JP7428519B2 - Cutting device and cutting method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cutting device that rotates a cutting blade at high speed to cut a workpiece, and more particularly relates to a method of cooling a cutting blade and a workpiece with a cutting fluid.

Conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, in a cutting device that cuts a workpiece (workpiece) by rotating a cutting blade at high speed, cutting fluid is supplied to the cutting blade and the workpiece during processing. It is known to remove foreign matter (contamination) and cool processing points. When the workpiece is a semiconductor device wafer, pure water is widely used as a cutting fluid.

In order to prevent the machining point from shifting due to heat generation during equipment operation, cutting fluid is constantly supplied to the cutting blade during idling, other than during alignment, kerf checking, setup, and other processes. It is expected that

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-114949

However, there is a concern that if the cutting fluid is continuously sprayed onto the cutting blade for a long period of time, the bond material of the cutting blade may corrode or elute.

In particular, impurities such as metal ions are easily dissolved in pure water, and it can be said that corrosion and elution of the bond material of the cutting blade are likely to occur. If corrosion or elution occurs in the cutting blade, it will cause abnormal wear of the cutting blade, leading to a reduction in the life of the cutting blade and deterioration in processing quality.

In view of the above problems, the present invention proposes a new technique that enables optimal supply of cutting fluid to the cutting blade.

According to one aspect of the invention,
a cutting unit having a cutting blade;
a holding table including a holding surface that holds a workpiece to be cut with the cutting blade;
a cutting fluid nozzle that injects and supplies cutting fluid toward the cutting blade that cuts the workpiece held by the holding table;
a coolant nozzle that injects a coolant in a direction avoiding the cutting blade;
A controller for controlling the supply of the cutting fluid from the cutting fluid nozzle and supplying the cooling fluid from the cooling fluid nozzle when the cutting blade is not cutting a workpiece. A device.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention,
the cooling fluid is supplied from the same source as the cutting fluid;
the coolant nozzle is directed toward the workpiece being cut;
The coolant is injected from the coolant nozzle onto the workpiece while the cutting blade is cutting the workpiece to reduce the risk of foreign matter adhering to the workpiece.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention,
A cutting method for cutting a plurality of workpieces with the cutting device described above,
a first holding step of holding a first workpiece on the holding table;
a first cutting step of cutting a first workpiece held by the holding table with the cutting blade while supplying the cutting fluid from the cutting fluid nozzle to the cutting blade;
an unloading step of unloading the first workpiece from the holding table after the first cutting step;
a second holding step of holding the second workpiece on the holding table after carrying out the carrying out step;
a second cutting step of cutting a second workpiece held by the holding table with the cutting blade while supplying the cutting fluid from the cutting fluid nozzle to the cutting blade;
After the first cutting step is completed, the cutting method further comprises a cutting fluid stopping step of stopping the supply of the cutting fluid and causing the cooling fluid to be injected from the cooling fluid nozzle.

Since the cutting fluid does not spout out when the workpiece is not being cut, it is possible to prevent corrosion of the cutting blade from progressing due to excessive jetting of the cutting fluid toward the cutting blade. Furthermore, the spouting of the cooling liquid prevents the atmospheric temperature around the cutting unit from rising.

1 is a perspective view of a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view explaining the composition of a cutting unit. (A) is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a cutting unit. (B) is a diagram illustrating a state in which the blade cooler assembly is moved. It is a figure explaining another example of composition of a cutting unit. (A) is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of supply paths for cutting fluid and cooling fluid. (B) is a diagram illustrating another example of the configuration of the cutting fluid and cooling fluid supply paths. It is a figure explaining the composition of the controller which controls a cutting device. It is a figure explaining the relationship between idling time and idling cumulative time. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a wafer, which is an example of a workpiece. (A) is a diagram showing the first holding step. (B) is a diagram showing an alignment step. (C) is a diagram showing the cutting step. (A) is a diagram showing a cutting fluid stop step. (B) is a diagram showing the unloading step. (C) is a diagram showing dressing in the dress determination step. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a processing method.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cutting device 2 has a base 4, and a holding table 8 is disposed on the base 4 so as to be able to reciprocate in the X-axis direction by a cutting feed mechanism (X-axis moving mechanism) not shown.

