TWI840622B - Sheet expansion device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Topic] The present invention provides a novel technology that can suppress the thin film from being locally stretched in a structure in which a thin film is clamped and expanded by a roller. [Solution] A thin film expansion device 2 expands a thin film 1 to which a workpiece 10 has been attached, and comprises: a first clamping means 4A and a second clamping means 4B, which are arranged opposite to each other across the workpiece 10 in a first direction and clamp the thin film 1 respectively; a third clamping means 4C and a fourth clamping means 4D, which are arranged opposite to each other across the workpiece 10 in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and clamp the thin film 1 respectively; and a moving means ( 5A to 5D), which enable the first clamping means 4A and the second clamping means 4B to move in a first direction in directions separated from each other, and enable the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D to move in a second direction in directions separated from each other, and the first clamping means 4A, the second clamping means 4B, the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D respectively have: inner clamping parts 42A and 43A, which are arranged upward and downward to face each other as the workpiece 10 and outer clamping portions 42B, 43B, which are adjacent to the inner clamping portions 42A, 43A and are disposed on the outer sides of the inner clamping portions 42A, 43A facing each other vertically, and the inner clamping portion 42A at the lower side and the outer clamping portion 42B at the lower side are provided with a plurality of rollers 42a, 42b rotating around a rotation axis 42m, 42n parallel to the first direction, and the inner clamping portion 43A at the upper side and the outer clamping portion 43 at the upper side are provided with a plurality of rollers 42a, 42b rotating around a rotation axis 42m, 42n parallel to the first direction, and the inner clamping portion 43A at the upper side and the outer clamping portion 43 at the upper side B is provided with a plurality of rollers 43a, 43b rotating around rotation axes 43m, 43n parallel to the first direction, and at least in the first clamping means 4A and the second clamping means 4B, the rotation axes 42n, 43n of the rollers 42b, 43b of the outer clamping parts 42B, 43B are arranged on the upper and lower sides respectively in a manner of being positioned between the rotation axes 42m, 43m of the rollers 42a, 43a adjacent to the inner clamping parts 42A, 43A.

Description

Sheet expansion device

The present invention relates to a sheet expansion device for expanding a sheet that has been bonded to a workpiece.

In the past, a method has been known in which, after a modified layer is formed on a workpiece by irradiation with a laser beam, a thin sheet expansion device is used to expand (expand the sheet) the thin sheet that has been adhered to the workpiece, thereby dividing the workpiece. The specific structure of the thin sheet expansion device is known, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

Patent document 1 discloses an expansion device that uses a clamping mechanism to clamp the four sides of a sheet to which a workpiece has been attached and expand it, thereby expanding the sheet in a manner that the intervals between the chips become an appropriate distance even in workpieces with different length and width dimensions of the chips.

[Learning Technology Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-143297

In the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, the clamping mechanism is a structure in which a plurality of rollers are arranged in a row to form a pair of upper and lower rollers, and the thin film is clamped between the upper and lower rollers.

Here, the sheet for pasting the workpiece is generally made into a strip shape, but in the manufacturing process, since tension is applied in the second direction which becomes the long side direction of the strip shape, it is easy to shrink. Moreover, due to the application of this tension, the sheet becomes difficult to stretch in the second direction.

In contrast, the first direction, which is orthogonal to the second direction, does not act on the above-mentioned tension, so the sheet becomes easier to stretch.

In this way, the ease with which the sheet can be stretched will be different in the first direction and the second direction, and it is believed that the amount of stretching of the sheet will be different between the portion clamped by the roller and the portion not clamped.

That is, when the sheet S is expanded in the direction of arrow N as shown in the enlarged view on the right side of FIG. 10 from the prepared state where the four sides of the sheet S are clamped as shown on the left side of FIG. 10, the elongation amount increases in the portion M1 clamped by the rollers R1 and R2, while the elongation amount decreases in the portion M2 not clamped between the rollers R1 and R2. Thus, the elongation amount also varies depending on whether it is clamped by the rollers R1 and R2. In particular, in the first direction where the direction of the arrow N is easy to elongate, the difference in the elongation amount becomes obvious.

