KR100538699B1 - Cutting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

Cassette support means arranged in the cassette mounting area for supporting a cassette containing a plurality of workpieces, chuck table arranged so as to move substantially horizontally between the chucking area and the cutting area, and cleaning means arranged in the cleaning area And a cutting means for cutting the workpiece fixed by the chuck on the chuck table positioned in the cutting region, and a workpiece conveying means. The cassette mounting area, the chucking area and the cleaning area are arranged in this order on a first straight line extending in a predetermined direction, and the chucking area and the cutting area are disposed on a second straight line extending substantially perpendicular to the first straight line. have.

Description

Cutter {CUTTING MACHINE}

The present invention relates to a cutting machine, such as a dicer, that dices a semiconductor wafer.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-26402 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-74228 disclose a dicer that cuts, that is, dies, along a cutting line arranged in a lattice form. In such a dicer, a cassette bearing area, a waiting area, a chucking area, a cutting area, and a cleaning area are arranged. Cassette support means are arranged in a cassette mounting area, temporary support means are arranged in a standby area, and cleaning means are arranged in a cleaning area. The dicer includes a chuck table which is arranged to move substantially horizontally between the chucking area and the cutting area, cutting means for dicing the workpiece fixed by the chuck on the chuck table positioned in the cutting area, first conveying means, and The 2nd conveying means and the 3rd conveying means are also arrange | positioned. On the cassette support means is placed a cassette for receiving a plurality of workpieces, more specifically a semiconductor wafer mounted via mounting tape in the central opening of the frame. The workpiece in the cassette is carried out from the cassette onto the temporary supporting means by the first conveying means. Next, it is conveyed to the chucking area by a 2nd conveying means, and is chucked on a chuck table. Then, together with the chuck table, it is moved to the cutting area, and dies are cut by the cutting means in the cutting area. It is then moved together with the chuck table to the chucking area and conveyed from the chuck table to the cleaning area by the third conveying means. Next, it wash | cleans by a washing | cleaning means in a washing | cleaning area | region, and is conveyed from a washing | cleaning area | region to a temporary support means by a 2nd conveying means. Then, the first conveying means is carried in the cassette from the temporary supporting means.

In the conventional dicer as described above, there is a problem that the relative arrangement of the cassette mounting area, the standby area, the chucking area, the cutting area and the cleaning area is not necessarily rational, and the whole machine is not sufficiently miniaturized. In order to die with high efficiency, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-26402 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-74228, two cutting means, namely, first cutting means and second cutting means Although it is required to arrange the means and to act both the first cutting means and the second cutting means on a single workpiece, in particular when the first cutting means and the second cutting means are arranged, the first cutting means and A part of the second cutting means is locally projected, and it is impossible to make the so-called installation space of the machine sufficiently small. As is known, dicers are usually required to be arranged in a so-called clean room, and in this respect as well, miniaturization of the dicers is strongly required.

Accordingly, a main object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the whole machine by improving the arrangement of each region of the machine in a cutter such as a dicer.

Another object of the present invention is to achieve the main object without causing a problem that the cut and cleaned workpieces are contaminated again by the cutting chips.

As a result of thorough investigation, the inventor has arranged the cassette mounting area, the chucking area and the cleaning area in that order on the first straight line extending in the predetermined direction from the plan view, and the chucking area and the cutting area on the first straight line in the plan view. It has been found that the main object can be achieved by disposing on a second straight line extending substantially perpendicular to.

According to the present invention, a cutter for achieving the main object, the cassette supporting means arranged in the cassette mounting area for supporting the cassette for receiving a plurality of workpieces, and to move substantially horizontally between the chucking area and the cutting area. A cutter comprising a chuck table arranged in an array, cleaning means arranged in a cleaning region, cutting means for cutting a workpiece fixed by the chuck on the chuck table positioned in the cutting region, and a workpiece conveying means. In the cutting machine, the cassette mounting area, the chucking area and the cleaning area are arranged in the order on a first straight line extending in a predetermined direction in the plan view, and the chucking area and the cutting area are in the plan view. Disposed on a second straight line extending substantially perpendicular to the first straight line, the car The workpiece contained in the sheet is carried out from the cassette to the chucking region by the workpiece conveying means, fixed to the chuck on the chuck table in the chucking region, and transported with the chuck table to the cutting region. Is cut by the cutting means in the cutting area, and then returns to the chucking area together with the chuck table, conveyed on the chuck table by the workpiece conveying means to the cleaning means, and cleaned by the cleaning means. Thereafter, the cutter is conveyed from the cleaning means to the chucking area by the workpiece conveyance means and carried in the cassette by the workpiece conveyance means.

