JP7309280B2 - Workpiece, Workpiece Manufacturing Method, and Workpiece Processing Method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention provides an object to be processed by a processing apparatus such as a cutting apparatus, a laser processing apparatus, and a grinding apparatus capable of processing a wafer made of a material such as a semiconductor; and a method for processing the object to be processed.

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacturing process of device chips used in electronic devices such as mobile phones and personal computers, first, a plurality of intersecting dividing lines (streets) are set on the surface of a wafer made of a material such as a semiconductor. Then, devices such as ICs (Integrated Circuits) and LSIs (Large-Scale Integration) are formed in each region partitioned by the planned division lines.

Next, the wafer is ground from the back side by a grinding machine to thin the wafer to the thickness of the specification of the device chip. Thereafter, by dividing the wafer along the dividing lines, individual device chips are formed. For dividing the wafer, for example, a cutting device having an annular cutting blade or a laser processing device capable of laser processing the wafer by irradiating the wafer with a laser beam is used.

As another method for manufacturing device chips, grooves having a depth corresponding to the thickness of the device chip specification are formed on the front surface of the wafer along the dividing lines, and then the wafer is ground from the back side. A method of thinning until the bottom surface of the groove is removed is known (see Patent Document 1, for example).

By the way, in order to change the specifications of the device chip, there are cases where the material of the wafer is changed, or the material, thickness, pattern shape, etc. of each film constituting the device is changed. Moreover, the size of the device chip to be manufactured may be changed. In these cases, it is not always possible to obtain the desired processing result even if the wafer is processed under the processing conditions that have been practiced in a processing device such as a cutting device, a laser processing device, or a grinding device. Therefore, test processing is performed to verify whether the wafer is processed appropriately, and the processing results are evaluated.

When the desired machining results cannot be obtained with the existing machining conditions, test machining is repeatedly performed under various machining conditions in order to pursue machining conditions that will yield the desired machining results. Also, even if the specifications of the device chip are not changed, test machining is repeatedly performed to pursue optimum machining conditions in order to realize more appropriate and highly efficient machining.

JP-A-11-40520

When forming a device on the surface of a wafer, it is necessary to repeatedly perform a film formation process and a patterning process on the wafer in order to stack a large number of films constituting the device. In order to manufacture high-performance device chips, high-quality members and high-performance equipment are used in each process. Therefore, manufacturing a wafer on which a plurality of devices are formed requires extremely large financial and time costs. In test processing, high-value wafers on which a plurality of devices are formed are consumed one after another, so loss cannot be ignored.

In addition, it is difficult in the first place to prepare a sufficient number of wafers to be subjected to test processing, etc. at an early stage, especially when the specifications of device chips are changed. If a sufficient number of wafers are not available, test processing cannot be sufficiently performed, and appropriate processing conditions cannot be pursued. On the other hand, in order to quickly supply device chips with changed specifications to the market, test processing cannot wait until a sufficient number of wafers are available.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and its object is to provide a work piece, a work piece manufacturing method, and a work piece that can dramatically reduce the number of wafers consumed in test processing or the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for processing a workpiece.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a plurality of workpieces are manufactured by dividing a wafer in which a plurality of mutually intersecting dividing lines are set on the surface and devices are formed in respective regions partitioned by the dividing lines. wherein the wafer is divided along some of the planned division lines included in the plurality of planned division lines to produce the plurality of devices and the unprocessed divisions between the devices a block forming step of forming a plurality of blocks each having a predetermined line; a simulated wafer preparing step of preparing a simulated wafer having openings for accommodating the blocks and exhibiting the size and shape of the wafer; and a protective member disposing step of disposing a protective member on the simulated wafer so as to block the opening, wherein the simulated wafer and the block are connected to each other by the protective member. and a workpiece forming step of forming the workpiece by integrating the workpiece through the workpiece.

Preferably, the material of the simulated wafer is the same material as the material of the block.

Also, preferably, in the workpiece forming step, the protective member is disposed on either the surface or the back surface of the block having the device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of processing a workpiece for processing the workpiece manufactured by the method of manufacturing a workpiece, the holding unit having a holding surface capable of holding the wafer. and a processing unit capable of processing the wafer held by the holding unit; and a machining step of machining the workpiece held by the holding surface with the machining unit.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, a block having a plurality of devices on its surface and having dividing lines set between the devices, a simulated wafer having openings for accommodating the blocks, and the simulated wafer An object to be processed is provided, comprising a protective member that integrates the block accommodated in the opening and the simulated wafer.

Preferably, the material of the simulated wafer is the same material as the material of the block.

Also, preferably, the protective member is disposed on either the front surface or the back surface of the block.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing method for processing the workpiece, comprising: a holding unit having a holding surface capable of holding the simulated wafer and a wafer having a size and shape; a processing unit capable of processing the wafer held by the holding unit; a workpiece holding step of holding the workpiece on the holding surface of the holding unit of a processing apparatus; and a machining step of machining the workpiece held by the surface with the machining unit.

When performing test processing on a wafer and evaluating processing results, the states of regions where devices are formed and regions where division lines are set are the main objects of evaluation. In the object to be processed, the method for manufacturing the object to be processed, and the method to process the object to be processed according to one aspect of the present invention, the simulated wafer and the block accommodated in the opening of the simulated wafer are integrated with each other via the protective member. Become. Here, the block constituting the manufactured workpiece includes a line to be divided and a plurality of devices. Therefore, the object to be processed can be used for test processing instead of the wafer.

Therefore, the object to be processed has the same value as a high-value wafer when performing test processing. On the other hand, since the process of manufacturing a workpiece does not require expensive members or complicated processes, the cost is extremely low and the time required for the process is extremely short compared to the process of manufacturing a wafer. In addition, since the workpieces can be manufactured in the same number as the blocks cut out from the wafer, they can be manufactured in large quantities from a small number of wafers. In other words, the use of workpieces for test processing can dramatically reduce the number of wafers consumed, resulting in cost savings.