Furthermore, in the case where the portion M2 not clamped between the rollers R1 and R2 is further expanded in such a manner that the portion M2 is also stretched, the portion M1 that is partially stretched by being clamped by the rollers R1 and R2 will be further stretched, and there is a risk of fracture in the portion M1.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a novel technology that can prevent the thin film from being locally stretched in a structure that uses rollers to clamp the thin film for expansion.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is a thin film expanding device that expands a thin film that has been pasted to a workpiece, and comprises: a first clamping means and a second clamping means, which are arranged in a first direction with the workpiece separated therefrom and facing each other, and clamp the thin film respectively; a third clamping means and a fourth clamping means, which are arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction with the workpiece separated therefrom and facing each other, and clamp the thin film respectively; and a moving means, which enables the first clamping means and the second clamping means to move in directions separated from each other in the first direction, and enables the third clamping means and the fourth clamping means to move in directions separated from each other in the second direction, wherein the first clamping means, the second clamping means, the third clamping means and the fourth clamping means , respectively having: an inner clamping portion, which is arranged on the inner side of the workpiece side facing each other up and down; and an outer clamping portion, which is adjacent to the inner clamping portion and is arranged on the outer side of the inner clamping portion facing each other up and down, and a plurality of rollers rotating around a rotation axis parallel to the separation direction are arranged on the upper part of the inner clamping portion on the lower side and the outer clamping portion on the lower side, A plurality of rollers are arranged at the lower part of the inner clamping part on the upper side and the outer clamping part on the upper side, rotating around a rotation axis parallel to the separation direction. At least in the first clamping means and the second clamping means, the rotation axis of the roller of the outer clamping part is arranged at the upper side and the lower side respectively in a manner of being positioned between the rotation axes of the rollers adjacent to the inner clamping part.

Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the third clamping means and the fourth clamping means, the rotation axis of the roller of the outer clamping portion is also arranged on the upper side and the lower side respectively in such a manner as to be positioned between the rotation axes of the rollers adjacent to the inner clamping portion.

According to the structure of the present invention, in the case where the sheet is easily stretched in the first direction and the possibility of breaking increases, the interval between the clamped sheets becomes narrower, so that the sheet can be suppressed from being partially stretched and the breaking of the sheet can be prevented.

1: Thin slices

2: Sheet expansion device

3: Keep the table

4A: The first clamping method

4B: Second clamping method

4C: The third clamping method

4D: The fourth clamping method

10: Workpiece

42: Lower side clamping part

42A: Inner clamping part

42B: External clamping part

42a: Inner roll

42b: Outer roller

42m: Rotation axis

42n: Rotation axis

42u: Support frame

42v: Support frame

43: Upper clamping part

43A: Inner clamping part

43B: External clamping part

43a: Inner roll

43b: Outer roller

43m: Rotation axis

43n: Rotation axis

43u: Support frame

43v: Support frame

44: Lower side moving mechanism

45: Upper side moving mechanism

101: Split the predetermined line

142: Lower side clamping part

142A: Inner clamping part

142B: External clamping part

142a: Inner roller

142b: Outer roller

142m: Rotation axis

142n: Rotation axis

142u: Support frame

142v: Support frame

143: Upper clamping part

143A: Inner clamping part

143B: External clamping part

143a:Inner roller

143b: Outer roller

143m: Rotation axis

143n: Rotation axis

143u: Support frame

143v: Support frame

C1: Clamping point

C2: Clamping point

C3: Clamping point

C4: Clamping point

W1: Interval

W2: Interval

Figure 1 shows a workpiece to be processed and a sheet to which the workpiece has been attached.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the expansion device.

Figure 3 (A) is a diagram showing the four sides of the sheet being held by the clamping means when viewed from above; Figure 3 (B) is a diagram showing the sheet expanding in the first direction; and Figure 3 (C) is a diagram showing the sheet expanding in the second direction.

Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the first clamping means.

Figure 5 is also a diagram illustrating the structure of the first clamping means.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the intervals between the clamping points of the first clamping means.

Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the third clamping means.

Figure 8 is also a diagram illustrating the structure of the third clamping means.

FIG9(A) is a diagram showing the four sides of the sheet being held by the same clamping means when viewed from above; FIG9(B) is a diagram showing the sheet expanding in the first direction; and FIG9(C) is a diagram showing the sheet expanding in the second direction.

Figure 10 is a diagram that illustrates the topic, i.e. the sliding of the thin film.

