WO2018079536A1

WO2018079536A1 - Workpiece dividing device and workpiece dividing method

Info

Publication number: WO2018079536A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/038321
Authority: WO
Inventors: 翼清水
Original assignee: 株式会社東京精密
Priority date: 2016-10-28
Filing date: 2017-10-24
Publication date: 2018-05-03
Also published as: KR20190067816A; JP2021168419A; KR20210048592A; KR102434738B1; CN109891556B; JP7214958B2; KR102383560B1; JP6920629B2; KR102246098B1; KR20220046708A; CN109891556A; JP2023029601A; JPWO2018079536A1

Abstract

Provided are a workpiece dividing device and a workpiece dividing method that are capable of solving a problem in which division is not performed along a scheduled division line and which occurs when the chip size is small. A frame 4 of a wafer unit 2 is fixed by means of a frame fixing section 12 of an expansion restricting ring 16. Next, an expand ring 14 is moved upward so as to start the expansion of the whole area of an annular area 3B. Next, when the upward movement amount of the expand ring 14 exceeds the thickness of the frame 4, the annular area 3B makes contact with an expansion restriction section 17, and the expansion of an outer circumferential area 3E located on the outer circumferential side of the annular area 3B is restricted. Next, upward movement of the expand ring 14 is continued and expansion of an inner circumferential area 3F excluding the outer circumferential area 3E in the annular area 3B is continuously performed, so that a wafer 1 is divided into individual chips 6.

Description

Work dividing apparatus and work dividing method

The present invention relates to a workpiece dividing apparatus and a workpiece dividing method, and more particularly, to a workpiece dividing apparatus and a workpiece dividing method for dividing a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer into individual chips along a planned division line.

Conventionally, in the manufacture of semiconductor chips (hereinafter referred to as chips), semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as wafers) in which lines to be divided are formed in advance by half-cutting with a dicing blade or formation of modified regions by laser irradiation. ) Is divided into individual chips along a planned division line (see Patent Document 1 etc.).

22A and 22B are explanatory views of the wafer unit 2 to which the disk-shaped wafer 1 to be divided by the workpiece dividing apparatus is attached. FIG. 22A is a perspective view of the wafer unit 2, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a unit 2.

The wafer 1 is affixed to the center of a dicing tape 3 (also called an expansion tape or an adhesive sheet) 3 having an adhesive layer formed on one side and having a thickness of about 100 μm. A fixed frame (hereinafter referred to as a frame) 4 is fixed.

In the workpiece dividing apparatus, the frame 4 of the wafer unit 2 is fixed by a frame fixing member (also referred to as a frame fixing mechanism) 7 indicated by a two-dot chain line. Thereafter, an expanding ring (also referred to as a push-up ring) 8 indicated by a two-dot chain line is moved upward from below the wafer unit 2, and the dicing tape 3 is pressed and expanded radially by the expanding ring 8. The tension of the dicing tape 3 generated at this time is applied to the division line 5 of the wafer 1, whereby the wafer 1 is divided into individual chips 6. The division lines 5 are formed in the X direction and the Y direction that intersect each other. When the number of lines to be divided 5 is the same as the number parallel to the X direction and the number parallel to the Y direction, and the intervals in the respective directions are equal, the shape of the divided chip 6 is a square. . In addition, when the number parallel to the X direction is different from the number parallel to the Y direction, and the intervals in the respective directions are equal, the shape of the divided chip 6 is a rectangle.

Incidentally, the dicing tape 3 is a flexible member having a low Young's modulus. For this reason, in order to smoothly divide the wafer 1 into the individual chips 6, it is conceivable that the dicing tape 3 is cooled and the dicing tape 3 is expanded while the spring constant of the dicing tape 3 is increased.

The tape expansion device (work dividing device) of Patent Document 2 includes a cold air supply means. According to Patent Document 2, the dicing tape is cooled by operating the cold air supply means to supply cold air into the processing space and cooling the processing space to, for example, 0 ° C. or lower.

On the other hand, in the chip dividing / separating device (work dividing device) of Patent Document 3, attention is paid to the fact that the dicing tape has anisotropy, and in order to expand the dicing tape uniformly in consideration of the anisotropy, a film is used. A surface support mechanism is provided. This film surface support mechanism includes a plurality of support mechanisms that are independent in the circumferential direction, and adjusts the tension of the dicing tape by individually controlling the relative heights of the plurality of support mechanisms. The elongation in the direction and the elongation in the Y direction are controlled independently.

Here, in the present specification, of the dicing tape 3, a circular area in plan view where the wafer 1 is affixed is referred to as a central area 3 A, and between the outer edge of the central area 3 A and the inner edge of the frame 4. The planar donut-shaped region provided in FIG. 5 is referred to as an annular portion region 3B, and the planar donut-shaped region at the outermost peripheral portion fixed to the frame 4 is referred to as a fixed portion region 3C. The annular portion region 3B is a region that is expanded by being pressed by the expanding ring 8.

Note that the force required to divide the wafer 1, that is, the tension that must be generated in the annular region 3 B in order to divide the wafer 1, must be increased as the number of division lines 5 increases. Are known. For example, when the wafer 1 having a diameter of 300 mm and the chip size is 5 mm, about 120 (60 in each of the XY directions) division planned lines 5 are formed and the chip size is 1 mm. Approximately 600 division planned lines 5 are formed. Therefore, the tension that must be generated in the annular portion region 3B must be increased as the chip size is reduced.

JP 2016-149581 A JP 2016-12585 A JP 2012-204747 A

By the way, the inner diameter of the frame 4 on which the wafer 1 having a diameter of 300 mm is mounted (the diameter of the inner edge of the frame) is based on the SEMI standard (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International standards) (G74-0699 for tape frame related to 300 mm wafer). It is defined as 350 mm. According to this standard, an annular region 3B having a width of 25 mm exists between the outer edge of the wafer 1 and the inner edge of the frame 4 as shown in the longitudinal sectional view of the wafer unit 2 in FIG. . 24A and 24B, the frame fixing member 7 that fixes the frame 4 does not come into contact with the annular portion region 3B that is expanded by the expand ring 8, as shown in the longitudinal sectional view of the main part of the workpiece dividing device. As described above, the dicing tape 3 is installed at a position spaced outward from the annular portion region 3B in the in-plane direction of the dicing tape 3 indicated by the arrow A.

For this reason, the force for dividing the wafer 1 caused by the upward movement of the expand ring 8 is (i) the force for expanding the entire region of the annular portion region 3B, (ii) the force for dividing the wafer 1 into the chips 6, and (iii) It is decomposed into three forces of force for expanding the dicing tape 3 between adjacent chips 6.

As shown in the operation diagrams of the workpiece dividing apparatus shown in FIGS. 25A to 25E, the expanding ring 8 comes into contact with the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3, and the expansion of the expanding ring 8 starts the expansion of the dicing tape 3. (FIG. 25A), first, the expansion of the annular portion region 3B having the lowest spring constant begins (FIG. 25B). As a result, a tension is generated in the annular portion region 3B, and when this tension increases to some extent, the increased tension is transmitted to the wafer 1 to start dividing the wafer 1 into chips 6 (FIG. 25C). When the wafer 1 is divided into individual chips 6, the expansion of the annular portion region 3B and the expansion of the dicing tape 3 between the chips proceed simultaneously (FIGS. 25D to 25E).

In the conventional workpiece dividing apparatus, when the chip size is 5 mm or more in the wafer 1 having a diameter of 300 mm, the individual chips 6 can be divided without any problem due to the tension generated in the annular portion region 3B. However, with the miniaturization of the circuit pattern formed on the wafer 1, chips having a smaller chip size of 1 mm or less have also appeared. In this case, the force required to divide the wafer 1 increases due to an increase in the number of scheduled dividing lines 5 for dividing the wafer 1, and a force greater than the tension due to the expansion of the annular region 3B is required. was there. Then, as shown in the longitudinal sectional view of the wafer unit 2 in FIG. 26, even if the expansion operation by the expanding ring 8 is completed, a part of the division line 5 formed on the wafer 1 remains undivided without being divided. A problem occurred.