On the upper surface of the base 4, there are provided a cassette mounting part 5a on which a cassette 5 (not shown) for storing a workpiece is placed, and a cleaning device 6 for cleaning the workpiece after cutting. The workpiece is transported from the cassette 5 onto the holding table 8 by a transport device (not shown), cut by the cutting unit 34, and then transported to the cleaning device 6 for cleaning.After cleaning, the workpiece is transferred to the cassette 5. It will be carried out.

A plurality of clamps 9 and a water cover 11 are arranged around the holding table 8, and a bellows 12 is connected to the water cover 11 and the base 4 to protect the cutting feed mechanism arranged below. There is.

A dress board table 52 is provided on the top surface of the water cover 11 to expose and hold the top surface of the dress board 50. The water cover 11 moves in the X-axis direction together with the holding table 8, and as the water cover 11 moves, the dress board table 52 also moves in the X-axis direction.

A gate-shaped column 14 is erected on the base 4, and on the side surface of the column 14 is a pair of guide rails 15 extending in the Y-axis direction, and a Y-axis moving mechanism 17 consisting of a ball screw 16a and a pulse motor 16b. , and a Y-axis moving block 18 are provided, and the Y-axis moving block 18 moves in the Y-axis direction along the guide rail 15 by driving of the Y-axis moving mechanism 17.

The Y-axis movement block 18 is provided with a pair of guide rails 19 extending in the Z-axis direction, a Z-axis movement mechanism 32 consisting of a ball screw 31a and a pulse motor 31b, and a Z-axis movement block 30, and is provided with a Z-axis movement block 30. The block 30 is moved in the Z-axis direction along the guide rail 19 by the drive of the Z-axis moving mechanism 32.

A cutting unit 34 is attached to the Z-axis moving block 30, and a spindle (not shown) is rotatably housed in a spindle housing 36 of the cutting unit 34, and a cutting blade 38 is attached to the tip of the spindle. Approximately the upper half of the cutting blade 38 is covered by a blade cover (wheel cover) 40. An imaging unit 7 is arranged near the cutting unit 34.

2 and FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B) are diagrams illustrating the configuration of the cutting unit 34. The cutting unit 34 includes a cutting blade 38 and a blade cover 40, and the cutting edge of the cutting blade 38 projects downward from the blade cover 40. The blade cover 40 is provided with blade cooler nozzles 41a and 41b that supply cutting fluid such as pure water to the lower part of the cutting blade 38, and a shower nozzle 46 that supplies cutting fluid to the outer peripheral portion of the cutting blade 38. There is.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting blade 38 is, for example, a hub type blade in which a cutting edge 38b is formed by electrodeposition on a base (hub base) 38a made of aluminum, or a hub type blade without a base and the cutting blade is formed by a flange. The present invention can also be suitably implemented with a fixed cutting blade.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3(A) and 3(B), the blade cover 40 includes an opening/closing plate 48 fixed to one end of the spindle housing 36 (FIG. 3(A)) that rotatably accommodates the spindle. has.

