JP7368424B2 - dicing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dicing apparatus, and more particularly to a dicing apparatus that cuts a workpiece with a blade while relatively moving a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer and a rotating blade.

In a semiconductor manufacturing process, various processes are performed on the surface of a semiconductor wafer to manufacture a plurality of semiconductor elements having electronic devices. After each chip of a semiconductor element is tested for electrical characteristics by a testing device, it is divided into chips by a blade rotating at high speed of a dicing device.

As the blade wears out over time, it is replaced with a new blade. Furthermore, when the type of workpiece is changed, the blade may be replaced with a different type of blade that is compatible with the workpiece. When the blade is replaced in this manner, the shapes of the blades before and after the replacement are different, so that blade information regarding the shape of the blade after the replacement, etc. is registered in the dicing apparatus. The dicing device continues cutting by controlling the cutting depth of the blade into the workpiece based on the registered blade information after replacement.

Patent Document 1 discloses a dicing device (processing device) that performs blade replacement work using an operation screen for blade replacement. With this dicing device, when replacing the blade, input information such as lot ID, new/old information, blade outer diameter, blade thickness, flange outer diameter, etc. as blade information according to the display on the displayed operation screen. It looks like this.

In addition, as blades, electrodeposited blades in which diamond abrasive grains or CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) abrasive grains are electrodeposited with nickel are known, and blades made of metal resin bond bonded with resin mixed with metal powder are also known. It has been known. The size of the blade is variously selected depending on the processing content, but when dicing a normal semiconductor wafer, a blade with a diameter of 50 to 60 mm and a thickness of about 30 μm is used.

JP2009-194326A

However, in the dicing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the operator must input blade information using the operation screen every time the blade is replaced, and the dicing apparatus must be stopped during the input operation. I don't get it.

In addition, when reusing a blade, it is necessary to use another detection device to obtain the latest blade information (blade outer diameter, blade thickness, etc.), and input the obtained latest blade information. Work is also required.

As described above, in the conventional dicing apparatus, when replacing or reusing a blade, it takes time and effort to input blade information, which causes a problem in that the overall throughput decreases.

The present invention was made in view of these circumstances, and can reduce the effort and time required to input blade information when replacing or reusing a blade, and can prevent a decrease in overall throughput. The purpose is to provide a dicing device.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the dicing apparatus according to the present invention includes a processing section that cuts the workpiece with the blade while relatively moving the workpiece and the blade, and an RFID tag provided on the blade. A read/write means capable of reading and writing information, and a processing section is controlled based on blade information read by the read/write means, and blade information created or updated in accordance with cutting processing by the processing section is transmitted via the read/write means. and a control means for writing on the RFID tag.

In one aspect of the dicing device according to the present invention, the blade information includes at least one of the outer diameter of the blade, the thickness of the blade, and the amount of protrusion of the blade.

One aspect of the dicing apparatus according to the present invention includes determining means for determining whether or not the blade is usable based on blade information read by the read/write means.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the effort and time required to input blade information when replacing or reusing a blade, and to prevent a decrease in overall throughput.

Overall perspective view showing the dicing device of this embodiment A perspective view showing the structure of the processing section of the dicing device shown in Figure 1. (A) is a plan view of the blade, (B) is a cross-sectional view of the blade A block diagram showing the configuration of the dicing device of this embodiment Diagram showing an example of blade information stored in an RFID tag Flowchart showing an example of the operation of the dicing apparatus of this embodiment Flowchart showing another example of the operation of the dicing apparatus of this embodiment

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

First, the dicing apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be explained. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a dicing apparatus 10 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the dicing apparatus 10 of this embodiment is a dicing apparatus called a twin spindle dicer in which a pair of blades 12, 12 are disposed facing each other. This dicing apparatus 10 includes a pair of spindles 14 with built-in high-frequency motors each having a blade 12 attached to its tip, and a work table 16 on which a semiconductor wafer W as a workpiece is placed and which holds the semiconductor wafer W by suction. A processing section 18 is provided. This processing section 18 cuts the semiconductor wafer W with the blade 12 while moving the semiconductor wafer W and the blade 12 relatively.

