JP7345963B2 - processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a processing device that divides a workpiece into a plurality of chips.

Various parts are manufactured by cutting a workpiece, such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer, into multiple chips. For example, a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped glass chips can be obtained by dividing a disk-shaped glass substrate along a plurality of dividing lines (street) arranged in a grid. This glass chip is used to manufacture cover glasses to protect image sensors such as CCD (Charged-Coupled Devices) image sensors and CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) image sensors installed in digital cameras, video cameras, etc. It is used in the manufacture of optical parts such as optical filters and optical filters.

For example, a cutting device is used to divide the workpiece. The cutting device includes a chuck table (holding table) that holds a workpiece, and a processing unit (cutting unit) that cuts the workpiece held by the chuck table. The processing unit is also provided with a spindle (rotary shaft) to which is attached an annular cutting blade for cutting the workpiece. The cutting blade is manufactured by fixing abrasive grains made of, for example, diamond with a bonding material.

When the spindle is rotated with the cutting blade attached to the tip of the spindle, the cutting blade rotates. The workpiece is then cut and divided by rotating the cutting blade and cutting into the workpiece. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of manufacturing a cover glass by dividing a glass substrate using a cutting device.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-142428

When dividing a workpiece into a plurality of chips, it is first necessary to set a planned dividing line according to processing conditions (size of the workpiece, chip size, width of planned dividing line, etc.). However, depending on how the planned dividing lines are arranged, the number of chips obtained by dividing the workpiece may vary. For example, when dividing a disk-shaped glass substrate into multiple glass chips, there are two cases in which multiple dividing lines are arranged sequentially from the center of the glass substrate toward both ends, and one in which the lines are arranged sequentially from the center of the glass substrate toward both ends. The number of manufactured glass chips may differ depending on the case where they are arranged in order.

Therefore, even if multiple dividing lines are arranged according to the processing conditions, the arrangement is not necessarily set to maximize the number of chips, and the number of chips actually manufactured may be the same. may be less than the maximum number of chips that can be manufactured from a workpiece. In this case, chip productivity decreases.

The present invention has been made in view of this problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a processing device that can maximize the number of chips obtained by dividing a workpiece.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus that divides a workpiece into a plurality of chips along a dividing line, the processing conditions including the size of the workpiece, the size of the chips, and the division. Based on the input section into which the width of the planned line is input and the processing conditions input into the input section, the planned dividing line is set so that the number of chips obtained by dividing the workpiece is maximized. and a display section that displays the position of the dividing line determined by the control section, and the control section determines the position of the planned dividing line according to the processing conditions input to the input section. A process of arranging a region corresponding to the chip and a region corresponding to the planned dividing line, a process of arranging the region corresponding to the workpiece so as to overlap with the region corresponding to the chip, and Counting the number of regions corresponding to the chip arranged inside the outer periphery of the corresponding region, and counting the number of regions corresponding to the chip placed inside the outer periphery of the corresponding region, A processing device is provided that divides an object into a plurality of such chips.

In addition , the control unit may set the positions of the plurality of first planned dividing lines along the first direction and the plurality of first scheduled dividing lines along the second direction intersecting the first direction as the positions of the planned dividing lines. The position of the second scheduled dividing line may be determined, and both the first scheduled dividing line and the second scheduled dividing line may be continuous and linear. In addition, the control unit includes, as the positions of the planned dividing lines, positions of a plurality of first planned dividing lines along a first direction, and positions of a plurality of first planned dividing lines along a second direction intersecting the first direction. The position of the second scheduled dividing line may be determined, and one or both of the first scheduled dividing line and the second scheduled dividing line may be discontinuous linear. Further, the display section may highlight and display chips obtained when the workpiece is divided along the planned dividing line.

A processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a control unit that determines the position of a dividing line so that the number of chips obtained by dividing a workpiece is maximized, and the position is determined by the control unit. Divide the workpiece into a plurality of chips along the planned dividing line. This maximizes the number of chips obtained by dividing the workpiece and improves chip productivity.