If necessary, a temporary supporting means for temporarily supporting the workpiece in the chucking area is placed, and the workpiece to be cut out from the cassette is first placed on the temporary supporting means, and then on the temporary supporting means. It is possible to convey the workpiece over the chuck table, and to carry the cut and cleaned workpiece from the cleaning means onto the temporary supporting means, and then to be loaded into the cassette. Preferably, the temporary support means is composed of a pair of support members disposed above the chuck table positioned in the chucking area, and the pair of support members are positioned at a predetermined interval from each other. It is possible to move between an operating position where the workpiece is supported and a non-active position that allows the workpiece to be lowered through both by moving in a direction spaced apart from each other.

In order to achieve the above another object, preferably, the workpiece conveying means comprises a first conveying means, a second conveying means and a third conveying means, and the first conveying means is adapted to remove the workpiece to be cut from the cassette. After carrying out, cutting and cleaning the temporary supporting means, the workpiece conveyed onto the temporary supporting means is brought into the cassette on the temporary supporting means, and the second conveying means is taken out of the cassette and on the temporary supporting means. The supported workpiece to be cut is conveyed from the temporary supporting means onto the chuck table, the cut and conveyed workpiece is conveyed from the cleaning means onto the temporary supporting means, and the third conveying means is cut after the chuck table. The workpiece returned to the chucking area is conveyed to the cleaning means on the chuck table.

In a preferred embodiment, the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer, and the cutting means dices the semiconductor wafer. The cutting means includes a first cutting means and a second cutting means, each of the first cutting means and the second cutting means has a cutting blade mounted to the rotating shaft and the rotating shaft, the rotating shaft is arranged tandem And at the same time extending parallel to the first straight line, the cutting blades are mounted at opposite ends of the rotary shafts.

 Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings showing a dicer which is a preferred embodiment of a cutter constructed in accordance with the present invention will be described in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 1, the illustrated dicer includes a housing in which the entirety is indicated by the number 2. This housing 2 includes the main part 4 which is substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. An approximately cuboidal settling portion 6 is formed in the front portion of one half of the main portion 4, and a rectangular parallelepiped portion 8 protruding upward is formed in the other half of the main portion 4. Formed. In one half of the housing 2, the cassette mounting area A, the chucking area B and the cleaning area C are arranged in this order. The cassette mounting area A is located at the front part of one half of the housing 2 (ie, the settling part 6), and the chucking area B is located at the middle of one half of the housing 2. The area C is located behind one side half of the housing 2. It is important that the cassette mounting area A, the chucking area B and the cleaning area C are arranged in a straight line extending substantially in the front-back direction in the plan view. More specifically, the center (a) of the cassette mounting area (A), the center of the chucking area (b), and the center of the cleaning area (c) are located on a straight line L1 extending substantially in the front-back direction in the plan view. It is important. A cutting area D (see FIG. 2) is arranged in the protrusion 8 formed in the other half of the housing 2. In the plan view, the straight line passing through the cutting area D and the chucking area B extends substantially perpendicular to the straight line passing through the cassette mounting area A, the chucking area B, and the cleaning area C. It is important. More specifically, in the plan view, the straight line L2 passing through the center d of the cutting area D and the center b of the chucking area B is important to be perpendicular to the straight line L1. For convenience of explanation, in the present specification, the extension direction of the straight line L2 is referred to as the X axis direction, the extension direction of the straight line L1 is referred to as the Y axis direction, and the vertical direction is referred to as the Z axis direction.

Referring to FIG. 2 together with FIG. 1, cassette support means 10 are arranged in the cassette mounting area A. FIG. A platform for supporting the cassette support means 10, which is a well-known form itself, is moved up and down through an opening 14 formed in the upper wall 12 of the settling portion 6 of the housing 2. (16) is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, two guide rails 18 extending substantially vertically are fixed in the housing 2, and a guide groove is provided on the platform 16. Not shown), and the guide groove of the platform 16 is slid to move on the guide rail 18 so that the platform 16 can be lifted along the guide rail 18. In the housing 2, a male screw shaft 19 extending substantially vertically is rotatably mounted, and a lifting member 16 is fixed with a female screw member (not shown) screwed to the male screw shaft 19. have. An electric motor 20 is connected to the male screw shaft 19, and the lifting table 16 is elevated by rotating the male screw shaft 19 in the forward and reverse directions by the electric motor 20.

