Processing equipment

Abstract

A processing device is provided. The device comprises: a chuck table (4) for selectively holding a workpiece of at least two sizes; a processing unit (6) for processing the workpiece; a box loading section (10) for loading a box (8) for storing the workpiece; a carrying unit (12) for carrying the workpiece out of the box; a temporary storage unit (14) for temporarily storing the workpiece; and a conveying unit (16) for conveying the workpiece to the chuck table. The processing device comprises a camera (88) for photographing a component and a control unit (90). The control unit comprises: a size selection section (96) for selecting the size of the workpiece; an image storage section (98) for storing an image of the component corresponding to the selected size of the workpiece; and a judgment section (100) for comparing the image of the component photographed by the camera with the image of the component stored in the image storage section to judge whether the component photographed by the camera is a component corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the size selection section.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing device capable of processing workpieces of at least two sizes. Background Art

[0002] The wafer is divided by predetermined dividing lines and multiple devices such as ICs and LSIs are formed on the front side. After the back side of the wafer is ground to a specified thickness by a grinding device, it is divided into individual device chips by a cutting device, laser processing device, etc. The divided device chips are used in electronic devices such as mobile phones and personal computers.

[0003] The grinding device generally includes: a chuck worktable that holds the workpiece; a grinding unit that grinds the workpiece held by the chuck worktable; a box loading portion that carries a box for storing multiple workpieces; a carry-out unit that carries the workpiece out of the box loaded on the box loading portion; a temporary placement unit that temporarily places the workpiece moved out by the carry-out unit; and a transfer unit that transfers the workpiece temporarily placed on the temporary placement unit to the chuck worktable. The grinding device can process the wafer to a desired thickness.

[0004] In addition, wafers have different sizes, such as 5-inch, 6-inch, and 8-inch diameters, and the size is appropriately selected according to the type and size of the device.

[0005] Furthermore, the grinding apparatus is configured to cope with various wafer sizes by replacing components such as a chuck table, a carry-out unit, and a transport unit according to the size of the wafer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-153090

[0007] However, sometimes, due to errors, not all components to be replaced are replaced in accordance with the wafer size. In such cases, problems such as being unable to remove the wafer from the cassette or transport the wafer within the grinding apparatus can occur, or the wafer may be damaged. These problems are not limited to grinding apparatuses and can occur in various processing equipment, including dicing equipment and laser processing equipment, which can replace components in accordance with wafer size. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and aims to provide a processing apparatus that does not cause problems such as the inability to remove a workpiece from a cassette, the inability to transport the workpiece within the processing apparatus, or the damage to the workpiece.

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides the following processing device. That is, the processing device has at least the following components: a chuck table that can selectively hold workpieces of at least two sizes; a processing unit that processes the workpiece held by the chuck table; a box loading portion that carries a box for storing multiple workpieces; a carry-out unit that carries the workpiece out of the box loaded on the box loading portion; a temporary storage unit that temporarily stores the workpiece moved out by the carry-out unit; and a transport unit that transports the workpiece temporarily placed on the temporary storage unit to the chuck table, wherein the processing device has : A camera that photographs a constituent element; and a control unit that at least comprises: a size selection unit that selects the size of a workpiece; and an image storage unit that stores an image of the constituent element corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the size selection unit, the control unit comprising a judgment unit that compares the image of the constituent element photographed by the camera with the image of the constituent element stored in the image storage unit to judge whether the constituent element photographed by the camera is a constituent element corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the size selection unit.

[0010] Preferably, the determination unit indicates a component that does not correspond to the size of the workpiece and instructs replacement. Preferably, the processing unit is a grinding unit that grinds the workpiece held by the chuck table using a grinding tool or a polishing unit that grinds the workpiece held by the chuck table using a polishing pad.