Such an undivided problem of the division line 5 cannot be solved even if the expansion amount or expansion speed of the dicing tape 3 is increased. For example, when the expansion amount of the dicing tape 3 is increased, the annular portion region 3B starts plastic deformation. Since the spring constant of the annular portion region 3B during plastic deformation is smaller than the spring constant during elastic deformation, the tension that divides the wafer 1 into individual chips 6 in the region beyond the elastic deformation of the annular portion region 3B is Does not occur. On the other hand, even when the expansion speed of the dicing tape 3 is increased, a part of the annular portion region 3B starts plastic deformation, so that tension for dividing the wafer 1 into individual chips 6 does not occur. This is because since the frequency response of the dicing tape 3 is low, no force is transmitted to the entire dicing tape 3 without a time difference.

In order to solve the undivided problem of the division line 5, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 copes with this by cooling the dicing tape and increasing the spring constant of the dicing tape. Can not get enough effect.

In addition, the chip dividing / separating device of Patent Document 3 can independently control the expansion in the X direction and the Y direction of the dicing tape, but applies a force greater than the tension due to the expansion of the annular region to the wafer. Since this is not possible, the problem of undivided lines to be divided cannot be solved.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and provides a workpiece dividing apparatus and a workpiece dividing method capable of solving the problem of undivided division lines that occur when the chip size is a small chip. With the goal.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the workpiece dividing device of the present invention divides a workpiece adhered to the dicing tape by fixing the outer peripheral portion of the dicing tape to a ring-shaped frame having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece. In the workpiece dividing device that divides the chip into individual chips along the planned line, the frame fixing member that fixes the ring-shaped frame, and the back surface of the dicing tape on the opposite side of the workpiece attachment surface are arranged. An expanding ring that is formed in a ring shape that is smaller and larger than the outer diameter of the work, and that generates tension on the dicing tape by expanding the dicing tape by pressing the back surface of the dicing tape, and the work application surface of the dicing tape Is smaller than the inner diameter of the ring frame, One expand ring is formed in a ring shape having a larger opening than the outer diameter of, and an extended regulation ring dicing tape is abut upon dicing tape extended by expanding the ring.

According to the work dividing apparatus of the present invention, when expansion of the dicing tape is started by the expand ring, the dicing tape comes into contact with the expansion restriction ring when the dicing tape is expanded. At this time, the dicing tape is divided into an outer peripheral side region located on the outer peripheral side and an inner peripheral side region located on the inner peripheral side, with the contact portion being in contact with the expansion restriction ring as a boundary. In the expansion operation by the expanding ring after the dicing tape comes into contact with the expansion restriction ring, the expansion of the outer peripheral area is restricted by the expansion restriction ring, and only the inner peripheral area is expanded. That is, the tension of the spring constant in the inner peripheral region that is larger than the spring constant of the dicing tape is applied to the workpiece. Thereby, since the tension | tensile_strength provided to a workpiece | work increases, the undivided problem of the division | segmentation scheduled line which arises when a chip size is a small chip | tip can be eliminated.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the expansion restricting ring has a tape position restricting portion that comes into contact with the dicing tape when the dicing tape is expanded by the expand ring, and the dicing tape of the ring frame is attached to the tape position restricting portion. It is preferable to be arranged on the same surface as the applied tape application surface or on the side where the expanding ring is arranged than the same surface.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the expansion restriction ring includes a frame fixing portion fixed to the ring-shaped frame, and a protruding portion protruding toward the dicing tape along the peripheral edge portion of the opening of the expansion restriction ring. The tape position restricting portion is preferably constituted by the tip portion of the ridge portion.

One aspect of the present invention is a frame fixing portion that is disposed on the same side as the work affixing surface of the dicing tape on the expansion regulating ring, and is a frame fixing portion that contacts the ring-shaped frame and fixes the ring-shaped frame. Is preferably provided.

According to one aspect of the present invention, since the expansion restriction ring also has a function of fixing the ring-shaped frame, the number of parts of the work dividing device can be reduced, and the expansion restriction ring can be used as the work dividing device. The frame can be fixed by the frame fixing portion in the assembling work.

One aspect of the present invention is that the expansion restricting ring is a frame fixing member disposed on the same side as the work affixing surface of the dicing tape, and is attached to and detached from the frame fixing member for fixing the ring-shaped frame via the expansion restricting ring. It is preferable that it is fixed freely.

According to one aspect of the present invention, when the chip size is a small chip, the expansion restriction ring can be assembled to the frame fixing member. When the chip size is a large chip, the expansion restriction ring is removed from the frame fixing member. Can be removed. In other words, even with an existing workpiece dividing device that does not include an expansion regulating ring, a workpiece with a small chip size can be divided by attaching the expansion regulating ring to the frame fixing member of the workpiece dividing device. .

In one aspect of the present invention, the opening of the expansion restriction ring is preferably formed in a circular shape.

According to one aspect of the present invention, in the X direction and the Y direction intersecting each other, for example, in the X direction and the Y direction, like a workpiece divided into square chips having the same dimensions in the X direction and the Y direction. In the case of a workpiece having the same number of divided lines (density), it is preferable to use an expansion regulating ring having a circular opening. Similarly, in the case of a work affixed to a dicing tape having the same spring constant in the X direction and the spring constant in the Y direction, it is preferable to use an expansion restricting ring having a circular opening. Thereby, since uniform tension can be given to the peripheral part of a work from the inner peripheral side field expanded, suitable division capacity can be realized to such a work.

In one aspect of the present invention, the opening of the expansion restriction ring is preferably formed in an elliptical shape.

According to one aspect of the present invention, in the X direction and the Y direction orthogonal to each other, for example, the workpiece is divided in the X direction and the Y direction, such as a work divided into rectangular chips having different dimensions in the X direction and the Y direction. In the case of workpieces having different numbers (density) of lines, it is preferable to use an expansion regulating ring having an elliptical opening.

In this case, the direction of the minor axis of the ellipse is aligned in parallel with the direction in which the density of the planned dividing line is high (the direction along the short side of the chip, the direction of the high density of the chip), and the direction of the major axis of the ellipse is scheduled to be divided The lines are aligned parallel to the direction in which the line density is low (the direction along the long side of the chip, the direction in which the chip density is low). As a result, since the spring constant is increased in the inner peripheral region located in the direction in which the density of the planned division lines is high, it is possible to apply a suitable tension to the workpiece for dividing the large number of planned division lines. On the other hand, the annular region located in the direction where the density of the planned division lines is low has a small spring constant, but can impart a suitable tension to the work to divide the small division lines. Therefore, it is possible to realize a suitable dividing ability for such a workpiece.

Also, in the case of a work affixed to dicing tape having anisotropy in which the spring constant in the X direction and the spring constant in the Y direction are different, it is preferable to use an elliptical expansion restriction ring.

In this case, the direction of the minor axis of the ellipse is aligned in parallel with the direction where the spring constant is small, and the direction of the major axis of the ellipse is aligned parallel to the direction where the spring constant is large. As a result, when the inner peripheral region is expanded, the spring constant of the inner peripheral region located in the direction parallel to the direction in which the spring constant is small increases, and the inner peripheral side located in the direction parallel to the major axis direction of the ellipse. Since it approaches the spring constant of the region, a substantially uniform tension can be applied to the workpiece from the inner peripheral region. Therefore, it is possible to realize a suitable dividing ability for a work mounted on dicing tape having anisotropy in which the spring constant in the X direction and the spring constant in the Y direction are different.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the work dividing method according to the present invention divides a work affixed to the dicing tape by fixing the outer peripheral portion of the dicing tape to a ring-shaped frame having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the work. In the work dividing method of dividing into individual chips along a predetermined line, the dicing tape is expanded by pressing the dicing tape to expand the dicing tape, and the dicing tape is expanded when the dicing tape is expanded. Of these, there are provided an expansion restriction step for restricting expansion of the outer peripheral region located on the outer peripheral side, and a dividing step for dividing the work into individual chips by continuing expansion of the dicing tape excluding the outer peripheral region.