On the platform 16 of the cassette support means 10, a cassette 24 for receiving a plurality of workpieces 22 is placed. In the illustrated embodiment, the workpiece 22 is a semiconductor wafer mounted on the frame 26 having a mounting opening in the center thereof via a mounting tape 28 as shown in FIG. 3. 30. On the surface of the semiconductor wafer 30, cutting lines arranged in a lattice shape, that is, streets 32 are formed, and each of the rectangular regions partitioned by the streets 32 constitutes a chip in which an electronic circuit is formed. The cassette 24 includes a pair of side walls 34, and a plurality of receiving grooves 36 extending horizontally at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction are formed on the inner surface of the side walls 34. The workpiece 22 is accommodated in a form extending substantially horizontally at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction by inserting both edges of the frame 26 into a pair of receiving grooves 36 coupled to the pair of side walls 34. (In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, only one workpiece 22 is shown for simplicity of the drawing). By elevating the platform 16, each pair of receiving grooves 36 of the cassette 24 is positioned at a predetermined height, and as will be mentioned later, in each pair of receiving grooves 36 located at a predetermined height. The workpiece 22 to be cut is carried out, and the cut and cleaned workpiece 22 is carried in a pair of receiving grooves 36 located at a predetermined height.

As clearly shown in FIG. 1, the upper wall 38 of one half of the housing 2 has circular openings 40 and 42 corresponding to the chucking area B and the cleaning area C and relatively large. ), A narrow and long opening 44 extending in the Y-axis direction from the cassette mounting area A to the circular opening 40, and extending from the circular opening 40 to the circular opening 42 in the Y-axis direction. A narrow and long opening 46 is formed. In connection with the chucking area B, and thus in connection with the circular opening 40, temporary support means 48 are arranged on the upper wall 38. As shown in FIG. The temporary support means 48 includes a pair of support members 50 arranged at intervals in the X-axis direction. The pair of supporting members 50 are movably mounted in the X-axis direction and are selectively positioned at the non-acting position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1 and the acting position indicated by the double-dotted line. As will be mentioned later, when the pair of support members 50 are positioned in the acting position, the workpiece 22 carried out from the cassette 24 is loaded over the pair of support members 50 (that is, In the workpiece 22, when both edges of the frame 26 are supported by a pair of support members 50, and a pair of support members 50 are moved to an inoperative position and spaced apart from each other, It is possible to elevate the workpiece 22 between the pair of supporting members 50 and through the circular opening 40.

Referring to FIG. 1 along with FIG. 1, the chuck table 52 which is substantially horizontally movable in the X-axis direction between the chucking area B and the cutting area D is arranged in the housing 2. It is installed. In detail, the housing 2 is provided with a stationary support base 54 which extends substantially horizontally, and a pair of support blocks 56 are spaced apart in the X-axis direction on the support base 54. Only one of them is shown in Fig. 2). A pair of guide rails 58 extending in the X-axis direction at intervals in the Y-axis direction are fixed between the pair of support blocks 56. The pair of guide rails 58 are equipped with a slide block 60. The lower surface of the slide block 60 is formed with a pair of guide grooves (not shown) extending in the X-axis direction, and the pair of guide grooves are connected to the pair of guide rails 58. By engaging, the slide block 60 is mounted to be movable in the X-axis direction along the guide rail 58. Between the pair of support blocks 56, a male screw shaft 64 extending in the X-axis direction is rotatably mounted. On the other hand, a female screw member (not shown) is fixed to the lower surface of the slide block 60, and the female screw member is screwed to the male screw shaft 64. An electric motor (not shown) is connected to the male screw shaft 64, and the slide block 60 is moved in the X-axis direction along the guide rail 58 by rotating in the forward or reverse direction of the electric motor. A cylindrical support member 66 is fixed to the slide block 60, and the chuck member 68 is rotatably mounted about the central axis extending substantially vertically to the support member 66. In the support member 66, a rotation drive source (not shown) suitable as an electric motor for rotating the chuck member 68 is arranged. The disk-shaped chuck member 68 is formed of a porous material such as a porous ceramic. The chuck member 68 is provided with a pair of gripping mechanisms 70 protruding in the X-axis direction. Each of the gripping mechanisms 70 includes a movable grip piece 72, which is moved by an actuating means (not shown), such as an air actuator. It is selectively positioned at the non-gripping position shown in Fig. 2 and the gripping position pivoted inward from the non-gripping position. When the chuck table 52 is located in the chucking area B as shown in FIG. 2, the chuck member 68 is mated with the opening 40 formed in the upper wall 38 of the housing 2. It is located in position. The slide block 60 is provided with a hollow protective duck 74 for properly deforming between the state indicated by the solid line and the state indicated by the double-dotted line in FIG. 2 corresponding to the movement of the slide block 60. It is. The chuck member 68 formed of a porous material is a suitable suction source (not shown) through a suction path (not shown) arranged in the support site 66, the slide block 60, and the hollow protective duct 74. Is optionally communicated with). The electric wiring diagram for the operation means for moving the movable gripping piece 72 of the gripping mechanism 70, the support member 66, the slide block 60 and the hollow protective duct 74 is extended.

