevel cutting, a laser grooving process, etc. can be cut with high precision.

Explanatory drawing which showed an example of the dicing process in which the dicing apparatus which concerns on this invention is used Explanatory drawing used to explain the dicing process using laser grooving The top view which showed the structure of the process part of the dicing apparatus with which this invention is applied The side view which showed the structure of the process part of FIG. The block diagram which showed the structure relevant to the control with respect to the process part of FIG. 3, FIG. The figure which illustrated the position (shape) of the groove formed in the work The figure which expanded and illustrated a part of groove formed in the work Explanatory drawing used to explain alignment for a planned cutting line that is not straight Flow chart showing the processing procedure by the cutting control unit when cutting a predetermined scheduled cutting line Explanatory drawing used to explain cutting control of the planned cutting line The enlarged view which expanded and showed the P1 position in FIG. The enlarged view which expanded and showed the P2 position in FIG. The enlarged view which expanded and showed the P3 position in FIG. Cross-sectional view illustrating a blade that prevents damage due to Y-axis correction feed Side view showing the configuration of the machining section of a dicing machine equipped with a blade turning drive mechanism Explanatory drawing used to explain cutting control when equipped with a blade turning drive mechanism

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of a dicing process for dividing a workpiece W such as a semiconductor wafer into individual chips. In the dicing process shown in the figure, a large number of chips T are formed as shown in the diagram (A-1) in FIG. 9A, and linear streets (cutting margins) S that divide the chips T are formed. A workpiece W formed in a lattice shape is a processing target. In the dicing process, such a workpiece W is mounted on the frame F by being attached to a dicing tape U whose peripheral portion is fixed to the annular frame F. In addition, the figure of a code | symbol (A-2) is a cross-sectional view which orthogonally crossed the predetermined street S and cut | disconnected the workpiece | work W in the thickness direction, and is a figure of a code | symbol (B-2) and (C-2) A similar cross-sectional view is shown for.

  Further, the dicing process shown in the figure shows a process of dividing the work W into individual chips T by so-called bevel cutting. First, a first dicing process is performed on the work W as shown in FIG. In the dicing apparatus, a groove forming step is performed as shown in FIG. The blade 1000 shown in FIG. 5B is denoted by reference numeral (B-1), and is attached to a spindle 1002 provided in the first dicing apparatus. The blade 1000 is a cross-sectional view of reference numeral (B-2). A blade for forming a V-groove having a large blade thickness is used. The street 1000 of the workpiece W is cut by the blade 1000, and a groove K (V groove) is formed along the street S on the surface side of the workpiece W as shown in a cross-sectional view of the symbol (B-2).

  Next, a cutting process is performed on the workpiece W in which the groove K is formed along the street S, as shown in FIG. The blade 20 shown in the figure (C-1) of the figure (C) is attached to the spindle 22 provided in the second dicing apparatus, and the blade 20 is a sectional view of the sign (C-2). Thus, a cutting blade having a blade thickness thinner than that of the blade 1000 is used. The position of the substantially center line of the groove K (V groove) formed in the workpiece W is cut by the blade 20, and the back surface of the workpiece W as shown in the sectional view of (C-2) (on the dicing tape U). To a predetermined depth position in the thickness direction). As a result, the workpiece W is divided into individual chips T.

  In such a dicing process, the groove forming process shown in FIG. 2B can be performed in the same manner as before by using an arbitrary dicing apparatus.

  On the other hand, the dicing apparatus according to the present invention described below is used in the cutting process shown in FIG. 5C, and the position of the center line of the groove K (V groove) formed in the workpiece W is accurately determined. Disconnected.

  Here, the dicing process of FIG. 1 shows the case where the bevel cut is performed, but it is preferable to use the dicing apparatus according to the present invention in the cutting process even when the so-called step cut is performed. The step cut forms a flat groove instead of the V groove in the groove forming step of FIG. 1 (B), and is formed in the flat groove (bevel cut) in the same cutting step as FIG. 1 (C). This is a cutting method in which the position of the substantially center line of the groove K) is cut with a cutting blade as in the case of the V groove.

  In addition, it is preferable to use the dicing apparatus according to the present invention also in the cutting step in the dicing step using laser grooving. The dicing process using laser grooving is a difficult-to-cut portion 1010 such as a Low-K film (low dielectric constant insulating film) on the surface of the street S of the workpiece W as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. In the laser processing machine, the difficult-to-cut part 1010 is melted and vaporized along the street S by the heat of the laser beam, and the difficult-to-cut part 1010 is removed as shown in FIG. A groove (referred to as a groove K similar to the V groove formed in the bevel cut) is formed. Then, after that, as shown in FIG. 2C, the position of the approximate center line of the groove K is cut by the cutting blade 20.

