JP7008935B2 - Work splitting device and work splitting method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a work dividing device and a work dividing method, and more particularly to a work dividing device and a work dividing method for dividing a work such as a semiconductor wafer into individual chips along a scheduled division line.

Conventionally, in the manufacture of a semiconductor chip (hereinafter referred to as a chip), a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) in which a planned division line is formed in advance by half-cutting with a dicing blade or forming a modified region by laser irradiation. ) Is known as a work dividing device that divides) into individual chips along a planned division line (see Patent Document 1 and the like).

11A and 11B are explanatory views of a wafer unit 2 to which a disk-shaped wafer 1 divided by a work dividing device is attached, FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the wafer unit 2, and FIG. 11B is a wafer unit. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view.

The wafer 1 is attached to the central portion of a dicing tape (also referred to as an expansion tape or an adhesive sheet) 3 having a thickness of about 100 μm having an adhesive layer formed on one side, and the dicing tape 3 has a ring having a rigid outer peripheral portion thereof. It is fixed to the shaped frame 4.

In the work dividing device, the frame 4 of the wafer unit 2 is abutted and fixed to the fixing portion (also referred to as a frame fixing mechanism) 7 indicated by the alternate long and short dash line. After that, the expanding ring (also referred to as a push-up ring) 8 indicated by the chain double-dashed line is moved upward from below the wafer unit 2, and the dicing tape 3 is pressed by the expanding ring 8 to be radially expanded. The tension of the dicing tape 3 generated at this time is applied to the scheduled division line 5 of the wafer 1, so that the wafer 1 is divided into individual chips 6.

Here, in the specification of the present application, the region of the dicing tape 3 having a circular shape in a plan view to which the wafer 1 is attached is referred to as a central region 3A, and the outer edge portion (outer edge portion of the wafer 1) and the frame of the central region 3A. The plane-viewing donut-shaped region provided between the inner edge portion of 4 and the plan-viewing donut-shaped region is referred to as an annular portion region 3B, and the plane-viewing donut-shaped region of the outermost peripheral portion fixed to the frame 4 is referred to as a fixed portion region 3C. The annular portion region 3B is a region that is pressed and expanded by the expanding ring 8.

In the work dividing device, the force required for dividing the wafer 1, that is, the tension that must be generated in the annular portion region 3B to divide the wafer 1, must be increased as the number of scheduled division lines 5 increases. It is known that it must be done. Regarding the number of planned division lines 5, for example, when the wafer 1 having a diameter of 300 mm has a chip size of 5 mm, about 120 planned division lines (60 in each XY direction) are formed, and the chip size is 1 mm. Is formed with about 600 scheduled division lines 5. Therefore, the tension that must be generated in the annular portion region 3B must be increased as the chip size becomes smaller.

By the way, the inner diameter (diameter of the inner edge portion of the frame) of the frame 4 on which the wafer 1 having a diameter of 300 mm is mounted is defined as 350 mm by the SEMI standard (specification for a tape frame for a G74-0699 300 mm wafer). According to this standard, as shown in the vertical cross-sectional view of the wafer unit 2 of FIG. 12, an annular portion region 3B having a width dimension of 25 mm exists between the outer edge portion of the wafer 1 and the inner edge portion of the frame 4. .. Further, as shown in the vertical cross-sectional view of the main part of the work dividing device shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the fixing portion 7 for fixing the frame 4 does not come into contact with the annular portion region 3B expanded by the expanding ring 8. In the in-plane direction of the dicing tape 3 indicated by the arrow A, the dicing tape 3 is installed at a position outwardly separated from the annular portion region 3B.

Here, the forces that divide the wafer 1 generated by the ascending operation of the expanding ring 8 are (i) a force that expands the entire region of the annular portion region 3B, (ii) a force that divides the wafer 1 into chips 6, and (iii). It is decomposed into three forces of expanding the dicing tape 3 between the adjacent chips 6 and the chips 6.

As shown in the operation diagram of the work dividing device shown in FIGS. 14A to 14E, the expanding ring 8 abuts on the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3, and the dicing tape 3 starts to be expanded by the ascending operation of the expanding ring 8. (FIG. 14 (A)), the expansion of the annular portion region 3B having the lowest spring constant begins (FIG. 14 (B)). As a result, tension is generated in the annular portion region 3B, and when this tension is increased to some extent, the increased tension is transmitted to the wafer 1 and the wafer 1 is divided into chips 6 (FIG. 14 (C)). When the wafer 1 is divided into individual chips 6, the expansion of the annular portion region 3B and the expansion of the dicing tape 3 between the chips 6 proceed simultaneously (FIGS. 14 (D) to 14 (E)).