It is a perspective view showing a processing device. It is a perspective view showing a workpiece. 5 is a flowchart showing processing by a control unit. FIG. 4(A) is a plan view showing a state in which a plurality of chips are arranged, and FIG. 4(B) is a plan view showing a state in which a workpiece is arranged so as to overlap with a plurality of chips. 4(C) is a plan view showing how the number of chips is counted. FIG. 5(A) is a plan view showing how the position of the workpiece is changed, and FIG. 5(B) is a plan view showing how the number of chips is counted. It is a perspective view showing a processing unit and a chuck table. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which a plurality of chips are arranged so that some of the dividing lines are discontinuous.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to one aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a configuration example of a processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the processing device 2. As shown in FIG. The processing device 2 is a cutting device that performs cutting on the workpiece 11 .

The processing device 2 includes a base 4 that supports each component that constitutes the processing device 2. A cover 6 is provided above the base 4 to cover the upper surface side of the base 4. A processing unit (cutting unit) 8 that performs cutting on the workpiece 11 is provided inside the cover 6 . The processing unit 8 is connected to a moving mechanism (not shown), and this moving mechanism moves the processing unit 8 along the Y-axis direction (index feed direction, front-back direction) and the Z-axis direction (vertical direction, up-down direction). let

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the workpiece 11 processed by the processing device 2. As shown in FIG. The workpiece 11 is a glass substrate formed into a disk shape, and includes a front surface 11a and a back surface 11b. Further, the workpiece 11 is partitioned into a plurality of areas by a plurality of dividing lines (streets) 13 arranged in a grid pattern so as to intersect with each other, for example.

In FIG. 2, there are a plurality of first planned division lines (first streets) 13a along a first direction (direction indicated by arrow A) and a second direction (indicated by arrow B) that intersects the first direction. 13 shows an example in which a plurality of second planned division lines (second streets) 13b are arranged along the same direction. The first direction and the second direction are directions perpendicular to each other.

Note that there are no restrictions on the material, shape, structure, size, etc. of the workpiece 11. For example, the workpiece 11 may be a substrate of any shape and size made of a material such as a semiconductor (Si, GaAs, InP, GaN, SiC, etc.), sapphire, ceramics, resin, metal, or the like.

The workpiece 11 is supported by an annular frame 17 for convenience of processing and transportation. Specifically, a circular tape 15 having a larger diameter than the workpiece 11 is attached to the back surface 11b of the workpiece 11. Note that there is no restriction on the material of the tape 15. For example, the tape 15 is a flexible film obtained by forming a rubber-based or acrylic-based adhesive layer (glue layer) on a base material made of a resin such as polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, or polyethylene terephthalate.

Further, the outer peripheral portion of the tape 15 is attached to an annular frame 17 having a circular opening 17a having a larger diameter than the workpiece 11 in the center. Thereby, the workpiece 11 is supported by the frame 17 via the tape 15 while being placed inside the opening 17a.

A chuck table (holding table) 10 that holds a workpiece 11 is provided below the processing unit 8 shown in FIG. The upper surface of the chuck table 10 constitutes a holding surface 10a that holds the workpiece 11, and this holding surface 10a is connected to a suction source (not shown) through a suction path (not shown) formed inside the chuck table 10. (as shown). With the workpiece 11 placed on the chuck table 10, the workpiece 11 is suction-held by the chuck table 10 by applying negative pressure from a suction source to the holding surface 10a.

The chuck table 10 is connected to a moving mechanism (not shown), and this moving mechanism moves the chuck table 10 along the X-axis direction (processing feed direction, left-right direction). Further, the chuck table 10 is connected to a rotation mechanism (not shown), and this rotation mechanism rotates the chuck table 10 around a rotation axis that is generally parallel to the Z-axis direction.