As shown in FIG. 3(B), an air cylinder is built into the opening/closing plate 48, and a blade cooler assembly 44 is attached to the tip of the piston rod 43 of the air cylinder. The blade cooler assembly 44 includes a cover member 45 that covers about half of the cutting blade 38 in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIG. 3(B), when the piston rod 43 is extended, the blade cooler assembly 44 at its tip moves to one side away from the cutting blade 38 in the X-axis direction, and the blade cooler assembly 44 and the opening/closing plate 48 are separated from each other, the area around the cutting blade 38 is wide open, and the cutting blade 38 can be replaced.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the blade cooler assembly 44 includes a pair of connection ports 53a and 53b, and a blade made of a substantially L-shaped pipe material connected to each connection port 53a and 53b. It has cooler nozzles 41a and 41b. The blade cooler nozzle 41a is arranged so as to extend horizontally on the front side (front side) of the cutting blade 38, and the blade cooler nozzle 41b is arranged so as to extend horizontally on the back side (rear side) of the cutting blade 38. In the horizontal portion of each blade cooler nozzle 41a, 41b, a plurality of slits are formed on the circumferential surface of the blade cooler nozzle 41a, 41b to eject the cutting fluid to the side facing the cutting blade 38.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3(A) and 3(B), the cutting fluid is spouted from the blade cooler nozzles 41a and 41b toward the front and back surfaces of the cutting blade 38, respectively. The workpiece is cooled, and machining defects caused by frictional heat generated at the machining point where the cutting blade 38 and the workpiece contact are suppressed. Further, cutting debris adhering to the cutting blade or the workpiece is discharged by the cutting fluid.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A and 3B, a shower nozzle block 54 is fixed to the opening/closing plate 48 at a position opposite to the blade cooler assembly 44. A shower nozzle 46 that opens toward the outer periphery of the cutting blade 38 is provided at the lower end of the shower nozzle block 54 . Cutting fluid is supplied to the shower nozzle 46 through a connection port 55 connected to the shower nozzle block 54 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting blade 38 is cooled by jetting the cutting material from the shower nozzle 46 toward the outer circumference of the cutting blade 38. Furthermore, the rotation of the cutting blade 38 supplies cutting fluid to the machining point that is the contact area between the cutting blade 38 and the workpiece, thereby preventing machining defects due to frictional heat generated at the machining point.

Here, the blade cooler nozzles 41a, 41b and the shower nozzle 46 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3(A) and 3(B) are provided for the purpose of cooling the cutting blade 38, and both are A cutting fluid nozzle is configured. Note that by providing either the blade cooler nozzles 41a, 41b or the shower nozzle 46, it may be used as a cutting fluid nozzle.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3(A) and 3(B), the lower end of the shower nozzle block 54 is oriented in a direction away from the cutting blade 38, and sprays a cooling liquid that cools the workpiece. Coolant nozzles 60a, 60b are provided. The purpose of the cooling liquid is to cool the workpiece and suppress an increase in ambient temperature.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3(A) and 3(B), in this embodiment, the cooling liquid nozzles 60a and 60b are provided at two locations shifted in the axial direction of the cutting blade 38, and each The cooling liquid is configured to be ejected directly below from the liquid nozzles 60a and 60b. Coolant is supplied to the coolant nozzles 60a, 60b through a connection port 62 connected to the shower nozzle block 54.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A and 3B, a wall portion 56 is formed in the shower nozzle block 54 to isolate the cooling liquid nozzles 60a, 60b and the cutting blade 38. This wall portion 56 prevents the coolant jetted from the coolant nozzles 60a, 60b from hitting the cutting blade 38.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3(A) and 3(B), in this embodiment, the coolant nozzles 60a and 60b are disposed above the lower end of the wall 56, so that the coolant is prevented from being supplied to the cutting blade 38 side.

FIG. 4 shows another example of the configuration of the cutting unit 38x.
In this configuration example, the coolant nozzle 60x is arranged on an axial extension of the spindle on which the cutting blade 38x is mounted. The arrangement of the cooling liquid nozzle 60x is not particularly limited as long as it is oriented in a direction in which the cooling liquid is not supplied to the cutting blade 38x.

FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating the configuration of supply paths for cutting fluid and cooling fluid to each nozzle.
The cutting fluid from the cutting fluid supply source 71 is supplied to the connection ports 53a, 53b and the connection port 55 via the cutting fluid supply path 72 and the cutting fluid control valve 73, and is ejected from the blade cooler nozzles 41a, 41b and the shower nozzle 46. Ru.

As shown in FIG. 5(A), a carbon dioxide supply source 75 is connected to the cutting fluid supply path 72 via a carbon dioxide control valve 74 to mix carbon dioxide into the cutting fluid to lower the specific resistance value. It is possible to prevent the workpiece from being charged (by increasing the electrical conductivity). Cutting fluid becomes more acidic when carbon dioxide is mixed in with it.

As shown in FIG. 5A, by providing a detector 76 in the cutting fluid supply path 72, it is possible to monitor the pH, conductivity, specific resistance value, etc. of the cutting fluid.

As shown in FIG. 5(A), the coolant from the coolant supply source 81 is supplied to the connection port 62 via the coolant supply path 82 and the coolant control valve 83, and is ejected from the coolant nozzles 60a and 60b. be done.