In the conventional work dividing device, in the wafer 1 having a diameter of 300 mm, when the chip size is 5 mm or more, the tension generated in the annular portion region 3B can divide the wafer 1 into individual chips 6 without any problem. However, with the miniaturization of the circuit pattern formed on the wafer 1, chips having a smaller chip size of 1 mm or less have appeared. In this case, when the number of scheduled division lines 5 for dividing the wafer 1 increases, the force required for dividing the wafer 1 increases, and a force greater than the tension due to the expansion of the annular portion region 3B is required. was there. Then, as shown in the vertical cross-sectional view of the wafer unit 2 of FIG. 15, even if the expansion operation by the expanding ring 8 is completed, a part of the planned division line 5 formed on the wafer 1 is not divided and remains undivided. There was a problem of doing.

Such an undivided problem of the scheduled division line 5 cannot be solved by increasing the expansion amount and expansion speed of the dicing tape 3. For example, when the expansion amount of the dicing tape 3 is increased, the annular portion region 3B starts to undergo plastic deformation. Since the spring constant of the annular portion region 3B during plastic deformation is smaller than the spring constant during elastic deformation, in the region exceeding the elastic deformation of the annular portion region 3B, the tension for dividing the wafer 1 into individual chips 6 is Does not occur. On the other hand, even when the expansion speed of the dicing tape 3 is increased, a part of the annular portion region 3B starts to be plastically deformed, so that the tension for dividing the wafer 1 into the individual chips 6 is not generated. This is because the frequency response of the dicing tape 3 is low, so that the force is not transmitted to the entire dicing tape 3 without a time lag.

Therefore, as an example of an apparatus for solving the above problems, Patent Document 2 discloses a tape expansion apparatus (work division apparatus) provided with cold air supply means. According to Patent Document 2, the dicing tape is cooled by operating the cold air supply means to supply cold air into the processing space and cooling the inside of the processing space to, for example, below zero.

As in Patent Document 2, by cooling the dicing tape, the dicing tape can be expanded in a state where the spring constant of the dicing tape is increased. As a result, the tension generated in the annular portion region 3B shown in FIG. 12 can be increased as compared with the uncooled dicing tape, so that even if the chip size is small, it can be divided into individual chips. It becomes.

On the other hand, in the field of the work dividing device, it is also required to prevent the quality deterioration of the chips due to the contact between the chips after the division by keeping the expanded state of the dicing tape expanded by the expanding ring.

As a work dividing device satisfying this requirement, a work dividing device provided with a sub ring is disclosed in Patent Document 3. The sub-ring of Patent Document 3 has a function of holding the dicing tape expanded by the expanding ring in an expanded state, and is configured to have a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the frame. The sub ring is raised from the back surface side of the dicing tape toward the dicing tape. Immediately after the sub ring passes through the frame, a fitting portion (also referred to as a lip) provided on the outer peripheral portion of the sub ring is inserted between the outer peripheral portion of the dicing tape and the surface of the frame. As a result, the expanded state of the dicing tape is maintained even after the expansion of the dicing tape by the expanding ring is completed. By maintaining the expanded state of the dicing tape in this way, it is possible to prevent the dicing tape from loosening, and thus it is possible to prevent the quality of the chips from deteriorating due to the contact between the chips.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-149581 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-12585 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-51368

However, since the work dividing devices of Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not have the sub-ring as in Patent Document 3, there is a possibility that the quality of the chips may be deteriorated due to the contact between the chips after the division.

On the other hand, when the sub-ring of Patent Document 3 is mounted on the work dividing device of Patent Document 2 that cools the dicing tape with cold air, there is a problem that the resin fitting portion of the sub-ring is hardened by a low temperature environment and becomes brittle. Occurs. Due to this problem, when the fitting portion of the sub ring is inserted between the outer peripheral portion of the dicing tape and the surface of the frame, the fitting portion may be damaged. Therefore, it is difficult to mount the sub-ring of Patent Document 3 on the work dividing device of Patent Document 2.