Below, one implementation method of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings.

<Workpieces and slices>

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a workpiece 10 as a workpiece and a sheet 1 to which the workpiece 10 is attached.

The workpiece 10 is a circular wafer such as a semiconductor wafer or an optical element wafer. On the surface of the workpiece 10, a plurality of predetermined dividing lines 101 that intersect each other at right angles are arranged in a grid pattern.

For example, the workpiece 10 forms a splitting starting point along the predetermined splitting line 101 before or after being attached to the sheet 1. Then, the workpiece 10 with the splitting starting point formed is attached to the sheet 1, and the sheet 1 is expanded to split into chips along the splitting starting point.

In addition to the modified layer formed in the workpiece 10 by laser irradiation, the splitting starting point formed along the predetermined splitting line 101 can also be formed by forming a groove along the predetermined splitting line 101 on the surface of the workpiece 10, and using this groove as the splitting starting point. The groove can be formed by performing, for example, etching processing caused by laser irradiation, cutting processing by cutting with a dicing blade, or groove processing such as scribing.

The sheet 1 is formed on one side of a substrate 11 made of an expandable synthetic resin sheet such as polyvinyl chloride or polyolefin, and has an adhesive layer 12 for adhering the workpiece 10. For example, a rectangular sheet larger than the workpiece 10 can be used.

In addition, the workpiece 10 to be processed may be, in addition to wafers such as semiconductor wafers, various plate-like objects such as DAF (Die Attach Film) for chip packaging to which wafers separated into chips by DBG (Dicing Before Grinding: a process of grinding the back of a workpiece after forming a half-cut groove on the surface of the workpiece along a predetermined dividing line with a blade), SDBG (Stealth Dicing Before Grinding: a process of grinding and dividing the back of a workpiece after SD processing (STEALTH DICING: a registered trademark)) are attached, glass, ceramics, resin, etc.

<Sheet expansion device>

Next, as shown in FIG. 2 , an embodiment of a sheet expanding device for expanding a sheet to which a workpiece has been pasted will be described. The sheet expansion device 2 comprises: a square fixed base 20, the four corners of which are formed into right angles; a circular plate-shaped holding platform 3, which is arranged on the fixed base 20 and horizontally carries the sheet to which the workpiece has been pasted; a first clamping means 4A, a second clamping means 4B, a third clamping means 4C, and a fourth clamping means 4D, which clamp the unillustrated sheet carried on the holding platform 3; and a first moving means 5A, a second moving means 5B, a third moving means 5C, and a fourth moving means 5D, which are respectively arranged on these clamping means 4A~4D, wherein the first moving means 5A and the second moving means 5B respectively move the first and second clamping means 4A~4B in the first direction, and the third moving means 5C and the fourth moving means 5D respectively move the third and fourth clamping means 4C~4D in the second direction. The first to fourth moving means 5A to 5D are used to form a moving means, which enables the first clamping means 4A and the second clamping means 4B to move in a first direction in directions separated from each other, and enables the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D to move in a second direction in directions separated from each other.

The holding table 3 is supported on the upper surface of the central part of the fixed base 20 through the cylindrical table 30. The holding table 3 is supported on the cylindrical table 30 rotatably by a rotating mechanism not shown in the figure, and is supported on the cylindrical table 30 to be movable up and down by an up and down moving mechanism not shown in the figure. The upper surface of the holding table 3 has a diameter that can be loaded with a workpiece, and the sheet to which the workpiece has been pasted is loaded on the upper surface of the holding table 3 in a state where the workpiece is arranged on the upper side and arranged concentrically.

A rectangular convex portion 201 protruding outward is formed at the center of each end edge 200a, 200b, 200c, and 200d of the four sides of the fixed base 20. In the fixed base 20, a rectangular first guide groove 201a, a second guide groove 201b, a third guide groove 201c, and a fourth guide groove 201d extending along the extension direction of the corresponding convex portion 201 are formed in the portion from each convex portion 201 to the inner side of the convex portion 201 (the side of the holding platform 3).