Here, it is conceivable to perform test processing using only blocks cut out from a wafer, but since the shape and size of blocks and wafers differ greatly, it is possible to process both under the same conditions. The results are quite different. Moreover, the block alone cannot be adequately retained in the retaining unit of the processing apparatus. As a result, the test machining cannot be performed properly, and the results of the test machining cannot be properly evaluated.

On the other hand, in the object to be processed, since the simulated wafer is arranged around the block, the object to be processed is properly held by the holding unit of the processing apparatus. Then, the block is processed together with the simulated wafer in the same manner as when processing the wafer. That is, the blocks and the simulated wafers are processed in the same manner as the wafers, and similar processing results are obtained. Therefore, even if the object to be processed is used for test processing instead of the wafer, the processing result can be properly evaluated.

Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, there are provided a work piece, a work piece manufacturing method, and a work piece processing method that can dramatically reduce the number of wafers consumed in test processing or the like.

It is a perspective view which shows a block formation process typically. FIG. 2(A) is a perspective view schematically showing a wafer after a block forming step, and FIG. 2(B) is a perspective view schematically showing blocks. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of a simulated wafer preparation process; It is a perspective view which shows an example of a to-be-processed object formation process typically. It is a perspective view which shows typically a to-be-processed object holding process. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of how an object to be processed is processed; FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of how the object to be processed is processed; FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of the process of forming a workpiece; FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of the object to be processed; FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically showing still another example of how the object to be processed is processed; FIG. 11(A) is a flow chart showing the flow of each process in the method for manufacturing a workpiece, and FIG. 11(B) is a flow chart showing the flow of each process in the process of forming the workpiece.

An embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a description will be given of a wafer as a material for a block used for the object to be processed according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 includes a perspective view schematically showing the wafer 1. FIG.

The wafer 1 is made of materials such as Si (silicon), SiC (silicon carbide), GaN (gallium nitride), GaAs (gallium arsenide), or other semiconductors, or materials such as sapphire, glass, or quartz. It is a substantially disc-shaped substrate or the like made of. Examples of the glass include alkali glass, alkali-free glass, soda-lime glass, lead glass, borosilicate glass, and quartz glass. However, the shape of the wafer 1 is not limited to a disk shape.

A plurality of dividing lines 3 are set on the surface 1a of the wafer 1 so as to cross each other. Devices 5, such as ICs and LSIs, are formed in respective regions of the surface 1a of the wafer 1 partitioned by the planned division lines 3. As shown in FIG. A wafer 1 having devices 5 formed thereon is ground from the back side to be thinned to a predetermined thickness, and then the wafer 1 is divided along division lines 3 to obtain individual device chips of a predetermined thickness. . The manufactured device chip is mounted on an electronic device and used.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a significant demand for improving the performance of electronic equipment on which device chips are mounted, and new device chips are being developed to meet this demand. Here, when manufacturing a new device chip, it is not always appropriate to carry out the conventional process of grinding the wafer 1 on which a plurality of devices 5 are formed or dividing the wafer 1 . Therefore, when the specifications of the devices 5 formed on the wafer 1 are changed, it is necessary to test the wafer 1 and evaluate the processing results.

However, wafers 1 on which devices 5 with changed specifications are formed are extremely valuable in the trial production stage of device chips, and it is difficult to secure a sufficient number of wafers 1 for test processing.

In addition, when manufacturing a device chip, materials such as a conductive film and an insulating film that constitute the device 5 are required, and when patterning these films into a predetermined shape, resist materials and various chemical solutions are also required. becomes. The wafer 1 itself also uses members of controlled quality. In addition, when forming the device 5, various apparatuses such as a film forming apparatus, an etching apparatus, and a cleaning apparatus are required. Device 5 is then formed by performing a large number of steps in these apparatuses.

That is, the wafer 1 on which a plurality of devices 5 are formed is costly in terms of money and time, and if the wafers 1 are consumed one after another for test processing, the loss will be enormous. This applies not only to changing the specifications of the device chip, but also to performing test machining and evaluating the machining results in order to pursue more favorable machining conditions. This problem has become particularly conspicuous in recent years because various costs for forming the device 5 have increased as the performance of the device 5 has improved.

Therefore, in order to dramatically reduce the amount of consumption in the test processing of the wafer 1 on which the devices 5 are formed, a work piece, a work piece processing method, and a work piece manufacturing method according to the present embodiment are provided. . The object to be processed is consumed instead of the wafer 1 when performing test processing. By evaluating the results of the test processing performed on the object to be processed, the same findings as when the wafer 1 is subjected to the test processing can be obtained. Next, an object to be processed and a method for manufacturing the object to be processed according to the present embodiment will be described.

In the method of manufacturing the workpiece, the wafer 1 is divided as shown in FIG. 1 to form blocks 13 shown in FIG. 2(B). Also, a simulated wafer 19 having openings 21 shown in FIG. 4 is prepared. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the blocks 13 are accommodated in the openings 21 of the simulated wafer 19, and a tape-like protective member 23 is disposed on the simulated wafer 19 and the blocks 13, thereby forming the workpiece 27 illustrated in FIG. can be manufactured.

FIG. 11A is a flow chart showing the flow of each step of the method for manufacturing the workpiece 27. FIG. In this manufacturing method, a block forming step S10, a simulated wafer preparing step S20, and a workpiece forming step S30 are performed. FIG. 11B is a flow chart showing the flow of each process performed in the workpiece forming process S30. In the workpiece forming step S30, a block accommodating step S31 and a protective member arranging step S32 are performed. Each step of the manufacturing method will be described in detail below, and the workpiece 27 will also be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing how the block forming step S10 is carried out. In the block forming step S10, first, the wafer 1 is prepared. As described above, the wafer 1 has a plurality of dividing lines 3 that intersect each other on the surface 1 a , and the devices 5 are formed in the regions partitioned by the dividing lines 3 . In the block forming step S10, the wafer 1 is divided along some of the dividing lines 3 included in the plurality of dividing lines 3 set on the wafer 1 .