According to the work dividing method of the present invention, it is possible to solve the problem of undivision of the line to be divided that occurs when the chip size is a small chip.

According to the present invention, it is possible to solve the problem of undivision of the line to be divided that occurs when the chip size is a small chip.

Main part structure diagram of work dividing apparatus of first embodiment The principal part expansion perspective view of the workpiece | work division | segmentation apparatus shown in FIG. Sectional view of the wafer unit showing the shape of the annular region during expansion Expanded cross-sectional view of the annular region during expansion Flow chart of wafer splitting method Main part structure diagram of work dividing apparatus of second embodiment The principal part expansion perspective view of the workpiece | work division | segmentation apparatus shown in FIG. Expanded cross-sectional view of the annular region during expansion Plan view in which an expansion restriction ring having a circular expansion restriction opening and a wafer unit are stacked. Plan view in which an expansion restriction ring having an elliptical expansion restriction opening and a wafer unit are stacked. Graph showing the expansion rate of the annular region and the inner peripheral region when the expansion restriction ring is not used and when it is used A graph showing the chip split ratio when the extended restriction ring is not used and when it is used Sectional drawing of the principal part of the workpiece | work division apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. The principal part expanded sectional view of the workpiece | work division | segmentation apparatus shown in FIG. Sectional drawing of the principal part of the workpiece | work division apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment. The principal part expanded sectional view of the workpiece | work division | segmentation apparatus shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing which showed the 1st modification of the expansion control ring shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing which showed the 2nd modification of the expansion control ring shown in FIG. A graph that calculates the change in expansion rate relative to the amount of push-up Schematic showing the operation during the extended division process A graph that calculates the change in expansion rate relative to the push-up speed Illustration of the wafer unit with a wafer attached Vertical section of wafer unit Side view of main part of work dividing device Operation diagram of work dividing device Longitudinal cross section of wafer unit with wafer divided

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a workpiece dividing apparatus and a workpiece dividing method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the following embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[Work Dividing Device 10A of First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a workpiece dividing apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A. Although the size of the wafer unit to be divided by the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A is not limited, the embodiment exemplifies the wafer unit 2 on which the wafer 1 having a diameter of 300 mm shown in FIG. 23 is mounted.

The work dividing apparatus 10A is an apparatus that divides the wafer 1 on which the planned division line 5 is formed into individual chips 6 along the planned division line 5. A plurality of division lines 5 are formed in the X direction and the Y direction intersecting each other. In the embodiment, the number of the planned division lines 5 parallel to the X direction and the number of the planned division lines 5 parallel to the Y direction are 300, and the distance between them is equal, that is, a chip having a chip size of 1 mm. The wafer 1 divided | segmented into 6 is illustrated.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wafer 1 is attached to the center of a dicing tape 3 whose outer periphery is fixed to the frame 4. The dicing tape 3 has a circular central portion region 3A to which the wafer 1 is attached, and an annular portion region 3B having a planar donut shape between the outer edge portion of the central portion region 3A and the inner edge portion of the frame 4. .

The thickness of the wafer 1 is, for example, about 50 μm. As the dicing tape 3, for example, a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) tape is used. The wafer 1 may be attached to the dicing tape 3 through a film adhesive such as DAF (DieＦAttach Film). As the film adhesive, for example, a PO (polyolefin) -based adhesive can be used.

The expand ring 14 is disposed on the back side of the dicing tape 3 opposite to the wafer 1 application surface, and is an opening for expansion that is smaller than the inner diameter (350 mm) of the frame 4 and larger than the outer diameter (300 mm) of the wafer 1. It is formed in a ring shape having a portion 14A. The expand ring 14 expands the annular portion region 3B by pressing the back surface of the annular portion region 3B of the dicing tape 3. That is, the expand ring 14 is moved upward in the B direction intersecting the in-plane direction indicated by the arrow A of the dicing tape 3 with respect to the annular portion region 3B. As a result, the annular portion region 3B is pushed up by the expand ring 14 and radially expanded. Alternatively, the expanding ring 14 may be fixed and the wafer unit 2 moved downward in the direction of the arrow C to expand the annular portion region 3B with the expanding ring 14.

The expansion restriction ring 16 includes an expansion restriction portion 17 and a frame fixing portion 12. The frame fixing portion 12 is disposed on the same side as the application surface of the wafer 1 in the dicing tape 3, and the frame 4 is fixed to the lower surface 12A thereof. The expansion restricting portion 17 extends from the frame fixing portion 12 toward the center of the expansion restricting ring 16 rather than the frame 4. The annular portion region 3 B of the dicing tape 3 is brought into contact with the expansion restricting portion 17 during expansion by the expand ring 14. Note that the boundary between the frame fixing portion 12 and the expansion restricting portion 17 is indicated by the symbol D in FIGS.

The expansion restricting portion 17 is formed in a ring shape having an expansion restricting opening (opening) 16A that is smaller than the inner diameter (350 mm) of the frame 4 and larger than the outer diameter of the expanding ring 14.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the wafer unit 2 showing the shape of the annular portion region 3B that is being expanded by the expand ring 14. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the annular portion region 3B during expansion.

3 and 4, when the annular portion region 3B is expanded by the expand ring 14, the annular portion region 3B is brought into contact with the expansion restricting portion 17. Specifically, the annular portion region 3B is brought into contact with the inner edge portion 16B of the expansion restriction portion 17.

In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the diameter of the expansion restricting opening 16A is set to 338 mm. Thereby, the width dimension of the outer peripheral side region 3E whose expansion is restricted by the expansion restricting portion 17 is set to 6 mm, and the width dimension of the inner peripheral side region 3F excluding the outer peripheral side region 3E in the annular portion region 3B is set to 19 mm. Is done.

Here, the inner peripheral side region 3F in which the expansion is not restricted by the expansion restricting portion 17 in the annular portion region 3B is a region that substantially contributes to the division of the wafer 1. That is, as the width dimension of the inner peripheral region 3F is reduced, the spring constant of the inner peripheral region 3F is increased, so that the tension applied to the wafer 1 from the inner peripheral region 3F can be increased. Therefore, it is preferable that the width dimension of the inner peripheral side region 3F is set according to the number of lines to be divided 5 and the size of the chip 6.

Hereinafter, the work dividing method by the work dividing apparatus 10A will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S100 of FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 1, the frame 4 of the wafer unit 2 is fixed by the frame fixing portion 12 of the expansion restriction ring 16 (fixing step).

Next, in step S110 in FIG. 5, the expanding ring 14 is moved upward in the direction of arrow B from the position in FIG. 1, and expansion of the entire region of the annular portion region 3B is started (expansion step).

Next, in step S120 in FIG. 5, when the upward movement amount of the expand ring 14 exceeds the thickness of the frame 4, the annular portion region 3 B comes into contact with the expansion restricting portion 17. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the annular portion region 3 B is located on the outer peripheral side region 3 E located on the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side with the contact portion 3 D contacting the inner edge portion 16 B of the expansion restricting portion 17 as a boundary. It is divided into an inner peripheral region 3F. And expansion of the outer peripheral side area | region 3E is controlled by the expansion control part 17 among the cyclic | annular part area | regions 3B (expansion control process).

Next, in step S130 in FIG. 5, the expanding movement of the expanding ring 14 is continued, and the expansion of the inner peripheral side region 3F excluding the outer peripheral side region 3E in the annular portion region 3B is continuously performed, whereby the wafer 1 Is divided into individual chips 6 (dividing step). Thereafter, the upward movement of the expanding ring 14 is stopped.

In the dividing step (S130), in the expansion operation by the expand ring 14 after the annular portion region 3B comes into contact with the inner edge portion 16B of the expansion restricting portion 17, the expansion of the outer peripheral side region 3E is restricted by the expansion restricting portion 17. Only the peripheral region 3F is expanded. That is, the tension of the spring constant of the inner peripheral region 3F that is larger than the spring constant of the annular portion region 3B is applied to the wafer 1.