As shown in FIG2 , in this case, the extending direction of a pair of mutually parallel end edges 200c and 200d of the fixed base 20 is set as the first direction, and the extending direction of the end edges 200a and 200b orthogonal to the first direction is set as the second direction. The first clamping means 4A and the second clamping means 4B are respectively arranged at both ends of the fixed base 20 in the first direction, and the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D are respectively arranged at both ends of the fixed base 20 in the second direction.

The first moving means 5A and the second moving means 5B respectively move the first clamping means 4A and the second clamping means 4B back and forth along the first direction, and the third moving means 5C and the fourth moving means 5D respectively move the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D back and forth along the second direction.

The first clamping means 4A and the second clamping means 4B are located across the holding platform 3 in the first direction and face each other, and are respectively configured to be movable relative to the first guide groove 201a and the second guide groove 201b in the first direction. In addition, the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D are located across the holding platform 3 in the second direction and face each other, and are respectively configured to be movable relative to the third guide groove 201c and the fourth guide groove 201d in the second direction.

The first to fourth clamping means 4A to 4D are of the same structure, and include: an L-shaped movable base 41, which is movably mounted along the guide grooves 201a to 201d; a lower clamping mechanism 420 and an upper clamping mechanism 430, which are movably mounted on the inner side of the movable base 41; and a lower moving mechanism 44 and an upper moving mechanism 45, which respectively move the clamping mechanisms 420 and 430 in the vertical direction.

The movable base 41 is composed of a sliding part 411 and a supporting part 412. The sliding part 411 is slidably engaged in the guide grooves 201a~201d, and the supporting part 412 is erected at the outer end of the sliding part 411.

A guide rail 412a extending in the vertical direction is formed on the inner surface of the support portion 412. Also, a guide groove 412b extending in the vertical direction is formed on the outer surface of the support portion 412. Furthermore, a guide hole 412c is formed in the support portion 412, and the guide hole 412c passes through the inner surface of the guide rail 412a to the guide groove 412b and extends in the vertical direction.

The first to fourth moving means 5A to 5D for moving the first to fourth clamping means 4A to 4D along the guide grooves 201a to 201d respectively have the same structure, and have: a screw body 51, which is screwed with the sliding part 411 and extends along the guide grooves 201a to 201d respectively; and a pulse motor 52, which is arranged on the convex part 201 and drives the screw body 51 to rotate forward and reverse. The front end of the screw body 51 is rotatably supported on the bearing 53, and the bearing 53 is fixed to the inner side of the guide grooves 201a to 201d on the fixed base 20.

The sliding portion 411 of the movable base 41 in which the screw body 51 is screwed is sent from the outside to the inside or from the inside to the outside along the guide grooves 201a~201d in response to the rotation direction of the screw body 51 driven by the pulse motor 52, thereby making the first and second clamping means 4A, 4B move back and forth in the first direction, and making the third and fourth clamping means 4C, 4D move back and forth in the second direction. Therefore, the first moving means 5A and the second moving means 5B respectively make the first clamping means 4A and the second clamping means 4B move in directions separated from each other in the first direction, and the third moving means 5C and the fourth moving means 5D respectively make the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D move in directions separated from each other in the second direction.

The lower side clamping mechanism 420 has: an arm 421, which is supported to move up and down along the guide rail 412a and extends toward the inside; and a lower side clamping portion 42, which is fixed to the front end of the arm 421 orthogonally to the arm 421, and the lower side clamping mechanism 420 is configured to be roughly T-shaped. The base end 421c of the arm 421 passes through the guide hole 412c and is arranged in the outer guide groove 412b.

The lower side clamping parts 42 of the first and second clamping means 4A and 4B extend parallel to the second direction, and the lower side clamping parts 42 of the third and fourth clamping means 4C and 4D extend parallel to the first direction. Each lower side clamping part 42 is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and on its upper surface, a plurality of rollers (inner side roller 42a, outer side roller 42b (only the first clamping means 4A is marked with a symbol, and the symbols of other clamping means are omitted because they are the same)) arranged in two rows are arranged close to each other in a manner that appears on the first clamping means 4A. The rollers (42a, 42b) of the first and second clamping means 4A, 4B are supported on the lower clamping part 42 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to the first direction, and the rollers of the third and fourth clamping means 4C, 4D are supported on the lower clamping part 42 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to the second direction. The lower rollers (42a, 42b (refer to the first clamping means 4A)) are installed to protrude from the upper surface of the lower clamping part 42 to half of the outer circumference.