In order to divide the wafer 1, for example, the wafer 1 may be cut along the dividing line 3 using the cutting device 2 shown in FIG. However, the method of dividing the wafer 1 is not limited to this. The cutting device 2 includes a cutting unit 4 that cuts the wafer 1 and a holding unit (not shown) that holds the wafer 1 . The cutting unit 4 includes an annular cutting blade 8 and a spindle whose tip 12 side penetrates through a central through hole of the cutting blade 8 .

The cutting blade 8 includes, for example, an annular base having the through hole in the center, and an annular grindstone portion provided on the outer peripheral portion of the annular base. The proximal end of the spindle is connected to a spindle motor (not shown) housed inside the spindle housing 6, and the cutting blade 8 can be rotated by operating the spindle motor.

When the wafer 1 is cut by the cutting blade 8 , heat is generated due to friction between the cutting blade 8 and the wafer 1 . Moreover, when the wafer 1 is cut, chips are generated from the wafer 1 . Therefore, cutting water such as pure water is supplied to the cutting blade 8 and the wafer 1 while the wafer 1 is being cut, in order to remove heat and chips generated by cutting. The cutting unit 4 includes a cutting water supply nozzle 10 for supplying cutting water to the cutting blade 8 and the like on the side of the cutting blade 8 .

Before carrying the wafer 1 into the cutting device 2, the wafer 1, an annular frame 9 made of metal or the like, and an adhesive tape 7 called a dicing tape are integrated to form a frame unit 11. be. The adhesive tape 7 is attached to the annular frame 9 so as to close the opening of the annular frame 9 , and the adhesive surface of the adhesive tape 7 is exposed inside the opening of the annular frame 9 . A wafer 1 is adhered to the adhesive surface exposed in the opening. The wafer 1 in the state of the frame unit 11 is carried into the cutting device 2 and cut.

When cutting the wafer 1 , the frame unit 11 is placed on the holding unit, and the wafer 1 is held by the holding unit via the adhesive tape 7 . Then, the holding unit is rotated to align the dividing line 3 of the wafer 1 with the processing feed direction of the cutting device 2 . Also, the relative positions of the holding unit and the cutting unit 4 are adjusted so that the cutting blade 8 is arranged above the extension of the planned dividing line 3 to be divided.

The cutting blade 8 is then rotated by rotating the spindle. Then, the cutting unit 4 is lowered to a predetermined height position, and the holding unit and the cutting unit 4 are relatively moved along the processing feed direction parallel to the upper surface of the holding unit. Then, the grindstone portion of the rotating cutting blade 8 comes into contact with the wafer 1 and cuts the wafer 1 to form cutting grooves 3 a along the dividing line 3 in the wafer 1 .

After performing cutting along one planned dividing line 3, the holding unit and the cutting unit 4 are moved in the indexing feed direction perpendicular to the processing feed direction, and along the other planned dividing line 3 to be divided. Wafer 1 is similarly cut. After cutting along the intended splitting line 3 for all splitting along one direction, the holding unit is rotated about an axis perpendicular to the holding surface and splitting along the other direction as well. The wafer 1 is cut along the dividing line 3 to be the object of .

FIG. 2A shows a schematic perspective view of the wafer 1 divided into individual blocks 13 . When the wafer 1 is cut along the dividing lines 3 to be divided, a plurality of blocks 13 surrounded by the cutting grooves 3a are formed. Note that the planned dividing line 3 to be divided is appropriately determined according to the shape of the block 13 . Here, the block 13 and the line to be divided 3 to be divided will be described.

FIG. 2B schematically shows a perspective view of the block 13. As shown in FIG. The formed blocks 13 each comprise a plurality of devices 5 and raw planned dividing lines 3 between the devices 5 . The block 13 shown in FIG. 2(B) includes a total of four devices 5 arranged vertically and horizontally two by two, and two unprocessed planned dividing lines 3 that intersect each other in the center.

The block 13 constitutes a workpiece according to this embodiment, as will be described later. A test machining is then performed on the workpiece comprising the block 13 and the results of the machining are evaluated. Here, when evaluating the result of the test processing, the state of the area where the device 5 is formed and the area where the planned dividing line 3 between the devices 5 is set are the main objects of evaluation.

The plurality of devices 5 formed on the surface 1a of the wafer 1 basically have the same structure, and the dividing lines 3 set between the devices 5 also have the same structure. When test processing is performed on the wafer 1, the regions where each device 5 is formed are similarly processed, and the regions where each dividing line 3 is set are also processed similarly.

Therefore, in evaluating the result of the test processing, at least one region in which the device 5 is formed, at least one region in which the planned dividing line 3 is set, and It may be sufficient to observe the For example, it is a case of evaluating an element resulting from the lamination structure of the processed portion among the processed results. Therefore, in the method for manufacturing a workpiece according to the present embodiment, a block 13 including a plurality of devices 5 and an unprocessed dividing line 3 between the devices 5 is formed.

2(A) and 2(B) show the block 13 having four devices 5 on the surface 13a and including two planned division lines 3, but the block 13 is not limited to this. That is, the block 13 only needs to include at least two devices 5 adjacent to each other and one planned dividing line 3 between the two devices 5 . Also, the number of devices 5 and the number of lines to be divided 3 included in each block 13 formed by dividing one wafer 1 need not be constant.

Next, the simulated wafer preparation step S20 performed in the method for manufacturing a workpiece according to this embodiment will be described. In the simulated wafer preparation step S20, a simulated wafer 19 (see FIG. 4, etc.) which imitates the wafer 1 is prepared. The simulated wafer 19 is integrated with the block 13 and used as a part of the workpiece 27 as will be described later. Then, instead of the wafer 1, the object 27 to be processed is subjected to test processing, and the result of the test processing is evaluated. At this time, unless the workpiece 27 is processed in the same manner as the wafer 1, the results of the test processing cannot be properly evaluated.