The dicing apparatus 10 also includes a cleaning section 20 that spin-cleans processed semiconductor wafers W, a load port 22 on which a cassette containing a plurality of semiconductor wafers W is placed, and a transporter that transports the semiconductor wafers W. The devices 24 and 24 are respectively arranged at predetermined positions. Further, the dicing apparatus 10 has a built-in control section (control means) 26 that controls the operation of each member of the dicing apparatus 10 in an integrated manner.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the processing section 18.

As shown in FIG. 2, the processing section 18 includes an X table 34. The X table 34 is guided by X guides 30, 30 provided on the X base 28, and is driven by a linear motor 32 in the X direction indicated by the arrow XX. Further, a rotary table 36 that rotates in the θ direction is fixed to the upper surface of the X table 34, and the work table 16 is provided on this rotary table 36. Therefore, the work table 16 is moved in the X direction by the X table 34 and rotated in the θ direction by the rotary table 36.

Furthermore, the processing section 18 includes a Y base 38 configured in a gate shape so as to straddle the X base 28 . A pair of Y tables 42, 42 are provided on the wall surface of the Y base 38. The pair of Y tables 42, 42 are guided by Y guides 40, 40 fixed to the wall surface of the Y base 38, and are driven in the Y direction indicated by the arrow YY by a driving device consisting of a stepping motor and a ball screw (not shown). be done.

Z tables 44, 44 are provided in the Y tables 42, 42, respectively. The Z tables 44, 44 are guided by a Z guide (not shown) provided on the Y table 42, and are driven in the Z direction indicated by the arrow ZZ by a driving device including a stepping motor and a ball screw (not shown). Spindles 14, 14 are fixed to the Z tables 44, 44 in a facing state, and blades 12, 12 attached to the tips of the spindles 14, 14 are arranged facing each other.

With the above-described configuration of the processing section 18, the blades 12, 12 are index fed in the Y direction and cut fed in the Z direction, and the work table 16 is fed cutting in the X direction and rotated in the θ direction. These operations are controlled by the control unit 26 (see FIG. 1), and in particular, the amount of cut in the Z direction is controlled according to the amount of protrusion of the cutting edge of the blade 12. The amount of protrusion of the blade portion is always input to the control unit 26 of the dicing device 10. The amount of protrusion of the blade portion of the blade 12 will be described later.

Note that the above-mentioned X direction refers to one direction in the horizontal direction, and the Y direction refers to a direction perpendicular to the X direction in the horizontal direction. Further, the Z direction refers to a vertical direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction, respectively, and the θ direction refers to a rotation direction with the vertical axis as the central axis.

3(A) is a front view of the blade 12, and FIG. 3(B) is a sectional view of the blade 12.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the blade 12 has a blade portion 48 attached to the outer peripheral edge of one end surface of a hub (also referred to as a flange) 50 made of aluminum alloy or the like. configured. The blade portion 48 is provided on the hub 50 by electroforming abrasive grains such as diamond. Further, a mounting hole 46 for mounting the blade 12 on the spindle 14 of the dicing device 10 is provided in the center of the hub 50 .

The blade portion 48 is a portion that cuts into the semiconductor wafer W. The thickness t (also referred to as blade thickness) of the blade portion 48 is configured to be at least thinner than the thickness of the semiconductor wafer W. For example, when cutting a semiconductor wafer W having a thickness of 100 μm, the thickness t of the blade portion 48 is preferably 50 μm or less, more preferably 30 μm or less, and even more preferably 10 μm or less. Further, the cross-sectional shape of the blade portion 48 may be a straight shape having a uniform thickness, or a tapered shape whose thickness becomes gradually thinner toward the outer periphery.

Here, the value obtained by subtracting the outer diameter φ2 of the hub 50 from the outer diameter φ1 of the blade portion 48 divided by 2 ((φ1−φ2)/2) is the protrusion amount a of the blade portion 48 described above. The protrusion amount a of the blade portion 48 is a value that decreases with the passage of processing time, and is reset in the dicing device 10 each time the blade 12 is replaced with a new blade 12.

As mentioned above, the protrusion amount a of the blade portion 48 is a major factor for controlling the depth of cut in the Z direction, so even during machining with the same blade 12, the position of the cutting edge of the blade 12 can be detected by the detection device. , the protrusion amount a of the blade portion is indirectly measured, and the measured protrusion amount a is updated to the control unit 26 of the dicing apparatus 10. Furthermore, when the blade 12 is replaced, the protrusion amount a of the blade portion 48 of the replaced blade 12 is reset by the control unit 26. In the case of a new blade 12, the protrusion amount a of the blade portion 48 is specified as a catalog value.