The upper clamping mechanism 430 disposed above the lower clamping mechanism 420 is roughly symmetrical with the lower clamping mechanism 420, and has: an arm 431, which is supported to move up and down along the guide rail 412a and extends toward the inside; and an upper clamping portion 43, which is fixed to the front end of the arm 431 orthogonally to the arm 431 and is disposed opposite to the lower clamping portion 42, and the upper clamping mechanism 430 is configured in a roughly T-shaped shape. The base end 431c of the arm 431 is disposed in the outer guide groove 412b through the guide hole 412c.

The upper clamping parts 43 of the first and second clamping means 4A and 4B extend parallel to the second direction, and the upper clamping parts 43 of the third and fourth clamping means 4C and 4D extend parallel to the first direction. Each upper clamping part 43 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and on its lower surface, a plurality of upper rollers (not shown) arranged in two rows are arranged close to each other as described later. These upper rollers are arranged opposite to each other in pairs with the rollers (42a, 42b (refer to the first clamping means 4A)) of the lower clamping part 42. The upper rollers of the first and second clamping means 4A and 4B are supported on the upper clamping part 43 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to the first direction, and the upper rollers of the third and fourth clamping means 4C and 4D are supported on the upper clamping part 43 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to the second direction. The upper rollers are installed to protrude from the lower surface of the upper clamping part 43 to half of the outer circumference.

The lower clamping mechanism 420 and the upper clamping mechanism 430 are respectively moved back and forth along the guide rail 412a in the up and down directions relative to the support portion 412 by means of the lower moving mechanism 44 and the upper moving mechanism 45.

The lower moving mechanism 44 has: a screw body 441, which is screwed with the base end 421c of the arm 421 and extends in the up-down direction along the guide groove 412b; and a pulse motor 442, which is arranged at the lower end of the guide groove 412b and drives the screw body 441 to rotate forward and reverse. The upper end of the screw body 441 is rotatably supported on the bearing 443, and the bearing 443 is fixed in the guide groove 412b. The screwed base end 421c of the screw body 441 is sent up and down along the guide groove 412b in response to the rotation direction of the screw body 441 driven by the pulse motor 442, thereby moving the lower clamping mechanism 420 up and down.

The upper side moving mechanism 45 disposed above the lower side moving mechanism 44 has a structure that is roughly symmetrical with the lower side moving mechanism 44 in terms of vertical direction, and includes: a screw body 451 that is screwed with the base end 431c of the arm 431 and extends in the vertical direction along the guide groove 412b; and a pulse motor 452 that is disposed at the upper end of the support portion 412 and drives the screw body 451 to rotate forward and reverse. The lower end of the screw body 451 is rotatably supported by a bearing 453, and the bearing 453 is fixed in the guide groove 412b. The base end portion 431c of the screw body 451 is screwed in and is sent up and down along the guide groove 412b in response to the rotation direction of the screw body 451 driven by the pulse motor 452, thereby moving the upper clamping mechanism 430 up and down.

The control means 7 sends the motion control signal to each pulse motor 52 of the first to fourth moving means 5A to 5D. The control means 7 controls the motion of each pulse motor 52 by a predetermined program, thereby controlling the movement of the first and second clamping means 4A, 4B in the first direction, and the movement of the third and fourth clamping means 4C, 4D in the second direction.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (A) to (C), the structure of expanding the sheet 1 to which the workpiece 10 has been attached in the first direction and the second direction (sheet expansion) is described.

As shown in FIG3(A), the sheet 1 has different extension easiness in the first direction and the second direction, and is easier to stretch in the first direction than in the second direction. In this embodiment, the first clamping means 4A and the second clamping means 4B facing each other in the first direction are configured as shown in FIG4 to FIG6, and the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D facing each other in the second direction are configured as shown in FIG7 and FIG8.

First, the configuration example of the first clamping means 4A is described. Figures 4 and 5 show the configuration of the first clamping means 4A having an upper clamping portion 43 and a lower clamping portion 42. In addition, the second clamping means 4B (Figure 2 (A)) facing the first clamping means 4A in the first direction is the same as the first clamping means 4A, and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , the upper clamping portion 43 is composed of an inner clamping portion 43A and an outer clamping portion 43B arranged in parallel. The inner clamping portion 43A and the outer clamping portion 43B are connected to the arm portion 431 and move up and down as a whole.