As shown in FIG. 5A, by providing a detector 86 in the coolant supply path 82, it is possible to monitor the pH, conductivity, specific resistance value, etc. of the cutting fluid.

The cutting fluid and cooling fluid supplied from the cutting fluid supply source 71 and the cooling fluid supply source 81 may be pure water or may be appropriately selected depending on the attributes of the workpiece and cutting blade, processing conditions, and the like.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5(B), when using the same coolant as the cutting fluid, the cutting fluid supply path 72 is branched and connected to the cooling fluid control valve 83, and the cutting fluid supply path 72 is connected to the cooling fluid control valve 83. The supplied cutting fluid may be used as a cooling fluid.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an overview of the configuration of a controller that controls the cutting device configured as described above.
An input means 101 such as a touch panel or a keyboard is connected to the controller 10, and allows the operator to input various information such as machining conditions and start/stop of machining.

A display means 102 such as a display is connected to the controller 10 so that processing conditions, operating conditions, etc. can be monitored.

The controller 10 includes an operation control section 110 that controls each driving section such as a cutting blade and a holding table, and the operation control section 110 controls execution of cutting.

The controller 10 includes a cutting fluid control section 111, a carbon dioxide control section 112, and a cooling fluid control section that control the operations of a cutting fluid control valve 73, a carbon dioxide control valve 74, and a cooling fluid control valve 83, which are also shown in FIG. 5(A), respectively. It has a control section 113. Each of these control units controls opening/closing of each control valve, and controls ON/OFF of spouting of cutting fluid and cooling fluid in the cutting unit. An example of this ON/OFF control will be detailed later.

The controller 10 includes an idling time counting section 114 that counts each idling time T1, T2, . . . . As shown in FIG. 7, the idling times T1, T2, etc. are the preparation time before starting the first cutting process after starting the cutting device, or the preparation time after the cutting process of the previous workpiece is finished. This refers to the waiting time from 1 to 2 to start cutting of the next workpiece. The idling times T1, T2, . . . are reset when the cutting process is started/restarted, and the count restarts from zero when the cutting process is stopped.

The controller 10 includes an idling cumulative time counting section 115 for counting the idling cumulative time Tr (FIG. 7), which is the total of each idling time. FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the cumulative idling time Tr and the idling times T1, T2, . . . .

The controller 10 includes a dress control section 116. The dressing control unit 116d compares the idling cumulative time Tr and a predefined dressing time Td, and if the idling cumulative time Tr exceeds the dressing time Td, controls the operation control unit 110 to perform dressing. .

Next, a processing method using the above device configuration will be explained. Please refer to the flowchart in FIG. 11 for the flow of each step described below.

First, a wafer 20 shown in FIG. 8, which is an example of a workpiece, will be described. On the surface 20a side of the wafer 20, devices 22 are arranged in a grid pattern, and the spaces between each device 22 are configured as dividing lines 24 (street), and by cutting along the dividing lines 24, It is divided into semiconductor chips.

The back surface 20b of the wafer 20 is attached to an adhesive tape 26, and an annular frame 28 is also attached to the adhesive tape 26 so as to surround the wafer 20.

As described above, a wafer unit 29 is constructed in which the wafer 20 is fixed to the annular frame 28 via the adhesive tape 26, and this wafer unit 29 is handled by a cutting device.

<First holding step S1-1>
As shown in FIG. 9A, this is a step in which a wafer 20, which is a first (first) workpiece, is held on a holding table 8.
In this example, the wafer 20 is adsorbed and held on the surface of the holding table 8 via the adhesive tape 26. The annular frame 28 is clamped by the clamps 9.

In this step, as shown in FIG. 6, the cutting fluid control section 111 closes the cutting fluid control valve 73, and the coolant control valve 83 closes the coolant control section 113. As a result, in the cutting unit 34, the cutting fluid is not spouted out, but the coolant R is spouted out.

In this way, in the first holding step, the cutting fluid is not spouted out, so that the cutting blade is prevented from being corroded due to excessive supply of the cutting fluid. Furthermore, the spouting of the coolant R prevents the atmospheric temperature around the cutting unit 34 from rising.