More specifically, the length of the annular portion region 3B that contributes to the division of the wafer 1 is shortened from 25 mm (width size of the annular portion region 3B) to 19 mm (width size of the inner peripheral region 3F). Increases inversely with it. As a result, even if only the inner peripheral region 3F is expanded, the spring constant of the inner peripheral region 3F is larger than the spring constant of the annular portion region 3B. A tension sufficient to divide the chip 6 can be applied to the wafer 1. Therefore, according to the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A, it is possible to solve the problem of undivided lines to be divided that occurs when the chip size is a small chip (1 mm).

Note that the inner edge portion 16B of the expansion restricting portion 17 that is in line contact with the adhesive layer in the annular portion region 3B is subjected to surface processing with an arithmetic average roughness (Ra) of 1.6 (μm) as an example. . Thereby, it is possible to prevent the inner edge portion 16B and the annular portion region 3B from slipping relatively due to the frictional force between the inner edge portion 16B and the annular portion region 3B. Further, the inner edge portion 16B is chamfered with C0.2 (0.2 mm Chamber) as an example. Thereby, when the expansion force is received from the annular portion region 3B, the annular portion region 3B can be prevented from being broken by the reaction force.

In addition, since the expansion restriction ring 16 of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A includes the frame fixing unit 12 and also has a function of fixing the frame 4, the number of parts of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A can be reduced. The frame 4 can be fixed by the frame fixing portion 12 in the operation of assembling the expansion restriction ring 16 to the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A.

Further, the expanding ring 14 of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A is configured in a ring shape having an opening 14A for expansion that surrounds the wafer 1 of the wafer unit 2 fixed to the frame fixing unit 12. The expansion restricting portion 17 includes an expansion restricting opening 16 A that surrounds the ring-shaped expand ring 14. Thereby, according to the workpiece dividing device 10A, the annular portion region 3B is uniformly expanded in the entire region by the ring-shaped expand ring 14, and the inner edge portion 16B of the expansion restricting opening portion 16A of the expansion restricting portion 17 is expanded. In addition, the annular portion region 3B is in line contact evenly. Thereby, the expansion of the outer peripheral side region 3E can be reliably regulated.

[Work Dividing Device 10B of Second Embodiment]
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of main parts of a workpiece dividing apparatus 10B according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of essential parts of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10B. As the wafer unit processed by the workpiece dividing apparatus 10B, the wafer unit 2 on which the wafer 1 having a diameter of 300 mm shown in FIG. 23 is mounted is exemplified. Further, the same or similar members as those of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with the same reference numerals.

The difference between the workpiece dividing device 10B of the second embodiment and the workpiece dividing device 10A of the first embodiment is that the frame fixing member 7 (see FIG. 24: existing frame fixing member) and the expansion restriction ring 18 are configured separately. However, the expansion restricting ring 18 is detachably provided to the frame fixing member 7. The attachment / detachment structure of the expansion restriction ring 18 with respect to the frame fixing member 7 is not particularly limited, but may be a fastening structure using a bolt as an example, or a clamp structure using a clamp mechanism.

The frame fixing member 7 is disposed on the same side as the affixing surface of the wafer 1 in the dicing tape 3. Further, the frame fixing member 7 is installed at a position spaced outward from the annular portion region 3B in the in-plane direction of the dicing tape 3 indicated by an arrow A so as not to contact the annular portion region 3B expanded by the expand ring 14. Has been. As shown in FIG. 7, the shape of the frame fixing member 7 is a ring shape, but the shape is not particularly limited as long as the expansion restriction ring 18 can be detachably attached.

The expansion restriction ring 18 includes an expansion restriction opening (opening) 18A that is smaller than the inner diameter (350 mm) of the frame 4 and larger than the outer diameter of the expanding ring 14. The diameter of the expansion restricting opening 18A is also 338 mm.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the wafer unit 2 showing the shape of the annular portion region 3 B being expanded by the expand ring 14.

As shown in FIG. 8, the annular portion region 3 B is brought into contact with the inner edge portion 18 B of the expansion restriction ring 18 when expanded by the expand ring 14. As a result, the expansion restriction ring 18 restricts the expansion of the outer peripheral side region 3 E between the contact portion 3 D that contacts the inner edge portion 18 B and the inner edge portion of the frame 4 in the annular portion region 3 B.

Next, the work dividing method by the work dividing apparatus 10B will be described, but it is substantially the same as the work dividing method by the work dividing apparatus 10A.

First, as shown in FIG. 6, the frame 4 of the wafer unit 2 is fixed to the frame fixing member 7 via the expansion restricting ring 18 (fixing step).

Next, the expanding ring 14 is moved upward in the direction of arrow B from the position shown in FIG. 6, and expansion of the entire region of the annular portion region 3B is started (expansion step).

Next, when the upward movement amount of the expand ring 14 exceeds the thickness of the frame 4, the annular portion region 3 B comes into contact with the inner edge portion 18 B of the expansion restriction ring 18, and is located on the outer peripheral side of the annular portion region 3 B. The expansion of the outer peripheral side region 3E is regulated (expansion regulation process). At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the annular portion region 3B has an outer peripheral side region 3E positioned on the outer peripheral side and an inner peripheral side region 3F positioned on the inner peripheral side with the contact portion 3D contacting the inner edge 18B as a boundary. And divided.

Next, the expanding movement of the expanding ring 14 is continued, and the wafer 1 is divided into individual chips 6 by continuing to expand the inner peripheral side region 3F excluding the outer peripheral side region 3E in the annular portion region 3B. (Dividing step). Thereafter, the upward movement of the expanding ring 14 is stopped.

In the dividing step, in the expansion operation by the expand ring 14 after the annular portion region 3B comes into contact with the inner edge portion 18B of the expansion restricting ring 18, the expansion of the outer peripheral region 3E is restricted by the expansion restricting ring 18, and the inner peripheral region Only 3F will be expanded. That is, the tension of the spring constant of the inner peripheral region 3F that is larger than the spring constant of the annular portion region 3B is applied to the wafer 1. Thereby, according to the workpiece | work dividing apparatus 10B, the undivision | segmentation problem of the division | segmentation scheduled line which arises when a chip size is a small chip | tip (1 mm) similarly to the workpiece | work dividing apparatus 10A can be eliminated.

Further, when the annular portion region 3B is expanded by the expand ring 14, the expansion restriction ring 18 restricts the expansion of the outer peripheral region 3E while being sandwiched between the frame fixing member 7 and the frame 4. That is, even when the inner diameter (for example, 361 mm) of the frame fixing member 7 is larger than 350 mm, which is the inner diameter of the frame 4, by providing the expansion restriction ring 18 with the expansion restriction opening 18A having a diameter of 338 mm separately. The same effect as when the inner diameter of the frame fixing member 7 is less than 350 mm can be obtained. That is, an effect equivalent to that of the expansion restriction ring 16 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) of the first embodiment can be obtained.

In the work dividing apparatus 10B, it is preferable that a plurality of expansion restriction rings 18 having different diameters (inner diameters) of the expansion restriction openings 18A are arranged in advance. Thereby, the expansion restricting ring 18 having an inner diameter designated in advance as a processing condition can be selected and used. In addition, since the expansion restriction ring 18 can be retrofitted to an existing (shipped) work dividing apparatus that does not include the expansion restriction ring 18, the existing work dividing apparatus is used to process from a large chip to a small chip. Will be able to. Further, when the chip size is a large chip, the expansion restriction ring 18 can be detached from the existing work dividing device. As the diameter (inner diameter) of the expansion restricting opening 18A, for example, 346 mm, 342 mm, and 334 mm can be exemplified in addition to 338 mm.