The inner clamping portion 43A has: a plurality of inner rollers 43a arranged at equal intervals in the second direction; a rotation shaft 43m that rotatably supports each inner roller 43a; and a support frame 43u that supports the rotation shaft 43m and exposes the peripheral surface of the inner roller 43a.

The outer clamping portion 43B has: a plurality of outer rollers 43b arranged at equal intervals in the second direction; a rotation shaft 43n that rotatably supports each outer roller 43b; and a support frame 43v that supports the rotation shaft 43n and exposes the peripheral surface of the outer roller 43b.

The diameters of the inner roller 43a and the outer roller 43b, and the diameters of the rotation axes 43m and 43n are configured to be the same. In addition, the rotation axis 43m of the inner clamping portion 43A and the rotation axis 43n of the outer clamping portion 43B are staggered in the second direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis.

With this structure, as shown in FIG5 , the axis of the rotation shaft 43n, 43n of the outer clamping part 43B is arranged at the middle position of the adjacent inner rollers 43a, 43a, and the axis of the rotation shaft 43m, 43m of the inner clamping part 43A is arranged at the middle position of the adjacent outer rollers 43b, 43b.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , the lower clamping portion 42 is composed of an inner clamping portion 42A and an outer clamping portion 42B arranged in parallel. The inner clamping portion 42A and the outer clamping portion 42B are connected to the arm portion 421 and move up and down as a whole.

The inner clamping portion 42A has: a plurality of inner rollers 42a arranged at equal intervals in the second direction; a rotation shaft 42m that rotatably supports each inner roller 42a; and a support frame 42u that supports the rotation shaft 42m and exposes the peripheral surface of the inner roller 42a.

The outer clamping portion 42B has: a plurality of outer rollers 42b arranged at equal intervals in the second direction; a rotation shaft 42n that rotatably supports each outer roller 42b; and a support frame 42v that supports the rotation shaft 42n and exposes the peripheral surface of the outer roller 42b.

The diameters of the inner roller 42a and the outer roller 42b, and the diameters of the rotation axes 42m and 42n are configured to be the same. In addition, the rotation axis 42m of the inner clamping portion 42A and the rotation axis 42n of the outer clamping portion 42B are staggered in the second direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis.

With this structure, as shown in FIG5 , the axis of the rotation shaft 42n, 42n of the outer clamping part 42B is arranged at the middle position of the adjacent inner rollers 42a, 42a, and the axis of the rotation shaft 42m, 42m of the inner clamping part 42A is arranged at the middle position of the adjacent outer rollers 42b, 42b.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , the axes of the rollers of the inner clamping parts 42A, 43A and the outer clamping parts 42B, 43B are staggered in the second direction, so that the clamping point C2 of the sheet 1 caused by the outer clamping parts 42B, 43B is arranged at the middle position of the clamping point C1 of the sheet 1 caused by the inner clamping parts 42A, 43A.

Moreover, by alternately arranging the clamping points C1 and C2, the interval W2 (Fig. 5 and Fig. 6) of the clamping sheet 1 in the second direction becomes narrower (in this embodiment, the interval becomes 1/2) compared to the case where the inner clamping parts 42A and 43A and the outer clamping parts 42B and 43B are not staggered in the second direction.

Next, the configuration example of the third clamping means 4C is described. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are diagrams showing the configuration of the third clamping means 4C having an upper clamping portion 143 and a lower clamping portion 142. In addition, the fourth clamping means 4D facing the third clamping means 4C in the second direction has the same configuration as the third clamping means 4C, and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , the upper clamping portion 143 is composed of an inner clamping portion 143A and an outer clamping portion 143B arranged in parallel. The inner clamping portion 143A and the outer clamping portion 143B are connected to the arm portion 431 and move up and down as a whole.

The inner clamping portion 143A has: a plurality of inner rollers 143a arranged at equal intervals in the first direction; a rotation shaft 143m that rotatably supports each inner roller 143a; and a support frame 143u that supports the rotation shaft 143m and exposes the circumference of the inner roller 143a.