A cassette elevator 12 is installed at the front corner of the base 4. A cassette 14 that can accommodate a plurality of workpieces 11 is arranged on the upper surface of the cassette elevator 12 . The cassette elevator 12 is configured to be able to move up and down along the Z-axis direction, and the cassette elevator 12 is configured to be able to move up and down along the Z-axis direction. 14 (position in the Z-axis direction).

A transport mechanism (not shown) for transporting the workpiece 11 is provided near the cassette elevator 12 . For example, the transport mechanism transports the unprocessed workpiece 11 housed in the cassette 14 onto the chuck table 10, and also stores the workpiece 11 processed by the processing unit 8 in the cassette 14.

On the front side 6a of the cover 6, a display section (display means) 16 including a monitor or the like is provided. The display unit 16 displays information such as an image of the workpiece 11 to be processed and processing conditions, and notifies the operator of the processing device 2 of the information. The processing device 2 also includes an input unit (input means) 18 for inputting predetermined information into the processing device 2. The input unit 18 includes, for example, input keys, and the operator of the processing device 2 uses the input unit 18 to input information such as processing conditions to the processing device 2.

Note that the display section 16 and the input section 18 may be integrated. For example, a touch panel type monitor serving as a user interface may be provided on the front side 6a of the cover 6. In this case, the touch panel monitor functions as the display section 16 and the input section 18.

Further, the processing device 2 includes a control unit (control means) 20 that controls the operation of each component that constitutes the processing device 2. The processing unit 8, the moving mechanism connected to the processing unit 8, the chuck table 10, the moving mechanism and rotation mechanism connected to the chuck table 10, the cassette elevator 12, the transport mechanism, the display section 16, the input section 18, etc. are controlled by the control section. 20, and its operation is controlled by the control unit 20. Processing of the workpiece 11 by the processing device 2 is controlled by this 20.

The workpiece 11 housed in the cassette 14 is transported onto the chuck table 10 by the transport mechanism, and is suction-held by the chuck table 10. The processing unit 8 then performs a cutting process on the workpiece 11 held by the chuck table 10. The processed workpiece 11 is transported by a transport mechanism and housed in a cassette 14 .

The processing unit 8 includes a cylindrical spindle (not shown) arranged along the Y-axis direction. An annular cutting blade 22 for cutting the workpiece 11 is attached to the tip (one end side) of the spindle. The cutting blade 22 is formed by fixing abrasive grains made of, for example, diamond, cubic boron nitride (cBN), or the like with a bonding material made of metal, ceramics, resin, or the like. However, the abrasive grains and bond material contained in the cutting blade 22 are not limited and are appropriately selected depending on the material of the workpiece 11 and the like.

Further, a rotational drive source (not shown) such as a motor that rotates the spindle is connected to the base end (other end side) of the spindle. When the spindle is rotated by a rotational drive source with the cutting blade attached to the tip of the spindle, the cutting blade 22 is rotated by the power transmitted from the rotational drive source via the spindle.

The workpiece 11 is cut by rotating the cutting blade 22 to cut into the workpiece 11. Then, when the workpiece 11 is cut and divided along the dividing line 13 (see FIG. 2), the area partitioned by the dividing line 13 is divided into pieces, and the workpiece 11 is divided into a plurality of chips. be done.

When the workpiece 11 is a glass substrate, a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped glass chips are obtained by dividing the workpiece 11. This glass chip is used to manufacture cover glasses for protecting imaging elements such as CCD image sensors and CMOS image sensors mounted on digital cameras, video cameras, etc., and to manufacture optical components such as optical filters.

When dividing the workpiece 11 using the processing device 2, first, a planned division line 13 is set as shown in FIG. At this time, the position of the planned dividing line 13 is set according to processing conditions (size of the workpiece 11, size of the chip, width of the planned dividing line 13, etc.). However, even if the number, width, and interval of the dividing lines 13 are the same, the number of chips obtained by dividing the workpiece 11 may differ depending on the position of the dividing lines 13.