  As described above, the dicing apparatus according to the present invention can be suitably used when the workpiece W having the groove K formed by an arbitrary method is cut at a specific position in the region of the groove K.

  Further, the groove forming step in FIG. 1B and the cutting step in FIG. 1C are not necessarily carried out by separate dicing apparatuses. For example, in a twin spindle type dicing apparatus, It is also possible to perform the groove forming process with one spindle blade and the cutting process with the other spindle blade. In that case, a configuration similar to that of the dicing apparatus according to the present invention to be described below may be applied to at least a component that performs the cutting process in the twin spindle type dicing apparatus.

  Further, the type of the workpiece W is not limited to a specific type. For example, any kind of plate-shaped workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer, a CSP substrate, or a QFN substrate can be used as the workpiece W as a workpiece, and an arbitrary shape such as a circular shape or a rectangle can be used as the workpiece. The workpiece W can be used.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a configuration of a processing unit that is a main component of the dicing apparatus 10 to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 4 is a side view showing a configuration of the processing unit of FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration related to the control of the machining unit in FIGS. 3 and 4. Details of FIG. 5 will be described later.

  A dicing apparatus 10 (processing unit) shown in these drawings images a work table 12 that holds a workpiece W, a cutting unit 14 that cuts the workpiece W (processing object) held on the workpiece table 12, and the workpiece W. An imaging unit (imaging means) 16, a drive system that constitutes the dicing apparatus 10, and a control device (control means) 18 that comprehensively controls the control system.

  The work table 12 is formed in a disk shape as shown in FIG. 3, for example, and has a table surface parallel to the XY plane. The work W is held by vacuum suction of the back surface of the work W on the table surface.

  The work table 12 is driven in the X-axis direction shown in FIG. 3 by the X-axis drive mechanism 60 by driving a motor included in the X-axis drive mechanism 60 shown in FIG. 5 (not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4). It is designed to reciprocate along.

  The work table 12 is driven around the central axis (θ axis) by the θ axis drive mechanism 62 by driving a motor included in the θ axis drive mechanism 62 shown in FIG. 5 (not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4). It is designed to rotate.

  The cutting unit 14 includes a blade 20 that is a rotary blade that cuts the workpiece W, a spindle 22 that is shown as a rotation drive mechanism 22 in FIG.

  The blade 20 is connected to and supported by a spindle shaft 22 a extending in a direction parallel to the Y axis of the spindle 22. As described above with reference to FIG. 1, a cutting blade having a thin blade thickness is used for the blade 20.

  The spindle 22 incorporates a drive means (not shown) that rotates the spindle shaft 22a, and the blade 20 rotates at high speed around the rotary shaft 21 by rotating the spindle shaft 22a by the drive means. . The rotating shaft 21 is the central axis of the blade 20 (and the spindle shaft 22a) and is parallel to the Y axis.

  Further, the cutting unit 14 is moved in the Y-axis direction shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 4 by a spindle moving mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the spindle moving mechanism includes a Y carriage 24, guide rails 26 and 26, a motor (not shown), and the like as the Y-axis drive mechanism 64 shown in FIG.

  The Y carriage 24 is slidably supported by guide rails 26 and 26 disposed along a direction parallel to the Y axis. Then, by driving a motor (not shown), the motor is slid along the Y-axis direction shown in FIGS.

  In addition, the guide rails 26 and 26 are installed in the gate-shaped support member 23 which straddles the Y-axis direction, for example in a process part.

  Further, the spindle moving mechanism includes a drive unit main body 28, a Z carriage 30 and the like as shown in FIG. 4 as the Z-axis drive mechanism 66 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drive unit main body 28 is installed on the Y carriage 24. The drive unit body 28 includes a linear guide and a motor (not shown), and the Z carriage 30 is driven by the Z carriage 30 shown in FIG. It moves along the axial direction.

  A bracket 32 is attached to the tip of the Z carriage 30, and the spindle 22 is attached to the bracket 32.

  According to the above spindle movement mechanism, the Y-axis drive mechanism 64 moves the cutting unit 14 along the Y-axis direction, and the blade 20 moves along the Y-axis direction.

  Further, the cutting unit 14 is moved (vertically moved) along the Z-axis direction by the Z-axis drive mechanism 66, and the blade 20 is moved along the Z-axis direction.

  Therefore, by driving the motor of the Y-axis drive mechanism 64, index feed (and Y-axis correction feed described later) of the blade 20 in the Y-axis direction can be performed, and when the motor of the Z-axis drive mechanism 66 is driven. Thus, it is possible to perform cutting feed and the like of the blade 20 in the Z-axis direction.