By the way, the blade 12 in this embodiment is provided with an RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) tag 52, as shown in FIG. 3(A). This RFID tag 52 is a readable/writable storage medium, and is provided on the surface of the blade 12.

The dicing apparatus 10 of this embodiment has the following configuration in order to read and write blade information to the RFID tag 52 provided on the blade 12.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration for reading and writing the RFID tag 52 provided on the blade 12 in the dicing apparatus 10 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, the dicing apparatus 10 of this embodiment includes a reader/writer (read/write means) 54 that reads and writes blade information to an RFID tag 52 provided on the blade 12, and blade information read by the reader/writer 54. The control section 26 controls the processing section 18 based on the following information and controls writing the latest blade information to the RFID tag 52 via the reader/writer 54.

The control unit 26 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) 56 that stores blade information read by the reader/writer 54. The control unit 26 controls the processing unit 18 described above while referring to the blade information stored in the RAM 56.

Further, the RAM 56 stores blade information (latest blade information) created or updated in accordance with the cutting process performed by the processing unit 18, and as described later, the control unit 26 controls the blade information (the latest blade information) stored in the RAM 56. blade information is written into the RFID tag 52 by the reader/writer 54.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of blade information stored in the RFID tag 52.

As shown in FIG. 5, the blade information stored in the RFID tag 52 includes at least the outer diameter φ1, thickness t, and protrusion amount a of the blade portion 48 of the blade 12. In addition to these, the type of abrasive grain of the blade 12, the particle size (count) of the abrasive grain, the degree of concentration (content), the type of binder, etc. may also be included. The blade information may be catalog values or detailed information actually measured after the blade 12 is manufactured.

Next, the operation of the dicing apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be explained.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the dicing apparatus 10 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the dicing apparatus 10, the blade information stored in the RFID tag 52 is read by the reader/writer 54 before the blade 12 is attached to the spindle 14 or after the blade 12 is attached to the spindle 14. (step S100). At this time, the blade information read by the reader/writer 54 is stored in the RAM 56 of the control unit 26.

Next, the control unit 26 controls the processing unit 18 based on the blade information read by the reader/writer 54 (specifically, the blade information stored in the RAM 56) (step S110).

The specific control of the processing section 18 by the control section 26 is based on the blade information read from the RFID tag 52 when driving the processing section 18 in the Y direction or the Z direction, that is, the blade outer diameter φ1 and the blade thickness. The amount of movement in the Y direction or the Z direction is adjusted mainly with reference to t and the blade protrusion amount a. This makes it possible to perform cutting specifically for that blade 12.

Next, the control unit 26 controls the reader/writer 54 to write the latest blade information to the RFID tag 52 when the processing unit 18 finishes processing or is in the middle of processing (step S120). The blade information written in the RFID tag 52 is read again by the reader/writer 54 when the blade 12 is reused, and the control unit 26 controls the processing unit 18 based on the read information.

In step S120, the blade information to be written to the RFID tag 52 includes, as described above, information regarding the shape of the blade 12, as well as historical information about the usage process of the blade 12 (time of use, identification identifying the dicing device used). symbols, dicing equipment error information), etc. Information regarding the shape of the blade 12 is written to the RFID tag 52 from the reader/writer 54 when the blade 12 is removed from the spindle 14 or when the processing unit 18 finishes processing. For example, if the dicing device 10 is equipped with a detection device that detects the position of the cutting edge of the blade 12, the outer diameter φ1 and protrusion amount a of the blade portion 48 are calculated from the detection results of the detection device, and the latest It is written into the RFID tag 52 as blade information. As a result, the latest outer diameter φ1 and protrusion amount a are updated and written in the RFID tag 52 of the blade 12 as needed. Alternatively, the history of the outer diameter φ1 and the protrusion amount a each time the machining is completed may be recorded in the RFID tag 52 of the blade 12. This makes it possible to grasp the number of replacements of the blade 12 and the amount of wear of the blade 12 after one use, and it becomes possible to utilize this information for maintenance of the blade 12 and the like.