[0011] The processing device provided by the present invention has at least the following components: a chuck worktable, which can selectively hold workpieces of at least two sizes; a processing unit, which processes the workpiece held by the chuck worktable; a box loading portion, which carries a box for storing a plurality of workpieces; a carry-out unit, which carries out the workpiece from the box loaded on the box loading portion; a temporary placement unit, which temporarily places the workpiece carried out by the carry-out unit; and a conveying unit, which conveys the workpiece temporarily placed on the temporary placement unit to the chuck worktable, wherein the processing device has: a camera, which photographs the components; and a control unit, which The invention at least comprises: a size selection unit which selects the size of the workpiece; and an image storage unit which stores an image of a component corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the size selection unit. The control unit comprises a judgment unit which compares the image of the component taken by the camera with the image of the component stored in the image storage unit to judge whether the component taken by the camera is a component corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the size selection unit. Therefore, there will be no problem of being unable to remove the workpiece from the box or being unable to transport the workpiece within the processing device, or causing the workpiece to be damaged. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of a processing device constructed according to the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A perspective view of the chuck table is shown.

[0014] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of images of components corresponding to respective sizes of a workpiece stored in the image storage unit shown.

[0015] Description of labels

[0016] 2: Grinding device (processing device); 4: Chuck worktable; 6: Processing unit; 8: Box; 8a: First box; 8b: Second box; 8': Box for 6 inches; 8": Box for 8 inches; 10: Box loading section; 10a: First box loading section; 10b: Second box loading section; 12: Carry-out unit; 14: Temporary placement unit; 16: Transport unit; 60: Holding sheet of the carry-out unit; 60': Holding sheet for 6 inches; 60": Holding sheet for 8 inches; 72: Adsorption sheet of the transport unit; 72': Adsorption sheet for 6 inches; 72": Adsorption sheet for 8 inches; 88: Camera; 90: Control unit; 96: Size selection section; 98: Image storage section; 100: Judgment section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] exist Figure 1 In the figure, as an example of a processing device constructed according to the present invention, a grinding device 2 capable of grinding workpieces of at least two sizes is shown. Other examples of the processing device of the present invention include a cutting device having a rotatable cutting tool for cutting the workpiece, and a laser processing device for laser processing the workpiece.

[0019] The grinding device 2 includes at least the following components: a chuck table 4 that can selectively hold workpieces of at least two sizes; a machining unit 6 that processes the workpiece held by the chuck table 4; a cassette placement unit 10 that holds a cassette 8 for storing a plurality of workpieces; a carry-out unit 12 that removes the workpieces from the cassette 8 placed on the cassette placement unit 10; a temporary placement unit 14 that temporarily holds the workpieces removed by the carry-out unit 12; and a transport unit 16 that transports the workpieces temporarily placed in the temporary placement unit 14 to the chuck table 4. In the illustrated embodiment, the cassette 8 is also included in the components of the grinding device 2.

[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, the grinding device 2 has a rectangular parallelepiped base 18, and a circular rotary table 20 is rotatably provided on the upper surface of the base 18. The rotary table 20 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from above by a rotary table motor (not shown) built into the base 18. Three chuck tables 4 spaced equally in the circumferential direction are rotatably mounted on the peripheral side of the upper surface of the rotary table 20. The chuck tables 4 rotate around an axis extending in the vertical direction by a chuck table motor (not shown) mounted on the lower surface of the rotary table 20. In addition, each chuck table 4 is positioned in sequence by the rotation of the rotary table 20. Figure 1 The reference numeral A indicates the loading and unloading position, the reference numeral B indicates the rough grinding position, and the reference numeral C indicates the fine grinding position.

[0021] Reference Figure 2 For explanation, a porous circular first adsorption chuck 22 and a porous annular second adsorption chuck 24 are provided at the upper end portion of the chuck table 4. The first adsorption chuck 22 and the second adsorption chuck 24 are arranged concentrically with the first adsorption chuck 22. Both the first adsorption chuck 22 and the second adsorption chuck 24 are connected to a suction unit (not shown), and a valve (not shown) is provided on the flow path connecting the second adsorption chuck 24 to the suction unit. In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, the diameter of the first adsorption chuck 22 corresponds to the diameter of the smaller of the two sizes of workpieces (e.g., a wafer with a diameter of 6 inches), and the outer diameter of the second adsorption chuck 24 corresponds to the diameter of the larger of the two sizes of workpieces (e.g., a wafer with a diameter of 8 inches).

