JPH11339042A - Substrate wafer discriminating device and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve accuracy in discrimination work of substrate wafer surfaces by discriminating the surface state of the substrate wafer, and commanding a carrier machine to classify and carry the substrate wafer according to the discriminated. SOLUTION: An image recognition unit 9 recognizes an image picked up by a CCD camera 7 to send the recognized image data to a discriminating part 10, and the part 10 fetches the image data, performs image analysis, collates the analytical data with a prescribed criterion that is preliminarily stored in a storage device and discriminates whether or not the surface state of a substrate wafer 20 is within a tolerance. A processing part 11 receives data of a scratch extracted by the part 10, analyzes it and also transmits whether or not the existence of a scratch exceeds the tolerance on the wafer 20 to a controller 13. The controller 13 divides the wafer 20 into a selection carrier or a storage carrier based on the discrimination information transmitted from the part 11 and carries it.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for judging the appearance of the surface of a substrate wafer used for a semiconductor chip and judging the finished state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when checking the finished state of a semiconductor substrate wafer, a limit sample indicating the minimum finished state of the substrate wafer is used, and individual substrate wafers finished by the eyes of an operator are checked. Samples were compared and the appearance of the substrate wafer was observed.

However, since the above operation is performed by directly checking the surface of the substrate wafer with the eyes of an operator, it is difficult to accurately recognize small dents, scratches, and the like present on the surface of the substrate wafer. In addition, there is a problem in that the accuracy in the determination of the surface of the substrate wafer varies depending on the individual worker performing the operation.

Further, in the process of comparing individual substrate wafers with limit samples and determining the surface, dust may adhere to the substrate wafers, which is not sufficient for checking the substrate wafers that require precision. I couldn't say.

In addition, it is difficult to perform a large amount of checking work due to human work, and also to improve the efficiency of the substrate wafer manufacturing process due to the occurrence of defective products in the subsequent process due to incorrect surface determination. And increased costs.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate wafer judging apparatus having an advanced judging function, thereby providing an apparatus for judging the surface of a substrate wafer. An object of the present invention is to improve the semiconductor manufacturing operation by increasing the accuracy of the judgment operation.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a substrate wafer determining apparatus for recognizing a surface state of a substrate wafer, inquiring recognition data acquired by the recognizing means to a predetermined criterion, and recognizing the surface condition of the substrate wafer. It is characterized by comprising a judgment means for judging a state, and a control means for issuing a command to a carrier to sort and convey a substrate wafer based on the judgment result by the judgment means.

Further, the substrate wafer judging device of the present invention is provided with a transporter and a stage for transporting and placing the substrate wafer by the transporter, and a recognition means for recognizing a surface state of the substrate wafer toward the stage. Disposed, referencing the recognition data acquired by the recognition means to a predetermined criterion, and determining means for determining the surface condition of the substrate wafer; and transporting the substrate wafer from the stage according to the determination result by the determination means. Control means for issuing a command to the transporter.

Further, in the method of determining a substrate wafer according to the present invention, the step of recognizing the surface state of the substrate wafer and acquiring recognition data, inquiring the recognition data to a predetermined criterion, and determining the result of the determination of the surface state of the substrate wafer. The method is characterized by comprising a step of acquiring and a step of separating and transporting the substrate wafer based on the determination result.

[0010]

According to the present invention, the appearance of a substrate wafer can be accurately and consistently determined with a constant determination criterion, and dents and chips, which may cause cracks in the substrate wafer, can be made in a later process. The substrate wafer can be removed in advance.

In addition, in the operation using the above-described determination device, dust is unlikely to adhere to the substrate wafer, and in addition to the accurate determination operation, the occurrence of defective products of the substrate wafer can be eliminated, thereby increasing the efficiency of the semiconductor manufacturing process and reducing costs. Can be achieved.

Further, since the operator only needs to set the sorting carrier on which the substrate wafer is placed, and is not required to constantly perform the checking work, it is possible to improve the working efficiency of the semiconductor manufacturing process.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on specific embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments.

The substrate wafer judging device 1 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, a carrier 2 serving as a means for transporting a substrate wafer 20 is provided at an upper portion, and a stage 3, a centering mechanism 4, a sorting carrier 5, and a storage carrier 6 are arranged around the carrier 2 on all sides. I have. For stage 3, CC
The D camera 7 and the ring-shaped illumination 8 are provided facing each other, and an image of the substrate wafer 20 placed on the stage 3 can be taken. The CCD camera 7 is connected to a determination unit 10 via an image recognition unit 9, and the determination unit 10 is connected to a processing unit 11. The processing unit 11 is connected to a monitor 12 and a controller 13 described later.