In the dicing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the latest blade information is stored in the RFID 52 of the blade 12, so that the latest blade information is stored in the RFID 52 of the blade 12. It is possible to instantly determine whether the blade 12 is usable or not.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the dicing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, and shows a process of determining whether the blade 12 can be used based on the blade information read by the reader/writer 54. It is something. It is assumed that the minimum value (minimum protrusion amount) of the protrusion amount a of the blade portion 48 is preset in the dicing device 10 as a reference value (threshold value) for determining whether the blade 12 can be used. The minimum value of the protrusion amount a of the blade portion 48 may be set by the user via an input unit (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 7, first, before the blade 12 is attached to the spindle 14 or after the blade 12 is attached to the spindle 14, the blade information stored in the RFID tag 52 is read by the reader/writer 54 (step S200). At this time, the blade information read by the reader/writer 54 is stored in the RAM 56 of the control unit 26.

Next, the control unit 26 functions as a determining means of the present invention, and compares the protrusion amount (current protrusion amount) a of the blade portion 48 included in the blade information read by the reader/writer 54 with the minimum protrusion amount described above. By comparison, it is determined whether the current protrusion amount a is larger than the minimum protrusion amount (S210).

In step S210, if the control unit 26 determines that the current protrusion amount a is larger than the minimum protrusion amount, it determines that the blade 12 can be used (step S220). In this case, processing by the processing unit 18 is set to be possible. On the other hand, if it is determined that the current protrusion amount a is smaller than the minimum protrusion amount (or less than the minimum protrusion amount), it is determined that the blade 12 cannot be used (step S230). In this case, machining by the machining section 18 is set to an impossible state, and a message indicating that the blade 12 needs to be replaced is displayed on a monitor (not shown).

With the above, the processing shown in the flowchart is completed.

As described above, according to the dicing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the blade 12 is provided with the RFID tag 52, and the blade information (outer diameter φ1 of the blade portion 48, thickness t, protrusion amount a) stored in the RFID tag 52. etc.) are automatically read, and processing is performed based on the read blade information. Further, since the latest blade information is written in the RFID tag 52 of the blade 12, there is no need to acquire the latest blade information again when the blade 12 is reused as a used blade. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the effort and time required to input blade information when replacing or reusing the blade 12, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in throughput caused by replacing the blade 12. As a result, the operating time of the dicing apparatus 10 can be increased, and the overall throughput can be improved.

In addition, in the dicing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the latest blade information is stored in the RFID 52 of the blade 12, so the blade information read by the reader/writer 54 can be used without using a separate detection device. Based on this, it becomes possible to instantly determine whether the blade 12 is usable or not. That is, since the dicing apparatus 10 automatically determines whether or not the blade 12 can be used, the burden of confirmation work on the user can be reduced.

In addition, in the dicing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the blade 12 is provided with an RFID tag 52 as a readable/writable storage medium, so that the blade information includes the outer diameter φ1, thickness t, protrusion amount a, etc. of the blade portion 48. In addition, history information of the usage process (time of use, identification symbol for identifying the dicing device used, and malfunction information of the dicing device) can be written in the RFID tag 52.

Furthermore, since blade information can be read and written to the RFID tag 52 without contact by the reader/writer 54, it is possible to read and write blade information even in an environment where cutting water, cooling water, and cutting powder are scattered.

W...Workpiece, 10...Dicing device, 12...Blade, 14...Spindle, 16...Work table, 18...Processing section, 20...Cleaning section, 22...Load port, 24...Transport device, 26...Control unit, 28...X Base, 30...X guide, 32...Linear motor, 34...X table, 36...Rotary table, 38...Y base, 40...Y guide, 42...Y table, 44...Z table, 46...attachment hole, 48...blade Part, 50...Hub, 52...RFID tag, 54...Reader/writer, 56...RAM

Claims (3)

A dicing device that cuts the workpiece with the blade while relatively moving the workpiece and the blade,
a storage means provided in the blade and storing blade information;
updating means for updating the blade information stored in the storage means to the latest state when the blade is used;
control means for controlling cutting of the workpiece by the blade based on the blade information stored in the storage means;
A dicing device equipped with. further comprising determining means for determining whether or not the blade is usable based on the blade information stored in the storage means;
The dicing apparatus according to claim 1. the storage means is an RFID tag;
The dicing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

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