  The imaging unit 16 includes a camera (ITV camera) 34. The camera 34 is held by the camera holder 36, and the camera holder 36 is supported by the support member 23.

  The camera 34 of the imaging unit 16 is installed in a direction facing the upper surface of the work W held on the work table 12, images the upper surface of the work W, and outputs an image signal of the captured image to an image processing device (image Processing means) 38.

  The camera 34 may be supported by a support mechanism that moves the camera 34 along the Y-axis direction in order to divide and photograph the entire upper surface of the workpiece W. Details of the support mechanism of the camera 34 Is omitted. There may be a plurality of cameras 34 instead of one. The cameras 34 are installed so that an image of a desired portion of the surface of the workpiece W can be taken by one or a plurality of cameras.

  The image processing device 38 shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 performs image processing on the image signal of the captured image obtained from the camera 34, and information on the groove K formed in the workpiece W by the groove forming process as described above ( And the detected information is provided to the control device 18.

  Further, the image processing device 38 outputs an image signal of the captured image to the monitor 40, thereby displaying the captured image captured by the camera 34 on the screen of the monitor 40.

  The control device 18 controls the movement (position) of the work table 12 in the X-axis direction and the rotation (rotation angle) around the θ-axis as described later, and the movement of the blade 20 in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. (Position) is controlled.

  Further, the control device 18 acquires information on the groove K formed on the workpiece W from the image processing device 38, determines the position to be a cutting planned line based on the information, and positions the workpiece W (alignment), at the time of cutting The blade 20 is controlled.

  The configuration of the processing unit of the dicing apparatus 10 described above is an example, and the blade 20 moves relative to the workpiece W (work table 12) in the direction along the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis. Any configuration is possible as long as it has a configuration capable of rotating around the θ-axis and can capture a street (groove K) of the work W by the camera 34 so that it can be detected. The movement direction of each blade 20 in the direction parallel to the XY plane (table surface of the work table 12) is a first direction parallel to the table surface and a direction parallel to the table surface. It may be along each of the 2nd directions which are not orthogonal to the 1st direction.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the control device 18 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 18 mainly includes a scheduled cutting line indexing unit 50, an alignment control unit 52, and a cutting control unit 54.

  The scheduled cutting line indexing unit 50 can acquire necessary information from the image processing device 38, and is based on information on the groove K formed in the workpiece W obtained from the image processing device 38 on the work table 12. The position of the planned cutting line of the workpiece W held on the head is determined.

  Here, the dicing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is used in a cutting process in a dicing process using bevel cutting, step cutting, laser grooving, or the like as described with reference to FIG. The workpiece W in which the groove K is formed by the groove forming process in the dicing process is conveyed and held by a conveying device (not shown). However, the conveyance of the workpiece W to the workpiece table 12 may be performed manually.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the shape of the groove K formed in the workpiece W (the shape of the center line of the groove K). In the streets in the first direction among the streets in the first direction and the second direction orthogonal to each other, Only the shape of the formed groove K is illustrated.

  As shown in the figure, the groove K formed in the workpiece W is usually a straight street due to the cutting accuracy (straightness of the blade in the X-axis direction) in the dicing apparatus that has performed the groove forming process. Curvature occurs with respect to S as well.

  Therefore, the image processing device 38 captures a photographed image of the upper surface of the workpiece W photographed by the camera 34 with respect to the workpiece W, performs image processing on the photographed image, and forms an area of the groove K formed on the surface of the workpiece W. Is detected. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a part of one groove K. As shown in FIG. 7, the groove K has an area having a predetermined groove width in the street S. On the photographed image, the region of the groove K shows a luminance value different from that of the peripheral portion, so that the region of the groove K can be detected based on the luminance value. However, any method for detecting the region of the groove K from the captured image may be used.

  The planned cutting line indexing unit 50 calculates the position of the center line KC passing through the center position of the groove width of the groove K as shown in FIG. 7 based on the region of the groove K detected by the image processing device 38. Then, the position of the calculated center line KC is set as a scheduled cutting line.

  However, instead of setting the position of the center line KC of the groove K as a planned cutting line, a line passing through a specific position in the region of the groove K, for example, a position where the groove width is divided by a predetermined ratio, is set as the planned cutting line. Is also possible.

  In addition, the index of the planned cutting line of the workpiece W is obtained by collectively indexing all the planned cutting lines on the workpiece W, so that the new workpiece W to be processed is transferred to the workpiece table 12 and held. Before starting the cutting of the workpiece W, it may be an aspect in which it is performed only once at the beginning, or in an aspect in which only the scheduled cutting line to be cut next is indexed before starting the cutting of each scheduled cutting line. Any mode may be used as long as the position of the planned cutting line can be grasped before cutting.