Therefore, the simulated wafer 19 prepared in the simulated wafer preparation step S20 is prepared so that the workpiece 27 will have the same form as the wafer 1 when it is integrated with the block 13 to form the workpiece 27. It is a member that Therefore, it is preferable to use a member of the same quality as the material of the block 13 for the simulated wafer 19 . The simulated wafer 19 has the size and shape of the wafer 1 and has openings 21 (see FIG. 4) for accommodating the blocks 13 .

For example, if the wafer 1 is a disk-shaped substrate, the simulated wafer 19 is a disk-shaped substrate having the same diameter and thickness as the wafer 1 . The simulated wafer 19 can be prepared, for example, by forming the openings 21 without forming the devices 5 in a wafer serving as a substrate for manufacturing the wafer 1 on which the devices 5 are formed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing how the openings 21 are formed in the wafer 15 on which the devices 5 are not formed.

For processing to form the openings 21 in the wafer 15, for example, a laser processing apparatus 14 shown in FIG. 3 is used. The laser processing apparatus 14 includes a laser processing unit 16 that irradiates the wafer 15 with a laser beam 18 and a holding unit (not shown) such as a chuck table that holds the wafer 15 . The laser processing unit 16 includes a laser oscillator (not shown) capable of oscillating laser. The holding unit is movable along a direction parallel to the top surface.

A laser processing unit 16 irradiates a wafer 15 held by the holding unit with a laser beam 18 emitted from the laser oscillator. The laser processing unit 16 has a mechanism for positioning the focal point of the laser beam 18 at a predetermined height position.

The wavelength of the laser beam 18 with which the wafer 15 is irradiated by the laser processing unit 16 is, for example, the wavelength at which the wafer 15 has absorptive properties (the wavelength absorbed by the wafer 15). Then, when the wafer 15 is irradiated with the laser beam 18 along the outline of the region where the opening 21 is formed while the holding unit is moved, the wafer 15 is ablated and the processing mark 17 is formed. Then, by removing the area surrounded by the processing traces 17 of the wafer 15, the opening 21 shown in FIG.

Alternatively, the wavelength of the laser beam 18 with which the wafer 15 is irradiated by the laser processing unit 16 is set to a wavelength at which the wafer 15 has transparency (a wavelength that passes through the wafer 15). In this case, when the focal point of the laser beam 18 is positioned at a predetermined depth inside the wafer 15 and the laser beam 18 is focused on the wafer 15 along the region where the opening 21 is formed, the inside of the wafer 15 A modified layer is formed. Then, an external force is applied to the wafer 15 to extend the cracks vertically from the modified layer to form the processing marks 17, and similarly the openings 21 are formed.

Also, the opening 21 may be formed in other ways. For example, the cutting device 2 shown in FIG. 1 may be used to cut the wafer 15 to form the openings 21 . In this case, first, the cutting blade 8 is positioned above one end of the contour of the region where the opening 21 is formed, and the cutting unit 4 is rotated so that the lower end of the cutting blade 8 reaches the back surface 15 b of the wafer 15 while rotating the cutting blade 8 . to descend. Then, the holding unit is moved to cut the cutting blade 8 into the wafer 15 along the contour, and the cutting unit 4 is lifted.

Such cutting is repeated to form processing marks 17 on the wafer 15 along the outline of the region where the openings 21 are formed, and the regions surrounded by the processing marks 17 are removed. formed in

The device 5 may be formed on the front surface 15a or the rear surface 15b of the wafer 15, which is the simulated wafer 19 with the openings 21 formed therein. For example, a wafer that is used to manufacture device chips and that has become unsuitable for manufacturing device chips due to some problem after a plurality of devices 5 is formed may be reused as the wafer 15. .

Here, the openings 21 formed in the wafer 15 do not have to have a shape and size that strictly correspond to the blocks 13 , and may have a size and shape that can accommodate the blocks 13 . For example, opening 21 may be larger than block 13 . Further, opening 21 may be sized and shaped to accommodate multiple blocks 13 . Moreover, a plurality of openings 21 may be formed in the wafer 15 and the blocks 13 may be accommodated in the respective openings 21 .

A simulated wafer 19 is manufactured by forming the openings 21 in the wafer 15 by the method exemplified above. Here, the simulated wafer 19 may be manufactured immediately before forming the workpiece 27 including the blocks 13 . In this case, the simulated wafer 19 is prepared by forming the opening 21 in the wafer 15 in the simulated wafer preparation step S20.

Also, a large number of simulated wafers 19 may be manufactured in advance and stored in preparation for manufacturing the workpiece 27 . In this case, in the simulated wafer preparation step S20, the simulated wafer 19, which has been manufactured and stored in advance, is prepared by unloading it from the storage place.

Either the block formation step S10 or the simulated wafer preparation step S20 may be performed first. In the method for manufacturing a workpiece according to the present embodiment, after performing the block forming step S10 and the simulated wafer preparation step S20, the workpiece forming step S30 is performed. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing how the workpiece forming step S30 is carried out.

FIG. 11B is a flow chart schematically showing the flow of each step performed in the workpiece forming step S30. In the workpiece forming step S30, a block accommodating step S31 of accommodating the block 13 in the opening 21 of the simulated wafer 19 and a protective member disposing step S32 of disposing the protective member 23 on the simulated wafer 19 so as to close the opening 21 are performed. implement.

Here, either the block accommodating step S31 or the protective member disposing step S32 may be performed first. That is, after the blocks 13 are accommodated in the openings 21 of the simulated wafer 19 , the protective member 23 may be disposed on the simulated wafer 19 together with the blocks 13 accommodated in the openings 21 . Alternatively, after disposing the protective member 23 on the simulated wafer 19 so as to close the opening 21 , the block 13 is disposed on the protective member 23 exposed inside the opening 21 so as to cover the opening 21 of the simulated wafer 19 . may be accommodated.