In this way, the conventional work dividing device solves the problem of undivided lines to be divided, which occurs when the chip size is small, and at the same time, solves the problem of chip quality deterioration due to contact between the divided chips. There was nothing that could be solved, and it was desired to realize such a device.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and the undivided problem of the planned division line that occurs when the chip size is small and the deterioration of chip quality due to the contact between the chips after division. It is an object of the present invention to provide a work dividing device and a work dividing method capable of solving problems at the same time.

In the work dividing device of the present invention, in order to achieve the object of the present invention, the outer peripheral portion of the dicing tape is fixed to a ring-shaped frame having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the work, and the work attached to the dicing tape is attached. In a work dividing device that divides into individual chips along a planned division line, an opening that is placed on the back surface side of the dicing tape on the opposite side of the work attachment surface, is smaller than the inner diameter of the frame, and is larger than the outer diameter of the work. An expanding ring formed in a ring shape having a portion, the expanding ring that presses and expands the dicing tape by being moved in a direction relatively close to the dicing tape, and the surface to which the work is attached on the dicing tape. An extended holding ring arranged on the opposite back side and formed in a ring shape having an elastically deformable fitting portion larger than the inner diameter of the frame, and fitted with the dicing tape expanded by the expanding ring. An expansion holding ring that holds the expanded state of the dicing tape by fitting the joint to the surface of the frame, a cooling part that cools the space including the expanding ring and the expansion holding ring, and a fitting part of the expansion holding ring. It is provided with a heating portion for heating the fitting portion cooled by the cooling portion before the mating portion is fitted to the surface of the frame.

According to the work dividing device of the present invention, the dicing tape is cooled by the cold air of the cooling unit, and the dicing tape is expanded by expanding in a state where the spring constant of the dicing tape is increased. Thereby, according to the work dividing device of the present invention, even if the chip size is a small chip, it can be divided into individual chips. At this time, since the fitting portion of the expansion retaining ring is cooled by cold air and its properties change from the elastic state to the embrittled state, the fitting portion is before being fitted to the surface of the frame. Is heated by the heating unit. As a result, the fitting portion is restored from the embrittled state to the elastic state, and then is fitted to the surface of the frame to hold the expanded state of the dicing tape.

As described above, according to the work dividing apparatus of the present invention, the problem of undivided scheduled division line that occurs when the chip size is small and the problem of chip quality deterioration due to contact between the chips after division are solved. It can be resolved at the same time.

In one aspect of the work dividing device of the present invention, the cooling unit supplies cold air at a temperature at which the dicing tape becomes brittle to the space, and the heating unit heats the fitting portion at a temperature exceeding the temperature of the cold air. , It is preferable to make the fitting portion elastic. As a result, the spring constant of the dicing tape increases due to the cold air, and the fitting portion recovers from the embrittled state to the elastic state.

In one aspect of the work dividing device of the present invention, it is preferable that the heating unit is a heat supply unit that supplies heat exceeding normal temperature to the fitting unit. As a result, the fitting portion reliably recovers from the embrittled state to the elastic state.

In one aspect of the work dividing device of the present invention, it is preferable that the heating unit is an air supply unit that supplies room temperature air to the fitting unit. As a result, the fitting portion reliably recovers from the embrittled state to the elastic state.

In the work dividing method of the present invention, in order to achieve the object of the present invention, the outer peripheral portion of the dicing tape is fixed to a ring-shaped frame having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the work, and the work attached to the dicing tape is attached. In the work division method in which the dicing tape is divided into individual chips along the planned division line, the dicing step of cooling the dicing tape with cold air and the expanding ring arranged on the back surface side opposite to the surface to which the work is attached on the dicing tape are diced. An expansion step of expanding the dicing tape by pressing the annular portion region of the dicing tape between the outer edge of the work and the inner edge of the frame by expanding ring by moving the dicing tape in a direction relatively close to the tape. A heating step for heating an elastically deformable fitting portion formed on the outer peripheral portion of the expansion holding ring, which is an expansion holding ring arranged on the back surface side opposite to the sticking surface of the work in the dicing tape. By moving the expansion holding ring in a direction relatively close to the dicing tape, the heated fitting portion is fitted to the surface of the frame to expand the dicing tape expanded by the expansion step. It comprises an extended state holding step of holding the state.

According to the work division method of the present invention, the problem of undivided lines to be divided, which occurs when the chip size is small, and the problem of chip quality deterioration due to contact between the divided chips can be solved at the same time. Can be done.