  Further, since it takes a long time to detect the entire area of each groove K on the workpiece W and to determine the center line KC (scheduled cutting line) of each groove K, each of the areas as shown by circle points A1 to A6 in FIG. The center line KC (scheduled cutting line) may be determined by detecting the center position of the groove width at several places (plural places) of the groove K and connecting the center positions with a smooth curve or straight line. Furthermore, the center position of the groove width is detected at only a few locations of the longest groove K (center groove K), the center line KC (planned cutting line) of the longest groove K is determined, and the center lines KC ( The planned cutting line) may be determined as being arranged at every interval between the adjacent streets S and having the same straightness error as that of the longest groove K.

  That is, when the center point in the X-axis direction of the planned cutting line of each groove K is used as the reference point of each groove K, the reference points of each groove K are arranged at the same intervals as the streets S. The amount of deviation in the Y-axis direction with respect to the reference point at each position in the X-axis direction of the planned cutting line of each groove K is equal to the amount of deviation in the Y-axis direction with respect to the reference point of the center line KC (scheduled cutting line) of the longest groove K. As a result, the planned cutting line of each groove K may be obtained. In other words, the planned cutting lines of the same shape as the longest planned grooves K are arranged at intervals of the streets S, and the portions outside the range of the workpiece W are deleted and the planned cutting lines for each groove K are removed. Is equivalent to

  Furthermore, if the planned cutting line is set in consideration of the straightness error related to the cutting feed of the blade 20 in the X-axis direction (the movement of the work table 12 in the X-axis direction), the position of the center line KC of the groove K can be determined with higher accuracy. Can be cut. That is, when the position of the blade 20 in the Y-axis direction is controlled so as to cut the position in the Y-axis direction of the planned cutting line at each position in the X-axis direction of the planned cutting line, in practice, the cutting line of the planned cutting line is caused by the straightness error. A position shifted by a predetermined amount in the Y-axis direction from the position is cut. Therefore, the deviation amount in the Y-axis direction at each position in the X-axis direction of the planned cutting line is grasped in advance. Then, with respect to the position of the original planned cutting line, that is, the position of the center line KC of the groove K, the position in which the position in the Y-axis direction is shifted to the opposite side by the amount of deviation at each position in the X-axis direction is cut. Set as planned line. As a result, the influence of the straight error related to the cutting feed of the blade 20 in the X-axis direction is also reduced, and the position of the center line KC of the groove K can be cut with higher accuracy.

  The alignment control unit 52 shown in FIG. 5 acquires information on the position of the planned cutting line indexed by the planned cutting line indexing unit 50, and performs positioning (alignment) of the workpiece W based on the information.

  As the alignment, the rotation angle around the θ axis of the work table 12 is adjusted by controlling the motor of the θ axis drive mechanism 62. As a result, the rotation angle of the workpiece W is adjusted so that the position (direction) when cutting each scheduled cutting line is appropriate for the cutting feed in the X-axis direction.

  The rotation angle adjustment of the workpiece W will be described. Since the groove K formed in each street S is curved as described above, the planned cutting line calculated as the center line KC of the groove K is similarly curved. Has occurred.

  Therefore, for example, the alignment control unit 52 obtains a reference straight line with the smallest error with respect to a planned cutting line to be cut next by least square approximation or the like. Then, the work table 12 is rotated so that the reference straight line is parallel to the X-axis direction, and the rotation angle of the work W is adjusted.

  If the planned cutting line is a complete straight line, the reference straight line is the planned cutting line itself. Therefore, adjustment of the rotation angle of the workpiece W in this case corresponds to adjustment so that the planned cutting line is parallel to the X axis.

  On the other hand, since the planned cutting line is actually curved, a straight reference line 92 having a minimum error is obtained with respect to the curved planned cutting line 90 as shown in FIG. Then, the rotation angle of the workpiece W is adjusted so that the reference straight line 92 is parallel to the X axis.

  The alignment control unit 52 adjusts the rotation angle of the workpiece W such that, for example, before the start of cutting of each scheduled cutting line, the angle formed by the reference straight line of the next scheduled cutting line and the X axis is a predetermined angle ( This is performed when a predetermined condition for determining that the rotation angle adjustment of the workpiece W is necessary is satisfied, such as when the condition of greater than 0 is included.

  The rotation angle adjustment of the workpiece W may be performed before the start of each of all scheduled cutting lines regardless of the above conditions, or only before the start of cutting a specific scheduled cutting line. May be.