In the work piece forming step S30, the work piece 27 is formed by integrating the simulated wafer 19 and the block 13 with the protective member 23 interposed therebetween. Here, the protective member 23 is, for example, an adhesive tape called a dicing tape configured similarly to the adhesive tape 7 shown in FIG. When the protective member 23 is a resin sheet, it is thermocompression bonded to the simulated wafer 19 and the block 13 at a temperature below the melting point of the protective member 23 .

When the block 13 is processed with the rear surface 13b side exposed upward in the processing step described later, the protective member 23 is provided on the front surface 13a on which the device 5 is formed. When the block 13 is processed with the front surface 13a side exposed upward, a protective member 23 is provided on the rear surface 13b. The protective member 23 has a function of protecting the surface of the block 13 that comes into contact with the protective member 23 while a series of steps are performed.

Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the protective member 23 may be adhered or closely attached to an annular frame 25 whose outer peripheral side is formed of metal or the like. The ring-shaped frame 25 is constructed in the same manner as the ring-shaped frame 9 shown in FIG. 1 and has the same function. In this case, the workpiece 27 has the same shape as the frame unit 11, and the block 13 and the simulated wafer 19 can be easily handled through the annular frame 25. FIG.

Furthermore, when the block 13 and the simulated wafer 19 are divided in the processing step described later, each individual piece generated from the divided block 13 and the simulated wafer 19 is supported by the protective member 23. Handling is also facilitated.

When the workpiece formation step S<b>30 is performed to form the workpiece 27 , the block 13 is integrated with the simulated wafer 19 and has the same form as the wafer 1 . Therefore, when various processing is performed on the blocks 13 together with the simulated wafer 19, the blocks 13 are processed in the same manner as when processing the wafer 1, and the same processing results as when processing the wafer 1 are obtained.

Therefore, when a plurality of workpieces 27 are manufactured and test machining is performed on each workpiece 27 under different machining conditions, each wafer 1 is subjected to test machining under different machining conditions. The quality of processing conditions can be compared and examined. Therefore, the object to be processed 27 has the same value as the wafer 1 in performing test processing. According to the workpiece manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, a plurality of workpieces 27 can be manufactured from the wafer 1. Therefore, when the workpieces 27 are used for test processing, the consumption of the wafer 1 is greatly reduced. can.

Next, a method for processing a workpiece according to this embodiment will be described. In this processing method, the workpiece 27 is processed in the same manner as the wafer 1 is processed. The processing is, for example, test processing. Here, by explaining the processing method, it will be shown that the blocks 13 included in the workpiece 27 can be processed in the same way as the wafer 1 is processed.

The processing method uses a processing apparatus comprising a holding unit having a holding surface capable of holding the wafer 1 and a processing unit capable of processing the wafer held by the holding unit. In the machining method, a workpiece holding step of holding the workpiece 27 on the holding surface of the holding unit of the machining apparatus and a machining step of machining the workpiece 27 held by the holding surface of the holding unit are performed. do. Each step performed in the processing method will be described below.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the workpiece holding step. FIG. 5 schematically shows a perspective view of the holding unit 20 of the processing apparatus. The holding unit 20 is configured in the same manner as the holding units of the processing apparatuses appearing in the description of this embodiment. The description of the holding unit 20 and the description of the method of using the holding unit 20 given below are taken into consideration as the description of the holding unit and the description of the method of use in other processing apparatuses.

The holding unit 20 has a porous member having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the wafer 1 on its upper surface. The upper surface of the porous member serves as the holding surface 22 of the holding unit 20 . The holding unit 20 has therein an exhaust passage (not shown) whose one end communicates with the porous member, and a suction source (not shown) is arranged on the other end side of the exhaust passage.

In the process of holding the object to be processed, first, the object to be processed 27 is placed on the holding unit 20 so that the simulated wafer 19 and the block 13 overlap the holding surface 22 . After that, the suction source is operated to apply the generated negative pressure to the workpiece 27 to cause the holding unit 20 to hold the block 13 and the simulated wafer 19 via the protective member 23 . The holding unit 20 may include a frame holding mechanism (not shown) such as a clamp for holding the frame 25 at this time on the outer peripheral side of the holding surface 22 of the holding unit 20 .

Next, the processing steps will be described. In the machining step, the workpiece 27 held by the holding surface 22 of the holding unit 20 is machined by the machining unit provided in the machining apparatus. FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing the processing steps. Note that the holding unit 20 is omitted in FIG. 6 for convenience of explanation.

Also, FIG. 6 shows a case where the processing device is the laser processing device 24 . The laser processing device 24 includes a laser processing unit 26 as a processing unit. In the processing step, a laser processing unit 26 is used to irradiate a laser beam 28 to a workpiece 27 to process the simulated wafer 19 and the blocks 13 by laser processing.

Here, the laser processing unit 26 has a laser oscillator (not shown) that can oscillate a laser, and can emit, for example, a laser beam 28 having a wavelength that is absorptive to the wafer 1 (a wavelength that can be absorbed by the wafer 1). The laser processing unit 26 has a condensing lens (not shown) inside and converges the laser beam 28 emitted from the laser oscillator onto the wafer 1 held by the holding unit 20 . When the laser beam 28 is condensed on the wafer 1, the wafer 1 is ablated to form machining marks.

Since the blocks 13 are formed by cutting the wafer 1 , when the laser beam 28 is focused on the blocks 13 , the blocks 13 are ablated similarly to the wafer 1 to form processing marks.

The holding unit 20 of the laser processing device 24 can move (process feed) along a direction parallel to the holding surface 22 . When the holding unit 20 that holds the workpiece 27 is moved, the workpiece 27 can be fed for processing.