In the processing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the position of the planned dividing line 13 is determined by the control unit 20 so that the number of chips obtained by dividing the workpiece 11 is maximized. Then, the processing device 2 cuts the workpiece 11 along the dividing line 13 whose position is determined by the control unit 20, and divides the workpiece 11 into a plurality of chips. Thereby, the maximum number of chips can be obtained from one workpiece 11, and chip production efficiency is improved. Hereinafter, a procedure in which the control unit 20 determines the position of the planned dividing line 13 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing of the control unit 20. Each process shown in FIG. 3 is executed by the control unit 20 on software. Note that, as an example, a case will be described below in which the first scheduled dividing line 13a and the second scheduled dividing line 13b (see FIG. 2) are continuous straight lines.

When determining the position of the planned dividing line 13, processing conditions are first input into the input section 18 (see FIG. 1). For example, the size of the workpiece 11 (the diameter or radius of the workpiece 11), the chip size (the vertical and horizontal lengths of the chip), and the width of the dividing line 13 are input as the processing conditions. Note that the chip size corresponds to the distance between adjacent dividing lines 13. Further, the width of the planned division line 13 corresponds to the width of the area cut by the cutting blade 22 (kerf width), and corresponds to the distance between adjacent chips after the workpiece 11 is divided.

Note that there are no restrictions on the contents of the machining conditions input to the input section 18. For example, the shape of the workpiece 11, the shape of the chip, etc. may be further input as processing conditions. Information on these processing conditions is then output from the input section 18 to the control section 20.

The control unit 20 first arranges a plurality of chips according to the processing conditions input from the input unit 18 (step S1). FIG. 4(A) is a plan view showing a state in which a plurality of chips 30 are arranged. Note that the chip 30 corresponds to an area represented on software that corresponds to a chip obtained when the workpiece 11 (see FIG. 2) is divided along the planned dividing line 13.

A plurality of dividing lines (street) 32 are arranged between adjacent chips 30 . The planned dividing line 32 corresponds to an area represented on software that corresponds to the planned dividing line 13 of the workpiece 11 (see FIG. 2). Further, the width of the planned division line 32 corresponds to the distance between adjacent chips 30.

FIG. 4(A) shows a first planned dividing line (first street) 32a along a first direction (direction shown by arrow A) and a first dividing line (first street) 32a along a second direction (direction shown by arrow B). 2 (second street) 32b. The first scheduled dividing line 32a and the second scheduled dividing line 32b correspond to the first scheduled dividing line 13a and the second scheduled dividing line 13b shown in FIG. 2, respectively.

The plurality of chips 30 are arranged according to the processing conditions input to the input section 18. Specifically, the size of the chip 30 is set to be the same as the chip size (distance between adjacent planned dividing lines) input as the processing condition. Further, the plurality of chips 30 are arranged so that the distance between adjacent chips 30 is the same as the width of the dividing line input as the processing condition.

When the chips 30 are rectangular in plan view, the plurality of chips 30 are arranged such that one side of one chip 30 faces one side of the other chip 30, as shown in FIG. 4(A), for example. be done. As a result, the first planned dividing line 32a and the second scheduled dividing line 32b each become a continuous straight line. However, the method of arranging the chips 30 can be changed as appropriate depending on the shape of the chips 30 and the like.

Next, the control unit 20 arranges the workpiece 34 so as to overlap the plurality of chips 30 (step S2). FIG. 4(B) is a plan view showing a state in which the workpiece 34 is arranged so as to overlap a plurality of chips 30. Note that the workpiece 34 corresponds to an area represented on software that has the same shape as the workpiece 11 (see FIG. 2). Moreover, in FIG. 4(B), only the outer peripheral edge (outline) of the workpiece 34 is shown.