  For example, the planned cutting line is set along a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to each other, corresponding to a grid-like street (groove K) on the workpiece W, and the first direction is the cutting order. When the planned cutting lines are sequentially cut from the end and all the planned cutting lines in the first direction are cut, the planned cutting lines in the second direction are cut in order from the end.

  At this time, the rotation angle adjustment of the workpiece W may be performed only before the start of cutting of the planned cutting line to be cut first in the first direction and before the start of cutting of the planned cutting line to be cut first in the second direction. .

  As described above, when the rotation angle adjustment of the workpiece W is performed only before the start of cutting of the specific scheduled cutting line, the reference straight line of each scheduled cutting line to be cut before the next rotation angle adjustment of the workpiece W is performed. The rotation angle of the workpiece W may be adjusted using the averaged straight line as a reference straight line, or the rotation angle of the workpiece W may be adjusted based on the reference straight line of any of the scheduled cutting lines.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the rotation angle of the workpiece W is adjusted based on the planned cutting line, but it is not necessarily based on the planned cutting line. What is necessary is just to adjust the rotation angle of the workpiece | work W so that the reference | standard straight line may become substantially parallel with respect to an X-axis when cutting each cutting planned line as the straight line was calculated | required.

  In addition, as the alignment of the work W, the alignment control unit 52 appropriately adjusts the rotation angle of the work W before starting the cutting of each scheduled cutting line, and then controls the motor of the X-axis drive mechanism 60 to control the work table 12. In the planned cutting line to be cut next, for example, the planned cutting line 90 in FIG. 8, the position of the cutting start end 90 </ b> S in the X-axis direction (X coordinate) is cut by the blade 20. The machining point is made to coincide with the position in the X-axis direction (X coordinate).

  In other words, the processing point at which cutting is performed by the blade 20 is a point where the cutting edge of the blade 20 (the lowest point of the blade 20 (the lowest point of the peripheral edge)) and the workpiece W are in contact with each other. The position of the lowest point is fixed in the X-axis direction, and the X-axis direction of the cutting start end 90 </ b> S of the planned cutting line 90 to be cut next is positioned at the lowest position of the blade 20 in the X-axis direction. Match the positions.

  The processing and control performed by the scheduled cutting line indexing unit 50 and the alignment control unit 52 described above can be exactly the same as those in the past, and are not limited to the above.

  The cutting control unit 54 illustrated in FIG. 5 acquires information on the position of each scheduled cutting line from the scheduled cutting line indexing unit 50 and also acquires information on the rotation angle of the work table 12 (work W) from the alignment control unit 52. Then, based on the information, cutting feed in the X-axis direction of the work table 12 when cutting each scheduled cutting line and controlling the position of the blade 20 are performed.

  In the cutting control unit 54, the cutting control when cutting each of the scheduled cutting lines of the workpiece W is performed in the same manner. Accordingly, a cutting planned line is set as a target cutting planned line, and the details of the cutting control of the cutting control unit 54 will be described in accordance with a processing procedure when cutting the target cutting planned line. In FIG. 10, the same form as the scheduled cutting line 90 of FIG. 8 is shown by the same code | symbol as an example of the focused cutting planned line.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure by the cutting control unit 54 when cutting the target cutting planned line 90.

  Note that the cutting control unit 54 controls the rotation drive mechanism (spindle) 22 in FIG. 5 to rotate the blade 20 at high speed at least when the blade 20 contacts the workpiece W.

  In addition, it is assumed that the alignment of the workpiece W by the alignment control unit 52 with respect to the target cutting planned line 90 has been completed.

  First, before the cutting of the target cutting scheduled line 90 in FIG. 10 is started, the cutting control unit 54 controls the motor of the Y-axis drive mechanism 64 of the spindle moving mechanism to move the blade 20 in the Y-axis direction as a process of step S10. The Y axis direction position (Y coordinate) of the lowest point of the blade 20 is made to coincide with the Y axis direction position (Y coordinate) of the cutting start end 90S of the target cutting line 90.

  When the target cutting planned line 90 is not the first cutting planned line to be cut in the first direction and is not the first cutting planned line in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the processing in step S10 is performed. The processing corresponds to the index feed of the blade 20 after the cutting of the scheduled cutting line cut before the scheduled cutting line 90 is completed.

  Next, in step S12, the cutting control unit 54 controls the motor of the Z-axis drive mechanism 66 of the spindle movement mechanism to lower the blade 20 (cut feed), and the lowest point of the blade 20 in the Z-axis direction. The position (Z coordinate) is moved with respect to the workpiece W to a height that is a predetermined cutting depth. That is, the position of the lowest point of the blade 20 is lowered to a predetermined depth position in the thickness direction of the dicing tape U.