The outer clamping portion 143B has: a plurality of outer rollers 143b arranged at equal intervals in the first direction; a rotation shaft 143n that rotatably supports each outer roller 143b; and a support frame 143v that supports the rotation shaft 143n and exposes the peripheral surface of the outer roller 143b.

The diameter of the inner roller 143a of the inner clamping part 143A is the same as the diameter of the outer roller 143b of the outer clamping part 143B, and each roller 143a, 143b is arranged in a manner of being exposed from the support frame 143u, 143v to the bottom. In addition, the two rotation axes 143m, 143n are arranged on the same axis, thereby making the positions of the two rollers 143a, 143b in the first direction the same.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , the lower clamping portion 142 is composed of an inner clamping portion 142A and an outer clamping portion 142B arranged in parallel. The inner clamping portion 142A and the outer clamping portion 142B are connected to the arm portion 421 and move up and down as a whole.

The inner clamping portion 142A has: a plurality of inner rollers 142a arranged at equal intervals in the first direction; a rotation shaft 142m that rotatably supports each inner roller 142a; and a support frame 142u that supports the rotation shaft 142m and exposes the circumference of the inner roller 142a.

The outer clamping portion 142B has: a plurality of outer rollers 142b arranged at equal intervals in the first direction; a rotation shaft 142n that rotatably supports each outer roller 142b; and a support frame 142v that supports the rotation shaft 142n and exposes the peripheral surface of the outer roller 142b.

The diameter of the inner roller 142a of the inner clamping portion 142A is the same as the diameter of the outer roller 142b of the outer clamping portion 142B, and each roller 142a, 142b is arranged in a manner of being exposed from the support frame 142u, 142u to the top. In addition, the two rotation axes 142m, 142n are arranged on the same axis, thereby making the positions of the two rollers 142a, 142b in the first direction the same.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7 , the positions of the upper rotating shafts 143m and 143n and the lower rotating shafts 142m and 142n in the first direction are the same, and the positions of the upper rollers 143a and 143b and the lower rollers 142a and 142b in the first direction are the same.

With the above configuration, as shown in FIG7 and FIG8, a clamping point C3 is formed between the inner clamping parts 142A and 143A, and a clamping point C4 is formed between the outer clamping parts 142B and 143B, and the sheet 1 is clamped at each clamping point C3 and C4. Moreover, as shown in FIG8, the positions of the clamping points C3 and C4 in the first direction for clamping the sheet 1 are the same, and the interval W1 in the first direction of each clamping point C3 and C4 is consistent with the interval in the first direction of the rotation axis 142m, 142n, 143m, and 143n. This interval W1 is twice the interval W2 (FIG5 and FIG6).

As shown in Figure 3 (A) to (C), the four sides of the quadrilateral sheet 1 to which the workpiece 10 is attached are clamped by the first clamping means 4A to the fourth clamping means 4D, and the sheet is expanded in the first direction and the second direction (expanding the sheet). By this expansion, the workpiece 10 is broken along the predetermined dividing line and is singulated into a chip.

Moreover, in this case, the sheet 1 is easily stretched in the first direction, and the possibility of fracture becomes higher. However, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, in the first clamping means 4A (4B) facing each other in the first direction, the interval W2 of clamping the sheet 1 becomes narrower, so that the sheet 1 can be suppressed from being partially stretched and the fracture of the sheet can be prevented.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 (A) (B), when the sheet 1 is expanded, the end of the sheet 1 in the first direction that is easy to stretch is clamped by the first clamping means 4A and the second clamping means 4B respectively, and is supplied to the expansion device 2 under the premise that the direction of the sheet 1 has been set in advance, or the direction of the sheet 1 is adjusted in the expansion device 2.

In the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 9 (A) to (C), the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D facing each other in the second direction are configured to be the same as the first clamping means 4A and the second clamping means 4B facing each other in the first direction. The third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D may also be configured to more reliably suppress the sliding of the sheet 1.

According to this structure, the breakage of the sheet 1 at the position where the sheet 1 is clamped can be effectively prevented not only in the first direction but also in the second direction.

In addition, in the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 7 , the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D facing each other in the second direction are configured to have two rows of rollers, i.e., inner clamping parts 142A and 143A and outer clamping parts 142B and 143B. However, the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D may also have only one row of rollers (e.g., only inner clamping parts 142A and 143A).