By the way, although it has been explained that the force required to divide the wafer 1 has to be increased as the number of scheduled division lines 5 formed on the wafer 1 increases, the X direction and the Y direction intersecting each other depending on the wafer. , The number of the planned division lines 5 parallel to the X direction and the number of the planned division lines 5 parallel to the Y direction (see FIG. 9), or the number of the planned division lines 5 parallel to the X direction , The number of division lines 5 parallel to the Y direction is different (see FIG. 10).

FIG. 9 is a plan view in which the expansion restriction ring 20 having the circular expansion restriction opening 20A and the wafer unit 2 are overlapped. The wafer 22 shown in FIG. 9 is a wafer in which the number of the planned dividing lines 5 parallel to the X direction is the same as the number of the planned dividing lines 5 parallel to the Y direction, and the distance between them is the same. The shape of 24 is a square having the same dimensions in the X and Y directions. That is, the wafer 22 shown in FIG. 9 is a wafer in which the density of the division planned lines 5 is equal in the X direction and the Y direction. When such a wafer 22 is smoothly divided, it is preferable to use an expansion restriction ring 20 whose expansion restriction opening 20A has a circular shape. That is, the wafer 22 and the expansion restriction opening 20A are circular, and the inner peripheral side region 3F having a donut shape in plan view surrounded by the outer edge of the wafer 22 and the inner edge of the expansion restriction opening 20A is formed in the circumferential direction. It has the same width dimension e in any position of the throat.

Thereby, uniform tension can be applied to the peripheral edge of the wafer 22 from the expanded inner peripheral region 3F. That is, by using the expansion restricting ring 20 having the circular expansion restricting opening 20A, a suitable tension is applied to the wafer 22 in order to divide the wafer 22 having the same density of the division lines 5 in the X direction and the Y direction. Can be granted. In addition, it is equivalent that the density of the division | segmentation scheduled line 5 is equal in the X direction and the Y direction, and the density of the chip 6 is equal in the X direction and the Y direction.

FIG. 10 is a plan view in which the expansion restriction ring 26 having the elliptical expansion restriction opening 26A and the wafer unit 2 are overlapped. The wafer 28 shown in FIG. 10 is a wafer in which the number of planned division lines 5 parallel to the Y direction is larger than the number of planned division lines 5 parallel to the X direction, and the shape of the divided chips 30 is X A rectangle with a short dimension in the direction and a long dimension in the Y direction. That is, the wafer 28 shown in FIG. 10 is a wafer in which the density of the division lines 5 (the density of the chips 6) is different between the X direction and the Y direction. When such a wafer 28 is divided smoothly, it is preferable to use an expansion restriction ring 26 whose expansion restriction opening 26A has an elliptical shape.

In this case, the direction of the minor axis a of the ellipse of the expansion restricting opening 26A is parallel to the X direction (the direction in which the density of the chip 30 is high, the direction parallel to the short side of the chip 30) of the division line 5 being high. Accordingly, the direction of the major axis b of the ellipse is aligned in parallel with the Y direction (the direction of low density of the chip 30, the direction parallel to the long side of the chip 30) with the low density of the division line 5.

As a result, the inner peripheral area 3FA located in the direction parallel to the high-density X direction of the division line 5 has a small width dimension and a high spring constant, so that the high-density division line 5 in the X direction has a high density. A suitable tension for splitting can be applied to the wafer 28.
On the other hand, the inner peripheral side region 3FB located in the direction parallel to the low Y direction of the division line 5 has a small width and a small spring constant, but the low division density line 5 in the Y direction is divided. Thus, a suitable tension can be applied to the wafer 28. Therefore, it is possible to realize a suitable division capability for the wafer 28 in which the density of the division planned lines 5 is different in the X direction and the Y direction.

Further, in the dicing tape 3, the spring constant in the X direction and the spring constant in the Y direction are equal, or a difference occurs between the spring constant in the X direction and the spring constant in the Y direction due to the tape generation direction. There is a difference in how the X direction and the Y direction extend. In principle, the direction parallel to the tape production direction tends to stretch, and the intersecting direction tends to be difficult to stretch.

Paying attention to such elongation characteristics of the dicing tape 3, in the case of the dicing tape 3 in which the spring constant in the X direction and the spring constant in the Y direction are equal, the expansion restricting opening 20A as shown in FIG. 9 is circular. It is preferable to use the expansion restricting ring 20. Thereby, since the extension amount in the X direction and the extension amount in the Y direction of the inner peripheral side region at the time of expansion become equal, an equal tension can be applied to the wafer from the inner peripheral side region 3F.

On the other hand, in the case of the dicing tape 3 having anisotropy in which the spring constant in the X direction and the spring constant in the Y direction are different, an expansion restriction ring having an elliptical expansion restriction opening 26A as shown in FIG. Preferably 26 is used.

In this case, the direction of the minor axis a of the ellipse is aligned with the X direction having a small spring constant, and the direction of the major axis b of the ellipse is aligned with the Y direction having a large spring constant. As a result, when the inner peripheral side region is expanded, the spring constant of the inner peripheral side region 3FA located in the X direction parallel to the direction in which the spring constant is small increases, and is located in a direction parallel to the direction of the major axis b of the ellipse. Since the spring constant of the inner peripheral region 3FB is approached, a substantially uniform tension can be applied to the wafer from the inner peripheral regions 3FA, 3FB. Therefore, it is possible to realize a suitable dividing ability for the wafer mounted on the dicing tape 3 having anisotropy in which the spring constant in the X direction and the spring constant in the Y direction are different.

Here, in order to confirm the effect of the present invention, the results of experiments conducted by the present inventor will be described.

The graph of FIG. 11 shows the expansion rate (diameter 350 mm) of the annular portion region when the expansion restricting ring is not used and the expansion of the inner peripheral region when the expansion restricting ring is used with respect to the wafer unit 2 of FIG. The expansion rate when the diameter of the expansion restricting opening is set to 346 mm, 342 mm, and 338 mm is shown. In addition, “MD (Machine Direction)” in FIG. 11 is a direction parallel to the feeding direction at the time of manufacturing the dicing tape 3 and having a small spring constant. Further, “CD (Cross Direction)” is a direction orthogonal to MD and having a large spring constant.

According to the experimental results of FIG. 11, the expansion rate of the annular region when not using the expansion restriction ring was 6.1% for “MD” and 6.0% for “CD”. On the other hand, as the diameter of the expansion restricting opening is reduced to 346 mm, 342 mm, and 338 mm, the expansion rate of the inner peripheral region is 6.8%, 7.5%, 8.4 for “MD”. In the case of “CD”, it increased to 7.2%, 7.5%, and 8.1%. That is, it was confirmed that as the diameter of the expansion restricting opening was reduced, the chip dividing ability was improved.

The graph of FIG. 12 shows the chip division rate (diameter 350 mm) when the expansion restriction ring is not used and the chip division ratio when the expansion restriction ring is used for the wafer unit 2 of FIG. The division ratio when the diameter of the expansion restricting opening is set to 338 mm is shown. The division ratio “with DAF” in FIG. 12 is the division ratio of the chip 6 when the wafer 1 is attached to the dicing tape 3 via the DAF, and the division ratio “without DAF” The division ratio of the chip 6 when the wafer 1 is directly attached to the dicing tape 3.

According to the experimental results of FIG. 12, when the expansion restriction ring is not used, the division ratio of the chip 6 was 15.0% when “with DAF” and 41.0% when “without DAF”. On the other hand, when using an expansion restriction ring with an expansion restriction opening having a diameter of 338 mm, the split ratio of the tip 6 increases to 61.0% when “with DAF” and 100% when “without DAF”. Rose. In other words, it was confirmed that the division capability of the chip 6 was improved by using the extended restriction ring regardless of whether “DAF is present” or “without DAF”.

From the above experimental results, according to the

workpiece dividing devices

10A and 10B of the embodiment, the expansion restriction ring 16 restricts the expansion of the outer peripheral side region 3E and expands only the inner peripheral side region 3F. As a result, the expansion rate can be increased, and the tension applied to the wafer 1 can be increased. Therefore, it has been confirmed that the undivided problem of the division line 5 that occurs when the chip size is a small chip can be solved.