  By cutting and feeding the blade 20 in the Z-axis direction, as shown in FIG. 11 in which the P1 position in FIG. 10 is enlarged, the lowest point 100 of the blade 20 comes into contact with the cutting start end 90S of the target cutting scheduled line 90, Cutting of the target cutting scheduled line 90 is started with the cutting start end 90S as the processing point 102.

  Note that the rotation axis serving as the rotation center of the blade 20 (spindle shaft 22a) is indicated by a straight line denoted by reference numeral 21, and the rotation axis 21 is parallel to the Y axis.

  Next, in step S14, the cutting control unit 54 controls the motor of the X-axis drive mechanism 60 to move the work table 12 in the X-axis direction to cut and feed the work W in the X-axis direction at a predetermined speed. . As a result, the workpiece W moves in the X-axis direction with respect to the blade 20, and the machining point 102 moves in the X-axis direction with respect to the workpiece W.

  This cutting feed is continuously performed until the cutting of the target cutting scheduled line 90 is completed.

  Further, in FIG. 10, when the X axis and the Y axis are fixed to the workpiece W and the blade 20 moves in the X axis direction with respect to the workpiece W by the movement of the workpiece W in the X axis direction, When the position of the blade 20 in the Y-axis direction is fixed until the end of cutting, the lowest point 100 and the machining point 102 of the blade 20 move on a straight line 96 parallel to the X-axis.

  Next, as a process of step S16, the cutting control unit 54 points on the target cutting planned line 90 where the position in the X-axis direction matches the current position of the lowest point 100 (processing point 102) of the blade 20. The position in the Y-axis direction (referred to as a processing corresponding point) is calculated.

  For example, in FIG. 10, assuming that the blade 20 is at the P2 position, as shown in FIG. 12 in which the P2 position is enlarged, it passes through the lowest point 100 of the blade 20, that is, the machining point 102, and with respect to the Y axis. When the straight line 106 is drawn in parallel, the intersection of the straight line 106 and the target cutting planned line 90 becomes the machining corresponding point 104.

  The position in the Y-axis direction of this processing-corresponding point 104 is information on the position of the target cutting planned line 90 acquired from the scheduled cutting line indexing unit 50 and the current rotation angle of the work table 12 acquired from the alignment control unit 52. And can be calculated based on the information.

  Next, in step S18, the cutting control unit 54 handles the current position of the lowest point 100 (processing point 102) of the blade 20 in the Y-axis direction and the processing on the target cutting scheduled line 90 obtained in step S16. Whether or not the difference between the position of the point 104 in the Y-axis direction, that is, the distance d (see FIG. 12) between the lowest point 100 (processing point 102) and the processing corresponding point 104 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value ds. judge.

  The predetermined threshold value ds is preferably a value smaller than a maximum allowable error allowed as a deviation amount (error) between the scheduled cutting line and the machining line actually cut by the blade.

  The cutting control unit 54 repeats the process of step S16 and the determination of step S18 while determining NO in step S18. That is, while the distance d is smaller than the threshold value ds, the lowest point 100 (the machining point 102) of the blade 20 moves in the X-axis direction with respect to the workpiece W.

  On the other hand, if it is determined YES in step S18, the cutting control unit 54 controls the motor of the Y-axis drive mechanism 64 of the spindle movement mechanism in FIG. 5 to move the blade 20 in the Y-axis direction as the process of step S20. It is moved and moved by the above-mentioned distance d in the direction in which the lowest point 100 (processing point 102) of the blade 20 approaches the target cutting planned line 90 (processing corresponding point 104).

  This movement of the blade 20 in the Y-axis direction is referred to as “Y-axis correction feed” in this specification.

  Further, the Y-axis correction feed of the blade 20 is performed at a speed that does not cause an excessive load on the blade 20 in the Y-axis direction (direction of the rotation shaft 21).

  As shown in FIG. 13 in which the position P3 in FIG. 10 is enlarged by the Y axis correction feed of the blade 20 in step S20, the lowest point 100 (working point 102) of the blade 20 substantially coincides with the target cutting planned line 90. Move to the position you want.

  Next, the cutting control unit 54 determines whether or not the cutting up to the cutting end 90E of the target cutting scheduled line 90 has been completed as the process of step S22. That is, it is determined whether or not the position in the X-axis direction of the lowest point 100 (machining point 102) of the blade 20 coincides with the position in the X-axis direction of the cutting end 90E of the scheduled cutting line 90.

  While it determines with NO in this step S22, the cutting control part 54 repeats the process from step S16 to step S22.

  As a result, the position of the lowest point 100 (processing point 102) of the blade 20 moves on the workpiece W while maintaining a distance less than the threshold value ds with respect to the position of the processing corresponding point 104 on the target cutting planned line 90. The workpiece W is cut along the target cutting planned line 90 as in the positions P4, P5, and P6 in FIG.