In one aspect of the work dividing method of the present invention, in the cooling step, cold air at a temperature at which the dicing tape becomes brittle is supplied to the dicing tape, and in the heating step, the fitting portion is heated at a temperature exceeding the temperature of the cold air. Therefore, it is preferable to make the fitting portion elastic. As a result, the spring constant of the dicing tape increases due to the cold air, and the fitting portion recovers from the embrittled state to the elastic state.

In one aspect of the work dividing method of the present invention, it is preferable that the heating step supplies heat exceeding room temperature to the fitting portion. As a result, the fitting portion reliably recovers from the embrittled state to the elastic state.

In one aspect of the work dividing method of the present invention, it is preferable that room temperature air is supplied to the fitting portion in the heating step. As a result, the fitting portion reliably recovers from the embrittled state to the elastic state.

According to the present invention, it is possible to simultaneously solve the problem of undivided lines to be divided, which occurs when the chip size is small, and the problem of chip quality deterioration due to contact between the chips after division.

Structural drawing of the main part of the division stage of the work division device of the embodiment Enlarged perspective view of the main part of the split stage shown in FIG. Longitudinal cross-sectional view of the main part of the wafer unit showing the shape of the annular part region during expansion. Vertical sectional view showing the expanded state of the dicing tape by the extended retaining ring. Enlarged sectional view of the main part of FIG. Block diagram showing the control system of the work dividing device Flow chart showing an example of wafer division method Operation explanatory diagram of work dividing device Operation explanatory diagram of work dividing device Explanatory drawing to which the air supply part that supplies normal temperature air is applied as a heating part Explanatory drawing of the wafer unit to which the wafer is attached Longitudinal section of the wafer unit Side view of the main part of the work dividing device Operation diagram of work dividing device Longitudinal section of the wafer unit in which the wafer is divided

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the work dividing device and the work dividing method according to the present invention will be described in detail in accordance with the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be added to the following embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a main part of a division stage provided in the work division device 10 according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the division stage. The size of the wafer unit to be divided by the work dividing device 10 is not limited, but in the embodiment, the wafer unit 2 on which the wafer 1 having a diameter of 300 mm shown in FIG. 12 is mounted is exemplified.

As shown in FIG. 2, the work dividing device 10 is a device that divides the wafer 1 on which the scheduled division line 5 is formed into individual chips 6 along the scheduled division line 5. A plurality of scheduled division lines 5 are formed in the X direction and the Y direction orthogonal to each other. In the embodiment, the number of planned division lines 5 parallel to the X direction and the number of planned division lines 5 parallel to the Y direction are 300, respectively, and the intervals are the same. Wafer 1, that is, a chip having a chip size of 1 mm. The wafer 1 divided into 6 is illustrated.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wafer 1 is attached to the central portion of the dicing tape 3 whose outer peripheral portion is fixed to the frame 4. The dicing tape 3 has a plan-view circular shape center region 3A to which the wafer 1 is attached, and a plan-view donut shape between the outer edge portion (outer edge portion of the wafer 1) of the central portion region 3A and the inner edge portion of the frame 4. It has an annular portion region 3B of.

The thickness of the wafer 1 is, for example, about 50 μm. Further, as the dicing tape 3, for example, a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) -based tape is used. The wafer 1 may be attached to the dicing tape 3 via a film-like adhesive such as DAF (Die Attach Film). As the film-like adhesive, for example, a PO (polyolefin) -based adhesive can be used.

The work dividing device 10 abuts on the fixing portion 7 (see FIGS. 13 and 14) for fixing the frame 4 and the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3 from below to press and expand the dicing tape 3. It has a ring 14 and an extended retaining ring (also referred to as a sub-ring) 18 for holding the expanded state of the dicing tape 3 expanded by the expanding ring 14.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the work dividing device 10 includes a cooling chamber 16 surrounding a fixing portion 7, an expanding ring 14, and an extended holding ring 18. Further, in the work dividing device 10, the cold air supply unit 24 provided with the nozzle 22 for supplying the cold air 20 below zero to the cooling chamber 16 and the fitting portion 26 of the expansion retaining ring 18 are before being fitted to the surface 4A of the frame 4. A halogen lamp 28, which is a heating portion for heating the fitting portion 26 cooled by the cold air 20, is provided. The halogen lamp 28 is also surrounded by the cooling chamber 16. Further, the cooling unit is composed of the cooling chamber 16 and the cold air supply unit 24. Then, the cold air 20 is supplied to the indoor space 17 of the cooling chamber 16, which is a space including the expanding ring 14 and the extended retaining ring 18.