The workpiece 34 is arranged according to the processing conditions input from the input section 18 (see FIG. 1). Specifically, the size of the workpiece 34 is set to be the same as the size of the workpiece 11 input as the processing conditions. When the workpiece 11 (see FIG. 2) is circular in plan view, a circular workpiece 34 having the same diameter as the workpiece 11 is arranged.

Next, the control unit 20 counts the number of chips 30 arranged inside the outer peripheral edge of the workpiece 34 (chips 30 arranged at a position overlapping the workpiece 34) (step S3). FIG. 4C is a plan view showing how the number of chips 30 is counted. In addition, in FIG. 4(C), the chip 30 arranged inside the outer peripheral edge of the workpiece 34 is hatched. Then, the number of chips 30 arranged inside the outer peripheral edge of the workpiece 34 is stored, for example, in a memory (storage unit) included in the control unit 20.

Thereafter, counting of the number of chips 30 is continued in other arrangements of the workpiece 34 (YES in step S4). Specifically, the control unit 20 moves the workpiece 34 in the horizontal direction with respect to the plurality of chips 30 to change the position of the workpiece 34 (step S5). FIG. 5(A) is a plan view showing how the position of the workpiece 34 is changed. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the workpiece 34 moves along the second direction (the direction indicated by arrow B) relative to the plurality of chips 30. Note that the amount of movement of the workpiece 34 is less than the pitch of the chips 30 in the second direction, and its specific value is set as appropriate.

Then, the control unit 20 counts the number of chips 30 placed inside the outer periphery of the workpiece 34 whose position has been changed (step S3). FIG. 5(B) is a plan view showing how the number of chips 30 is counted. In this way, the number of chips 30 is counted under a plurality of situations in which the positional relationships between the plurality of chips 30 and the workpiece 34 are different.

Thereafter, changing the position of the workpiece 34 (step S5) and counting the number of chips 30 (step S3) are repeated a predetermined number of times. For example, while the position of the workpiece 34 in a first direction (direction shown by arrow A) is fixed, the workpiece 34 is moved by a predetermined distance in a second direction (direction shown by arrow B). The number of chips 30 at each position is sequentially counted. Thereafter, the position of the workpiece 34 in the first direction is changed, and the number of chips 30 is sequentially counted in the same manner.

By repeating the above procedure, the number of chips 30 arranged inside the outer periphery of the workpiece 34 is counted for each case where the plurality of chips 30 and the workpiece 34 are in various positional relationships. . Then, when the counting of the number of chips 30 in all the planned positional relationships is completed (NO in step S4), the counting of the number of chips 30 by the control unit 20 is completed.

When the counting of the number of chips 30 is completed, the control unit 20 accesses the memory and refers to the counted number of chips 30. Then, the control unit 20 selects the arrangement of the workpiece 34 in which the number of chips 30 arranged inside the outer periphery of the workpiece 34 is maximized. Note that if there are a plurality of layouts of the workpieces 34 in which the number of chips 30 is maximum, one of the layouts is selected.

Then, the control unit 20 displays the workpiece 34 arranged so that the number of chips 30 arranged inside the outer periphery of the workpiece 34 becomes maximum, along with the plurality of chips 30 on the display unit 16 (FIG. (see step S6). For example, if the arrangement of the workpiece 34 shown in FIG. 4(C) is such that the number of chips 30 arranged inside the outer periphery of the workpiece 34 is maximum, A plurality of chips 30 , a first dividing line 32 a , a second dividing line 32 b , and a workpiece 34 shown in FIG. 1 are displayed on the display unit 16 .

At this time, the positions of the first scheduled dividing line 32a and the second scheduled dividing line 32b displayed on the display unit 16 are the positions where the number of chips obtained by dividing the workpiece 11 (see FIG. 2) is the maximum. This corresponds to the positions of the first scheduled dividing line 13a and the second scheduled dividing line 13b (see FIG. 2). That is, through the processing by the control unit 20 described above, the position of the planned dividing line 13 where the number of chips obtained by dividing the workpiece 11 is maximized is specified. Then, by referring to the display on the display unit 16, the operator of the processing device 2 can confirm the position of the planned dividing line 13 suitable for manufacturing chips.