  If YES in step S22, the cutting control unit 54 controls the motor of the X-axis drive mechanism 60 in FIG. 5 to move the work table 12 in the X-axis direction (step S24). The cutting feed of the workpiece W is stopped.

  Further, the blade 20 is raised in the Z-axis direction by controlling the motor of the Z-axis drive mechanism 66 of the spindle moving mechanism in FIG. 5 and moved to the height of the target cutting planned line 90 before the start of cutting.

  According to the cutting control as described above, since the groove K is curved by the Y-axis correction feed of the blade 20 during the cutting of the planned cutting line, the planned cutting line that is the center line KC is curved. Even in this case, the position of the center line of the groove K can be accurately cut along the planned cutting line.

  Note that there is a possibility that the blade 20 is damaged due to a load applied to the blade 20 in the Y-axis direction (the direction of the rotation axis 21 of the blade 20) due to the Y-axis correction feed during cutting. Therefore, as shown in the sectional view of the blade 20 in FIG. 14, plate-like members 110, 110 made of a material different from the blade 20 are fixed to both side surfaces of the blade 20, and the blade 20 is sandwiched between the plate-like members 110, 110. You may make it. Alternatively, a coating film may be formed on both side surfaces of the blade 20. Thereby, the rigidity of the blade 20 can be increased with respect to the load applied to the blade 20 from the side surface direction (rotational axis direction).

  As described above, the Y axis correction feed of the blade 20 is performed by moving the entire spindle 22 in the Y axis direction by the Y axis drive mechanism 64 of the spindle moving mechanism in the above embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, in the spindle 22, the spindle shaft 22 a is supported so as to be movable back and forth in the axial direction (direction of the rotation shaft 21) with respect to the main body of the spindle 22 (main body that rotatably supports the spindle shaft), and the spindle is driven by the motor. A drive mechanism for moving the shaft back and forth in the axial direction is provided. Then, the spindle shaft can be moved in the axial direction by the drive mechanism, and the Y axis correction feed of the blade 20 can also be performed.

  Also, a drive mechanism for moving the work table 12 in the Y-axis direction by a motor is provided. In the case of a single spindle, instead of moving the blade 20 in the Y-axis direction, the work table 12 is moved in the Y-axis direction by the drive mechanism. By moving, the blade 20 can be moved relative to the workpiece W in the Y-axis direction to perform Y-axis correction feed.

  In the above embodiment, the rotation direction at the lowest point 100 (processing point 102) of the blade 20 due to the rotation of the blade 20 by the spindle 22, that is, parallel to the XY plane and the rotation axis of the blade 20 The direction orthogonal to 21 (hereinafter referred to as the cutting direction of the blade 20) is always parallel to the X axis.

  Therefore, when the planned cutting line is not parallel to the X axis, the direction of the planned cutting line at the processing point 102 and the cutting direction of the blade 20 are not parallel. Therefore, the blade 20 can be rotated (rotatable) around an axis (swivel axis) parallel to the Z axis so that they are parallel, and the blade 20 is swung around the swing axis by a motor. A turning drive mechanism may be provided.

  For example, the side view of FIG. 15 shows a configuration in the case where the turning drive mechanism is provided in the processing unit. Note that FIG. 15 is an application of the configuration of the processing unit shown in FIG. 4, and the same or similar components as those shown in FIG. In FIG. 15, the turning drive mechanism 120 is attached to the tip of the Z carriage 30.

  The turning drive mechanism 120 has a shaft member (not shown) parallel to the Z axis, and these are rotated around the turning shaft 121 by a motor (not shown).

  A bracket 32 for attaching the spindle 22 to the shaft member is fixed.

  Thereby, the blade 20 can turn around the turning shaft 121 and change the cutting direction of the blade 20 to a desired direction in the XY plane.

  On the other hand, the cutting control unit 54 performs Y-axis correction feeding in the same manner as in the above embodiment during the cutting of the target cutting scheduled line 90 shown in FIG. The blade 20 is turned by controlling the motor so that the tangential direction of the target cutting scheduled line 90 at the processing corresponding point 104 corresponding to the lowest point 100 (processing point 102) of the blade 20 matches the cutting direction of the blade 20. . That is, the direction of the rotating shaft 21 of the blade 20 is made orthogonal to the direction (tangential direction) of the target cutting planned line 90 at the processing corresponding point 104.

  As a result, the cutting is performed in a state where the tangential direction of the target cutting planned line 90 at the processing corresponding point 104 matches the cutting direction of the blade 20.