In the cleaning area C, cleaning means 76 are arranged. As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning means 76 in themselves well known form is rotatable in the cylindrical partition 78 and the partition 78 fixed on the support base 54. It includes the chucking mechanism 80 is arranged. The chucking mechanism 80 includes a lift table 82 that moves up and down between the lifted position shown in Fig. 2 and the lowered position lowered by a predetermined amount at this raised position. A disk-shaped chuck member 84 is fixed to an upper end of the platform 82. The chuck member 84 is made of a porous material such as a porous ceramic, and a suitable suction source (not shown) is provided through a suction path (not shown) arranged in the platform 82. Is optionally communicated with). The holding table 82 is also arranged with four holding mechanisms 86 arranged around the chuck member 84. Each of the gripping mechanisms 86 includes a movable gripping piece 88, and the movable gripping piece 88 is provided with the non-gripping position shown in FIG. 2 by an operating means (not shown) such as an electronic solenoid. It is selectively positioned at a grip position pivoted inwardly at the position. The cleaning means 76 also includes an injection nozzle 90 for injecting a cleaning liquid which may be pure water. The injection nozzle 90 includes a curved portion extending in a substantially U shape at a base extending substantially vertically upward from the support base 54. As mentioned later, in the case of cleaning, the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the tip of the spray nozzle 90 toward the workpiece 22 adsorbed on the chuck member 84. At this time, the injection nozzle 90 can be properly reciprocated about the central axis of the base. The chuck member 84 of the cleaning means 76 is positioned in registration with the opening 42 (FIG. 1) formed in the upper wall 38 of the housing 2.

Mainly referring to FIG. 2, an upright support substrate 92 extending in the Y-axis direction is fixed on the support base 54. A relatively large incision groove 93 for receiving the chuck table 52 is formed in the central portion of the support substrate 92. The support substrate 92 is equipped with a pair of cutting means, that is, a first cutting means 94a and a second cutting means 94b. In more detail, a pair of guide rails 96 extending in the Y-axis direction at intervals in the vertical direction are arranged on the inner surface of the support substrate 92. A pair of guide grooves (not shown) extending in the Y-axis direction are formed on the outer surfaces of the slide block 98a of the first cutting means 94a and the slide block 98b of the second cutting means 94b. By coupling the pair of guide grooves to the pair of guide rails 96, the slide block 98a and the slide block 98b can slide in the Y-axis direction on the pair of guide rails 96. Is fitted. On the front surface of the support substrate 92, male threaded shafts 100a, 100b extending in the Y-axis direction are rotatably mounted via the bearing members 102a, 102b. The male screw shafts 100a and 100b are arranged in a straight line. On the other hand, female screw members (not shown) are fixed to the rear surfaces of the slide blocks 98a and 98b, and the female screw members are screwed to the male screw shafts 100a and 100b. The electric motors 104a and 104b are connected to the male screw shafts 100a and 100b. When the male screw shafts 100a and 100b are rotated by the electric motors 104a and 104b, the slide blocks 98a and 98b are paired. Is moved along the guide rail 96 in the Y-axis direction. On the front surface of each of the slide blocks 98a and 98b, a pair of guide rails 106a and 106b are arranged so as to extend substantially vertically, i.e., in the Z-axis direction at intervals in the Y-axis direction. On the outer surface of the lifting blocks 108a and 108b, a pair of guide grooves extending in the Z-axis direction are formed, and the pair of guide grooves are coupled to the pair of guide rails 106a and 106b to raise and lower the rails. Blocks 108a and 108b are mounted on the slide blocks 98a and 98b so as to be lifted and lowered in the Z-axis direction. The slide blocks 98a and 98b are also rotatably mounted with male screw shafts 112a and 112b extending in the Z-axis direction. Meanwhile, female screw members (not shown) are fixed to the rear surfaces of the lifting blocks 108a and 108b, and the female screw members are screwed to the male screw shafts 112a and 112b. The electric motors 114a and 114b are connected to the external thread shafts 112a and 112b. When the external thread shafts 112a and 112b are rotated by the electric motors 114a and 114b, the lifting blocks 108a and 108b are paired. The lifting motion along the guide rails (110a, 110b).