[Work Dividing Device 10C of Third Embodiment]
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a workpiece dividing apparatus 10C according to the third embodiment.

The difference in structure between the workpiece dividing apparatus 10C in FIG. 13 and the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A shown in FIG. 1 is that a protrusion 34 is provided on the expansion restriction ring 32 of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10C in FIG. .

In describing the expansion restriction ring 32 of FIG. 13, the same or similar members as those of the expansion restriction ring 16 of FIG.

13 includes a frame fixing portion 12 and a ridge 34 that is formed to project toward the affixing surface 3G of the dicing tape 3. The ridge 34 is provided along the peripheral edge of the expansion restricting opening 32 A of the expansion restricting ring 32. Further, a tape position restricting portion is constituted by the tip portion 34A of the ridge 34, and the tip portion 34A is connected to the back surface (tape applying surface) 4A of the frame 4 to which the outer peripheral portion of the dicing tape 3 is fixed (attached). They are arranged on the same plane. That is, the tip end 34A of the ridge 34 constituting the tape position restricting portion is arranged at a position on the same surface as the attaching surface 3G of the dicing tape 3 when the frame 4 is fixed to the expansion restricting ring 32. Yes.

According to the expansion restricting ring 32 of FIG. 13, the tip 34 A of the protrusion 34 of the expansion restricting ring 32 is already in contact with the application surface 3 G of the dicing tape 3 from the state before the dicing tape 3 is expanded by the expand ring 14. ing. That is, the expansion restriction ring 32 restricts the expansion of the outer peripheral side region 3E of the dicing tape 3 from the state before the expansion of the dicing tape 3 by the expand ring 14.

Thus, according to the workpiece dividing device 10C of FIG. 13, the expansion of the inner peripheral side region 3F of the dicing tape can be started immediately after the expanding ring 14 contacts the dicing tape 3. Therefore, according to the workpiece dividing apparatus 10C, the problem of undivided lines to be divided that occurs when the chip size is a small chip is further increased as compared with the case where the extended restriction ring 14 of FIG. It can be solved efficiently.

Further, in the workpiece dividing apparatus 10A of FIG. 1 and the workpiece dividing apparatus 10C of FIG. 13, when the height of the expansion operation end position of the expand ring 14 is the same, the workpiece dividing apparatus 10C of FIG. The expansion amount (tension) of the inner region 3F of the dicing tape 3 is increased as compared with the dividing device 10A. Therefore, according to the workpiece dividing apparatus 10C of FIG. 13, the problem of undivided division lines that occurs when the chip size is a small chip can be further solved.

On the other hand, when the expansion amount of the inner region 3F of the dicing tape 3 at the end of the expansion operation of the expand ring 14 is based on the dicing apparatus 10A of FIG. 1, the work dividing apparatus 10C of FIG. Compared with the dividing device 10 A, the height of the expansion operation end position of the expanding ring 14 can be lowered by the thickness of the frame 4. Thus, according to the work dividing apparatus 10C of FIG. 13, a sufficient expansion amount (tension) can be obtained even with a small upward movement amount of the expanding ring 14, and thus the division that occurs when the chip size is a small chip. The problem of undivided scheduled lines can be solved more efficiently.

More specifically, when the expansion restriction ring 32 is used as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10C shown in FIG. 14, the expansion restriction ring 14 of FIG. Compared with the case where the expansion ring 14 is used, the height of the expansion operation end position of the expand ring 14 can be lowered by the thickness of the frame 4. The division problem can be solved efficiently. Note that, in FIG. 14, the expansion operation end position of the expand ring 14 in the case where the expansion restriction ring 14 that does not include the ridge portion 32 is used is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

Further, according to the workpiece dividing device 10C, the arithmetic average roughness (Ra) is, as an example, in the distal end portion 34A of the protruding portion 34 of the expansion restriction ring 32, as in the case of the inner edge portion 16B of the expansion restriction ring 14 in FIG. Surface processing to 1.6 (μm) is performed. This prevents the tip portion 34A and the annular portion region 3B from slipping relatively due to the frictional force between the tip portion 34A and the annular portion region 3B.

[Work Dividing Device 10D of Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a workpiece dividing apparatus 10D according to the fourth embodiment.

The difference in structure between the workpiece dividing device 10D of FIG. 15 and the workpiece dividing device 10C shown in FIG. 13 is that the tip portion 38A of the protruding strip portion 38 of the expansion regulating ring 36 of the workpiece dividing device 10D is attached to the dicing tape 3. It exists in the point arrange | positioned rather than the same surface as the surface 3G in the side by which the expand ring 14 before expansion operation | movement is arrange | positioned.

15, the same or similar members as those of the expansion restriction ring 32 of FIG. 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

According to the expansion restricting ring 36 of FIG. 15, the pasting surface 3G of the dicing tape 3 is already pressed against the tip 38 A of the protruding strip 38 of the expansion restricting ring 36 from the state before the dicing tape 3 is expanded by the expand ring 14. ing. That is, the expansion of the outer peripheral side region 3E of the dicing tape 3 from the state before the expansion of the dicing tape 3 by the expanding ring 14 is restricted by the expansion restricting ring 32, and the inner peripheral side region 3F has already been expanded. Therefore, according to the workpiece dividing apparatus 10D, compared to the workpiece dividing apparatus C in FIG. 13, it is possible to more efficiently solve the problem of undivided lines to be divided that occur when the chip size is a small chip.

Further, in the workpiece dividing apparatus 10D of FIG. 15 and the workpiece dividing apparatus 10C of FIG. 13, when the height of the expansion operation end position of the expand ring 14 is the same, the workpiece dividing apparatus 10D of FIG. The expansion amount (tension) of the inner region 3F of the dicing tape 3 is increased as compared with the dividing device 10C. Therefore, according to the workpiece dividing apparatus 10D of FIG. 15, the problem of undivided division lines that occurs when the chip size is a small chip can be further solved.

On the other hand, when the expansion amount of the inner region 3F of the dicing tape 3 at the end of the expansion operation of the expand ring 14 is based on the dicing apparatus 10C of FIG. 13, the work dividing apparatus 10D of FIG. Compared with the dividing device 10 C, the height of the expansion operation end position of the expand ring 14 can be lowered by the difference in the protruding length of the protruding line portion 38 relative to the protruding line portion 34. As a result, according to the work dividing apparatus 10D of FIG. 15, the problem of undivided lines to be divided that occurs when the chip size is a small chip can be solved more efficiently than the work dividing apparatus 10C of FIG.

More specifically, when the expansion restriction ring 36 is used as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the workpiece dividing apparatus 10D shown in FIG. 16, the expansion restriction ring 32 of FIG. Compared with the case of using, the height of the expansion end position of the expanding ring 14 can be shortened by the difference in the protruding length of the protruding strip portion 38 relative to the protruding strip portion 34, and the chip size is reduced by the difference. In this case, the problem of undivided lines to be divided that occurs can be efficiently solved. In FIG. 16, the expansion operation end position of the expand ring 14 in the case where the expansion restriction ring 32 including the ridge portion 32 is used is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

Further, according to the workpiece dividing device 10D, the arithmetic average roughness (Ra) is, as an example, in the distal end portion 38A of the protruding strip portion 38 of the expansion restriction ring 36, similarly to the inner edge portion 16B of the expansion restriction ring 14 in FIG. Surface processing to 1.6 (μm) is performed. This prevents the tip portion 38A and the annular portion region 3B from slipping relatively due to the frictional force between the tip portion 38A and the annular portion region 3B.

[Work Dividing Device 10E of Fifth Embodiment]
FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a workpiece dividing apparatus 10E according to the fifth embodiment.

In the workpiece dividing device 10E of FIG. 17, an expansion regulating ring 40 is detachably provided on the frame fixing member 7. In the description of the expansion restricting ring 40, the same or similar members as those of the expansion restricting ring 32 in FIG.