  Instead of turning the blade 20, the work table 12 may be rotated around the θ axis.

  As described above, the dicing apparatus 10 described above is of a single spindle type. However, in the dicing apparatus having a plurality of spindles, grooves formed on the workpiece W by attaching cutting blades to the plurality of spindles. The present invention can also be applied when cutting the position of K. In other words, the configuration and control described in the above embodiment may be applied to at least a spindle on which a cutting blade is mounted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Dicing apparatus, 12 ... Work table, 14 ... Cutting unit, 16 ... Imaging unit, 18 ... Control device, 20 ... Blade, 21 ... Central axis, 22 ... Spindle, 22a ... Spindle shaft, 23 ... Support member, 24 ... Y carriage, 26 ... guide rail, 28 ... drive unit main body, 30 ... Z carriage, 32 ... bracket, 34 ... camera, 38 ... image processing device, 50 ... planned cutting line indexing part, 52 ... alignment control part, 54 ... Cutting control unit, 60 ... X-axis drive mechanism, 62 ... θ-axis drive mechanism, 64 ... Y-axis drive mechanism, 66 ... Z-axis drive mechanism, W ... workpiece, T ... chip, S ... street, K ... groove, KC ... Center line (scheduled cutting line), F ... Frame, U ... Dicing tape

Claims (7)

A work table for holding a plate-like workpiece with grooves formed along the street on the surface;
A blade for cutting the workpiece by contacting the workpiece while rotating around a rotation axis;
First driving means for relatively moving the blade in a first direction parallel to the table surface of the work table;
Second driving means for relatively moving the blade in a second direction parallel to the table surface of the work table and different from the first direction;
Groove region detecting means for detecting a groove region formed in the workpiece;
A planned cutting line indexing means for determining a planned cutting line passing through the groove area detected by the groove area detecting means;
During the cutting of the workpiece in which the blade is in contact with the workpiece, the blade is moved in the first direction and the second direction by the first driving means and the second driving means. Cutting control means for cutting the position along the planned cutting line determined by the planned cutting line indexing means with the blade;
A dicing apparatus comprising: Slewing drive means for slewing the rotary shaft of the blade relatively around a slewing axis orthogonal to the table surface of the work table;
During the cutting of the planned cutting line, the cutting control means turns the rotation axis of the blade by the turning driving means so that the direction of the rotation axis of the blade becomes the direction of the planned cutting line at the processing point. The dicing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dicing apparatus is orthogonal. The blade is mounted, has a spindle shaft along a direction parallel to the rotation axis, and includes a spindle for rotating the blade around the rotation axis;
The dicing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second driving unit is a unit that moves the spindle shaft forward and backward in a direction along the rotation axis.   The dicing apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the scheduled cutting line indexing means calculates the position of the center line of the groove area detected by the groove area detecting means as a scheduled cutting line.   The planned cutting line indexing means detects the center position of the groove width at a plurality of positions of each groove formed on the workpiece based on the groove area detected by the groove area detecting means, and determines the center position. The dicing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a connecting curve or straight line is determined as a scheduled cutting line corresponding to each groove.   The planned cutting line indexing means detects the center position of the groove width at a plurality of longest grooves among the grooves formed on the workpiece, based on the groove area detected by the groove area detecting means, A curve or a straight line connecting the center positions is determined as a planned cutting line corresponding to the longest groove, and each groove formed along a street with a constant interval is based on the planned cutting line corresponding to the longest groove. The dicing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a cutting scheduled line is determined. A work table for holding a plate-like work having grooves formed along the streets on the surface, a blade for cutting the work by contacting the work while rotating around a rotation axis, and a table for the work table A first driving means for relatively moving the blade in a first direction parallel to the surface, and a second direction parallel to the table surface of the work table, the first direction Second drive means for relatively moving the blade in different second directions, groove area detection means for detecting a groove area formed in the workpiece, and groove area detected by the groove area detection means A cutting plan line indexing means for indexing a planned cutting line passing through the inside, and a cutting method of a dicing apparatus comprising:
A cutting feed step of moving the blade in the first direction by the first driving means during cutting of the workpiece in which the blade is in contact with the workpiece;
During the execution of the cutting feed step, distance calculation is performed to calculate the distance in the second direction between the processing point where the blade and the workpiece are in contact with the planned cutting line indexed by the planned cutting line indexing means. Process,
A determination step of determining whether the distance calculated by the distance calculation step is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold during the cutting feed step;
When the determination by the determination step is affirmed during execution of the cutting feed step, the distance calculated by the distance calculation step in the direction of the blade in the second direction and approaching the planned cutting line Correction feeding process to move by
The cutting method of the dicing apparatus which implements.

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