<Alignment step S1-2>
As shown in FIG. 9(B), the front surface 20a of the wafer 20, which is the first workpiece, is imaged by the imaging unit 7, the dividing line 24 (FIG. 8) is detected, and the dividing line 24 (FIG. 8) is detected. In this step, alignment is performed by rotating the holding table 8 so that the planned line 24 is parallel to the processing feed direction (X-axis direction) (FIG. 1).

In this step, as shown in FIG. 6, the cutting fluid control section 111 closes the cutting fluid control valve 73, and the coolant control valve 83 closes the coolant control section 113. As a result, in the cutting unit 34, neither the cooling fluid nor the cutting fluid is spouted out.

In this way, in the alignment step, the cutting fluid is not spouted out, which prevents the cutting fluid from being excessively supplied and corroding the cutting blade.

<Cutting step S1-3>
As shown in FIG. 9C, this is a step of cutting the wafer 20 along the planned dividing line 24 (FIG. 8) by processing and feeding the holding table 8 while rotating the cutting blade 38.

Regarding the dividing line 24 extending in the first direction (X-axis direction) in FIG. 8, processing feed of the holding table 8 and index feed of the cutting blade 38 (FIG. 9(C)) in the Y-axis direction are alternately repeated. After cutting all the planned dividing lines 24 in the first direction (X-axis direction), by rotating the holding table 8 by 90 degrees, the dividing lines extending in the second direction (Y-axis direction) are cut. Cutting is performed on line 24.

In this step, as shown in FIG. 6, the cutting fluid control section 111 opens the cutting fluid control valve 73, and the coolant control valve 83 opens the coolant control section 113. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9(C), both the coolant R and the cutting fluid S are ejected from the cutting unit 34. By spouting the cutting fluid S, the cutting blade 38 and the machining point are cooled. Furthermore, by spouting the coolant R, cutting debris can be washed away from the surface 20a of the wafer 20 together with the cutting fluid S (removal of foreign matter). Note that the coolant R may not be spouted out.

<Export step S1-4>
As shown in FIG. 10(B), this is a step of carrying out the first workpiece from the holding table 8.
In this step, as shown in FIG. 6, the cutting fluid control section 111 closes the cutting fluid control valve 73, and the coolant control valve 83 opens the coolant control section 113. As a result, in the cutting unit 34, the cutting fluid is not spouted out, but the coolant R is spouted out.

In this way, since the cutting fluid does not spout out, the cutting fluid is prevented from being excessively supplied and corroding the cutting blade. Furthermore, the spouting of the coolant R prevents the atmospheric temperature around the cutting unit 34 from rising.

<Second holding step S2-1>
As shown in FIG. 9A, this is a step in which a wafer 20, which is a second (second) workpiece, is held on a holding table 8.

In this step, as shown in FIG. 6, the cutting fluid control section 111 closes the cutting fluid control valve 73, and the coolant control valve 83 closes the coolant control section 113. As a result, in the cutting unit 34, the cutting fluid is not spouted out, but the coolant R is spouted out.

In this manner, in the second holding step, the cutting fluid is not spouted out, so that the cutting fluid is prevented from being excessively supplied and corroding the cutting blade. Furthermore, the spouting of the coolant R prevents the atmospheric temperature around the cutting unit 34 from rising.

Thereafter, the alignment step, cutting step, and unloading step are repeated in the same manner.

<Cutting fluid stop step S6>
As shown in the idling time T3 in FIG. 7, the idling time is a preset predetermined time Ts from the end of the cutting step for a certain workpiece to the start of the cutting step for the next workpiece. This is a step of stopping the supply of cutting fluid and injecting cooling fluid when the temperature reaches .

More specifically, after the cutting step is finished, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the idling time counting unit 114 starts counting the idling time, and the cutting fluid control unit 111 determines that the idling time has reached the predetermined time Ts. By closing the cutting fluid control valve 73 at this time, the supply of cutting fluid is stopped. The example in FIG. 7 shows that the predetermined time Ts has elapsed during the idling time T3.

On the other hand, the coolant control valve 83 opens the coolant control section 113, and the supply of coolant continues.