17 is provided with a ridge 34 directed toward the affixing surface 3G of the dicing tape 3 along the peripheral edge of the expansion restricting opening 40A of the expansion restricting ring 40. Further, the tip end portion 34 A of the ridge 34 is disposed at a position (see FIG. 13) on the same plane as the pasting surface 3 G of the dicing tape 3.

Thereby, according to the workpiece dividing apparatus 10E of FIG. 17, the expansion of the inner peripheral side region 3F of the dicing tape can be started immediately after the expanding ring 14 contacts the dicing tape 3. Therefore, according to the workpiece dividing device 10E, the problem of undivided lines to be divided that occurs when the chip size is a small chip is further increased than when the extended restriction ring 14 of FIG. It can be solved efficiently.

[Work Dividing Device 10F of Sixth Embodiment]
FIG. 18 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a workpiece dividing apparatus 10F according to the sixth embodiment.

The work dividing apparatus 10F in FIG. 18 is provided with an expansion regulating ring 42 detachably attached to the frame fixing member 7. In describing the expansion restriction ring 42, the same or similar members as those of the expansion restriction ring 36 in FIG.

18 is provided with a ridge portion 38 directed toward the affixing surface 3G of the dicing tape 3 along the peripheral edge of the expansion restricting opening 42A of the expansion restricting ring 42. Moreover, the front-end | tip part 38A of the protruding item | line part 38 is arrange | positioned at the side by which the expand ring 14 before expansion operation | movement is arrange | positioned.

Thereby, according to the workpiece dividing apparatus 10F of FIG. 18, since the expansion of the inner peripheral side region 3F of the dicing tape is started before the expanding ring 14 abuts on the dicing tape 3, the ridge portion 34 is provided. The problem of undivided lines to be divided that occurs when the chip size is a small chip can be solved more efficiently than in the case of using the expansion restriction ring 40 of FIG.

Incidentally, there is a case where the dicing tape 3 is held in an expanded state by fitting an expansion holding ring called a sub-ring into the frame 4 in the subsequent step of the dividing step S130 shown in FIG. The extended holding ring is fitted to the frame 4 in a state where the outer peripheral side region 3E is extended. By using the extended holding ring, contact between adjacent divided chips can be restricted, so that the chip can be prevented from being damaged.

According to the workpiece dividing devices 10C to 10F of FIGS. 13 to 18 described above, the expansion of the outer peripheral side region 3E can be restricted by the

tip portions

34A and 38A of the

ridges

34 and 38, so that the outer peripheral side region It is possible to prevent the 3E dicing tape 3 from extending and reducing its thickness. Therefore, even when the extended holding ring is attached to the frame 4 in a state where the outer peripheral side region 3E is extended, the outer peripheral side region 3E can be prevented from being broken.

Further, in the subsequent step of the dividing step S130 shown in FIG. 5, there is a case where a heating step is performed in which the dicing tape 3 in the loosened outer peripheral side region 3E after expansion is thermally contracted by light heating and is tensioned again. By performing this heating process, the dicing tape 3 in the outer peripheral side region 3E can be tensioned again, and there is an effect that the process in the subsequent process of the dividing process S130 becomes easy.

According to the workpiece dividing devices 10C to 10F of FIGS. 13 to 18 described above, the thickness of the outer peripheral side region 3E is not reduced. Therefore, in the heat shrinking process of the outer peripheral side region 3E by light heating, the light of the outer peripheral side region 3E Absorption rate increases, and conversion efficiency from light to heat increases. Thereby, the outer peripheral side area | region 3E can be heat-shrinked in a short time.

In the graph of FIG. 19, the expansion rate (%) of the dicing tape 3 is shown on the vertical axis, and the push-up amount (mm) of the annular portion region 3B due to the upward movement of the expand ring 14 is shown on the horizontal axis.

FIG. 19 also shows that the expansion rate corresponding to the push-up amount differs for each

expansion restriction ring

16, 18, 32, 36, 40, 42 as described later. Since the expansion rate by the expansion restriction ring 18 is equal to the expansion rate by the expansion restriction ring 16, the description of the expansion rate by the expansion restriction ring 18 is omitted. Similarly, the expansion rate due to the expansion restriction ring 40 is equal to the expansion rate due to the expansion restriction ring 32, and the expansion rate due to the expansion restriction ring 42 is equal to the expansion rate due to the expansion restriction ring 36. A description of the rate is also omitted.

A line A in FIG. 19 shows a change in the expansion rate when the expansion restriction ring is not used (the diameter of the expansion restriction opening 16A corresponds to 350 mm). Line B shows the change in expansion rate when the expansion restriction ring 16 having a diameter of the expansion restriction opening 16A of 338 mm is applied. A line C indicates a change in expansion rate when the expansion restriction ring 32 having a diameter of the expansion restriction opening 32A of 338 mm is applied. Line D shows the change in the expansion rate when the expansion restricting ring 36 having the expansion restricting opening 36A having a diameter of 338 mm is applied. As an example, the protrusion length of the protrusion 34 of the expansion restriction ring 32 is set to 1.5 mm, which is equal to the thickness of the frame 4 as described later, and the protrusion length of the protrusion 38 of the expansion restriction ring 36 is Set to 4.5 mm.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the expanding ring 14 during the expansion division process. FIG. 20 shows the dimensions of each member for calculating the expansion rate of the lines A, B, C, and D shown in FIG.

According to FIG. 20, the inner diameter D1 of the frame 4 is 350 mm, the thickness t of the frame 4 is 1.5 mm, and the diameter D2 of the expansion restricting opening 16A (32A, 36A) of the expansion restricting ring 16 (32, 36). It is shown to be 338 mm.

Further, the symbol x in FIG. 20 indicates the push-up amount of the annular portion region 3B due to the upward movement of the expand ring 14. Further, a roller 44 for reducing the frictional force with the dicing tape 3 is disposed at the upper end of the expanding ring 14, and the arrangement diameter D3 of the roller 44 is 323.2 mm. A symbol d in FIG. 20 indicates the diameter of the roller 44. The expansion rate (%) of the line A was calculated with the diameter d of the roller 44 being 5 mm, and the expansion rates (%) of the lines B, C, and D were calculated with the diameter d of the roller 44 being 7 mm.

Hereinafter, the expansion rates of the expansion restriction rings 16, 32, and 36 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when the expansion restriction ring 16 is applied (see line B), the annular portion region 3B is pushed up by the upward movement of the expand ring 14 and comes into contact with the expansion restriction ring 16. The expansion rate immediately after the contact is higher than the expansion rate when the expansion restriction ring is not applied (see line A). That is, when the expansion restriction ring 16 is applied, the expansion rate after the push-up amount exceeds about 5.0 mm is higher than the expansion rate when the expansion restriction ring is not applied.

Further, when the expansion restricting ring 32 is applied (see line C), the tip 34A of the ridge 34 is in contact with the annular portion region 3B in advance. For this reason, when the expansion restriction ring 32 is applied, the expansion ratio immediately after the expansion ring 14 comes into contact with the annular portion region 3B becomes higher than the expansion ratio when the expansion restriction ring 16 is applied (see line B).

Further, when the expansion restriction ring 36 is applied (see line D), the tip portion 38 of the ridge portion 38 presses the annular portion region 3B in advance, so that the expansion ring 14 is expanded before contacting the annular portion region 3B. The rate is already over 0%. For this reason, when the expansion restriction ring 36 is applied, the expansion rate immediately after the expansion ring 14 contacts the annular portion region 3B becomes higher than the expansion rate when the expansion restriction ring 32 is applied (see line C).

Here, FIG. 21 shows the rate of increase per unit time of each expansion rate (%) of lines A, B, C, and D shown in FIG. 19 (hereinafter referred to as expansion rate speed (% / sec)). A graph showing the change is shown.

In the graph of FIG. 21, the expansion rate speed (% / sec) is shown on the left vertical axis, the push-up speed (mm / sec) of the annular portion region 3B is shown on the right vertical axis, and the ring due to the upward movement of the expand ring 14 is shown. The push-up amount (mm) of the partial region 3B is shown on the horizontal axis.