Each of the lifting blocks 108a and 108b is equipped with cutting units 118a and 118b via connecting blocks 116a and 116b. Each of the cutting units 118a and 118b includes casings 120a and 120b having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The cases 120a and 120b are rotatably mounted with a rotating shaft extending in the Y-axis direction (only the rotating shaft 122b mounted on the case 120b is shown in FIG. 2). These axes of rotation are arranged tandem. A cutting blade (only the cutting blade 124b fixed to the rotating shaft 122b is fixed to the inner end of the rotating shaft, that is, the end facing each other) is fixed. The cutting blade may be composed of a thin disc containing diamond grindstone particles. Electric motors 126a and 126b are connected to the outer ends of the rotary shafts 122a and 122b. Imaging means 128a and 128b including microscopes are also attached to the cases 120a and 120b.

1, the 1st conveying means 132, the 2nd conveying means 134, and the 3rd conveying means 136 are also arrange | positioned at the dicer shown. Referring to the first conveying means 132, a guide rail (not shown) extending in the Y-axis direction is fixed on the support base 54, and the male screw shaft 140 extending in the Y-axis direction is rotated. It is mounted as possible. An electric motor 144 is connected to one end of the male screw shaft 140. The first conveying means 132 includes a slide arm 146. The slide arm 146 is provided with a guide groove (not shown) extending in the Y-axis direction and a female screw hole extending in the Y-axis direction. The slide arm 146 is slidably mounted in the Y-axis direction by engaging the guide groove with the guide rail and screwing the female screw hole into the male screw shaft 140. The male screw shaft 140 is rotated by the electric motor 144, and the slide arm 146 reciprocates in the Y-axis direction. A gripping means 148 is attached to the tip of the slide arm 146. The gripping means 148 has a pair of gripping pieces for selectively gripping one edge of the frame 26 in the workpiece 22.

The second conveying means 134 includes a slide arm 152. One side wall 153 of the protrusion 8 in the housing 2 is formed with a slot 155 that is narrow and elongated in the Y-axis direction, and the slide arm 152 is connected through the slot 155. . In the projection 8, the base of the slide arm 152 is the same mounting and driving means as the mounting and driving means for the slide arm 146 of the first conveying means 132 (illustration is omitted to avoid the complexity of the drawing. And slidably mounted in the Y-axis direction and rotated in the forward and reverse directions of the electric motor to reciprocally slide in the Y-axis direction. The support member 154 is fixed to the lower surface of the front end of the slide arm 152, and the lifting member 156 is mounted to the support member 154. An elevating movement means (not shown), which is a pneumatic cylinder mechanism, is interposed between the supporting member 154 and the elevating member 156, and the elevating member 156 is moved up and down by such elevating movement means. The lower end of the elevating member 156 is fixed to the connecting member 158 extending in the X-axis direction, the plate member 160 extending in the Y-axis direction is fixed to both ends of the connecting member 158, the plate-like member 160 Adsorbers 162 are mounted on both lower surfaces of each end). Each of the adsorber 162 is selectively communicated to a suction source (not shown) via a suitable suction path (not shown).

The third conveying means 136 includes a support arm 164, which is substantially at the top of the vertical portion 166 and its vertical portion 166 extending substantially vertically. And a horizontal portion 168 extending horizontally. The support base 54 has a narrow and long slot 167 extending in the Y-axis direction, and the vertical portion 166 of the support arm 164 extends downward through the slot 167. The lower part of the housing 2 is provided with a slide block (not shown for simplification of the drawing), and the lower end of the vertical portion 166 of the support arm 164 is mounted on the slide block so as to be lifted and lowered. An elevating movement means (not shown) for raising and lowering the support arm 164 is arranged. The mounting style of the vertical portion 166 of the support arm 164 preferably includes a guide rail and a guide groove for coupling it, and the lifting means of the support arm 164 is a male screw shaft and a female screw for screwing it. The form containing a member is preferable. The slide block itself on which the vertical portion 166 of the support arm 164 is mounted is mounted to be movable in the Y-axis direction, and slide means for sliding the slide block in the Y-axis direction is also arranged. The mounting style of the slide block preferably includes a guide rail and a guide groove to be coupled thereto, and the slide means of the slide block preferably includes a male screw shaft and a female screw member screwed thereto. As described above, the support arm 164 slides in the Y-axis direction and is elevated in the vertical direction, that is, the Z-axis direction. A protruding piece 169 extending in the Y-axis direction is formed at the tip of the support arm 164, and an adsorber 170 is attached to both bottom surfaces of the protruding piece 169. Each of the adsorber 170 is selectively communicated to a suction source (not shown) via a suitable suction path (not shown).