When the object 27 to be processed including the block 13 and the simulated wafer 19 is laser-processed, the holding unit 20 is rotated to align the extension direction of the planned division line 3 of the block 13 with the processing feed direction of the laser processing device 14 . Also, the relative positions of the holding unit 20 and the laser processing unit 26 are adjusted so that the laser processing unit 26 is arranged above the extension line of the planned dividing line 3 . For example, laser processing unit 26 is positioned above the edge of simulated wafer 19 .

Next, the holding unit 20 and the laser processing unit 26 are relatively moved along the processing feed direction while the laser beam 28 is irradiated from the laser processing unit 26 to the workpiece 27 . Then, as shown in FIG. 6, processing traces 3b are formed on the simulated wafer 19 and the block 13 along the extending direction of the line 3 to be divided. If the working marks 3b are formed with a depth from the upper surface to the lower surface of the simulated wafer 19 and the blocks 13, the simulated wafer 19 and the blocks 13 are divided by the working marks 3b.

If the block 13 includes another dividing line 3 , then the workpiece 27 is similarly processed along the other dividing line 3 . Then, machining traces 3 b are formed in the block 13 along all the dividing lines 3 included in the block 13 .

For example, when the method for processing a workpiece according to the present embodiment is performed as test processing for pursuing processing conditions in a processing apparatus, the simulated wafer 19 may not be processed at all depending on the processing conditions and the content of the processing result evaluation. It may be sufficient to machine only the block 13 without removing it. In this case, the processing mark 3b may be formed only on the block 13 without processing the simulated wafer 19. FIG.

Also, depending on the processing conditions of the test processing and the content of evaluation of the processing results, the test processing results cannot be properly evaluated unless the entire block 13 and the simulated wafer 19 are processed in the same way as the entire wafer 1 is processed. Sometimes. In this case, the block 13 and the simulated wafer 19 are not only processed along the scheduled division line 3 included in the block 13 , but also the simulated wafer 19 is processed by further setting the scheduled division line 3 on the simulated wafer 19 .

For example, division lines 3 arranged in the same manner as the wafer 1 are set on the simulated wafer 19 , and the simulated wafer 19 is also processed along each division line 3 . It should be noted that some of the planned division lines 3 may not include the block 13 . In this case, the block 13 and the simulated wafer 19 can be test-processed in the same way as the wafer 1 is test-processed.

It is also conceivable to directly perform test processing on the blocks 13 cut out from the wafer 1, regardless of the method for processing the object to be processed according to the present embodiment. However, the block 13 alone cannot be processed in the same manner as the wafer 1. Therefore, it may not be possible to appropriately evaluate the results of the test machining.

Moreover, even if only the block 13 is held by the holding unit 20 having the holding surface 22 for holding the wafer 1 , the negative pressure leaks from the holding surface 22 in a region that does not overlap with the block 13 . Therefore, since the block 13 cannot be held by the holding unit 20 in the same way that the holding unit 20 holds the wafer 1, appropriate processing cannot be performed. Alternatively, in order to hold the block 13 , it is necessary to replace the holding unit 20 with a holding surface 22 whose shape corresponds to that of the block 13 .

On the other hand, according to the method for processing the object to be processed according to the present embodiment, the block 13 can be processed in the same manner as the wafer 1 which is the base of the block 13 included in the object to be processed 27 . Further, the workpiece 27 can be held by the holding unit 20 as described above. Therefore, instead of performing test processing on the wafer 1, the workpiece 27 can be used to perform test processing.

Here, when the wafer 1 is a silicon wafer, the irradiation conditions of the laser beam 28 when the wafer 1 is ablated by the laser processing apparatus 24 are set as follows, for example.
Wavelength: 355nm
Repetition frequency: 50kHz
Average output: 5W
Feeding speed: 200 mm/sec By performing test machining on the workpiece 27 and evaluating the machining results, the optimum conditions can be pursued, and the irradiation conditions of the laser beam 28 can be appropriately adjusted.

The processing performed on the workpiece 27 by the method for processing a workpiece according to the present embodiment is not limited to laser ablation processing. For example, the laser processing unit 26 may be capable of irradiating the workpiece 27 with a laser beam 28 having a wavelength that is transparent to the block 13 (a wavelength that passes through the block 13). In this case, by condensing the laser beam 28 at a predetermined height position inside the block 13 or the like, a modified layer can be formed inside the block 13 or the like as the processing marks 3b.

After forming a modified layer along the planned division line 3 inside the block 13 and the like, cracks are extended from the modified layer to the upper and lower sides of the block 13 and the like, so that the block 13 is divided along the planned division line 3. be. In the method for processing the object to be processed according to the present embodiment, the object to be processed 27 may be subjected to such laser processing. That is, by using the workpiece 27, it is possible to perform test processing in the laser processing and evaluate the processing results.

Here, when the wafer 1 is a silicon wafer, irradiation conditions of the laser beam 28 when performing laser processing for forming a modified layer on the wafer 1 in the laser processing apparatus 24 are set as follows, for example.
Wavelength: 1064nm
Repetition frequency: 50 kHz
Average output: 1W
Feeding speed: 200 mm/sec By performing test machining on the workpiece 27 and evaluating the machining results, the optimum conditions can be pursued, and the irradiation conditions of the laser beam 28 can be appropriately adjusted.

Furthermore, in the method for processing the object to be processed according to the present embodiment, the object to be processed 27 may be subjected to cutting instead of laser processing. FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing how the cutting device 30 cuts the workpiece 27. As shown in FIG. The cutting device 30 is configured similarly to the cutting device 2 shown in FIG.

That is, the cutting device 30 has a cutting unit 32 that cuts the wafer 1 . The cutting unit 32 includes an annular cutting blade 36 and a spindle whose tip 40 side penetrates through a through hole in the center of the cutting blade 36 . The spindle is connected to a spindle motor (not shown) housed inside a spindle housing 34 . Further, the cutting unit 32 has a cutting water supply nozzle 38 that supplies cutting water to the cutting blade 36 on the side of the cutting blade 36 .