[0022] Furthermore, in the chuck worktable 4, when the above-mentioned valve is closed, the suction unit is used to generate suction on the upper surface of the first adsorption chuck 22, so that the first adsorption chuck 22 is used to attract and hold a smaller workpiece, and when the above-mentioned valve is opened, the suction unit is used to generate suction on the upper surfaces of the first adsorption chuck 22 and the second adsorption chuck 24, so that the first adsorption chuck 22 and the second adsorption chuck 24 are used to attract and hold a larger workpiece.

[0023] In this way, the chuck table 4 of the illustrated embodiment can selectively attract and hold workpieces of two sizes. Alternatively, the chuck table 4 may also be provided with a plurality of annular adsorption chucks concentrically disposed with the first adsorption chuck 22 at its upper end, thereby selectively attracting and holding workpieces of three or more sizes.

[0024] Reference Figure 1 To illustrate, the processing unit 6 includes: a mounting wall 26, which extends from the end of the base 18 ( Figure 1a first lifting plate 28 and a second lifting plate 30, both of which are freely mounted on one surface of the mounting wall 26; a first lifting unit 32, which lifts the first lifting plate 28; and a second lifting unit 34, which lifts the second lifting plate 30.

[0025] The first lifting unit 32 includes a ball screw 36 extending vertically along one surface of the mounting wall 26, and a motor 38 that rotates the ball screw 36. A nut portion (not shown) of the ball screw 36 is connected to the first lifting plate 28. In the first lifting unit 32, the ball screw 36 converts the rotational motion of the motor 38 into linear motion and transmits it to the first lifting plate 28, causing the first lifting plate 28 to rise and fall along a guide rail 26a attached to one surface of the mounting wall 26. The second lifting unit 34 can have the same structure as the first lifting unit 32, and therefore, is designated by the same reference numerals as the first lifting unit 32, and its description is omitted.

[0026] The machining unit 6 includes a rough grinding unit 40 mounted on one surface of the first lift plate 28 and a fine grinding unit 42 mounted on one surface of the second lift plate 30. The rough grinding unit 40 includes a support wall 44 protruding from one surface of the first lift plate 28, a spindle 46 rotatably supported on the support wall 44 about an axis extending in the vertical direction, and a motor 48 mounted on the upper surface of the support wall 44 to rotate the spindle 46. A disc-shaped grinding wheel mount 50 is fixed to the lower end of the spindle 46, and a grinding tool 52 for rough grinding is fixed to the lower surface of the grinding wheel mount 50. In addition, regarding the fine grinding unit 42, a fine grinding grinding tool 54 formed of abrasive grains having a smaller grain size than the abrasive grains of the rough grinding grinding tool 52 is fixed to the lower surface of the grinding wheel mounting seat 50. Except for this, it can be the same structure as the rough grinding unit 40. Therefore, it is marked with the same number as the structure of the rough grinding unit 40 and the description is omitted.

[0027] Furthermore, in the machining unit 6, the workpiece held by the chuck table 4 positioned at the rough grinding position B is rough ground using the grinding tool 52 of the rough grinding unit 40, and the workpiece held by the chuck table 4 positioned at the fine grinding position C is fine ground using the grinding tool 54 of the fine grinding unit 42.

[0028] Thus, the processing unit 6 of the illustrated embodiment is configured as a grinding unit that grinds the workpiece held by the chuck table 4 using the grinding tools 52 and 54. However, the processing unit 6 may also be configured as a grinding unit that grinds the workpiece held by the chuck table 4 using a grinding pad fixed to the lower surface of the grinding wheel mounting seat 50. Alternatively, the processing unit 6 may be configured as both a grinding unit in which a grinding tool is fixed to one grinding wheel mounting seat 50 and a grinding pad is fixed to the other grinding wheel mounting seat 50, and a grinding unit.

[0029] Furthermore, a cleaning water nozzle 56 for spraying cleaning water is provided on the upper surface of the base 18 adjacent to the attachment and removal position A. After the rough grinding and finish grinding processes are performed, cleaning water is sprayed from the cleaning water nozzle 56 toward the upper surface (grinding surface) of the workpiece positioned at the attachment and removal position A, thereby cleaning the upper surface of the workpiece.