As shown in FIG. 10(A), the cutting fluid does not spray out after the idling time reaches the predetermined time Ts, which prevents the cutting fluid from being excessively supplied and corroding the cutting blade. . Furthermore, the spouting of the coolant R prevents the atmospheric temperature around the cutting unit 34 from rising. Note that the supply of the coolant R may be stopped at the end of the cutting step, and the spouting of the coolant R may be resumed after the predetermined time Ts has elapsed. Alternatively, the supply of the coolant R may be stopped during the cutting step, and the coolant R may be spouted out after a predetermined time Ts has elapsed.

Furthermore, the predetermined time Ts may be set to zero. According to this setting, the supply of cutting fluid is stopped immediately after starting the cutting device or immediately after the end of the cutting step, and it is possible to create a state in which the cutting fluid is not spouted out. In this case, the supply of cutting fluid may be started when the cutting step is performed.

<Dress determination step S7>
As shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 7, and FIG. 10(C), the dress control unit 116 compares the idling cumulative time Tr and the predefined dressing time Td, and determines that the idling cumulative time Tr has reached the dressing time Td. In this step, the operation control unit 110 is controlled to perform dressing.

The example in FIG. 7 shows that when the idling time Tx is counted, the idling cumulative time Tr exceeds the dressing time Td.

At this time, dressing is performed by moving the cutting unit 34 to the position of the dressing board 50 and cutting the cutting blade 38 into the dressing board 50, as shown in FIG. 10(C).

In this step, as shown in FIG. 6, the cutting fluid control section 111 opens the cutting fluid control valve 73, and the cooling fluid control section 113 closes the cooling fluid control valve 83. As a result, in the cutting unit 34, the cutting fluid is spouted out, but the cooling fluid is not spouted out. Note that the coolant control unit 113 may also open the coolant control valve 83 to eject both the coolant and the cutting fluid.

In addition, in Fig. 7, the predetermined time Ts, which is the standard for stopping the cutting fluid, and the dressing time Td, which is the standard for dressing, depend on the particle size of the cutting blade, bond type, thickness, Ph of the cutting fluid, etc. This is set in advance based on the

For example, the predetermined time Ts can be set by conducting a test to measure the time it takes for the cutting blade to change in quality for a combination of cutting blade type and cutting fluid. Similarly, the dressing time Td can be set by conducting a test to measure the limit time that the cutting blade can be used without dressing.

The present invention can be implemented as described above.
That is, as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3(A)(B), and FIG.
a cutting unit 34 having a cutting blade 38;
a holding table 8 including a holding surface that holds a workpiece 20 to be cut with a cutting blade 38;
Cutting fluid nozzles (blade cooler nozzles 41a, 41b, shower nozzle 46) that spray and supply cutting fluid toward the cutting blade 38 that cuts the workpiece 20 held by the holding table 8;
coolant nozzles 60a and 60b that inject the coolant in a direction avoiding the cutting blade 38;
When the workpiece 20 is not being cut by the cutting blade 38, the supply of cutting fluid from the cutting fluid nozzles (blade cooler nozzles 41a, 41b, shower nozzle 46) is stopped, and the cooling fluid is supplied from the cooling fluid nozzles 60a, 60b. The cutting device is equipped with a controller 10 that controls the supply of the cutting material.

Thereby, since the cutting fluid does not spout out when the workpiece 20 is not being cut, it is possible to prevent corrosion of the cutting blade from progressing due to excessive jetting of the cutting fluid toward the cutting blade. Furthermore, the spouting of the cooling liquid prevents the ambient temperature around the cutting unit 34 from rising.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5(B) and FIG. 9(C),
The coolant is supplied from the same source as the cutting fluid;
The coolant nozzles 60a, 60b are directed toward the workpiece 20 being cut,
During cutting of the workpiece 20 by the cutting blade 38, the coolant is injected onto the workpiece 20 from the coolant nozzles 60a, 60b to reduce the possibility that foreign matter will adhere to the workpiece 20.