The cutting device 30 also includes a holding unit (not shown) like the laser processing device 24 , and the cutting device 30 carries out a workpiece holding process like the laser processing device 24 . Then, in the cutting device 30, after the workpiece holding process is performed, the machining process is performed. FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing the machining process performed by the cutting device 30. As shown in FIG.

In the processing step, first, the cutting blade 36 is positioned above the extension line of the dividing line 3 included in the block 13 on the outer peripheral side of the simulated wafer 19, and the cutting blade 36 is rotated and lowered to a predetermined height position. Next, the holding unit is processed and fed, and the cutting blade 36 is cut into the simulated wafer 19 and the block 13 . Then, cut grooves 3 c are formed in the simulated wafer 19 and block 13 .

In the case where the machining process is performed by the cutting device 30, the cutting may be performed by concentrating on the block 13 as necessary. Cutting may be performed over the entire area of 13 . When the workpiece 27 is used, test machining can be performed in the same way as the wafer 1 is subjected to test machining, and the machining results can be evaluated.

Furthermore, in the method for processing the object to be processed according to the present embodiment, the object to be processed including the blocks 13 may be processed by a grinding device capable of grinding the wafer 1 . In this case, in the workpiece manufacturing method, the workpiece is manufactured in a manner different from that of the frame unit. When manufacturing an object to be ground by the grinding apparatus, the block forming step S10 and the simulated wafer preparing step S20 are performed in the same manner as when manufacturing the object 27 to be processed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, a workpiece forming step S30 is performed. When manufacturing a workpiece to be ground by a grinding machine, a protective member 29 having a diameter similar to that of the simulated wafer 19 is used. Then, the block 13 is accommodated in the opening 21 of the simulated wafer 19 and the block 13 and the simulated wafer 19 are integrated with the protective member 29 interposed therebetween. FIG. 9 shows the manufactured workpiece 31 . When forming the workpiece 31 to be ground, a protective member 29 is arranged on the surface 13a of the block 13 on which the device 5 is formed.

Thereafter, in the method for processing a workpiece according to the present embodiment, the workpiece 31 is conveyed to the grinding device 42 shown in FIG. 10, and the workpiece 31 is ground by the grinding device 42. The grinding device 42 includes a holding unit 44 capable of holding the wafer 1 and a grinding unit 46 as a processing unit for processing the wafer 1 . The holding unit 44 is configured similarly to the holding unit 20 shown in FIG.

The grinding unit 46 includes a spindle 48 extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the holding surface of the holding unit 44, a wheel mount 50 provided at the lower end of the spindle 48, and a rotational drive source such as a motor connected to the upper end of the spindle 48. (not shown). Further, a grinding wheel 54 having grinding wheels 56 arranged in an annular shape is attached to the lower surface of the wheel mount 50 . Grinding wheel 54 is secured to wheel mount 50 by fasteners 52 such as bolts.

In the method for processing a workpiece according to the present embodiment, first, a workpiece holding step is performed. In the workpiece holding process, the workpiece 31 is placed on the holding surface of the holding unit 44 . At this time, the back surface 13b side of the block 13 (the back surface 19b side of the simulated wafer 19), which is the surface to be ground of the object 31 to be processed, is directed upward, and the front surface 13a side of the block 13 (the front surface 19a side of the simulated wafer 19) is turned upward. Face the holding surface. Then, the suction source of the holding unit 44 is operated to hold the block 13 and the simulated wafer 19 in the holding unit 44 via the protective member 29 .

Next, a machining step is performed, and the workpiece 31 held by the holding unit 44 is ground by the grinding unit 46 . In the machining process, the grinding wheel 54 is rotated by operating the rotary drive source to rotate the spindle 48 . Also, it is rotated around an axis perpendicular to the holding surface of the holding unit 44 . Then, the grinding unit 46 is lowered to bring the grinding wheel 56 moving on the rotation track into contact with the back surface 13 b of the block 13 and the back surface 19 b of the simulated wafer 19 . Then, the block 13 and the simulated wafer 19 are ground and thinned.

After that, when the thickness of the block 13 and the simulated wafer 19 reaches a predetermined thickness, the lowering of the grinding unit 46 is stopped to stop the grinding process. The predetermined thickness is the specification thickness of the device chip formed from the wafer 1 . Here, in the grinding device 42 , a thickness measuring unit (not shown) for measuring the thickness of the wafer 1 being ground is provided near the holding unit 44 .

The thickness measuring unit has a probe that contacts the surface to be ground of the wafer 1 in a region that does not overlap with the grinding wheel 54, and detects the height of the back surface 1b of the wafer 1 by contacting the surface to be ground with the probe. Then, the thickness of the wafer 1 is calculated based on the difference in height between the holding surface of the holding unit 44 and the rear surface 1b of the wafer 1. FIG. Here, in the wafer 1, while a part of the back surface 1b is being ground, another part of the area is exposed outside the grinding wheel 54. 1 can be contacted with the back surface 1b.

When the object to be processed 31 is ground by the grinding device 42, the probe of the thickness measuring unit cannot always be brought into contact with the back surface 13b of the block 13 constituting the object to be processed 31. The rear surface 19b of the simulated wafer 19 can always be contacted. Here, since the simulated wafer 19 is ground and thinned in the same manner as the block 13 , the thickness of the block 13 can be measured by measuring the thickness of the simulated wafer 19 .

On the other hand, when grinding only the block 13, the probe of the thickness measuring unit cannot always contact the back surface 13b of the block 13 regardless of the method for processing the workpiece according to the present embodiment. do not have. Therefore, the thickness of the block 13 cannot be properly measured, and it is difficult to stop the descent of the grinding unit 46 when the block 13 reaches a predetermined thickness.