The transporter 2 has an arm 2 on a disc-shaped base 2a.
b is formed, and the arm 2b is rotatable with respect to the base 2a (FIGS. 2 and 5). The transporter 2 is connected to the controller 13, and the controller 13 is connected to the input device 14, and the operation of the transporter 2 is controlled by the controller 13. When the transfer device 2 is used, for example, a vacuum suction mechanism is provided at the tip of the arm 2b, and the substrate wafer 20 is sucked and moved by the tip of the arm 2b, and the centering mechanism 4, the stage 3, the sorting carrier 5, the storage carrier 6, and the like. Move between. FIG. 5A shows a stage 3 and carriers 5 and 6.
5B shows a state of the transporter 2 when the substrate wafer 20 is placed on the substrate 2 and the like, and FIG. 5B shows a state of the transporter 2 during rotation.

The stage 3 may be in a stationary state with the substrate wafer 20 mounted thereon. However, if the stage 3 is rotatable left or right, it is possible to image the substrate wafer 20 from various directions. Good (FIG. 7). The rotation operation may be controllable by the controller 13.

The centering mechanism 4 adjusts the position of the substrate wafer 20 before it is mounted on the stage 3. As shown in FIG. 6, the centering mechanism 4 transfers the transferred substrate wafer 20 to a disk-shaped centering mechanism. 4 and is lowered by contacting the slope 4a and finally to the adjustment surface 4b. As a result, the substrate wafer 20 whose center is shifted before the lowering is positioned at the regular center on the adjustment surface 4b.

The sorting carrier 5 transports the substrate wafer 20 to a position where it can be transported by the transporter 2, and transports and mounts the substrate wafer 20 determined to be non-defective by the transporter 2, and transports and collects the non-defective substrate wafer 20. Is what you do. on the other hand,
The storage carrier 6 holds the substrate wafer 2 determined to be defective.
0 transports the defective substrate wafer 20 at the place where it is transported and placed by the transporter 2.

The CCD camera 7 has a magnifying lens 7a,
Substrate wafer 2 on stage 3 illuminated by illumination 8
0 is imaged, and the image of the substrate wafer 20 is taken in at once. The CCD camera 7 may be a fixed type or a movable type such as a swing. Further, the CCD camera 7 and the illumination 8 may be one, but as shown in the modification of FIG. 4, the CCD camera 7 and the illumination 8 are installed above and below the edge of the substrate wafer 20 and It is preferable that the image can be divided and taken in, so that the image can be picked up from multiple directions.

The image recognizing unit 9 is a part for recognizing an image picked up by the CCD camera 7 and relaying the image to the judging unit 10. The recognized image data is sent to the judging unit 10.
When there are two CCD cameras 7, two image recognition units 9 are provided.

The determination unit 10 includes an arithmetic device and a storage device.
The image data is fetched and analyzed, the analytic data is fetched and the analytic data is stored, and the analytic data is referred to a predetermined criterion stored in advance in a storage device, and the surface condition of the substrate wafer 20 is allowed. It is determined whether it is within the range.

More specifically, for example, a hollow 21
8A and FIG.
As shown in (b), the lengths of the dimensions A and B are measured by image analysis, and other data such as the depth of the depression 21 are measured as necessary. Then, tentatively, 50 μm is determined as a reference dimension (judgment criterion) of the allowable range, and the dimensions of analysis data A and B are compared with 50 μm, respectively, and both dimensions A and B are 50 μm.
The flaws described above are detected. If a flaw exceeding the reference size is detected, it is determined to be improper, and at the same time, the flaw data is stored together with a combination of the lengths of the dimensions A and B. As a specific example, FIG.
The lengths of the dimensions A and B are measured from the image of the substrate wafer 20, and the dents 21a (N
o1), Kake 22a (No2), Kake 22b (No3)
Is extracted and stored.

[0023]

[Table 1]

The processing unit 11 includes an arithmetic unit and a storage device. The processing unit 11 receives and analyzes the data on the flaws extracted by the determination unit 10 and determines whether or not the flaws exceeding the allowable range exist on the substrate wafer 20. The information is transmitted to the controller 13. Further, necessary items of the analysis data are displayed on the monitor 12.

In the above analysis, for example, one substrate wafer 2
Numerical data is analyzed to determine whether the scratches present on the surface 0 are classified into the recess 21 or the chip 22. Further, based on the above result, the substrate wafer 20 which has been measured in the past is obtained.
It is determined which of the categories belongs to which category. Further, the lengths of the dimensions A and B of the recess 21 and the chip 22 are classified. For example, 5 on one substrate wafer 20
The number of A and B classified into the range of 0 to 100 μm is determined, and the substrate wafer 20 is classified by judging to which of the previously measured substrate wafers 20 the classification belongs. Further, a map on the substrate wafer 20 as shown in FIG. 8C is created as to which position of the substrate wafer 20 has a flaw. In addition to these, analysis is performed as needed. Necessary items of the analysis result are displayed on the monitor 12.