Note that the display unit 16 may highlight and display the chips 30 obtained when the workpiece 34 is divided along the planned dividing line 32. For example, the display unit 16 may change the color (coloring) of the chip 30 disposed inside the outer periphery of the workpiece 34 shown in FIG. 4(C), thicken the outline of the chip 30, or The chip 30 may be highlighted and displayed by blinking or the like. Thereby, the number and arrangement of chips 30 obtained by dividing the workpiece 34 can be easily recognized by the operator.

As described above, after the position of the dividing line 13 with the maximum number of chips is specified, the processing device 2 processes the workpiece 11 with the processing unit 8 based on the position of this dividing line 13. . FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the processing unit 8 and the chuck table 10. Note that in FIG. 6, illustration of the frame 17 (see FIG. 2) is omitted.

For example, the workpiece 11 is placed on the chuck table 10 via the tape 15 so that the front surface 11a side is exposed upward and the back surface 11b side (tape 15 side) faces the holding surface 10a of the chuck table 10. . In this state, when negative pressure from a suction source (not shown) is applied to the holding surface 10a of the chuck table 10, the workpiece 11 is suction-held by the chuck table 10.

A processing unit 8 is arranged above the chuck table 10. A cutting blade 22 for cutting the workpiece 11 is attached to the processing unit 8 . Further, the processing unit 8 is equipped with an imaging unit (camera) 24 for taking an image of the workpiece 11 etc. held by the chuck table 10. Based on the image acquired by the imaging unit 24, the processing unit 8 and the chuck table 10 are aligned.

First, the chuck table 10 is rotated and the angle of the workpiece 11 is adjusted so that the planned dividing line 13 is along the X-axis direction. Further, the lower end of the cutting blade 22 is positioned below the back surface 11b of the workpiece 11 (the upper surface of the tape 15) and above the holding surface 10a of the chuck table 10 (the lower surface of the tape 15). In this state, by rotating the cutting blade 22 and moving the chuck table 10 in the X-axis direction, the cutting blade 22 cuts into the workpiece 11, and the workpiece 11 is cut along the dividing line 13.

Here, the position of the planned dividing line 13 is set to the same position as the planned dividing line 32 (see FIG. 4(C), etc.) whose position is specified by the processing of the control unit 20 (see FIG. 3), and The number of chips obtained by dividing the object 11 is set to be the maximum. Therefore, by dividing the workpiece 11 along the dividing line 13, many chips can be manufactured.

As described above, the processing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment includes the control section 20 that determines the position of the dividing line 13 so that the number of chips obtained by dividing the workpiece 11 is maximized. The workpiece 11 is divided into a plurality of chips along the dividing line 13 whose position is determined by the dividing line 20. Thereby, the number of chips obtained by dividing the workpiece 11 is maximized, and chip productivity is improved.

In the above embodiment, under the condition that the first dividing line 13a and the second dividing line 13b (see FIG. 2) are continuous straight lines, the number of chips is maximized. An example of specifying the positions of the first scheduled dividing line 13a and the second scheduled dividing line 13b has been described. However, one or both of the first scheduled dividing line 13a and the second scheduled dividing line 13b may be discontinuous linear.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state in which a plurality of chips 30 are arranged so that some of the planned dividing lines 32 are discontinuous lines. In step S5 in FIG. 3, in addition to changing the position of the workpiece 34, or instead of changing the position of the workpiece 34, a plurality of The position of the chip 30 may be changed.

For example, after counting the number of chips is completed with the arrangement of the chips 30 shown in FIG. 4(C), as shown in FIG. 30 may be shifted along the first direction every other row. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the position of the chip 30 is changed by a half pitch of the chip 30 in the first direction. As a result, the second planned dividing line 32b becomes a discontinuous line (dashed line).