The present invention can be implemented in the above manner.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 , a sheet expanding device 2 is provided, which expands a sheet 1 to which a workpiece 10 has been attached, and comprises: a first clamping means 4A and a second clamping means 4B, which are arranged opposite to each other across the workpiece 10 in a first direction, and clamp the sheet 1 respectively; a third clamping means 4C and a fourth clamping means 4D, which are arranged opposite to each other across the workpiece 10 in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and clamp the sheet 1 respectively; and The moving means (5A-5D) enable the first clamping means 4A and the second clamping means 4B to move in a first direction in directions separated from each other, and enable the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D to move in a second direction in directions separated from each other. The first clamping means 4A, the second clamping means 4B, the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D respectively have inner clamping parts 42A and 43A, which are arranged in a vertical direction facing each other on the workpiece 10. and outer clamping parts 42B, 43B, which are adjacent to the inner clamping parts 42A, 43A and are arranged on the outer sides of the inner clamping parts 42A, 43A facing each other up and down, and multiple rollers 42a, 42b are arranged to rotate around the rotation axis 42m, 42n parallel to the direction of separation on the upper inner clamping part 42A and the upper outer clamping part 42B, and the inner clamping part 43A and the upper outer clamping part 43B are arranged on the upper inner clamping part 43A and the upper outer clamping part 43B. The lower part is provided with a plurality of rollers 43a and 43b that rotate around rotation axes 43m and 43n parallel to the separation direction. At least in the first clamping means 4A and the second clamping means 4B, the rotation axes 42n and 43n of the rollers 42b and 43b of the outer clamping parts 42B and 43B are arranged on the upper and lower sides respectively in a manner that they are positioned between the rotation axes 42m and 43m of the rollers 42a and 43a adjacent to the inner clamping parts 42A and 43A.

With this structure, in the case where the sheet is easily stretched in the first direction and the possibility of breaking increases, the interval between the sheets is narrowed, so that the sheet can be suppressed from being partially stretched and the breaking of the sheet can be prevented.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9 , in the third clamping means 4C and the fourth clamping means 4D, the rotation axes 42n and 43n of the rollers 42b and 43b of the outer clamping parts 42B and 43B are arranged on the upper and lower sides respectively so as to be positioned between the rotation axes 42m and 43m of the rollers 42a and 43a adjacent to the inner clamping parts 42A and 43A.

With this structure, in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the interval between the clamped sheets becomes narrower, so the sheets can be restrained from being locally stretched and the sheets can be prevented from being broken.

1: Thin slices

10: Workpiece

4A: First clamping method

4B: Second clamping method

4C: Third clamping method

4D: The fourth clamping method

Claims (2)

A sheet expansion device expands a sheet to which a workpiece has been attached, and comprises: a first clamping means and a second clamping means, which are arranged in a first direction across the workpiece and facing each other, and clamp the sheet respectively; a third clamping means and a fourth clamping means, which are arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction across the workpiece and facing each other, and clamp the sheet respectively; and a moving means, which enables the first clamping means and the second clamping means to move in directions separated from each other in the first direction, and enables the third clamping means and the fourth clamping means to move in directions separated from each other in the second direction, the first clamping means, the second clamping means, the third clamping means, and the fourth clamping means respectively have : An inner clamping portion, which is disposed vertically opposite to each other on the inner side of the workpiece; and an outer clamping portion, which is adjacent to the inner clamping portion and is disposed vertically opposite to each other on the outer side of the inner clamping portion, On the upper part of the lower inner clamping portion and the lower outer clamping portion, a plurality of rollers are disposed to rotate around a rotation axis parallel to the separation direction, The inner clamping part on the upper side and the lower part of the outer clamping part on the upper side are provided with a plurality of rollers rotating around a rotation axis parallel to the direction of separation, and at least in the first clamping means and the second clamping means, the rotation axis of the roller of the outer clamping part is arranged on the upper side and the lower side respectively in a manner of being positioned between the rotation axes of the rollers adjacent to the inner clamping part. As in claim 1, a sheet expanding device, wherein in the third clamping means and the fourth clamping means, the rotating axis of the roller of the outer clamping portion is arranged at the upper side and the lower side, respectively, in such a manner as to be positioned between the rotating axes of the rollers adjacent to the inner clamping portion.