The controller 13 issues a command to the transporter 2 based on the determination information transmitted from the processing section 11. The transporter 2 separates and transports the substrate wafer 20 to the sorting carrier 5 or the storage carrier 6. become. Also, the processing unit 11 is not connected to the controller 13 and the monitor 1
A command may be issued to the controller 13 by the input device 14 based on the display of the analysis result 2 to control the transporter 2 accordingly.

Instead of recognizing the surface state of the substrate wafer 20 with the CCD camera 7, it is also possible to use recognition means using a sensor or the like. Further, the determiner 10 may be integrated with the processing unit 11.

Next, a case where the above-mentioned substrate wafer judging apparatus 1 is actually operated will be described.

First, the sorting wafer 5 transports the substrate wafer 20 to a predetermined position where it can be moved by the transporter 2. When transported to a predetermined position, the substrate wafer 20 is sucked by the arm 2 b of the transporter 2 and transported to the centering mechanism 4. After the center position of the substrate wafer 20 is adjusted by the centering mechanism 4, the substrate wafer 20 is further sucked by the arm 2b, moved to the stage 3, and placed thereon.

The substrate wafer 2 placed on the stage 3
In the case of 0, the substrate wafer 20 is rotated by, for example, the stage 3 while being illuminated by the illumination 8, and the surface image is captured by the CCD camera 7. The captured image data is captured by the determination unit 10 via the image recognition unit 9 and subjected to image analysis. The analysis data is referred to the above-described predetermined determination criterion, and the surface state of the substrate wafer 20 is determined. It is determined whether it is within the allowable range.

Then, the inquired analysis data and judgment information are taken into the processing unit 11 and analyzed by the processing unit 11. Necessary items of the analysis data are displayed on the monitor 12,
At the same time, the determination information is transmitted from the processing unit 11 to the controller 13. The controller 13 controls the transporter 2 based on the determination information, and the substrate wafer 20 is transported to the sorting carrier 5 if the surface state is within the allowable range, and the substrate wafer 20 is transported to the storage carrier 6 if the surface state exceeds the allowable range.

Finally, the substrate wafer 2 determined to be non-defective
Reference numeral 0 denotes a sorting carrier 5, and substrate wafers 20 determined to be defective are transported by storage carriers 6, respectively, and thereafter, the same operation is repeated.

[0033]

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, it is possible to provide a substrate wafer judging device having an advanced judging function, improve the accuracy of the judgment work on the surface of the substrate wafer, and improve the semiconductor manufacturing work. Has the effect that can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a substrate wafer determination device.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view around a transporter.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of an image processing process.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of an embodiment in which a CCD camera is installed vertically.

FIG. 5A is a plan view of the transporter with the arm extended. (B) A plan view of the transporter during rotation.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a centering mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a stage.

FIG. 8A is a plan view of a substrate wafer having a depression. (B) A plan view of a substrate wafer having a chip. (C) A plan view of a substrate wafer having depressions and chips.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate wafer judgment apparatus 2 Transporter 2a Base 2b Arm 3 Stage 4 Centering mechanism 5 Sorting carrier 6 Storage carrier 7 CCD camera 8 Lighting 9 Image recognition unit 10 Judgment unit 11 Processing unit 12 Monitor 13 Controller 14 Input device 20 Substrate wafer 21 dent 22 moss

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A recognizing means for recognizing a surface state of a substrate wafer, a recognizing data acquired by the recognizing means is referred to a predetermined criterion, and a judging means for judging a surface condition of the substrate wafer; And a control means for issuing a command to a transporter to separate and transport the substrate wafer by the apparatus. 2. A transporter and a stage on which the substrate wafer is transported and placed by the transporter, and recognition means for recognizing a surface state of the substrate wafer toward the stage are provided. Determining means for referencing the recognized recognition data to a predetermined determination criterion to determine the surface state of the substrate wafer, and control means for issuing a command to a transporter to separate and transport the substrate wafer from the stage according to the determination result by the determination means. A substrate wafer determination device, comprising: 3. A process of recognizing a surface state of a substrate wafer and obtaining recognition data, a process of referring to the recognition data to a predetermined criterion, and obtaining a determination result of the surface state of the substrate wafer, Separating the wafer and transporting the wafer.