Thereafter, with the chips 30 arranged as described above, the number of chips 30 is counted. In this way, when the shape of the dividing line 32 is not limited to a continuous straight line, the degree of freedom in arranging the chips 30 increases, and it becomes easier to find an arrangement of the dividing line 32 that allows more chips 30 to be obtained.

For example, when it is confirmed that the state in which the second planned dividing line 32b shown in FIG. When the workpiece 11 is cut by the device 2 (see FIG. 6), the workpiece 11 is divided along the discontinuous linear dividing line 13.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the processing device 2 that processes the workpiece 11 with the cutting blade 22 is used, but there is no restriction on the type of processing device used to divide the workpiece 11. For example, it is also possible to use a laser processing device that includes a chuck table (holding table) that holds the workpiece 11 and a processing unit (laser irradiation unit) that processes the workpiece 11 by irradiating the workpiece 11 with a laser beam.

The wavelength of the laser beam irradiated from the laser irradiation unit is set, for example, so that at least a portion of the laser beam is absorbed by the workpiece 11. In this case, the workpiece 11 held by the chuck table is irradiated with a laser beam that absorbs the workpiece 11 . Thereby, the ablation process is performed on the workpiece 11, and the workpiece 11 is divided.

In particular, when the planned dividing line 13 of the workpiece 11 is a discontinuous linear shape (see FIG. 7), it may be difficult to divide the workpiece 11 along the planned dividing line 13 with the cutting blade 22. Therefore, when the planned division line 13 is a discontinuous line, it is preferable to divide the workpiece 11 by laser processing using a laser processing device or the like.

In addition, the structure, method, etc. according to the above embodiments can be modified and implemented as appropriate without departing from the scope of the objective of the present invention.

11 Workpiece 11a Front side 11b Back side 13 Planned dividing line (street)
13a First planned dividing line (first street)
13b Second planned dividing line (second street)
15 tape 17 frame 17a opening 2 processing device 4 base 6 cover 6a front 8 processing unit (cutting unit)
10 Chuck table (holding table)
10a holding surface 12 cassette elevator 14 cassette 16 display unit (display means)
18 Input section (input means)
20 Control unit (control means)
22 Cutting blade 24 Imaging unit (camera)
30 Chip 32 Scheduled dividing line (street)
32a First planned dividing line (first street)
32b Second planned dividing line (second street)
34 Workpiece

Claims (4)

A processing device that divides a workpiece into a plurality of chips along a dividing line,
an input section into which the size of the workpiece, the size of the chip, and the width of the planned dividing line are input as processing conditions;
a control unit that determines the position of the dividing line so that the number of chips obtained by dividing the workpiece is maximized based on the processing conditions input to the input unit;
a display unit that displays the position of the planned dividing line determined by the control unit,
The control unit performs a process of arranging a region corresponding to the chip and a region corresponding to the dividing line according to the processing conditions input to the input unit, and arranging the region corresponding to the workpiece on the chip. and counting the number of regions corresponding to the chip arranged inside the outer periphery of the region corresponding to the workpiece,
A processing device that divides the workpiece into a plurality of chips along the division line whose position is determined by the control unit. The control unit includes, as the positions of the planned dividing lines, positions of a plurality of first planned dividing lines along a first direction, and positions of a plurality of second planned dividing lines along a second direction intersecting the first direction. Determine the position of the planned dividing line,
2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein both the first scheduled dividing line and the second scheduled dividing line are continuous and linear. The control unit includes, as the positions of the planned dividing lines, positions of a plurality of first planned dividing lines along a first direction, and positions of a plurality of second planned dividing lines along a second direction intersecting the first direction. Determine the position of the planned dividing line,
2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the first scheduled dividing line and the second scheduled dividing line are discontinuous lines. 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display section emphasizes and displays chips obtained when the workpiece is divided along the planned dividing line.