According to this configuration, the coolant nozzles 60a and 60b can have a function of preventing an increase in the ambient temperature around the cutting unit 34 and also a function of removing foreign matter.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3(A)(B), and FIG. 11,
a first holding step of holding the first workpiece 20 on the holding table 8;
First cutting in which the first workpiece 20 held by the holding table 8 is cut with the cutting blade 38 while supplying cutting fluid to the cutting blade 38 from the cutting fluid nozzles (blade cooler nozzles 41a, 41b, shower nozzle 46) step and
a carrying out step of carrying out the first workpiece 20 from the holding table 8 after the first cutting step;
a second holding step of holding the second workpiece 20 on the holding table 8 after carrying out the carrying out step;
Second cutting in which the second workpiece 20 held by the holding table 8 is cut with the cutting blade 38 while supplying cutting fluid to the cutting blade 38 from cutting fluid nozzles (blade cooler nozzles 41a, 41b, shower nozzle 46) having a step;
After the first cutting step is completed, the cutting method further includes a cutting fluid stopping step in which the supply of cutting fluid is stopped and the cooling fluid is injected from the cooling fluid nozzles 60a and 60b.

Thereby, since the cutting fluid does not spout out when the workpiece 20 is not being cut, it is possible to prevent corrosion of the cutting blade from progressing due to excessive jetting of the cutting fluid toward the cutting blade. Furthermore, the spouting of the cooling liquid prevents the ambient temperature around the cutting unit 34 from rising.

2 Cutting device 7 Imaging unit 8 Holding table 10 Controller 34 Cutting unit 38 Cutting blade 40 Blade cover 41a Blade cooler nozzle 41b Blade cooler nozzle 44 Blade cooler assembly 46 Shower nozzle 48 Opening/closing plate 50 Dressing board 54 Shower nozzle block 56 Wall part 60a Cooling Liquid nozzle 60b Coolant nozzle 62a Connection port 62b Connection port 71 Cutting fluid supply source 72 Cutting fluid supply path 73 Cutting fluid control valve 74 Carbon dioxide control valve 75 Carbon dioxide supply source 76 Detector 81 Coolant supply source 82 Coolant supply path 83 Coolant control valve 86 Detector T1 Idling time Td Dressing time Tr Idling cumulative time S Cutting fluid R Coolant

Claims (4)

a cutting unit having a cutting blade;
a holding table including a holding surface that holds a workpiece to be cut with the cutting blade;
a cutting fluid nozzle that injects and supplies cutting fluid toward the cutting blade that cuts the workpiece held by the holding table;
a coolant nozzle that injects a coolant in a direction avoiding the cutting blade;
A controller that controls to stop the supply of the cutting fluid from the cutting fluid nozzle and to supply the cooling fluid from the cooling fluid nozzle when the cutting blade is not cutting the workpiece ,
The cutting device is configured such that the controller has an idling time counting section for counting idling time, and stops supply of the cutting fluid when the idling time reaches a predetermined time. the cooling fluid is supplied from the same source as the cutting fluid;
the coolant nozzle is directed toward the workpiece being cut;
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cooling liquid is injected from the cooling liquid nozzle onto the workpiece while the cutting blade is cutting the workpiece to reduce the risk of foreign matter adhering to the workpiece. The cutting device described. The idling time is the preparation time before starting the first cutting process after starting the cutting device, or after finishing the cutting process of the previous workpiece and starting the cutting process of the next workpiece. The waiting time until
The cutting device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that: A cutting method for cutting a plurality of workpieces with the cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
a first holding step of holding a first workpiece on the holding table;
a first cutting step of cutting a first workpiece held by the holding table with the cutting blade while supplying the cutting fluid from the cutting fluid nozzle to the cutting blade;
an unloading step of unloading the first workpiece from the holding table after the first cutting step;
a second holding step of holding the second workpiece on the holding table after carrying out the carrying out step;
a second cutting step of cutting a second workpiece held by the holding table with the cutting blade while supplying the cutting fluid from the cutting fluid nozzle to the cutting blade;
When the idling time from the end of the first cutting step for a certain workpiece until the start of the first cutting step for the next workpiece reaches a preset predetermined time, A cutting method further comprising a cutting fluid stopping step of stopping supply of the cutting fluid and causing the cooling fluid to be injected from the cooling fluid nozzle.