As described above, the operation of the dicer is summarized as follows. The platform 16 of the cassette support means 10 is raised (or lowered) to the required height, and a specific one of the plurality of workpieces 22 accommodated in the cassette 24 placed on the platform 16 is predetermined. Is located at a height. In this state, the first conveying means 132 is moved to the position indicated by the double-dotted line 132A in FIG. 1, and the holding means 148 of the first conveying means 132 is operated to operate the cassette 24. One edge portion of the frame 26 in the specific one workpiece 22 in the grip is gripped. Next, the first conveying means 132 is moved to the position indicated by the double-dotted line 132B in FIG. 1. As a result, the workpiece 22 held by the gripping means 148 is temporarily supported by the cassette mounting area A to the chucking area B at the working position indicated by the double-dotted line in FIG. Is moved onto the pair of support members 50 of 48. In the chucking area B, the workpiece 22 is positioned on the temporary supporting means 48. Next, the holding means 148 of the first conveying means 132 is separated from the workpiece 22, and the first conveying means 132 is moved to the standby position indicated by the solid line. In this case, the second conveying means 134 is moved in the Y-axis direction to the chucking region B, and the suction device 162 is lowered in the chucking region B to closely adhere to the frame 26 of the workpiece 22. do. Next, the suction unit 162 communicates with the suction source, and the workpiece 22 is sucked by the suction unit 162. Then, the pair of supporting members 50 of the temporary supporting means 48 are moved to the non-acting position indicated by the solid line, and retracted below the workpiece 22. Next, the suction unit 162 of the second conveying means 134 is lowered, and the workpiece 22 adsorbed by the suction unit 162 is positioned on the chuck member 68 of the chuck table 52. The chuck member 68 communicates with the suction source, whereby the semiconductor wafer 30 in the workpiece 22 is sucked on the chuck member 68. Moreover, the movable gripping piece 72 of the pair of gripping mechanisms 70 attached to the chuck member 68 is in the gripping position, and the frame 26 is gripped. The adsorber 162 of the second conveying means 134 is lifted up after separating the workpiece 22 away from the suction source.

Next, the chuck table 52 is moved to the position indicated by the double-dotted line 52A in FIG. 2. The cutting units 118a and 118b are positioned at the position where the microscopes, which are the image pickup means 128a and 128b, which are attached are directed to the surface of the semiconductor wafer 30 on the chuck member 68, and the surface of the surface of the semiconductor wafer 30 An image is taken and based on this, the semiconductor on the chuck member 68 with respect to the cutting blade (not shown) of the first cutting means 94a and the cutting blade 124b of the second cutting means 94b. The wafer 30 is positioned with sufficient precision. In the case of such alignment, the chuck member 68 is moved in the X axis direction as needed, and is also rotated about the center axis line. Thereafter, the chuck table 52 is moved to the cutting region D, and dicing of the semiconductor wafer 30 adsorbed on the chuck member 68 is performed. In the case of such dicing, the chuck member 68 is moved in the X-axis direction, and the cutting blade of the first cutting means 94a and the cutting blade 124b of the second cutting means 94b are simultaneously or slightly spaced apart. It cuts along the street 32 which acts on the semiconductor wafer 30 and extends in the X-axis direction. The cutting unit 118a of the first cutting means 94a and the cutting unit 118b of the second cutting means 94b are positioned at a required height and are periodically separated and moved in the Y-axis direction at the same time. When the cutting is finished along the street 32 extending in the X-axis direction, the chuck member 68 is rotated by 90 degrees, and the cutting is started along the street 32 positioned in the newly extended state in the Y-axis direction. . The semiconductor wafer 30 on the chuck member 68 is cut along the streets 32 arranged in a lattice form. The mounting tape 28 sandwiched between the frame 26 and the semiconductor wafer 30 is not cut, so that the frame 26, the mounting tape 28 and the diced semiconductor wafer 30 are still cut after the semiconductor wafer 30 is cut. ) Remains integral.