[0030] The cassette mounting portion 10 of the illustrated embodiment comprises: a first cassette mounting portion 10a on which a first cassette 8a for storing a plurality of disk-shaped workpieces (e.g., wafers W with a diameter of 6 inches or 8 inches) before grinding is mounted; and a second cassette mounting portion 10b on which a second cassette 8b for storing a plurality of workpieces after grinding is mounted. Figure 1 As shown, the first cassette mounting portion 10a and the second cassette mounting portion 10b are provided at the upper surface end portion ( Figure 1 The near front end portions) are arranged at intervals from each other.

[0031] In addition, the first cartridge mounting portion 10a and the second cartridge mounting portion 10b each have a space capable of selectively mounting cartridges 8 of at least two sizes. Figure 3 As shown, there are 6-inch cassettes 8' for storing wafers with a diameter of 6 inches and 8-inch cassettes 8" for storing wafers with a diameter of 8 inches.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, the unloading unit 12 is disposed between the first cassette loading section 10a and the second cassette loading section 10b. The unloading unit 12 includes a multi-jointed arm 58 supported by a base 18; an electric or air-driven actuator (not shown) that actuates the multi-jointed arm 58; and a retaining plate 60 detachably attached to the front end of the multi-jointed arm 58. The retaining plate 60, which has a plurality of suction holes (not shown) formed on one surface, is connected to a suction unit (not shown).

[0033] Furthermore, in the unloading unit 12, an attraction is generated on one surface of the holding sheet 60 by the suction unit, thereby attracting and holding the workpiece by the one surface of the holding sheet 60, and the multi-joint arm 58 is operated by the actuator, thereby carrying the workpiece before grinding attracted and held by the one surface of the holding sheet 60 out of the first box 8a to the temporary storage unit 14, and carrying the workpiece after grinding attracted and held by the one surface of the holding sheet 60 from the cleaning unit 74 described later into the second box 8b.

[0034] In addition, in the unloading unit 12, at least two sizes of holding pieces 60 are selectively installed at the front end of the multi-joint arm 58, so that at least two sizes of workpieces can be sucked and held. Figure 3 As shown, there are U-shaped 6-inch holding pieces 60' for sucking and holding wafers with a diameter of 6 inches, and C-shaped 8-inch holding pieces 60" for sucking and holding wafers with a diameter of 8 inches.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the temporary placement unit 14 is arranged adjacent to the first box loading portion 10a. The temporary placement unit 14 includes: a base plate 62, which is mounted on the upper surface of the base 18; and a circular temporary placement workbench 64, which is arranged in the central part of the upper surface of the base plate 62 and is smaller than the diameter of the workpiece. On the base plate 62, a plurality of long holes 62a extending radially of the temporary placement workbench 64 are formed at intervals around the temporary placement workbench 64. In addition, a plurality of pins 66 extending upward through each long hole 62a are movably mounted on the base 18 along the long holes 62a, and a pin moving unit (not shown) is mounted to synchronously move the plurality of pins 66 along the long holes 62a.

[0036] In the temporary placement unit 14 , the pin moving unit moves the plurality of pins 66 synchronously, causing the plurality of pins 66 to contact the periphery of the workpiece temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 64 , thereby aligning the center of the workpiece with the center of the temporary placement table 64 .

[0037] In addition, in the temporary placement unit 14, by changing the initial position of the pin 66, the center positioning of the workpiece of at least two sizes can be performed. Figure 3 As shown, when centering a wafer with a diameter of 6 inches, the initial position of the pin 66 is set at the middle portion of the long hole 62a. When centering a wafer with a diameter of 8 inches, the initial position of the pin 66 is set at the end of the long hole 62a (the radially outer end of the temporary table 64). In this way, by setting the initial position of the pin 66 on a circumference slightly larger than the diameter of the workpiece for center alignment, the travel distance of the pin 66 until the pin 66 contacts the peripheral edge of the workpiece is shortened, thereby reducing the process time.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, the transport unit 16 is disposed between the temporary storage unit 14 and the rotary table 20. The transport unit 16 includes a rotating shaft 68, which is rotatably and elevatably mounted on the base 18 and extends upward from the top surface of the base 18; an arm 70, which extends substantially horizontally from the top end of the rotating shaft 68; a disc-shaped suction sheet 72, which is detachably mounted on the lower surface of the front end of the arm 70; a rotating shaft motor (not shown) that rotates the rotating shaft 68; and a lifting unit (not shown), such as an electric cylinder, that raises and lowers the rotating shaft 68. The suction sheet 72, which has a plurality of suction holes (not shown) formed on its bottom surface, is connected to the suction unit (not shown).