The fixing portion 7 is arranged on the same side as the sticking surface of the wafer 1 in the dicing tape 3, and the frame 4 is detachably fixed to the lower surface 7A thereof. Further, the fixing portion 7 is installed at a position outwardly separated from the annular portion region 3B in the in-plane direction of the dicing tape 3 indicated by the arrow A so as not to come into contact with the annular portion region 3B expanded by the expanding ring 14. ing.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shape of the fixing portion 7 is a ring shape having an opening portion 7B having a diameter of 361 mm, which is larger than the inner diameter (350 mm) of the frame 4, but the shape is not particularly limited. As the fixing portion 7, for example, a rectangular plate-shaped material having an opening 7B can be exemplified, and a fixing portion composed of a plurality of fixing members arranged at predetermined intervals along the outer periphery of the frame 4 is exemplified. You can also do it. The inscribed circle of these fixing members is set equal to the diameter of the opening 7B.

The expanding ring 14 is arranged on the back surface side of the dicing tape 3 opposite to the attachment surface of the wafer 1, and is an expansion opening smaller than the inner diameter (350 mm) of the frame 4 and larger than the outer diameter (300 mm) of the wafer 1. It is formed in a ring shape having a portion (opening portion) 14A. The expanding ring 14 is movably arranged in a direction relatively close to the dicing tape 3. Specifically, the expanding ring 14 presses the back surface of the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3 to expand the annular portion region 3B (position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) and downward from the expansion position. It is movably arranged in the vertical direction with and from the retracted position (position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1) retracted to.

Further, the work dividing device 10 is provided with an expanding ring moving mechanism 30 that moves the expanding ring 14 up and down between the expanded position and the retracted position. As an example of the expanding ring moving mechanism 30, a feed screw device is illustrated, but an actuator such as an air cylinder device can be used instead. When the expanding ring 14 located at the retracted position is moved toward the expanded position by the expanding ring moving mechanism 30, the expanding ring 14 is moved upward in the direction of arrow B toward the annular portion region 3B. As a result, the back surface of the annular portion region 3B is pressed by the expanding ring 14 and expanded radially. The expanding ring 14 may be fixed and the wafer unit 2 may be moved downward in the direction of the arrow C to press the annular portion region 3B by the expanding ring 14.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of the wafer unit 2 showing the shape of the annular portion region 3B being expanded by the expanding ring 14. As will be described later, prior to the expansion of the annular portion region 3B by the expanding ring 14, the interior space 17 is cooled by, for example, cold air 20 at −20 to −40 ° C. supplied from the nozzle 22 to the interior space 17 of the cooling chamber 16. To. As a result, the dicing tape 3 is made brittle and the spring constant of the dicing tape 3 is larger than that at room temperature. In this state, the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3 is expanded by the expanding ring 14, so that even if the chip size is small, it can be divided into individual chips. The temperature of the annular portion region 3B cooled by the cold air 20 may be measured by a radiation thermometer (not shown). Further, the temperature change data of the annular portion region 3B based on the temperature of the cold air 20 and the supply time of the cold air 20 may be measured in advance, and the supply time of the cold air 20 may be controlled based on the temperature change data.