Next, the chuck table 52 returns to the chucking area B. FIG. At the same time or after that, the third conveying means 136 located at the standby position shown in FIG. 1 is moved in the Y-axis direction to the chucking area B, and then slightly lowered, and the adsorber 170 is It is in close contact with the frame 26 of the workpiece 22. Then, the adsorber 170 is connected to the suction source, the workpiece 22 is adsorbed to the adsorber 170, and the chuck member 68 is sucked by the semiconductor wafer 30 on the chuck member 68 cut out from the suction source. Is released. In addition, the movable gripping pieces 72 of the pair of gripping mechanisms 70 attached to the chuck member 68 are returned to the non-gripping position to release the gripping of the frame 26. Thereafter, the third conveying means 136 is slightly raised, and then the lower portion of the first conveying means 132 is moved in the Y-axis direction to the cleaning region C. Then, as shown in FIG. The third conveying means 136 is then lowered and the workpiece 22 adsorbed on the adsorber 170 is placed on the chuck member 84 in the cleaning means 76. Then, the chuck member 84 communicates with the suction source, the workpiece 22 is adsorbed onto the chuck member 84, and the adsorber 170 of the third conveying means 136 is separated from the suction source, and the workpiece ( 22 is released from the adsorber 170. Thereafter, the third conveying means 136 is slightly raised and then moved in the Y axis direction to the standby position. On the other hand, in the cleaning region C, the chuck member 84 that adsorbs the workpiece 22 communicates with the suction source, and the semiconductor wafer 30 is adsorbed onto the chuck member 84. The frame 26 is gripped because the movable gripping piece 88 of the gripping mechanism 86 attached to the chuck member 84 is in the gripping position. Next, the chuck member 84 which has absorbed the workpiece 22 is lowered to a useful position. Then, the jet nozzle 90 is reciprocated, and at the same time, a cleaning liquid which may be pure water is injected from the jet nozzle 90 toward the workpiece 22, and the chuck member 84 is about 600 rpm. The work piece 22 which is rotated and adhered to the cutting chips generated by the cutting is cleaned. Next, the cleaning liquid injection from the injection nozzle 90 is stopped, and the chuck member 84 is rotated at a speed of about 3000 r.p.m to spin-dry the workpiece 22.

When the cleaning is finished, the chuck member 84 rises to the position shown in FIG. Then, the chuck member 84 is separated from the suction source, and the suction of the semiconductor wafer 30 is released, and the movable gripping piece 88 of the gripping mechanism 86 returns to the non-gripping position to release the gripping of the frame 26. Thus, the holding of the workpiece 22 to the chuck member 84 is released. In this case, the second conveying means 134 is moved to the cleaning region C in the Y-axis direction, and then the adsorber 162 of the second conveying means 134 is lowered to form the frame (in the workpiece 22). 26). Next, the adsorber 162 communicates with a suction source, and the workpiece 22 is adsorbed to the adsorber 162. Thereafter, the adsorber 162 of the second conveying means 134 is raised to the required height and moved to the chucking region B in the Y-axis direction. The adsorber 162 of the second conveying means 134 is then lowered and placed over the pair of supporting members 50 of the temporary supporting means 48 located at the working position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 1. . The adsorber 162 is then separated from the suction source, and the workpiece 22 is released from the adsorber 162. The adsorber 162 is then raised.

When the workpiece 22 cut and cleaned as described above is placed on the temporary supporting means 48, the first conveying means 132 is moved to the double-dotted line 132B in FIG. 1 from the standby position indicated by solid lines in FIG. 1. It is moved to the marked position, and the holding means 150 of the first conveying means 132 is activated to hold one edge of the frame 26 in the workpiece 22 on the temporary supporting means 48. Next, the first conveying means 132 is moved to the position indicated by the double-dotted line 132A in FIG. 1. As a result, the workpiece 22 is inserted into the cassette 24. Then, the holding means 150 of the first conveying means 132 is separated from the workpiece 22, and the first conveying means 132 returns to the standby position indicated by the solid line.

The workpiece 22 to be stored in the cassette 24 and then to be cut is first carried out on the temporary support means 48 in the cassette 24 while the workpiece 22 is being cleaned in the cleaning region C. FIG. Next, the chuck is fixed to the chuck table 52 by the chuck, and after being adjusted to the required position with the chuck table 52, it is conveyed to the cutting region D, and the first cutting means 94a and the second cutting means ( Cleavage can be initiated by 94b).

In the dicer as described above, the workpiece 22 is cut in the cutting area D together with the cassette mounting area A, the chucking area B, the cleaning area C, and the cutting area D. It is remarkable that the 1st cutting means 94a and the 2nd cutting means 94b for this are arrange | positioned preferably, and the whole dicer is comprised compactly. In particular, compared with Dicer disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 11-26402 and 11-74228, there is no locally protruding portion, and there is no need to arrange a so-called atmospheric area. In this respect, it is remarkable that the compactization is realized. In addition, only the third conveying means 136 is used for conveying the workpiece before being cut and then cleaned, and thus the workpiece having the cutting debris attached, while the workpiece before cutting and after being cleaned, and thus the cutting debris, is not attached. The third conveying means 136 is not used to convey the unprocessed workpiece, and the first conveying means 132 and the second conveying means 134 are used, so that the cutting chips can be cut before cutting and after cleaning through the conveying means. It is also noteworthy that it is not conveyed to the workpiece.