[0039] Furthermore, in the transport unit 16, an attraction force is generated on the lower surface of the adsorption sheet 72 by the suction unit, thereby attracting and holding the workpiece temporarily placed on the temporary placement worktable 64 by the lower surface of the adsorption sheet 72, and the rotary shaft 68 is lifted and rotated by the lifting unit and the rotary shaft motor, thereby transporting the workpiece attracted and held by the lower surface of the adsorption sheet 72 from the temporary placement unit 14 to the chuck worktable 4 positioned at the loading and unloading position A.

[0040] In addition, in the conveying unit 16, at least two sizes of suction sheets 72 are selectively installed on the lower surface of the front end of the arm 70, so that at least two sizes of workpieces can be sucked and held. Figure 3 As shown, there are 6-inch suction pieces 72' for sucking and holding 6-inch diameter wafers and 8-inch suction pieces 72", for sucking and holding 8-inch diameter wafers. The diameter of the 8-inch suction piece 72" is larger than that of the 6-inch suction piece 72'.

[0041] In the illustrated embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the grinding device 2 further includes the following components: a cleaning unit 74 that cleans the ground workpiece; and a second transport unit 76 that transports the ground workpiece from the chuck table 4 to the cleaning unit 74 .

[0042] The cleaning unit 74, located adjacent to the second cartridge placement section 10b, includes a circular rotary table 78 rotatably mounted on the base 18; a rotary table motor (not shown) that rotates the rotary table 78; a cleaning water nozzle (not shown) that sprays cleaning water onto the workpiece held on the rotary table 78; and an air nozzle (not shown) that sprays dry air onto the workpiece held on the rotary table 78. A porous circular suction chuck 80 connected to a suction unit (not shown) is located at the upper end of the rotary table 78.

[0043] Furthermore, in the cleaning unit 74, a suction unit is used to generate suction on the upper surface of the adsorption chuck 80, thereby sucking and holding the workpiece placed on the upper surface of the rotary worktable 78, and while rotating the rotary worktable 78 that sucks and holds the workpiece, cleaning water is sprayed from the cleaning water nozzle to clean the workpiece, and dry air is sprayed from the air nozzle to dry the workpiece.

[0044] The diameter of the rotary table 78 is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the smallest workpiece among at least two sizes of workpieces. In the cleaning unit 74 , the rotary table 78 can suction and hold the workpieces of at least two sizes for cleaning and drying.

[0045] The second transport unit 76, located between the cleaning unit 74 and the rotary table 20, includes a rotating shaft 82, which is rotatably and elevatably mounted on the base 18 and extends upward from the top surface of the base 18; an arm 84, which extends substantially horizontally from the top end of the rotating shaft 82; a circular plate 86 mounted on the lower surface of the front end of the arm 84; a rotating shaft motor (not shown) that rotates the rotating shaft 82; and a lifting unit (not shown), such as an electric cylinder, that raises and lowers the rotating shaft 82. A porous suction pad (not shown) connected to a suction unit (not shown) is located in the center of the bottom surface of the plate 86.

[0046] In addition, in the second conveying unit 76, an attraction is generated on the lower surface of the attraction pad by the suction unit, so that the ground workpiece held by the chuck worktable 4 positioned at the loading and unloading position A is attracted and held by the lower surface of the plate 86, and the rotary shaft 82 is lifted and rotated by the lifting unit and the rotary shaft motor, so that the workpiece attracted and held by the lower surface of the plate 86 is conveyed from the chuck worktable 4 to the rotary table 78 of the cleaning unit 74.