FIG. 21 shows, as an example, a change in the expansion rate speed when the push-up speed of the annular region 3B is constant. As the expansion rate speed increases, the tension generated in the dicing tape 3 increases and the force for dividing the wafer into chips increases.

A line E in FIG. 21 shows a change in push-up speed with a push-up amount from 0.00 mm to 20.00 mm. In other words, the line E indicates the upward moving speed of the expanding ring 14. According to the line E, the expanding ring 14 moves up at a constant speed (200 mm / sec) within a range of 0.00 mm to about 18.50 mm, and thereafter moves up to 20.00 mm while decelerating.

21 indicates a change in the expansion rate speed corresponding to the expansion rate of the line A in FIG. 19 without applying the expansion restriction ring.

21 shows a change in the expansion rate speed corresponding to the expansion rate of line B in FIG. 19 when the expansion regulating ring 16 in which the diameter of the expansion regulating opening 16A is 338 mm is applied.

A line H in FIG. 21 shows a change in expansion rate speed corresponding to the expansion rate in lines C and D in FIG. 19 when the expansion restriction rings 32 and 36 in which the diameters of the

expansion restriction openings

32A and 36A are 338 mm are applied. Is shown. When the expansion restricting ring 36 is applied, the annular portion region 3B is preliminarily expanded by the ridge portion 38 before expansion by the expand ring 14, but the expansion rate speed is different from that when the expansion restricting ring 32 is applied. There is no. For this reason, the change of the expansion rate speed when the expansion restriction rings 32 and 36 are applied is indicated by the same line H.

According to the expansion rate velocities indicated by lines F, G, and H in FIG. 21, the speed increases according to the push-up amount, and reaches the maximum (maximum expansion rate speed) when the push-up amount reaches about 18.50 mm. After that, it goes down each.

Here, when the expansion restriction ring 16 is applied (see the line G), the annular portion region 3B is pushed up by the upward movement of the expanding ring 14 and comes into contact with the expansion restriction ring 16. The expansion rate speed immediately after the contact becomes higher than the expansion rate speed when the expansion restriction ring is not applied (see the line F). Specifically, the expansion rate speed after the pushing amount exceeds about 4.00 mm becomes higher than the expansion rate speed when the expansion restriction ring is not applied, and the maximum expansion rate speed is applied to the expansion restriction ring. It increases more than the case where it does not (increase from about 95% / sec to about 115% / sec).

Therefore, by applying the expansion restricting ring 16, the amount of expansion of the dicing tape 3 is increased (see FIG. 19) and the maximum expansion rate speed is increased to the dicing tape 3 as compared with the case where the expansion restricting ring is not applied. Since the generated tension increases, it is possible to solve the problem of undivided lines to be divided that occurs when the chip size is a small chip.

Further, when the

expansion restricting rings

32 and 36 are applied (see the line H), when the expand ring 14 comes into contact with the annular portion region 3B, the expansion rate speed immediately after the contact is applied when the expansion restricting ring 16 is applied (see the line G). ) Expansion rate will be higher than the speed. Further, by applying the expansion restriction rings 32 and 36, the maximum expansion rate speed is increased (increased from about 95% / sec to about 115% / sec) compared to the case where the expansion restriction ring is not applied.

Accordingly, by applying the

expansion restricting rings

32 and 36, the dicing tape 3 increases in the amount of expansion (see FIG. 19) and increases the maximum expansion rate speed as compared with the case where the expansion restricting ring is not applied. Since the tension generated in 3 increases, the above-described undivided problem can be solved.

As described above, by applying the

expansion restricting rings

16, 18, 32, 36, 40, and 42 of the embodiment, it is possible to solve the problem of undivided division lines that occur when the chip size is a small chip.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wafer, 2 ... Wafer unit, 3 ... Dicing tape, 3A ... Central part area | region, 3B ... Annular part area | region, 3C ... Fixed part area | region, 3D ... Contact part, 3E ... Outer peripheral side area, 3F ... Inner peripheral side area | region 3FA ... inner peripheral side region, 3FB ... inner peripheral side region, 4 ... frame, 4A ... back surface, 5 ... division line, 6 ... chip, 7 ... frame fixing member, 8 ... expand ring, 10A ... work dividing device, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10B ... Work dividing device, 10C ... Work dividing device, 10D ... Work dividing device, 10E ... Work dividing device, 10F ... Work dividing device, 12 ... Frame fixing part, 14 ... Expanding ring, 14A ... Opening for expansion, 16 ... Expansion restriction ring, 16A ... Opening for expansion restriction, 16B ... Inner edge, 17 ... Expansion restriction, 18 ... Expansion restriction ring, 18A ... Opening for expansion restriction, 18B ... Inner edge 20 ... Expansion restriction ring, 20A ... Expansion restriction opening, 22 ... Wafer, 24 ... Chip, 26 ... Expansion restriction ring, 26A ... Expansion restriction opening, 28 ... Wafer, 30 ... Chip, 32 ... Expansion restriction ring, 32A ... Opening for expansion regulation, 34 ... Projection, 34A ... Tip, 36 ... Expansion regulation ring, 36A ... Expansion regulation, 38 ... Projection, 38A ... Tip, 40 ... Expansion regulation ring, 40A: Expansion restriction opening, 42: Expansion restriction ring, 42A: Expansion restriction opening, 44: Roller

Claims

In a workpiece dividing apparatus in which an outer peripheral portion of a dicing tape is fixed to a ring-shaped frame having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece, and the workpiece pasted on the dicing tape is divided into individual chips along a planned division line.
The dicing tape is disposed on the back side opposite to the work sticking surface, and is formed in a ring shape smaller than the inner diameter of the ring-shaped frame and larger than the outer diameter of the work. An expanding ring that presses and expands the dicing tape;
The dicing tape is arranged on the same side as the work sticking surface, is formed in a ring shape having an opening smaller than the inner diameter of the ring-shaped frame and larger than the outer diameter of the expanding ring, and is based on the expanding ring. An expansion regulating ring against which the dicing tape comes into contact when the dicing tape is expanded,
A workpiece dividing device.
The expansion restricting ring has a tape position restricting portion that comes into contact with the dicing tape when the dicing tape is expanded by the expanding ring.
The said tape position control part is arrange | positioned on the same surface as the tape sticking surface where the said dicing tape of the said ring-shaped frame was stuck, or the side by which the said expanded ring is arrange | positioned rather than the said same surface. The workpiece dividing device described.
The expansion restriction ring includes a frame fixing portion that is fixed to the ring-shaped frame, and a protrusion that protrudes toward the dicing tape along a peripheral edge portion of the opening of the expansion restriction ring,
The work dividing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the tape position restricting portion is configured by a tip portion of the ridge portion.
The expansion restricting ring includes a frame fixing portion that is disposed on the same side of the dicing tape as the work attachment surface, and that is fixed to the ring-shaped frame in contact with the ring-shaped frame. The workpiece dividing device according to claim 1, wherein
The expansion restricting ring is a frame fixing member disposed on the same side as the work attachment surface of the dicing tape, and is detachably attached to a frame fixing member that fixes the ring-shaped frame via the expansion restricting ring. The work dividing apparatus according to claim 1, which is fixed.
The work dividing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the opening of the expansion restriction ring is formed in a circular shape.
The work dividing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the opening of the expansion restriction ring is formed in an elliptical shape.
In the work dividing method in which the outer peripheral portion of the dicing tape is fixed to a ring-shaped frame having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the work, and the work attached to the dicing tape is divided into individual chips along the division line.
An expansion step of generating tension in the dicing tape by expanding the dicing tape by pressing the dicing tape;
An expansion regulating step for regulating expansion of the outer peripheral side region located on the outer peripheral side of the dicing tape when the dicing tape is expanded;
A dividing step of dividing the work into individual chips by continuing to expand the dicing tape excluding the outer peripheral region;
A work dividing method comprising: