Expansion device

Abstract

An extension device is provided to cool the extension sheet with a simpler structure. The extension device extends the extension sheet of the workpiece unit, which includes a workpiece, an extension sheet, and an annular frame that adheres to the outer peripheral side of the extension sheet. The extension device has: a frame fixing unit having a frame support portion and a frame pressing portion, the frame support portion being capable of supporting the annular frame of the workpiece unit, and the frame pressing portion being capable of clamping the annular frame together with the frame support portion; and an extension unit capable of extending the extension sheet. The frame fixing unit has a jet outlet and a cooling air supply path, one end of the cooling air supply path communicating with the jet outlet and the other end communicating with a cooling air supply source. The jet outlet can eject the cooling air supplied from the cooling air supply source toward the region between the workpiece of the extension sheet included in the workpiece unit and the inner periphery of the annular frame.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an expanding device that expands an expanding sheet whose outer peripheral side is adhered to an annular frame radially outwardly. Background Art

[0002] After setting a plurality of intersecting division predetermined lines (also referred to as scribing lanes) on the front surface of a disk-shaped wafer and forming devices in each region divided by the division predetermined lines, when the wafer is divided along the division predetermined lines, individual device chips can be formed. The formed device chips are mounted on electronic devices or the like and used.

[0003] The division of the wafer is carried out, for example, using a laser processing device. For example, a laser beam having a wavelength that is transmissive to the wafer is condensed inside the wafer along the division predetermined line, thereby forming a modified layer as a division starting point along the division predetermined line.

[0004] A sheet called an expanding sheet is pre-stuck on the back side of the wafer. An annular frame formed of metal or the like is adhered to the outer peripheral side of the expanding sheet. And when the wafer is stuck on this expanding sheet, a workpiece unit in which the wafer, the expanding sheet, and the annular frame are integrated is formed.

[0005] When the expanding sheet is expanded radially outward in a state where a modified layer is formed inside the wafer along the division predetermined line, the wafer is broken starting from the modified layer to form device chips, and the interval between the device chips is further enlarged. When the interval between the device chips is enlarged, when transporting the workpiece unit or the like later, the device chips are not likely to come into contact with each other, thereby suppressing damage to the device chips.

[0006] However, if the expanding sheet is expanded in a normal temperature environment, the expanding sheet sometimes only elongates in the region between the inner peripheral edge of the annular frame and the wafer, and the expanding sheet in the region stuck to the wafer cannot be appropriately expanded. Therefore, an expanding device is used that has a cooling chamber that houses various structural elements such as an expanding mechanism for the expanding sheet (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

[0007] In such a device or the like, the frame unit is carried into the inside of the cooling chamber, the atmosphere inside the chamber is cooled to cool the expanding sheet, and the expanding sheet is expanded in a state where it is not easy to elongate the expanding sheet, so the wafer is easily broken.

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-113350

[0009] Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-181659

[0010] Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-189057

[0011] If the cooling chamber is assembled in the expanding device, the expanding device will be enlarged. Moreover, it is not easy to cool the internal space of the relatively large cooling chamber in order to reliably cool the expanding sheet, and the cooling cost of the expanding sheet cannot be ignored. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide an expanding device capable of cooling an expanding sheet with a simpler structure.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an expanding device that expands an expanding sheet of a workpiece unit, the workpiece unit including: a workpiece; the expanding sheet adhered to the workpiece; and a ring-shaped frame to which the outer peripheral side of the expanding sheet is adhered. The expanding device includes: a frame fixing unit having a frame support portion and a frame pressing portion, the frame support portion being capable of supporting the ring-shaped frame of the workpiece unit, and the frame pressing portion being capable of clamping the ring-shaped frame together with the frame support portion; and an expanding unit capable of expanding the expanding sheet included in the workpiece unit having the ring-shaped frame fixed by the frame fixing unit. The frame fixing unit has a jet outlet and a cooling air supply path, one end of the cooling air supply path communicates with the jet outlet, and the other end communicates with a cooling air supply source. The jet outlet can jet the cooling air supplied from the cooling air supply source toward the following region of the expanding sheet included in the workpiece unit having the ring-shaped frame fixed by the frame fixing unit: the region between the workpiece and the inner peripheral edge of the ring-shaped frame.

[0014] Preferably, a plurality of the jet outlets are formed in a ring-shaped arrangement on the frame fixing unit. The cooling air supply path includes: a ring-shaped cooling path; a plurality of branch paths respectively reaching the plurality of jet outlets from the ring-shaped cooling path; and a supply path having one end communicating with the cooling air supply source and the other end reaching the ring-shaped cooling path. The cooling air supply source cools the frame fixing unit by supplying cooling air to the ring-shaped cooling path, so that a cooling space can be formed around the workpiece of the workpiece unit having the ring-shaped frame fixed by the frame fixing unit.

[0015] More preferably, the expanding device further includes a cooling plate capable of contacting the workpiece included in the workpiece unit via the expanding sheet included in the workpiece unit having the ring-shaped frame fixed by the frame fixing unit.

[0016] In the expanding device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the annular frame can be fixed by the frame fixing unit. Further, the workpiece and the expanding sheet included in the workpiece unit including the annular frame can be cooled. In particular, the expanding device can cool the region between the workpiece and the inner peripheral edge of the annular frame of the expanding sheet by ejecting cooling air from the ejection port formed in the frame fixing unit to this region.

[0017] Therefore, the expanding device according to one embodiment of the present invention can sufficiently cool the region to be expanded of the expanding sheet in the expanding device. Accordingly, the expanding device does not require a large cooling chamber capable of accommodating the workpiece unit, the frame fixing unit, the expanding unit, and the like.

[0018] Accordingly, the present invention provides an expanding device capable of cooling the expanding sheet with a simpler configuration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 FIG. is a perspective view schematically showing an example of the expanding device.

[0020] Figure 2 FIG. is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the expanding device into which the workpiece unit has been loaded.

[0021] Figure 3 FIG. is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the expanding device in which the cooling of the expanding sheet is carried out.

[0022] Figure 4 FIG. is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the expanding device in which the expansion of the expanding sheet is carried out.

[0023] Figure 5 FIG. is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the expanding device in which the removal of the slack of the expanding sheet having slack is carried out.

[0024] Figure 6 FIG. is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another example of the expanding device into which the workpiece unit has been loaded.

[0025] Figure 7 FIG. is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the expanding device in which the cooling of the expanding sheet is carried out.

[0026] Figure 8 FIG. is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the expanding device in which the expansion of the expanding sheet is carried out.

[0027] Figure 9 FIG. is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the expanding device in which the removal of the slack of the expanding sheet having slack is carried out.

[0028] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

[0029] 1: Workpiece; 3: Modified layer; 5: Device; 7: Expanding sheet; 7a: DAF (die attach film); 9: Frame; 11: Workpiece unit; 13: Dividing groove; 15: Device chip; 2, 80: Expanding device; 4, 84: Frame fixing unit; 6, 86: Frame supporting part; 6a, 8a, 86a, 88a: Opening; 8, 88: Frame pressing part; 10, 46, 90: Cylinder; 12, 48, 92: Rod; 14, 94: Annular cooling path; 16, 96: Branch path; 18, 98: Supply path; 20, 100, 136: Cooling air supply path; 22, 102: Jet outlet; 24, 104: Vortex tube; 26, 40, 62, 106, 134, 140, 156: On-off valve; 28, 108: Compressed air supply source; 30, 110: Cooling air supply source; 32, 112: Expanding unit; 34, 124: Holding table (cooling plate); 36, 128: Suction path; 38, 130: Suction port; 42, 132: Suction source; 44, 120: Cooling unit; 50, 142: Sheet shrinkage unit; 52: Rod; 54, 148: Support plate; 56, 150: Heating unit; 58, 152: Air supply path; 58a, 160: Opening; 60, 138, 154: Air supply source; 64, 158: Coil heater; 66, 168: Switch; 68, 144, 162: Rotating motor; 70, 146, 164: Rotating shaft; 72, 166: Gate; 72a, 166a: Opening; 82: Housing; 82a: Loading / unloading port; 82b: Opening / closing door; 88b: Through hole; 88c: Frame pressing part support bolt; 88d: Sealing part; 114: Expanding roller support part; 116: Expanding roller; 118: Workpiece cooling unit; 122: Table lifting unit; 126: Table cover. Detailed implementation mode

[0030] The implementation mode of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The expanding device of this implementation mode expands the expanding sheet of the workpiece unit formed by integrating a workpiece, an expanding sheet, and an annular frame. Figure 2 The cross-section of the workpiece unit 11 is shown in etc.

[0031] The expanding sheet 7 included in the workpiece unit 11, for example, includes a base material layer made of vinyl chloride or the like and a paste layer supported by the base material layer. The central area of one surface of the expanding sheet 7 is pasted to the workpiece 1. In addition, the outer peripheral portion of the expanding sheet 7 is pasted to the inner peripheral portion of the annular frame 9 having an opening in order to seal the opening.

[0032] The workpiece 1 is, for example, a wafer made of materials such as silicon, SiC (silicon carbide), or other semiconductors, or a substantially circular plate-shaped substrate made of materials such as sapphire, glass, and quartz. The front surface of the workpiece 1 is divided into a plurality of regions by a plurality of intersecting dividing predetermined lines (streets), and devices 5 such as ICs (Integrated Circuits) are formed in each of the divided regions. When the workpiece 1 is divided along the dividing predetermined lines, individual device chips can be formed.

[0033] A modified layer 3 serving as a division starting point is formed inside the workpiece 1 along the dividing predetermined line. The modified layer 3 can be formed, for example, by condensing a laser beam having a wavelength that is transmissive to the workpiece 1 (a wavelength that can pass through the workpiece 1) along the dividing predetermined line inside the workpiece 1.

[0034] When a force directed radially outward is applied to the workpiece 1 having the modified layer 3 formed inside along the dividing predetermined line, cracks are generated from the modified layer 3 to the upper and lower surfaces of the workpiece 1, and the workpiece 1 is divided to form individual device chips 15 (refer to Figure 4 etc.). Thereafter, in order to easily pick up the individual device chips 15 from the expansion sheet 7, the expansion sheet 7 is further expanded to increase the interval between the device chips 15. The expansion device of the present embodiment performs the expansion of the expansion sheet 7.

[0035] Alternatively, a DAF (die attach film) may be provided in advance on the workpiece 1. The DAF is a film that functions as an adhesive when mounting the device chip 15 to a specified mounting object. The expansion device can divide the workpiece 1 provided with the DAF for each DAF. In this case, device chips 15 provided with the DAF are formed.

[0036] Use Figures 1 to 5 An example of the expansion device of the present embodiment will be described. In Figure 1 a perspective view of the expansion device 2 is schematically shown, and in Figure 2 a cross-sectional view of the expansion device 2 into which the workpiece unit 11 has been loaded is schematically shown. The expansion device 2 includes: a frame fixing unit 4 that fixes the annular frame 9 of the workpiece unit 11; and an expansion unit 32 that can expand the expansion sheet 7 of the workpiece unit 11.

[0037] The expansion device 2 also has a holding workbench (cooling plate) 34. The holding workbench (cooling plate) 34 contacts the workpiece 1 included in the workpiece unit 11 with the expansion sheet 7 included in the workpiece unit 11 interposed therebetween, and can cool the expansion sheet 7 and the workpiece 1. In addition, the expansion device 2 has a sheet shrinking unit 50. The sheet shrinking unit 50 heats the expanded and slack expansion sheet 7 to shrink it, thereby removing the slack. Hereinafter, each structural element of the expansion device 2 will be described in detail.

[0038] The frame fixing unit 4 has a frame support portion 6 that can support the annular frame 9 of the workpiece unit 11. The frame support portion 6 is an annular member with a flat upper surface, and has an opening 6a at the center with a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the opening of the annular frame 9. The upper ends of a plurality of rods 12 are connected to the lower surface of the frame support portion 6, and the lower ends of the rods 12 are respectively received in a lifting mechanism such as a cylinder 10. By operating the cylinder 10 to lift and lower the rod 12, the frame support portion 6 can be lifted and lowered.

[0039] The frame fixing unit 4 also has an annular frame pressing portion 8 that can clamp the annular frame 9 together with the frame support portion 6. The frame pressing portion 8 is an annular member having an opening 8a at the center with the same diameter as the opening 6a of the frame support portion 6, and the lower surface of the frame pressing portion 8 is flat.

[0040] When the frame support portion 6 carrying the annular frame 9 is lifted so that the annular frame 9 contacts the lower surface of the frame pressing portion 8, the annular frame 9 is clamped and held by the frame support portion 6 and the frame pressing portion 8. The frame pressing portion 8 can hold the annular frame 9 with a firm force so that the fixed annular frame 9 does not shift in position.

[0041] In addition, the frame pressing portion 8 may be movable upward according to an external force. For example, it may be configured such that after the frame support portion 6 carrying the annular frame 9 is lifted and the annular frame 9 contacts the frame pressing portion 8, the frame pressing portion 8 is lifted by further lifting the frame support portion 6.

[0042] The frame pressing portion 8 of the frame fixing unit 4 forms a jet outlet 22 on the inner peripheral wall of the opening 8a. For example, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, a plurality of jet outlets 22 are formed on the inner peripheral wall of the frame pressing portion 8 in an annular and equally spaced manner.

[0043] A cooling air supply path 20 is formed inside the frame pressing portion 8 of the frame fixing unit 4. One end of the cooling air supply path 20 communicates with the ejection port 22, and the other end communicates with the cooling air supply source 30. The cooling air supply path 20 includes, for example: an annular cooling path 14 disposed so as to surround the inner peripheral wall of the frame pressing portion 8; and a plurality of branch paths 16 that respectively reach the plurality of ejection ports 22 from the annular cooling path 14. In addition, the cooling air supply path 20 includes a supply path 18 whose one end communicates with the cooling air supply source 30 and the other end reaches the annular cooling path 14.

[0044] The cooling air supply source 30 can supply cooling air to the ejection port 22 through the cooling air supply path 20. The cooling air supply source 30 has a cooling mechanism such as a compressed air supply source 28 and a vortex tube 24. The cooling mechanism such as the vortex tube 24 cools the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supply source 28 and changes it into cooling air. In addition, an on-off valve 26 is provided in the air passage between the compressed air supply source 28 and the vortex tube 24. When the on-off valve 26 is opened, cooling air is supplied from the cooling air supply source 30 to the cooling air supply path 20.

[0045] When cooling air is supplied to the cooling air supply path 20 in a state where the annular frame 9 is fixed by the frame fixing unit 4, the cooling air is supplied from the plurality of ejection ports 22 to the extension piece 7 of the workpiece unit 11. At this time, the frame pressing portion 8 itself is cooled, so that the annular frame 9 is cooled. That is, the cooling air contributes to the cooling of the entire workpiece unit 11. In addition, in order to efficiently cool the annular frame 9, it is preferable that the frame pressing portion 8 is formed of a metal such as aluminum with high thermal conductivity.

[0046] The expanding unit 32 can expand the extension piece 7 included in the workpiece unit 11 having the annular frame 9 fixed by the frame fixing unit 4. The expanding unit 32 has a holding table 34 that is received in the opening 6a of the frame supporting portion 6 of the frame fixing unit 4. A workpiece 1 is placed on the upper surface of the holding table 34 with the extension piece 7 included in the workpiece unit 11 having the annular frame 9 fixed by the frame fixing unit 4 interposed therebetween.

[0047] The holding table 34 can attract and hold the workpiece 1 with the extension piece 7 interposed therebetween. A plurality of suction ports 38 are formed on the upper surface of the holding table 34, and a suction path 36 connected to each suction port 38 is formed inside the holding table 34. And, the suction path 36 is connected to a suction source 42 disposed outside the holding table 34.

[0048] An on-off valve 40 is provided between the suction path 36 and the suction source 42. When the on-off valve 40 is opened, the negative pressure generated by the suction source 42 can act on the object to be held placed on the upper surface of the holding table 34 via the suction path 36 and the suction port 38. That is, the suction path 36, the suction port 38, the on-off valve 40, the suction source 42, etc. function as a holding mechanism for sucking and holding the workpiece 1 across the extension piece 7.

[0049] In addition, a cooling unit 44 such as a piston cooler is provided on the lower surface of the holding table 34. When the cooling unit 44 is operated, the holding table 34 can be cooled. The holding table 34 can function as a cooling plate, and this cooling plate can be in contact with the workpiece 1 included in the workpiece unit 11 via the extension piece 7 included in the workpiece unit 11 having the annular frame 9 fixed by the frame fixing unit 4. In addition, it is preferable that the holding table 34 is formed of aluminum or the like having high thermal conductivity in order to efficiently perform cooling.

[0050] The upper ends of a plurality of rods 48 are connected to the lower surface of the holding table 34, and the lower ends of the rods 48 are respectively accommodated in a lifting mechanism such as a cylinder 46. By operating the cylinder 46 to lift and lower the rod 48, the holding table (cooling plate) 34 can be lifted and lowered. When the holding table 34 is raised in a state where the annular frame 9 is fixed to the frame fixing unit 4, the extension piece 7 adhered to the annular frame 9 expands radially outward.

[0051] The sheet shrinking unit 50 heats the region between the inner periphery of the annular frame 9 of the extended and slackened extension piece 7 and the workpiece 1 to shrink it, thereby removing the slack. The sheet shrinking unit 50 has: a rod 52 that supports each structural element of the sheet shrinking unit 50 from above; a disk-shaped support plate 54 connected to the lower end of the rod 52; and a plurality of heating units 56 provided on the lower surface of the outer periphery of the support plate 54.

[0052] The heating unit 56 has a function of ejecting heated air downward. Figure 2 A cross-section of the heating unit 56 is shown. The heating unit 56 has an air supply path 58, and the air supply path 58 has a cylindrical housing in the vertical direction. The upper end of the air supply path 58 is connected to an air supply source 60 via an on-off valve 62. When the on-off valve 62 is opened, air can be supplied from the air supply source 60 to the air supply path 58. In addition, the air supply source 60 can also supply air to the air supply path 58 through the rod 52 and the support plate 54, etc.

[0053] Inside the air supply path 58, a coil heater 64 is provided as a heating mechanism for heating the air supplied from the air supply source 60. The coil heater 64 is connected to a power source and a switch 66. When the switch 66 is turned on and current flows through the coil heater 64, heat is generated from the coil heater 64 to heat the air supplied from the air supply source 60. An opening 58a is provided on the lower surface of the air supply path 58. When the opening and closing valve 62 is opened and the heating unit 56 is operated, the heated air is ejected downward from the opening 58a.

[0054] The sheet shrinkage unit 50 has a rotary motor 68 on the central lower surface of the support plate 54, and the upper end of a rotary shaft 70 in the vertical direction is mounted on the rotary motor 68. A disk-shaped shutter 72 is connected to the lower end of the rotary shaft 70. The diameter of the disk-shaped shutter 72 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the opening 8a of the frame pressing portion 8 of the frame fixing unit 4. The frame pressing portion 8 can be lifted and lowered relative to the shutter 72 in a state where the shutter 72 is housed in the opening 8a.

[0055] The shutter 72 has a plurality of openings 72a arranged in a configuration corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of heating units 56 on the support plate 54 (see Figure 1 and Figure 5 ). For example, the support plate 54 has heating units 56 at a plurality of fixed positions arranged at equal intervals with a specified radius from the center of the lower surface of the support plate 54. And the shutter 72 has the same number of openings 72a as the number of the heating units 56 at a plurality of formation positions arranged at equal intervals with the specified radius from the center of the shutter 72.

[0056] The shutter 72 has a function of preventing heat from the heating unit 56 from being unnecessarily transferred to the workpiece unit 11. In a case where it is desired to block the heat transfer from the heating unit 56 to the workpiece unit 11, the rotary motor 68 is operated to rotate the rotary shaft 70, thereby rotating the shutter 72 to displace the positions of the respective heating units 56 from the positions of the respective openings 72a.

[0057] In addition, when the extended sheet 7 of the workpiece unit 11 is shrunk by the sheet shrinkage unit 50, the shutter 72 is rotated to align the positions of the respective heating units 56 with the positions of the respective openings 72a. Then, the heated air is supplied to the extended sheet 7 through the opening 58a of the air supply path 58 of the heating unit 56 and the opening 72a of the shutter 72.

[0058] In addition, a rotation motor (not shown) is connected to the upper end of the rod 52 of the sheet shrinkage unit 50. When the rotation motor is operated while heated air is supplied to the extended sheet 7 by the heating unit 56, the region between the workpiece 1 of the extended sheet 7 that has been extended and become slack and the inner peripheral edge of the annular frame 9 is heated over the entire circumferential range. Then, the extended sheet 7 shrinks, and the intervals of the formed device chips 15 (refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 ) are kept wide, making it easier to pick up the device chips 15.

[0059] The extending device 2 of the present embodiment can supply cooling air to the extended sheet 7 of the workpiece unit 11 fixed by the frame fixing unit 4 from the air outlet 22 formed on the inner peripheral wall of the frame pressing portion 8 of the frame fixing unit 4. In addition, when the cooling unit 44 mounted on the holding table 34 is operated, the extended sheet 7 and the workpiece 1 can be cooled. That is, the extended sheet 7 can be cooled from above and below.

[0060] The extending device 2 of the present embodiment can cool the region between the workpiece 1 of the extended sheet 7 and the inner peripheral edge of the annular frame 9 when extending the extended sheet 7. When the extended sheet 7 whose elongation is suppressed by cooling this region is extended, the extended sheet 7 is properly extended, and the workpiece 1 can be reliably divided.

[0061] In addition, when a DAF (die attach film) is provided in advance on the workpiece 1, the DAF is cooled by the cooling unit 44 via the holding table (cooling plate) 34. Therefore, when the workpiece 1 is divided by the extension of the extended sheet 7, the elongation of the DAF is suppressed, and the DAF is also divided more reliably.

[0062] In the past, in order to cool the extended sheet 7 and the like when extending the extended sheet 7, it was necessary to prepare a cooling chamber large enough to accommodate the respective structural elements of the extending device. In contrast, in the extending device 2 of the present embodiment, the region between the workpiece 1 of the extended sheet 7 that requires cooling and the inner peripheral edge of the annular frame 9 is cooled. In this way, a cooling space can be formed around the extended sheet 7, so a cooling chamber is not required. Since the extending device 2 only cools a limited area, the extended sheet 7 can be cooled efficiently.

[0063] Next, as a method of using the extending device 2 of the present embodiment, a method of extending the extended sheet 7 using the extending device 2 will be described. First, the workpiece unit 11 is carried into the extending device 2. Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of the workpiece unit 11 and the extending device 2 in a state where it is carried into the extending device 2 is shown. In addition, in Figure 2In the following figures, for ease of explanation, a cross-sectional view showing structural elements of a part of the expansion device 2 and the like is shown.

[0064] When loading the workpiece unit 11, as Figure 2 shown, the annular frame 9 of the workpiece unit 11 is placed on the frame support portion 6 of the frame fixing unit 4, and the workpiece 1 is placed on the holding table 34 with the expansion sheet 7 interposed therebetween.

[0065] Next, the expansion sheet 7 and the like are cooled. Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the expansion device 2 for cooling the expansion sheet 7 and the cooled expansion sheet 7 is shown. When cooling the expansion sheet 7, first, the cylinder 10 is actuated to raise the rod 12, so that the frame support portion 6 is raised until the annular frame 9 abuts against the upper frame pressing portion 8.

[0066] In this case, the annular frame 9 of the workpiece unit 11 is clamped by the frame support portion 6 and the frame pressing portion 8. At this time, the frame support portion 6 can be further raised, so that the frame pressing portion 8 is further raised via the annular frame 9.

[0067] Next, the on-off valve 26 of the cooling air supply source 30 is opened, compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supply source 28 to the vortex tube 24, and the vortex tube 24 cools the compressed air. Then, the generated cooling air reaches each jet outlet 22 through the supply path 18, the annular cooling path 14, and the branch path 16 of the cooling air supply path 20 formed in the frame pressing portion 8. This cooling air is jetted from each jet outlet 22 toward the region between the workpiece 1 of the expansion sheet 7 and the inner peripheral edge of the annular frame 9 to cool the expansion sheet 7.

[0068] The cooling air supply source 30 cools the frame fixing unit 4 by supplying cooling air to the annular cooling path 14, and forms a cooling space around the workpiece 1 of the workpiece unit 11 having the annular frame 9 fixed by the frame fixing unit 4.

[0069] In addition, opening the on-off valve 26 and starting to cool the expansion sheet 7 with cooling air may also be after placing the annular frame 9 on the frame support portion 6 and before fixing the annular frame 9 with the frame fixing unit 4. In addition, as described later, the on-off valve 26 may be closed only when heating the expansion sheet 7 to shrink it, and the on-off valve 26 may be always opened otherwise. The longer the on-off valve 26 is opened, the more the inside of the expansion device 2 can be sufficiently cooled.

[0070] In addition, when a DAF is disposed on the workpiece 1 or the like, the cooling unit 44 mounted on the holding table (cooling plate) 34 may be operated as needed to cool the workpiece 1 through the extension sheet 7. In this case, an instruction to cool the cooling unit 44 is input to the extension device 2 in advance. Also, the cooling unit 44 may start operating immediately when the instruction is input to the extension device 2.

[0071] Next, the extension sheet 7 is extended radially outward. Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the extension device 2 that extends the extension sheet 7 and the extended extension sheet 7 is shown. When the extension sheet 7 is extended radially outward, the cylinder 46 of the extension unit 32 is operated to raise the rod 48, thereby raising the holding table 34.

[0072] In this case, the extension sheet 7 is extended to apply a force toward the radially outer side to the workpiece 1, and cracks are generated in the vertical direction from the modified layer 3, and the workpiece 1 is divided starting from the modified layer 3. When the workpiece 1 is divided, the respective device chips 15 each having a device 5 are formed. The device chips 15 remain held on the extension sheet 7.

[0073] After the extension sheet 7 is extended, the opening / closing valve 26 is closed and the operation of the cooling unit 44 is stopped, thereby stopping the cooling of the extension sheet 7. However, the timing of stopping the cooling of the extension sheet 7 is not limited to this. For example, as will be described later, the cooling of the extension sheet 7 may be stopped after the extension of the extension sheet 7 is released, or the cooling of the extension sheet 7 may be stopped immediately before the extension sheet 7 is heated.

[0074] Next, the extension of the extension sheet 7 is released, and the extension sheet 7 is heated to contract. The process of heating the extension sheet 7 to contract is also referred to as thermal contraction. Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the extension device 2 that releases the extension of the extension sheet 7 and heats it and the extension sheet 7 is shown.

[0075] When the extension of the extension sheet 7 is released, the cylinder 46 is operated to lower the rod 48, thereby lowering the holding table 34. Here, before the extension of the extension sheet 7 is released after the extension sheet 7 is extended, the opening / closing valve 40 is opened in advance. Then, the negative pressure generated by the suction source 42 acts on the extension sheet 7 and the workpiece 1 of the workpiece unit 11 through the suction path 36 and the suction port 38, and the extension sheet 7 and the like are held on the holding table 34.

[0076] When the extension of the extension sheet 7 is released, the extension sheet 7 becomes slack. At this time, the region of the extension sheet 7 that overlaps the workpiece 1 is fixed by the holding mechanism of the holding table 34, so as Figure 5 shown, the slack concentrates in the region between the workpiece 1 of the extension sheet 7 and the inner peripheral edge of the annular frame 9.

[0077] Thereafter, the rotary motor 68 is operated to rotate the shutter 72 so that the opening 72a moves downward of the heating unit 56. Then, the on-off valve 62 is opened, air is supplied from the air supply source 60 to the air supply passage 58, and the switch 66 is turned on to energize the coil heater 64, thereby heating the air. In this case, the air heated inside the air supply passage 58 is supplied to this area of the extension piece 7 where slack is generated through the opening 58a of the air supply passage 58 and the opening 72a of the shutter.

[0078] In addition, during the operation of the extension device 2, the switch 66 may always be turned on, and the supply and stop of the heated air can be switched by controlling the opening and closing of the on-off valve 62. It takes a certain amount of time from when the switch 66 is turned on until the coil heater 64 reaches a specified temperature, but if the switch 66 is always turned on, there is no need to wait for the temperature of the coil heater 64 to rise.

[0079] When this area of the extension piece 7 is heated by the heated air and shrinks, in the case where the operation of the holding mechanism that holds the workbench 34 is stopped and the attraction of the extension piece 7 is released, in the area overlapping the workpiece 1, the extension piece 7 remains in the extended state. In this case, the interval between the device chips 15 is kept wide, so when the workpiece unit 11 is transported later or the like, adjacent device chips 15 are not likely to come into contact with each other, thereby suppressing damage to the device chips 15.

[0080] Next, a modification of the extension device of the present embodiment will be described. In Figures 6 to 9 FIG. shows a cross-sectional view of the extension device 80 of this modification schematically. Similar to the above-described extension device 2, this extension device 80 cools the extension piece 7 of the workpiece unit 11 and extends the extension piece 7. Hereinafter, the extension device 80 will be described.

[0081] The extension device 80 has substantially the same structural elements as the extension device 2 and exhibits the same functions, but is different from the extension device 2 in a plurality of aspects. For example, in the extension device 80, the holding workbench (cooling plate) 124 is located at a position above the height at which the workpiece unit 11 is carried in, and the piece contraction unit 142 is located at a position below this height position.

[0082] Hereinafter, the description of the structure and function of each structural element of the extension device 80 that is the same as that of the extension device 2 may be omitted. In this case, the description of the extension device 2 can be appropriately referred to in the description of the extension device 80.

[0083] The expansion device 80 has a housing 82 that houses each structural element of the expansion device 80. However, the housing 82 is not a cooling chamber, and the expansion device 80 does not have a mechanism for cooling the entire interior of the housing 82. An opening serving as a carry-in / carry-out port 82a for the workpiece unit 11 is formed on the side surface of the housing 82, and this opening can be opened and closed by an opening / closing door 82b.

[0084] The expansion device 80 has a frame fixing unit 84, an expansion unit 112, a holding workbench (cooling plate) 124, and a sheet shrinking unit 142 inside the housing 82. Different from Figures 2 to 5 the expansion device 2 shown, in the expansion device 80, the workpiece 1 is carried into the workpiece unit 11 in a state where it faces downward.

[0085] The frame fixing unit 84 has an annular frame support portion 86 that can support the annular frame 9 of the workpiece unit 11. The frame support portion 86 has an opening 86a at the center. The upper ends of a plurality of rods 92 are connected to the lower surface of the frame support portion 86, and the lower ends of the rods 92 are respectively housed in a lifting mechanism such as a cylinder 90. The frame fixing unit 84 also has a frame pressing portion 88 above the frame support portion 86. The frame pressing portion 88 is an annular member having an opening 88a at the center.

[0086] A sealing portion 88d made of a soft member such as rubber or silicone resin is formed on the lower surface of the frame pressing portion 88. When the frame support portion 86 carrying the annular frame 9 is raised so that the annular frame 9 comes into contact with the lower surface of the frame pressing portion 88, the annular frame 9 is clamped and held by the frame support portion 86 and the frame pressing portion 88. At this time, even if the workpiece unit 11 warps or deflects, the sealing portion 88d abuts against the workpiece unit 11 to seal the space between the frame pressing portion 88 and the workpiece unit 11 without any gap.

[0087] In addition, a through hole 88b that penetrates vertically is formed in the frame pressing portion 88. And a frame pressing portion support bolt 88c passes through the through hole 88b in such a manner that its head is positioned below the through hole 88b. The upper end of the frame pressing portion support bolt 88c on the side opposite to the head is fixed to, for example, an expansion roller support portion 114 described later, and the expansion roller support portion 114 etc. are fixed to the housing 82. And the frame pressing portion 88 can move upward according to an external force.

[0088] For example, after raising the frame support portion 86 on which the annular frame 9 is placed so that the annular frame 9 contacts the frame pressing portion 88, when the frame support portion 86 is further raised, the frame pressing portion 88 rises. Preferably, the frame pressing portion 88 is formed to be able to firmly fix the weight of the annular frame 9 so that the clamped annular frame 9 does not shift in position. In addition, when the expansion roller 116 described later is arranged to be able to move up and down, the frame pressing portion 88 can also be fixed.

[0089] A plurality of ejection ports 102 are formed on the frame pressing portion 88. A cooling air supply path 100 is formed inside the frame pressing portion 88. One end of the cooling air supply path 100 communicates with the ejection port 102, and the other end communicates with a cooling air supply source 110. In addition, in Figure 6 In the expansion device 80 shown in etc., a plurality of ejection ports 102 are formed on the bottom surface of the frame pressing portion 88, but the formation position of the ejection port 102 is not limited thereto. For example, the ejection port 102 can also be formed on the inner peripheral wall surface of the frame pressing portion 88.

[0090] The cooling air supply path 100 includes, for example, an annular cooling path 94 and a plurality of branch paths 96. Moreover, the cooling air supply path 100 includes a supply path 98. One end of the supply path 98 communicates with the cooling air supply source 110, and the other end reaches the annular cooling path 94. The cooling air supply source 110 has a cooling mechanism such as a compressed air supply source 108 and a vortex tube 104. Moreover, an on-off valve 106 is provided in the air passage between the compressed air supply source 108 and the vortex tube 104.

[0091] The expansion unit 112 has an expansion roller support portion 114 that supports the expansion roller 116 from above. The expansion roller support portion 114 has, for example, an arm portion fixed at one end to the housing 82. This arm portion extends toward the center of the housing 82 above the inside of the opening 88a of the frame pressing portion 88. And, the expansion roller support portion 114 has a hanging portion that hangs downward from the other end of this arm portion, and an expansion roller 116 is installed at the lower end of this hanging portion. In addition, the expansion roller 116 can also be arranged to be able to move up and down.

[0092] Raise the frame support portion 86 of the frame fixing unit 84, raise the workpiece unit 11 having the annular frame 9 fixed to the frame fixing unit 84 so that the expansion sheet 7 included in the workpiece unit 11 contacts the expansion roller 116. Then, when the frame support portion 86 is further raised to raise the workpiece unit 11, the expansion sheet 7 expands radially outward.

[0093] In this case, the expansion roller support portion 114, the expansion roller 116, the frame support portion 86, the cylinder 90, and the rod 92 function as an expansion unit 112 for expanding the expansion sheet 7.

[0094] The holding table 124 can hold the workpiece 1 by suction through the expansion piece 7. A plurality of suction ports 130 are formed on the lower surface of the holding table 124, and a suction path 128 connected to each suction port 130 is formed inside the holding table 124. Furthermore, the suction path 128 is connected to a suction source 132 disposed outside the holding table 124. An on-off valve 134 is provided between the suction path 128 and the suction source 132.

[0095] A cooling unit 120, such as a piston cooler, is provided on the holding table 124. The cooling unit 120 is supported by a table lifting unit 122. The table lifting unit 122 is provided, for example, outside the housing 82 of the expansion device 80. When the table lifting unit 122 is actuated, the holding table 124 can be raised or lowered.

[0096] The portion of the holding table 124 other than its lower surface is covered by a table cover 126. Furthermore, the table cover 126 covers a portion of the lower portion of the cooling unit 120. The table cover 126 prevents the holding table 124 and the like from cooling down. A gap is left between the table cover 126, the holding table 124, and the cooling unit 120. This gap serves as a cooling air supply path 136, which acts as an air flow path.

[0097] A vent is formed in the upper portion of the table cover 126, and one end of a cooling air supply path 136 communicates with an external air supply source 138 via this vent. An on-off valve 140 is provided between the air supply source 138 and the cooling air supply path 136. The other end of the cooling air supply path 136 that does not reach the air supply source 138 extends between the lower surface of the holding table 124 and the table cover 126. The air passing through the cooling air supply path 136 is ultimately ejected downward from the outer periphery of the holding table 124.

[0098] When the on-off valve 140 is opened while the cooling unit 120 is in operation, the air supplied from the air supply source 138 to the cooling air supply path 136 contacts the cooling unit 120 and the cooled holding table 124 and is cooled, thereby becoming cooling air.

[0099] For example, when the piston cooler used in the cooling unit 120 cools the contact surface between the cooling unit 120 and the holding table 124 to approximately -40°C, the holding table 124 is cooled to approximately -30°C by the cooling unit 120. The cooling air, cooled to approximately -5°C to -10°C in the cooling air supply path 136, is then ejected downwardly around the outer periphery of the holding table 124. Furthermore, the temperature of the cooling air ejected from the ejection port 102 of the frame fixing unit 84 is also approximately -5°C to -10°C, for example.

[0100] When the DAF 7a is disposed on the workpiece 1, if the workpiece 1 and the DAF 7a are cooled to about -5°C to -10°C, the DAF 7a can be satisfactorily separated together with the workpiece 1.

[0101] The sheet shrinkage unit 142 has: a rotary motor 144 disposed on the bottom surface of the housing 82; a rotary shaft 146, the lower part of which is received in the rotary motor 144; and a disk-shaped support plate 148 mounted on the upper end of the rotary shaft 146. A plurality of heating units 150 are arranged at equal intervals along the outer peripheral edge of the support plate 148 on the upper surface of the support plate 148.

[0102] The heating unit 150 has an air supply passage 152. The lower end of the air supply passage 152 is connected to an air supply source 154 via an on-off valve 156. A coil heater 158 is provided inside the air supply passage 152. The coil heater 158 is connected to a power source and a switch 168. An opening 160 is provided on the upper surface of the air supply passage 152, and when the on-off valve 156 is opened and the heating unit 150 is operated, the heated air is ejected upward from the opening 160.

[0103] The sheet shrinkage unit 142 has a rotary motor 162 on the central upper surface of the support plate 148. The lower end of a rotary shaft 164 along the vertical direction is received in the rotary motor 162 and the rotary shaft 164 can rotate. A shutter 166 is connected to the upper end of the rotary shaft 164. The shutter 166 has a plurality of openings 166a at positions corresponding to the arrangement of the heating units 150 (see Figure 9 ).

[0104] In addition, when the extended sheet 7 in which the workpiece unit 11 is slackened is shrunk by the sheet shrinkage unit 142, the rotary motor 162 is operated to align the positions of the respective openings 166a with the positions of the respective heating units 150. Then, the heating unit 150 is operated, and the heated air is supplied to the extended sheet 7 through the opening 160 of the air supply passage 152 and the openings 166a of the shutter 166.

[0105] In addition, when the rotary motor 144 is operated while supplying the air heated by the heating unit 150 to the extended sheet 7, the region between the workpiece 1 of the extended sheet 7 that has been extended and slackened and the inner peripheral edge of the annular frame 9 is heated over the entire circumferential range. Then, the extended sheet 7 shrinks.

[0106] Next, as a method of using the expansion device 80 of the present embodiment, a method of expanding the expansion sheet 7 using the expansion device 80 will be described. First, the workpiece unit 11 is carried into the housing 82 of the expansion device 80 from the carry-out carry-in port 82a.

[0107] Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of the workpiece unit 11 and the expansion device 80 in a state of being carried into the expansion device 80 is schematically shown. When carrying in the workpiece unit 11, as Figure 6 shown, the annular frame 9 is placed on the frame support portion 86. After the workpiece unit 11 is housed inside the housing 82, the opening / closing door 82b is moved to close the carry-out carry-in port 82a.

[0108] Next, the workpiece 1, the expansion sheet 7, etc. are cooled. As Figure 7 shown, the table lifting unit 122 is operated to lower the holding table 124 (cooling plate), so that the holding table 124 approaches the expansion sheet 7. Then, the cooling unit 120 is operated and the opening / closing valve 140 is opened, and air is supplied from the air supply source 138 to the cooling air supply path 136, and the air is cooled in the cooling air supply path 136. In addition, since it takes time for the cooling unit 120 to cool to a specified temperature after it stops operating, it can also be operated constantly.

[0109] The cooled air is supplied from the outer periphery of the holding table 124 to the expansion sheet 7, and the expansion sheet 7, the DAF 7a, and the workpiece 1 are cooled. In addition, at this time, the holding table (cooling plate) 124 may be brought into contact with the expansion sheet 7, and the DAF 7a and the workpiece 1 may be cooled via the expansion sheet 7.

[0110] Next, the expansion sheet 7 is expanded radially outward. In Figure 8 a cross-sectional view of the expansion device 80 for expanding the expansion sheet 7 and the expanded expansion sheet 7 is shown. When expanding the expansion sheet 7, the table lifting unit 122 is operated in advance to raise the holding table 124. However, if the lower surface of the holding table 124 does not reach a position below the lower end of the expansion roller 116, it is not necessary to raise the holding table 124.

[0111] However, like the expansion sheet 7, the DAF 7a hardens during cooling and is not easily stretched when an external force is applied, and is prone to breakage. Therefore, when the DAF 7a is cooled in order to appropriately divide the DAF 7a, only the area of the expansion sheet 7 that overlaps the workpiece 1 is cooled. In this case, a large temperature difference is generated in the expansion sheet 7 between this area and the peripheral area of this area.

[0112] When the extension sheet 7 is extended in a state where the temperature of the peripheral region of the extension sheet 7 is higher than that of the region overlapping the workpiece 1, the peripheral region will elongate significantly. Moreover, in the region overlapping the workpiece 1, the elongation of the extension sheet 7 becomes smaller, and the workpiece 1 cannot be properly divided.

[0113] Therefore, the opening and closing valve 106 is opened, and cooling air is supplied to the extension sheet 7 from the ejection port 102 through the cooling air supply path 100 to cool the extension sheet 7 in advance. If the temperature difference is small in each region of the extension sheet 7, when the extension sheet 7 is extended, the extension sheet 7 elongates uniformly as a whole, so that the workpiece 1 can be properly divided.

[0114] When the extension sheet 7 is extended radially outward, the cylinder 90 is actuated to raise the rod 92, thereby raising the frame support portion 86 and bringing the extension sheet 7 of the workpiece unit 11 into contact with the extension roller 116. After that, when the frame support portion 86 is further raised, the extension sheet 7 extends radially outward, and the workpiece 1 and the DAF 7a are divided to form individual device chips 15 having the DAF 7a.

[0115] In addition, in the extension device 80, the workpiece 1 is divided in a state where the workpiece 1 is disposed below the extension sheet 7. Therefore, chips and the like generated by the division of the workpiece 1 and the like fall downward. Thus, even if the chips and the like scatter, it is not easy for the chips and the like to adhere to the devices 5 and the like formed on the front surface of the workpiece 1.

[0116] In the extension device 80, in addition to the extension sheet 7, the DAF 7a is also cooled. Therefore, the elongation of the extension sheet 7 and the DAF 7a is suppressed, and the DAF 7a can be properly divided together with the workpiece 1. After the extension sheet 7 is extended, the opening and closing valve 140 and the opening and closing valve 106 are closed and the operation of the cooling unit 120 is stopped, so that the cooling of the extension sheet 7 and the like is stopped. In addition, if the operation of the cooling unit 120 is stopped, it takes time to reach the specified temperature when operating again. Therefore, the operation may not be stopped either.

[0117] Next, the extension of the extension sheet 7 is released and the extension sheet 7 is heated to contract. In Figure 9 FIG. shows a cross-sectional view of the extension device 80 that releases the extension of the extension sheet 7 and performs heating and the extension sheet 7.

[0118] Before releasing the expansion piece 7, the table lifting unit 122 is operated to lower the holding table 124, so that the lower surface of the holding table 124 contacts the expansion piece 7 of the workpiece unit 11. Then, the on-off valve 134 is opened, and the negative pressure generated by the suction source 42 acts on the expansion piece 7 of the workpiece unit 11 and the workpiece 1 through the suction path 128 and the suction port 130, thereby holding the workpiece 1 on the holding table 124 through the expansion piece 7.

[0119] Afterwards, when the expansion of the expansion piece 7 is released, the expansion piece 7 becomes loose. To remove this looseness, the rotary motor 162 is first operated to move the opening 166a of the shutter 166 upward from the heating unit 150. Then, the on-off valve 156 is opened to supply air from the air supply source 154 to the air supply path 152, and the switch 168 is turned on to energize the coil heater 158, thereby heating the air.

[0120] In addition, similarly to the above-mentioned expansion device 2, the switch 168 may be always on in the expansion device 80. In this case, the start and stop of heating of the expansion piece 7 are switched by opening and closing the on-off valve 156.

[0121] Heated air in the air supply path 152 is supplied to the expansion sheet 7. When the area of the expansion sheet 7 between the workpiece 1 and the inner periphery of the annular frame 9 is heated, the expansion sheet 7 contracts. Furthermore, when the holding mechanism of the holding table 124 releases the attraction of the expansion sheet 7, the expansion sheet 7 remains expanded in the area overlapping the workpiece 1.

[0122] Even in the expansion device 80, a cooling space can be formed only in a limited area around the expansion piece 7 inside the housing 82. Therefore, the expansion device 80 can cool the expansion piece 7 very efficiently without making the housing 82 a cooling chamber.

[0123] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be implemented with various modifications. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the expansion sheet 7 is cooled in the region between the workpiece 1 and the inner periphery of the annular frame 9 and in the portion overlapping the workpiece 1. However, one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this.

[0124] For example, cooling air may also be supplied to the region between the workpiece 1 of the extended piece 7 and the inner peripheral edge of the annular frame 9 and only this region may be cooled. In this case, in this region, the extended piece 7 is not easily elongated. Therefore, when the extended piece 7 is extended, the portion of the extended piece 7 overlapping with the workpiece 1 is easily elongated, and the workpiece 1 can be more reliably divided. However, if the DAF 7a is provided on the workpiece 1, the division of the DAF 7a becomes difficult.

[0125] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the air ejection ports 22 and 102 of the cooling air for cooling the extended piece 7 are formed on the frame pressing portions 8 and 88 and the frame pressing portions 8 and 88 have the cooling air supply paths 20 and 100 has been described. In one aspect of the present invention, the frame support portions 6 and 86 may also have the air ejection ports 22 and 102 of the cooling air and the cooling air supply paths 20 and 100. Moreover, the air ejection ports 22 and 102 of the cooling air and the cooling air supply paths 20 and 100 may also be formed in other structural elements.

[0126] The configurations and methods of the above-described embodiment can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the scope of the object of the present invention.

Claims

1. An expanding device that expands an expanding sheet of a workpiece unit, the workpiece unit including: a workpiece; the expanding sheet adhered to the workpiece; and an annular frame to which the outer peripheral side of the expanding sheet is adhered, characterized in that the expanding device has: a frame fixing unit having a frame supporting portion and a frame pressing portion, the frame supporting portion being capable of supporting the annular frame of the workpiece unit, and the frame pressing portion being capable of clamping the annular frame together with the frame supporting portion; and an expanding unit capable of expanding the expanding sheet included in the workpiece unit having the annular frame fixed by the frame fixing unit, the frame pressing portion of the frame fixing unit has a jet outlet and a cooling air supply path, one end of the cooling air supply path communicates with the jet outlet, and the other end communicates with a cooling air supply source, the jet outlet can jet the cooling air supplied from the cooling air supply source toward the following area of the expanding sheet included in the workpiece unit having the annular frame fixed by the frame fixing unit: the area is the area between the workpiece and the inner peripheral edge of the annular frame.

2. The expanding device according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of the jet outlets arranged in a ring shape are formed on the frame pressing portion of the frame fixing unit, the cooling air supply path includes: an annular cooling path; a plurality of branch paths respectively reaching the plurality of jet outlets from the annular cooling path; and a supply path, one end of which communicates with the cooling air supply source and the other end reaches the annular cooling path, the cooling air supply source cools the frame fixing unit by supplying cooling air to the annular cooling path, so as to be able to form a cooling space around the workpiece of the workpiece unit having the annular frame fixed by the frame fixing unit.

3. The expanding device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the expanding device further has a cooling plate capable of contacting the workpiece included in the workpiece unit via the expanding sheet included in the workpiece unit having the annular frame fixed by the frame fixing unit.

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