In the first place, it is difficult to hold only the block 13 with the holding surface of the holding unit 44 . Therefore, the block 13 alone cannot be processed in the same manner as the wafer 1 . Even if the block 13 can be held by the holding unit 44, the processing situation is completely different between the case where only the block 13 is ground and the case where the wafer 1 is ground. Therefore, even if the test machining is performed, the results cannot be evaluated appropriately with only the block 13 .

On the other hand, in the method for processing an object to be processed according to the present embodiment, the simulated wafer 19 is processed together with the block 13 , so the object to be processed 31 can be processed in the same manner as the wafer 1 . Therefore, test processing can be performed using the workpiece 31 instead of the wafer 1 . In this case, the number of wafers 1 consumed in test processing can be dramatically reduced.

Here, the processing conditions for grinding the wafer 1 in the grinding device 42 are, for example, the rotational speed of the grinding wheel 54 is 6,000 rpm, the rotational speed of the holding unit 44 is 300 rpm, and the grinding unit The descent speed of 46 is set to 1 μm/sec. By carrying out test machining on the workpiece 31 and evaluating the machining results, optimum conditions can be pursued, and these machining conditions can be appropriately adjusted.

When performing test machining using the workpieces 27 and 31 according to the present embodiment instead of the wafer 1, it is preferable to observe the blocks 13 included in the workpieces 27 and 31 and evaluate the machining results. . Since the block 13 includes the planned division line 3 and the device 5, which are the main objects to be observed in the test machining, the results of the test machining can be sufficiently evaluated.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the description of the above embodiments, and can be implemented with various modifications. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the opening 21 capable of accommodating the block 13 is formed in the center of the simulated wafer 19 has been described with reference to the drawings. However, the formation position of the opening 21 is not limited to the vicinity of the center of the simulated wafer 19 .

For example, the opening 21 may be formed in an outer peripheral area that does not include the center of the simulated wafer 19 . In this case, if test machining is performed on the workpieces 27 and 31, the position dependent factors of the blocks 13 on the simulated wafer 19 can be evaluated.

Furthermore, when the workpieces 27 and 31 include a plurality of blocks 13, the types of each block 13 need not be the same. For example, there is a case where it is desired to perform test processing under the same processing conditions for each of the blocks 13 formed from wafers 1 of different types. In this case, if a plurality of types of blocks 13 are included in the workpieces 27 and 31, test machining can be simultaneously performed on each block 13 under the same machining conditions to evaluate the machining results.

In addition, the structures, methods, and the like according to the above-described embodiments can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 15 Wafer 1a, 13a, 15a, 19a Front surface 1b, 13b, 15b, 19b Back surface 3 Division line 3a, 3c Cutting groove 3b Processing trace 5 Device 7 Adhesive tape 9, 25 Frame 11 Frame unit 13 Block 17 Processing trace 19 Simulated wafer 21 Openings 23, 29 Protective member 27, 31 Workpiece 2, 30 Cutting device 4, 32 Cutting unit 6, 34 Spindle housing 8, 36 Cutting blade 10, 38 Cutting water supply nozzle 12, 40 Tip 14, 24 Laser Processing device 16, 26 Laser processing unit 18, 28 Laser beam 20, 44 Holding unit 22 Holding surface 42 Grinding device 46 Grinding unit 48 Spindle 50 Wheel mount 52 Fixture 54 Grinding wheel 56 Grinding wheel

Claims (8)

A workpiece manufacturing method for manufacturing a plurality of workpieces by dividing a wafer in which a plurality of mutually intersecting dividing lines are set on the surface and devices are formed in respective regions partitioned by the dividing lines, comprising: ,
dividing the wafer along some of the planned division lines included in the plurality of planned division lines to form a plurality of devices each having the plurality of the devices and the unprocessed planned division lines between the devices; a block forming step of forming a block;
a simulated wafer preparation step of preparing a simulated wafer having an opening for accommodating the block and having the size and shape of the wafer;
A block accommodating step of accommodating the block in the opening of the simulated wafer and a protective member disposing step of disposing a protective member on the simulated wafer so as to block the opening are carried out to separate the simulated wafer and the block. A workpiece forming step of forming a workpiece integrally via a protective member;
A method for manufacturing a workpiece, comprising: 2. The method of manufacturing a workpiece according to claim 1, wherein the material of said simulated wafer is the same as the material of said block. 2. The method of manufacturing a workpiece according to claim 1, wherein, in said workpiece forming step, said protective member is disposed on either the front surface or the back surface of said block on which said device is provided. A method of processing a workpiece for processing the workpiece manufactured by the method for manufacturing a workpiece according to claim 1,
The object to be processed is held by the holding surface of the holding unit of a processing apparatus comprising a holding unit having a holding surface capable of holding the wafer and a processing unit capable of processing the wafer held by the holding unit. a workpiece holding step;
a machining step of machining the workpiece held by the holding surface of the holding unit with the machining unit;
A method of processing an object to be processed, comprising: a block having a plurality of devices on its surface and having dividing lines set between the devices;
a simulated wafer having openings for accommodating the blocks;
a protective member that integrates the block accommodated in the opening of the simulated wafer and the simulated wafer;
An object to be processed, comprising: 6. The object to be processed according to claim 5, wherein the material of said simulated wafer is the same as the material of said block. 6. The object to be processed according to claim 5, wherein the protective member is arranged on either the front surface or the rear surface of the block. 6. A method for machining a workpiece for machining the workpiece according to claim 5,
The holding of the holding unit of a processing apparatus comprising: a holding unit having a holding surface capable of holding the simulated wafer and a wafer of size and shape; and a processing unit capable of processing the wafer held by the holding unit. a workpiece holding step of holding the workpiece on a surface; and a machining step of machining the workpiece held by the holding surface of the holding unit by the machining unit;
A method of processing an object to be processed, comprising:

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