The nozzle 22 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged in the cooling chamber 16 toward the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3. As a result, the annular portion region 3B is efficiently cooled by the cold air 20. Further, the cold air supply unit 24 includes a heat exchanger that cools the sucked outside air to below zero, and the cold air 20 cooled by the heat exchanger is supplied to the nozzle 22 via the pipe 25. Although the cold air supply unit 24 is arranged outside the cooling chamber 16 in FIG. 1, it may be arranged inside the cooling chamber 16. In this case, since the cold air supply unit 24 cools the cooled indoor air in the indoor space 17, the load on the heat exchanger can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 1, the expansion retaining ring 18 for holding the expanded state of the dicing tape 3 is arranged on the back surface side of the dicing tape 3 opposite to the sticking surface of the wafer 1. Further, the expansion holding ring 18 is attached to the main body ring 32 whose outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter (350 mm) of the frame 4 and whose inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the expanding ring 14, and to the outer peripheral portion of the main body ring 32. It has a ring-shaped fitting portion 26 having an elastically deformable ring shape having a diameter (351.3 mm) larger than the inner diameter (350 mm) of the frame 4. As the material of the fitting portion 26, PP (polypropylene) that becomes brittle in a subzero environment is exemplified. The material of the fitting portion 26 is not limited to PP, but is preferably a material that becomes brittle at least below zero and has elasticity in a room temperature environment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the halogen lamp 28 that heats the fitting portion 26 is arranged so as to surround the fitting portion 26 of the expansion holding ring 18 located at the standby position shown by the solid line. The halogen lamp 28 is configured in a ring shape as shown in FIG. 2, but the shape is not limited to the ring shape. For example, a rod-shaped halogen lamp may be used. In this case, the fitting portion 26 may be surrounded by a plurality of rod-shaped halogen lamps.

The halogen lamp 28 lights up and dissipates heat by the electric power supplied from the halogen lamp power supply 34. Further, a reflector 36 is arranged close to the halogen lamp 28 on the outside of the halogen lamp 28. As a result, the fitting portion 26 is heated to a temperature exceeding normal temperature by the direct heat from the halogen lamp 28 and the reflected heat reflected by the reflector 36. The expansion holding ring 18 is raised from the standby position after the temperature of the fitting portion 26 is raised to a temperature exceeding normal temperature, for example, a temperature exceeding 20 ° C., and holds the expanded state of the dicing tape 3. The temperature of the fitting portion 26 heated by the halogen lamp 28 may be measured by a radiation thermometer (not shown). Further, the temperature change data of the fitting portion 26 based on the lighting time of the halogen lamp 28 may be measured in advance, and the lighting time of the halogen lamp 28 may be controlled based on the temperature change data.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view in which the expanded state of the dicing tape 3 is held by the extended holding ring 18. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the fitting portion 26 of the expansion retaining ring 18 is fitted to the surface 4A of the frame 4 at the fitting position shown by the solid line via the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3. As a result, the expanded state of the dicing tape 3 is held by the expanded retaining ring 18.

Before the expansion holding, the expansion holding ring 18 is arranged at a standby position below the fitting position shown by the solid line in FIGS. 4 and 5 (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1), and from the standby position during the expansion holding. It is moved up to the fitting position by the extended retaining ring moving mechanism 38. As an example of the extended holding ring moving mechanism 38, a feed screw device is illustrated, but an actuator such as an air cylinder device can be used instead.

When the extended retaining ring 18 is raised by the extended retaining ring moving mechanism 38, the fitting portion 26 heated to a temperature exceeding normal temperature by the halogen lamp 28 comes into contact with the lower surface of the frame 4. At this time, since the fitting portion 26 has recovered from the brittle state to the elastic state, it is pushed by the inner peripheral surface of the frame 4 by the continuous ascending movement of the expansion retaining ring 18 and ascends while being elastically deformed. Then, the ascending of the expansion retaining ring 18 is stopped at the position where the fitting portion 26 passes through the inner peripheral surface of the frame 4. As a result, the fitting portion 26 restored to the elastic state is fitted to the surface 4A of the frame 4 at the fitting position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The expansion retaining ring 18 may be fixed and the dicing tape 3 side may be moved in a direction closer to the expansion retention ring 18. That is, when the fitting portion 26 is fitted to the surface 4A of the frame 4, the expansion retaining ring 18 may be moved in a direction relatively close to the dicing tape 3.

The expanding ring moving mechanism 30 for driving the expanding ring 14, the expanding holding ring moving mechanism 38 for driving the expansion holding ring 18, the cold air supply unit 24, and the halogen lamp power supply 34 are workpieces as shown in the block diagram of the control system of FIG. The operation is controlled by the control unit 40 that controls the division device 10 in an integrated manner.

Next, the work dividing method will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7, and the operation explanatory diagrams of the work dividing devices 10 shown in FIGS. 8 (A) to 8 (D) and FIGS. 9 (A) to 9 (D).

First, in the arrangement step of step S100 of FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 8A, the expanding ring 14 is arranged in the retracted position by the expanding ring moving mechanism 30, and the extended retaining ring 18 is placed in the standby position by the extended holding ring moving mechanism 38. To be placed in.

Next, in the fixing step of step S110 of FIG. 7, the frame 4 of the wafer unit 2 is fixed to the fixing portion 7 as shown in FIG. 8 (B).

Next, in the cold air cooling step of step S130 of FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 8C, the cold air 20 is supplied from the nozzle 22 to the indoor space 17 (see FIG. 1) of the cooling chamber 16, and the annular portion of the dicing tape 3 is provided. Region 3B is cooled below zero (eg −20 to −40 ° C.). As a result, the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3 is made brittle. The temperature of the cold air 20 is not limited to below zero, and may be any temperature below the temperature at which the dicing tape 3 becomes brittle.

Next, in the expansion start step of step S140 of FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 8D, the expanding ring 14 is moved from the retracted position of FIG. 8A toward the expanded position by the expanding ring moving mechanism 30 in the direction of arrow B. And start expanding the entire region of the brittled annular region 3B. In the expansion start step, the state in which the cold air 20 is injected from the nozzle 22 may be maintained, and in the cold air cooling step of step S130, when the annular portion region 3B is sufficiently cooled, the cold air from the nozzle 22 is sufficiently cooled. The injection of 20 may be stopped.

Next, in the dividing step of step S150 of FIG. 7, the wafer 1 is divided into individual chips 6 by continuing the ascending movement of the expanding ring 14 as shown in FIG. 9A. After that, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the expanding ring 14 reaches the expanded position, the ascending movement of the expanding ring 14 is stopped.

In the dividing step of step S150, the tension of the spring constant of the annular portion region 3B in which the spring constant is larger than that at room temperature is applied to the wafer 1. As a result, even if the chip size is small (1 mm), tension sufficient to divide the individual chips 6 can be applied to the wafer 1 from the annular portion region 3B. Therefore, according to the work dividing device 10, it is possible to solve the undivided problem of the scheduled division line that occurs when the chip size is a small chip (1 mm).

Next, in the heating step of step S160 of FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 9B, the halogen lamp 28 is turned on to heat the fitting portion 26 of the extended retaining ring 18 to a temperature exceeding room temperature. The heating step of step S160 may be performed during the division step of step S150, or may be performed after the division step of step S150 is completed. Further, the temperature at which the fitting portion 26 is heated by the halogen lamp 28 is not limited to a temperature exceeding normal temperature, but is a temperature exceeding the temperature of the cold air 20, and the fitting portion 26 is brittled by the cold air 20. Should be a temperature that restores the elastic state.

Next, in the expanded state holding step of step S170 of FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 9C, the extended holding ring 18 is raised from the standby position to the fitting position by the extended holding ring moving mechanism 38, and is in an elastic state. The fitting portion 26 recovered from the above is fitted to the surface 4A of the frame 4 at the fitting position to hold the expanded state of the dicing tape 3.

Next, in the expanding retracting step of step S180 of FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 9D, the expanding ring 14 is moved downward toward the retracting position by the expanding ring moving mechanism 30 and placed at the retracting position. At this time, the dicing tape 3 is released from the expansion by the expanding ring 14, but the fitting portion 26 of the expansion holding ring 18 is fitted to the surface 4A of the frame 4, so that the expansion state is maintained without loosening. To. As a result, it is possible to prevent the chips 6 from coming into contact with each other due to the expanded dicing tape 3 being loosened, and thus it is possible to prevent the quality of the chips 6 from deteriorating.

According to the work dividing method by the work dividing device 10 of the embodiment as described above, since the cold air cooling step of step S130 is provided, the dicing tape 3 can be made brittle and the spring constant of the dicing tape 3 can be increased. As a result, it is possible to solve the undivided problem of the scheduled division line that occurs when the chip size is a small chip.

Further, according to the work dividing method by the work dividing device 10 of the embodiment, since the heating step of step S160 is provided, the fitting portion 26 cooled to the embrittled state in the cold air cooling step of step S130 is brought into an elastic state. It can be recovered. After that, since the expanded state holding step of step S170 is provided, the fitting portion 26 restored to the elastic state can be fitted to the surface 4A of the frame 4. As a result, it is possible to solve the problem of chip quality deterioration due to contact between the chips after division.

In the above embodiment, the halogen lamp 28 is exemplified as the heating unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as the heating unit, a far-infrared lamp, an infrared lamp, a ceramic heater, a carbon heater, a hot air heater, or a contact type heater can be exemplified. According to these heating portions, the brittle fitting portion 26 can be heated and restored to an elastic state even in the cooling chamber 16 in a low temperature environment.

Further, as the heating unit, as shown in FIG. 10, an air supply unit 44 that supplies room temperature air 42 may be provided in the fitting portion 26 of the expansion retaining ring 18. According to this heating portion, the fitting portion 26 can be restored from the brittle state to the elastic state by supplying the room temperature air 42 even in the room of the cooling chamber 16 in a low temperature environment.

In the present invention, in the indoor space 17 of the cooling chamber 16 under a low temperature environment, the fitting portion 26 of the expansion retaining ring 18 is heated by the heating portion to restore the elastic state, and then dicing by the expansion retention ring 18. Although the expanded state of the tape 3 is maintained, the fitting portion 26 can be fitted to the surface 4A of the frame 4 without using the heating portion. For example, the standby position of the expansion retaining ring 18 is set to the outside of the cooling chamber 16 in a normal temperature environment, and the cooling chamber 16 is provided with a door for inserting and removing the expansion retention ring 18. Then, when holding the expanded state of the dicing tape 3, the door is opened, the expanded holding ring 18 is moved from the outdoor side of the cooling chamber 16 to the indoor space 17, and the fitting portion 26 in the normal temperature state is moved to the surface of the frame 4. Fit to 4A. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to simultaneously solve the undivided problem of the scheduled division line that occurs when the chip size is small and the problem of chip quality deterioration due to contact between the chips after division. can.

1 ... Wafer, 2 ... Wafer unit, 3 ... Dicing tape, 3A ... Central region, 3B ... Circular region, 3C ... Fixed region, 4 ... Frame, 5 ... Scheduled division line, 6 ... Chip, 7 ... Fixed region , 8 ... Expanding ring, 10 ... Work dividing device, 14 ... Expanding ring, 16 ... Cooling chamber, 17 ... Indoor space, 18 ... Expansion holding ring, 20 ... Cold air, 22 ... Nozzle, 24 ... Cold air supply unit, 25 ... Piping , 26 ... Halogen lamp, 28 ... Halogen lamp, 30 ... Expanding ring moving mechanism, 32 ... Main body ring, 34 ... Halogen lamp power supply, 36 ... Reflector, 38 ... Expanded retaining ring moving mechanism, 40 ... Control unit, 42 ... Room temperature Air, 44 ... Air supply unit

Claims (8)

In a work dividing device that divides a work mounted on a frame via a dicing tape into individual chips along a planned division line.
An expanding ring that expands the dicing tape,
An expansion holding ring formed in a ring shape having an elastically deformable fitting portion, and the fitting portion is fitted to the surface of the frame in a state where the dicing tape is expanded by the expanding ring. Thereby, the expansion holding ring for holding the expanded state of the dicing tape and the expansion holding ring
A cooling unit that cools the space including the expanding ring and the extended retaining ring,
A heating portion that heats the fitting portion cooled by the cooling portion before the fitting portion of the expansion retaining ring is fitted to the surface of the frame.
A work dividing device. The cooling unit supplies cold air at a temperature at which the dicing tape becomes brittle to the space.
The heating portion heats the fitting portion at a temperature exceeding the temperature of the cold air to make the fitting portion elastic.
The work dividing device according to claim 1. The work dividing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating unit is a heat supply unit that supplies heat exceeding room temperature to the fitting unit. The work dividing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating unit is an air supply unit that supplies room temperature air to the fitting unit. In the work division method in which the work mounted on the frame via the dicing tape is divided into individual chips along the planned division line.
A cooling step of cooling the dicing tape with cold air,
An expansion process for expanding the dicing tape by expanding and
A heating process that heats the elastically deformable fitting portion formed on the outer peripheral portion of the expansion retaining ring, and
An expanded state holding step of fitting the heated fitting portion to the surface of the frame and holding the expanded state of the dicing tape expanded by the expanding step.
A work division method. In the cooling step, the cold air at a temperature at which the dicing tape becomes brittle is supplied to the dicing tape.
In the heating step, the fitting portion is heated at a temperature exceeding the temperature of the cold air to make the fitting portion elastic.
The work dividing method according to claim 5. The work dividing method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the heating step supplies heat exceeding room temperature to the fitting portion. The work dividing method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the heating step supplies room temperature air to the fitting portion.

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