In the above, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a specific dicer which is a preferred embodiment of a cutting machine constructed in accordance with the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to such a dicer, but each variation that does not deviate from the scope of the present invention. To modification is possible.

1 is a perspective view of a dicer, which is one embodiment of a cutter constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the dicer of FIG. 1 cut out of the housing. FIG.

3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a semiconductor wafer diced by the dicer of FIG. 1 is created in a frame via a mounting table.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

A: Cassette mounting area B: Chucking area

C: cleaning area D: cutting area

2 housing 4 housewife

6: sinking portion 8: protrusion

10 cassette support means 12 upper wall

14: opening 16, 82: platform

18, 58, 106: guide rails 19, 64, 100, 112: male threaded shaft

20, 104, 114, 126: motor 22: workpiece

24: cassette 26: frame

28: mounting tape 30: semiconductor wafer

34: side wall 36: storage groove

40, 42, 44, 46: opening 48: temporary supporting means

50, 66: support member 52: chuck table

54: support base 56: support block

60, 98: slide block 68, 84: chuck member

70, 86: grip mechanism 72, 88: movable gripping piece

74: hollow protective duct 76: cleaning means

90: injection nozzle 92: support substrate

94: cutting means 108: lifting block

118: cutting unit 120: case

124: cutting blade 128: imaging means

132: first conveying means 134: second conveying means

136: third conveying means 146: slide arm

170: adsorber

Claims (7)

A cassette support means arranged in the cassette mounting area for supporting the cassette containing a plurality of workpieces, a chuck table arranged to move substantially horizontally between the chucking area and the cutting area, and the cleaning area arranged in the cleaning area A cutting machine comprising a means, cutting means for cutting a workpiece fixed by a chuck on the chuck table positioned in the cutting region, and a workpiece conveying means, The cassette mounting area, the chucking area and the cleaning area are arranged in this order on a first straight line extending in a predetermined direction in the plan view, and the chucking area and the cutting area are substantially in relation to the first straight line in the plan view. Disposed on a second straight line extending vertically, The workpiece contained in the cassette is carried out from the cassette to the chucking area by the workpiece conveying means, is fixed to the chuck on the chuck table in the chucking area, and is transferred to the cutting area together with the chuck table. Is cut by the cutting means in the cutting area, and then returns to the chucking area together with the chuck table, is conveyed from above the chuck table to the cleaning means by the workpiece conveying means, and cleaned by the cleaning means. And thereafter conveyed from the cleaning means to the chucking area by the workpiece conveyance means and carried into the cassette by the workpiece conveyance means. The method of claim 1, Temporary support means for temporarily supporting the workpiece is disposed in the chucking area, The workpiece to be cut out from the cassette is first supported on the temporary support means and then conveyed from above the temporary support means onto the chuck table, The cut and cleaned workpiece is conveyed from the cleaning means onto the temporary supporting means, and then brought into the cassette. The method of claim 2, The temporary support means is composed of a pair of support members disposed above the chuck table positioned in the chucking area, wherein the pair of support members are spaced apart from each other so that the workpieces And a movable position supported and a non-active position which allows the workpiece to be lowered through both by moving in a direction spaced apart from each other. The method of claim 2, The workpiece conveying means comprises a first conveying means, a second conveying means and a third conveying means, The first conveying means carries out the workpiece to be cut from the cassette onto the temporary supporting means, and carries the workpiece conveyed onto the temporary supporting means from the temporary supporting means after being cut and cleaned. and, The second conveying means conveys the workpiece to be cut out from the cassette and supported on the temporary supporting means from the temporary supporting means onto the chuck table, and the cut and cleaned workpiece from the cleaning means. Conveyed onto the temporary supporting means, And the third conveying means conveys the workpiece returned to the chucking area together with the chuck table after being cut from the chuck table to the cleaning means. The method of claim 1, And said workpiece is a semiconductor wafer, and said cutting means dices the semiconductor wafer. The method of claim 5, The cutting means has a rotary shaft and a cutting blade mounted to the rotary shaft, wherein the rotary shaft is characterized in that the cutter extends parallel to the first straight line. The method of claim 5, The cutting means includes a first cutting means and a second cutting means, each of the first cutting means and the second cutting means has a rotating shaft and a cutting blade mounted to the rotating shaft, the rotating shaft being arranged in parallel and simultaneously And a cutting blade extending at parallel to the first straight line, the cutting blades being mounted at end portions of the rotating shaft that face each other.