[0047] Furthermore, the plate 86 has a diameter larger than the diameter of the largest workpiece among at least two sizes of workpieces. In the second conveying unit 76 , the plate 86 can suction and hold the workpieces of at least two sizes.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, the grinding device 2 further includes: a camera 88 for photographing the above-mentioned multiple components; and a control unit 90, which is electrically connected to the camera 88. The camera 88 is arranged on the upper part of the grinding device 2 to photograph the images of the various components of the grinding device 2. In addition, the image data taken by the camera 88 is sent to the control unit 90. In addition, Figure 1 A single camera 88 is shown in FIG. 8 , but the grinding device 2 may have a plurality of cameras 88 .

[0049] The control unit 90 is composed of a computer and includes: a central processing unit (CPU) that performs calculations according to a control program; a read-only memory (ROM) that stores the control program, etc.; and a readable and writable random access memory (RAM) that stores calculation results, etc. (all not shown). The control unit 90 is electrically connected to the upper surface end portion ( Figure 1 The operation panel 92 and the monitor 94 are provided. The operation panel 92 can be composed of a keyboard or a touch panel. In addition, the touch panel as the operation panel 92 can be displayed on the monitor 94.

[0050] The control unit 90 has a sizing unit 96 for selecting the size of a workpiece stored as a control program in the read-only memory. An image storage unit 98 is also provided for storing images of components corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the sizing unit 96 .

[0051] At least two workpiece sizes (e.g., 6-inch diameter and 8-inch diameter) that can be ground using the grinding device 2 are preselected and stored in the size selection unit 96. Furthermore, the size selection unit 96 selects the workpiece size from among the at least two pre-stored workpiece sizes based on the operator's operation of the operation panel 92.

[0052] The image storage unit 98 pre-stores images of components corresponding to at least two sizes of workpieces that can be ground using the grinding device 2. Figure 3 As shown, as images of components corresponding to a wafer having a diameter of 6 inches, images of the 6-inch cassette 8', the 6-inch holding sheet 60' of the unloading unit 12, the temporary placement unit 14 in which the initial position of the pin 66 is set on a circumference slightly larger than the diameter of 6 inches, and the 6-inch suction sheet 72' of the transport unit 16 are stored in the image storage unit 98.

[0053] exist Figure 3 In the example shown, as images of components corresponding to a wafer having a diameter of 8 inches, images of the 8-inch cassette 8", the 8-inch retaining sheet 60" of the unloading unit 12, the temporary placement unit 14 for setting the initial position of the pin 66 on a circle slightly larger than the diameter of 8 inches, and the 8-inch suction sheet 72" of the transport unit 16 are stored in the image storage unit 98. Figure 3 Each of the images shown may be captured by the camera 88 of the grinding device 2 , or may be captured by a camera other than the camera 88 .

[0054] In addition, the read-only memory of the control unit 90 stores the determination unit 100 (see Figure 1) as a control program, when the grinding device 2 starts grinding processing, the judgment unit 100 compares the image of the component taken by the camera 88 with the image of the component stored in the image storage unit 98, and judges whether the component taken by the camera 88 is a component corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the size selection unit 96.

[0055] When grinding a wafer as a workpiece using the grinding device 2 as described above, first, a first box 8a containing a plurality of wafers is placed on the first box loading portion 10a, and an empty second box 8b containing a plurality of ground wafers is placed on the second box loading portion 10b.

[0056] Next, the operation panel 92 is operated to input the size of the workpiece to be ground, and an instruction to start operation of the grinding device 2 is input. Here, the description assumes that a diameter of 6 inches is input as the workpiece size. Then, the size selection unit 96 of the control unit 90 selects a diameter of 6 inches as the workpiece size from among the multiple workpiece sizes that can be ground using the grinding device 2. Furthermore, the camera 88 captures an image of the components installed in the grinding device 2. Examples of the components captured by the camera 88 include the first and second cassettes 8a and 8b, the retaining sheet 60 of the unloading unit 12, the temporary storage unit 14, and the suction sheet 72 of the transport unit 16.

[0057] Then, the determination unit 100 of the control unit 90 compares the image of the component immediately before being captured by the camera 88 with the images of the component previously stored in the image storage unit 98, and determines whether the component immediately before being captured by the camera 88 corresponds to the size of the workpiece (6-inch diameter) selected by the size selection unit 96. For example, the determination unit 100 compares the images of the first and second cassettes 8a and 8b, the holding sheet 60 of the unloading unit 12, the temporary placement unit 14, and the suction sheet 72 of the conveying unit 16 (images immediately before being captured by the camera 88) with the images of the 6-inch cassette 8', the 6-inch holding sheet 60' of the unloading unit 12, the temporary placement unit 14 in which the initial position of the pin 66 is set on a circumference slightly larger than the 6-inch diameter, and the 6-inch suction sheet 72' of the conveying unit 16 (images previously stored in the image storage unit 98).

[0058] Furthermore, when the result of comparing the two images is that the judgment unit 100 judges that the component just photographed by the camera 88 is a component corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the size selection unit 96, the following series of processes are started: the multiple chips stored in the first box 8a are taken out in turn, then the chips are ground, and then the ground chips are moved into the second box 8b.

[0059] Specifically, the following series of processes are implemented in sequence, which include: a temporary placement process, using the unloading unit 12 to move the chip out of the first box 8a and temporarily place it in the temporary placement unit 14; a first transfer process, using the transfer unit 16 to transfer the chip temporarily placed in the temporary placement unit 14 to the chuck worktable 4 at the loading and unloading position A; a grinding process, using the processing unit 6 to perform rough grinding and fine grinding on the upper surface of the chip held by the chuck worktable 4; a cleaning water spraying process, spraying cleaning water from the cleaning water nozzle 56 to the upper surface of the ground chip; a second transfer process, using the second transfer unit 76 to transfer the ground chip from the chuck worktable 4 to the cleaning unit 74; a cleaning / drying process, using the cleaning unit 74 to clean and dry the ground chip; and a box transfer process, using the unloading unit 12 to transfer the cleaned chip from the cleaning unit 74 and move it into the second box 8b.

[0060] Furthermore, when the result of comparing the two images is that the determination unit 100 determines that the component imaged just before by the camera 88 is a component corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the size selection unit 96 , this fact can be displayed on the monitor 94 .

[0061] On the other hand, if the result of comparing the two images is that the determination unit 100 determines that one or more of the components captured by the camera 88 immediately before the image is not a component corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the size selection unit 96, the above series of steps will not be started. In such a case, the determination unit 100 can indicate the component that does not correspond to the size of the workpiece by displaying it on the monitor 94, for example, and instruct the operator to replace it.

[0062] As described above, in the grinding device 2 of the illustrated embodiment, when the judgment unit 100 determines that the component imaged by the camera 88 is not a component corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the size selection unit 96, a series of steps for grinding the workpiece are not started. Therefore, there will be no problem of being unable to remove the workpiece from the first box 8a or unable to transport the workpiece within the grinding device 2, or the workpiece being damaged.

Claims

1. A processing device comprising at least the following components: a chuck table capable of selectively holding workpieces of at least two sizes; a machining unit for machining a workpiece held by the chuck table; a cassette placement portion for placing a cassette for storing a plurality of workpieces; a carrying-out unit that carries out the workpiece from the cassette placed on the cassette placement portion; a temporary storage unit for temporarily storing the workpieces moved out by the moving-out unit; as well as A conveying unit is used to convey the workpiece temporarily placed on the temporary unit to the chuck table. in, The processing device has: a camera that captures the plurality of components; and A control unit comprising at least: a size selection unit that selects the size of a workpiece; and an image storage unit that stores images of a plurality of components corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the size selection unit. The control unit has a judgment unit that compares the images of the multiple components taken by the camera with the images of the multiple components stored in the image storage unit to determine whether the multiple components taken by the camera are multiple components corresponding to the size of the workpiece selected by the size selection unit.

2. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein The determination unit identifies a component that does not correspond to the size of the workpiece and instructs replacement.

3. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein The processing unit is a grinding unit that grinds the workpiece held by the chuck table using a grinding tool or a polishing unit that polishes the workpiece held by the chuck table using a polishing pad.

Images